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The Toronto Raptors played a nearly perfect first half of basketball on Thursday.

DeMar DeRozan began Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals hitting his outside jumper. Coach Dwane Casey's adjustments seemed to be effective, as Luis Scola played well in his new role as a starter. Toronto defended well. The Raptors were more competitive than they were in Game 1.

And yet, by the end of thefirst half, the Cleveland Cavaliers led by 14 on their way to winning by 19.

LeBron James and his teammates are on another level. Cleveland swept its way through the first two rounds of the postseason, defeating the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks in four games each. The Cavaliers have been the NBA's most dominant postseason team. They have been explosive offensively. They have played stingy defense, and they could enter the NBA Finals without a postseason loss.

Are the Cavs this good? Or has this run been the product of playing in the weaker Eastern Conference?

It's probably a little bit of both. There's an argument to be had both ways. The East has been mediocre during the postseason. That means the Cavs' competition has been diluted. It means the Pistons — who went down in one of the more prideful sweeps I've ever seen — have been Cleveland's biggest obstacle. It means the Cavs were able to breeze through two series, get plenty of rest in between and meet the Hawks and the Raptors — who were both coming off difficult, tiring, matchups.

But the Cavs aren't the only team that's drawn a favorable hand.

The Golden State Warriors drew a disinterested, dysfunctional Houston Rockets team in the first round, then dodged the Los Angeles Clippers when Chris Paul broke his hand and the Clips fell to the upstart Portland Trail Blazers, which they made quick work of.

The difference at this point is that Warriors have already gotten resistance from Oklahoma City, while Toronto has provided little or no drag against the Cavs.

Cleveland is playing exceptionally well. James is playing his best basketball in three years. Kyrie Irving is as dynamic a scorer at point guard as anyone in the league not named Stephen Curry. Kevin Love has finally found a groove within the offense. He's finally being used right, and he finally looks happy.

A ton of credit has to be given to Ty Lue, who has his team moving the ball as well as any LeBron-led team that I can remember. Lue has made subtle changes that have created a big difference. Those changes include staggering James' minutes so that he plays the beginning of second and fourth quarters with the bench unit; putting Channing Frye and his 3-point shooting in the rotation at the expense of Timofey Mozgov; coaxing maximum defense and effort out of J.R. Smith; incorporating James more as a power forward, where his size and athleticism and basketball IQ has proved devastating to opposing second units.

There is no team in the East with enough defense to stop what Cleveland can throw at them. It's also true that the Cavaliers struggled at times last season during the postseason: Remember, they were down 2-1 to the Chicago Bulls in the semifinals, and down double-digits in the second half of Game 4. Cleveland rallied, won that game, and won the last two games easily, creating the facade that it handled the Bulls, when in truth the Cavs were on the ropes.

So while the competition hasn't been up to par, the Cavs also have been playing so well it has made things look easy. What does that means for the finals is still to be determined.

But at the very least, the Cavaliers deserve credit for what they've accomplished thus far.

Twitter: @tjonessltrib