Stopping the Cleveland Cavaliers means stopping LeBron James. The Beast from the East is an overwhelming physical force who possesses the power and size of Rob Gronkowski and the smarts and finesse of Lionel Messi. The Toronto Raptors' road to the NBA final goes as much through James as it does the entire Cavaliers team. So how do you stop him?

If anyone has an idea, send your thoughts over to DeMarre Carroll, who's saddled with the unenviable task of trying to guard the King again tonight as the Raptors try to even the series against the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals at Quicken Loans Arena.

Can they do it? You tell us.

Shutting them down

Even if the Raptors figure out a way to stop LeBron, shutting down the rest of the Cavaliers attack is a dizzying duty. Rounding out their starting five is Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson – a formidable foe for any defence.

In Game 1, Cleveland starters outscored Toronto's 76-48, and the most noticeable imbalance came in the Irving-Kyle Lowry matchup. The Cavs guard notched a game-high 27 points while Lowry could muster only eight.

JV out again

Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto's big man in the middle, will miss Thursday's game as he recovers from an ankle injury sustained midway through the Raptors' second-round series against the Miami Heat.

Bismack Biyombo has filled in nobly in his absence, but with the 23-year-old thrust into a main role, the Raptors' depth has suffered.

, Valanciunas was at practice wearing workout gear, but he was still limping in discomfort, which didn't inspire a lot of confidence that he'd be ready to go for tonight's game, which tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Holding on to hope

Even with the odds stacked against them, members of Raptors Nation aren't throwing in the towel…yet. Spirits are still high on social media, but a Game 2 loss – putting Toronto in a two-game hole – could deflate that optimism.