Raptors, fans not hitting the panic button after decisive loss to Cavaliers

With nine days off between games, the Cleveland Cavaliers looked plenty rested when they took the court and dismantled the Toronto Raptors in the opening game of the conference final Tuesday night. If the Cavaliers were rusty from their long layoff, it only took them a few minutes to shake it off. After Toronto jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, the tides turned in Cleveland's favour and held for the rest of the night, all the way to an eventual 31-point victory over the underdog Raptors.

Game 2 goes Thursday. The series comes to Toronto for Game 3 on Saturday at the Air Canada Centre.

King James

Not surprisingly, LeBron James factored large in the Cavaliers' victory. Tasked with guarding one of the most dominant players of all time, there were moments when Raptors' DeMarre Carroll could only watch as the King went about his work. James finished with 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. And this memorable dunk:

Kyle vs. Kyrie

A matchup to watch in this series will be between the team's two premiere point guards, the Raptors' Kyle Lowry and the Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving.

Count one for Irving after his incredible performance Tuesday. Irving led all scorers with 27 points. He tacked on five assists and more than 30 minutes of court time to lead the home team. Lowry, who was an All-Star selection over Irving this season, logged the second-most minutes of any player on the court (31:35), but was far less potent on the score sheet, chalking up only eight points. He was 0-for-7 in three-point attempts.

It's only one game

Raptors fans aren't hitting the panic button yet. Despite a lopsided loss and a generally bleak outlook for the rest of the series, the Cavaliers still have to win three more games to advance. And if there is such a thing as home court advantage, the home team would be expected to walk away with a pair of wins in the first two games anyway.

Toronto vs. Cleveland

While Raptors-Cavaliers may not be a traditional rivalry,

, this series is between two hard-done-by sports cities that are prone to supporting losing teams.

As with any heated contest or playoff series, fans often take swipes at one another over social media, and that can sometimes carry over to traditional media as well. Case in point, the front page of The Plain Dealer, the daily newspaper serving Cleveland:

A picture is worth 1, 000 words…