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BASEL, Switzerland — Spain did it again, Sevilla did it again and Liverpool could do little to turn the tide as a Europa League title slipped away on Wednesday.

Sevilla’s thrilling second-half comeback in a 3-1 win ensured the club’s third straight Europa League title, and a fifth in 11 seasons.

It also ensured Spain will sweep Europe’s club competitions for a third straight year, ahead of the Atletico Madrid-Real Madrid final of the Champions League on May 28.

It was fitting that Spain’s former King Juan Carlos stood beside the Spanish football federation president, Angel Maria Villar, who presented the trophy as UEFA’s senior vice president to Sevilla captain and two-goal standout Coke.

“Maybe we are not the ones who should say it,” Sevilla coach Unai Emery said when asked to explain Spanish dominance of European club football. “Maybe others should analyse what we do.”

“I have my own theory,” Emery added. “We really compete and we have been able to win against teams that were better than us.”

Liverpool certainly was better in the first half at rain-swept St Jakob Park, tearing at the two-time defending title-holder in a strong end to the first half.

Still, the high-intensity pressing game demanded by Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp yielded one goal — Daniel Sturridge’s beautifully curled shot with the outside of his left foot in the 35th minute.

When Sevilla equalised less than 18 seconds after the restart, with Kevin Gameiro’s goal from close range, the tempo and flow of the game utterly changed. Coke struck with right-foot shots in the 64th and 70th minutes and Liverpool had little answer.

The ferocious spirit Liverpool showed at Anfield in overhauling Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals and Villarreal in the semifinals was strangely muted.

Defeat leaves Liverpool with no European football next season and potentially a tougher time to recruit players in Klopp’s first offseason at a storied club he joined just seven months ago.

It also dealt the charismatic German coach a fifth straight loss in a cup final, including the 2013 Champions League final when he was at Dortmund.

Klopp accepted he and his players reacted poorly after Sevilla’s fast start to the second half.

“In this moment we lost faith in our style of play,” he said. “We have 44 minutes to strike back, so where is the problem? The reaction was the problem.”

Victory lifted Sevilla back into the Champions League group stage with Europe’s elite next season.

“Sevilla and its fans love this competition. We want it so much,” Emery said. “Now we want to take the step towards the Champions League.”

Klopp suggested his side had no luck with potential handball and offside decisions that went against his team.

The third Sevilla goal was furiously disputed by Liverpool after an assistant signalled what at first seemed an apparent offside against Coke, then lowered his flag.

Still, that goal — and Gameiro’s earlier — exposed defensive errors by former Sevilla player Alberto Moreno on the left side of Liverpool’s defence.

Sevilla caught Liverpool cold after Moreno’s poor header gifted possession to Mariano Ferreira. The right-back then broke too easily through a Moreno tackle to pass the ball across the goalmouth for the unmarked Gameiro to score.

Coke soon struck a sweeping shot from the edge of the penalty area, after Vitolo played two return passes and broke through a tackle. Coke then exposed Moreno’s lack of attention by firing low into Mignolet’s goal.

Liverpool had led when its three forwards linked together for the first time. Brazilians Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho passed across the Sevilla defence to find Sturridge to step forward and strike a sweet shot.

Liverpool fans far outnumbered Sevilla supporters in the 35,000 crowd and fights broke out 30 minutes before kickoff in a poorly divided area behind one goal. Only then did a line of police and stewards stand between the two groups of fans.

Most Liverpool fans had long left the stadium when Sevilla players danced in the rain on the field with the silver trophy that was theirs yet again.

Stephen Curry exploded for 15 of his 28 points over a 1:58 stretch of the third quarter, helping the Golden State Warriors pull away from the Oklahoma Thunder en route to a 118-91 victory that evened the Western Conference finals at one game apiece.

Curry, who had 11 points in the first 28-plus minutes of the game, poured in 17 in the game-breaking third quarter as the defending NBA champs rebounded from a Game 1 loss.

The best-of-seven series goes to Oklahoma City for Games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.

With Curry having gone scoreless from the final minute of the first quarter until the fifth minute of the third, the Warriors found themselves in another tough tussle with the third-seeded Thunder until the two-time Most Valuable Player single-handedly created some separation.

The spree began with a 3-pointer at the 7:09 mark of the third period, and it continued when he was fouled by Thunder star Kevin Durant on another 3-point attempt 36 seconds later.

Durant drew a technical foul for complaining about the call, leading to four Curry free throws, all of which he made to increase the Golden State lead to 71-57.

Curry then sandwiched two more 3-pointers with a toe-on-the-line 2-pointer, accounting for all the points in a 15-2 flurry that put the Warriors in a commanding position at 79-59 with 5:11 left in the third period.

Curry had his 28 points in just 30 minutes for the Warriors, who also rebounded with resounding wins over Houston and Portland after they took their one and only loss in the first- and second-round series.

Curry connected on nine of 15 shots overall and five of eight 3-point attempts as the Warriors outshot the Thunder 50.6 per cent to 44.9 and outscored them 39-21 on 3-pointers.

Klay Thompson had 15 points on a 5-for-17 shooting night for Golden State, which also got double-figure scoring from Andre Iguodala (14 points), Marreese Speights (13), Festus Ezeli (12), Harrison Barnes (11) and Draymond Green (10).

Green led the Warriors in both rebounds with eight and assists with seven.

Durant was the game’s top scorer with 29 points, 23 coming in the first half.

He was 11-for-18 from the field, but his teammates combined to miss 36 of 60.

Russell Westbrook, who had a game-high 27 points in the Thunder’s 108-102 Game 1 win on Monday, was held to 16 points on 5-for-14 shooting.

Steven Adams had a game-high 10 rebounds to go with nine points for the Thunder, who also found themselves in a 1-1 tie in their previous series against Dallas and San Antonio before eventually eliminating both.

The Warriors responded to their only deficit of the first half with an 11-2 burst to close the second quarter and build a 57-49 half-time lead.

With Curry pouring in 11 points in his first 10-minute stint, Golden State went up by as many as nine in the first period.

Durant kept the Thunder within striking distance with 23 first-half points. And when reserve shooting guard Dion Waiters buried a 3-pointer with 1:59 left in the second period, Oklahoma City found itself in front for the first time at 47-46.

Iguodala then dominated the rest of the half.

His three free throws put Golden State back on top. And after Durant tied the score at 49-all, Iguodala had two hoops in an 8-0 run to cap the first-half scoring and create the eight-point difference at the intermission.

AMMAN — Round 3 of the Jordan Drift Championship kicks off on Friday with the participation of 56 drivers at the Service Park of the Dead Sea area, with drivers from Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan taking part.

The event will see Othman Takriti, winner of the second round battling it out with winner of the first round Mohammed Kukhen.

Takriti is currently leading the standings with 47 points while Kukhen is trailing with 45 points and Ra’fat Haroun is in the third spot with 30 points. 

Jordan Motorsport CEO Othman Naseef told The Jordan Times that the third round will carry lots of challenges to drivers.

“Due to its criticality and closeness to the final round, drivers will have to take extra measures to gain points. We have witnessed many drivers with improved skills and this is reassuring as they know what they have to do,” he said.

“The event will consist of three rounds with the third dedicated for the best 13 results of drivers,” he added.

Drifting is a kind of driving technique used by drivers through oversteering and causing a loss of traction whether in the rear wheels or all tyres while controlling a certain entry to exit of a corner; drivers will be judged according to speed, angle and perfect track line (90 points), showmanship (5 points) and smoking tyres (5 points).

AMMAN — Jordan’s delegation to Rio Olympics has increased again after triathlete Lawrence Fanous booked his place, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) News Service.

The Arab Triathlon Champion narrowly missed out on an automatic qualification, but his performances impressed enough to secure an invitation as the first-ever Jordanian triathlete to compete in an Olympic Games, which get under way on August 5.

“So happy and it’s hard to put into words right now just how much,” said Fanous. “What I will say is that after breaking my leg seven years ago and having such a terrible season last year, I’m a living proof that you can achieve your ultimate goals despite major setbacks in your life.” Fanous joins boxer Hussein Ishaiash and taekwondo star Ahmad Abu Ghaush who have also booked their Rio spots.

Swimmer Khader Baqleh has one foot on the plane after making the B time for the 200m freestyle, but he is awaiting his confirmation letter in July. The JOC applied for Fanous to be considered for Rio and have supported the 30-year-old through its Olympic Programme for the past 18 months.

JOC secretary general, Lana Al Jaghbeer, said: “Triathlon is developing here in Jordan and we hope that Lawrence can inspire the next generation of triathletes. We finalise our delegation in the coming weeks with opportunities for more invitations and more qualifications.”

As 3-pointers fell at historic rates through the first two rounds of the postseason, LeBron James’ message never changed: The Cleveland Cavaliers are not just a team of jump-shooters.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, James and the Cavaliers proved it. On a night when the Toronto Raptors did their best to take away the 3-point arc, the Cavs instead attacked the paint and stormed their way to a 115-84 victory Tuesday and a 1-0 series lead.

It was the most lopsided postseason win in Cavs history and marked their ninth victory in as many play-off games this year.

The Cavs are rolling, and James and Kyrie Irving are a big reason why.

James scored 24 points and Irving had 27 as the Cavs made just seven 3-pointers but shot 55.4 per cent and scored 56 points in the paint.

“Tonight they wanted us to be in the paint,” James said. “We tried to take advantage of that. I keep telling you we’re not a jump-shooting team. We’re a balanced team. We’re able to do whatever the game dictates, and we’re able to adjust to that.”

Kevin Love had 14 points and four rebounds, his first game in this postseason without a double-double. The Cavs rolled anyway, becoming the first team to win their first nine postseason games since the 2012 San Antonio Spurs, who won their first 10 before losing four straight to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

DeMar DeRozan scored 18 points for the Raptors, but only six after the first quarter. Fellow All-Star Kyle Lowry scored eight points on a tough 4-of-14 shooting night after scoring a career-high 43 against the Cavs in a February victory at Air Canada Centre. Neither Lowry nor DeRozan attempted a free throw on Tuesday.

“We’ve got to come out of the gate with that mindset, being aggressive like we usually do,” Lowry said. “I think we didn’t try to do that until later on in the game.”

After sweeping through the first two rounds of the play-offs by setting records with their 3-point shooting, the Cavs instead attacked the heart of the Raptors’ defence.

Each of James’ first nine baskets came near the restricted area. Cleveland went inside after averaging nearly 17 3-pointers per game through the first two play-off rounds.

The Raptors scored the game’s first seven points, although the Cavs had the lead within about seven minutes. Cleveland extended it to double figures within the first two minutes of the second quarter and rolled the rest of the night. The Cavs led by as many as 35 in the fourth quarter.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey thought the defensive rotations broke down once the Raptors denied the Cavs 3-point looks.

“We’ve got to continue to keep those [3-pointers] down, work to keep those down, and also at the same time make sure we understand and be disciplined as far as how we take away their roll guy,” Casey said. “Because I thought that hurt us, especially in the second quarter.”

The sweeps in each of the first two rounds meant the Cavs played just eight games in the last 33 days, while the Raptors were stretched to seven games in each of their first two series. All the time off has done little to disrupt Cleveland’s rhythm.

The Cavs beat the Atlanta Hawks by double figures in each of the first three games following an eight-day layoff, and nine days between games certainly didn’t bother them Tuesday.

The Raptors have been in this position before. They have now lost the first game in each of their three series, although they fought back to win the first two. This will be their toughest test yet.

“I thought they were quicker than us tonight, and the reasons are not important. It’s not an excuse,” Casey said. “It’s one game. But they were the quicker team tonight and we’ve got to make adjustments of how we want to combat that quickness.”

BANGKOK — English Premier League champions Leicester City will probably need to buy three or four players over the summer to compete in the European Champions League, Vice Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha told Reuters on Wednesday.

He declined to say how much money he and his father, club owner and duty free magnate Vichai, would spend to meet the challenge of a new competition and additional matches — but said there would be signings.

"We know we are going to play a lot of games next season," said Aiyawatt. "We have to add some players Maybe we will add three or four."

Manager Claudio Ranieri said any new signings would no be expensive superstars.

"It's not so important to bring superstars but to bring players like ours, that play with the heart and the soul," Ranieri told reporters in Bangkok as the Thai-owned team began an end-of-season tour.

Leicester's stunning success, built on a team that before the season began included few household names, has captivated football lovers everywhere. Ranieri said Leicester had their eye on several new players, but bringing in big-money signings would destroy the team ethos.

"I don't want to lose the team, this is a family team and we need to find new brothers."

So far Ranieri said none of his players had requested a transfer. "It's better for them to stay and have the experience of the Champions League," he said.

Next season, in addition to defending their Premier League title, Leicester — who were playing in the second tier of English football when Vichai's King Power Group took over in 2010 — will compete in UEFA's lucrative Champions League.

Ranieri and star players including captain Wes Morgan and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel received a rock-star welcome at the Bangkok headquarters of King Power, the duty-free franchise that made Vichai one of Thailand's richest men.

"Drinking sessions," joked Morgan, when asked the secret of his team's success. "That and all the times on the training field and the pitch, when you learn to love each other and fight for each other."

Some of the team's top stars were absent, including striker Jamie Vardy, who has just been named in England's squad for the summer Euro 2016 tournament.

Premier league football is popular in the Southeast Asian nation, but most fans follow more storied big money rivals such as Manchester United and Liverpool.

Although success has brought more Thai fans, the "Siam Foxes" support base remains relatively small and many follow the club as their second team.

Only a few dozen fans showed up to greet the team's early arrival on Wednesday at Bangkok's main airport. In contrast, around a quarter of a million ecstatic fans lined the streets of Leicester on Monday for the team's victory parade.

With the world's media focused on the players, the club will be keen to avoid a repeat of last year's end-of-season tour in Thailand which resulted in the club sacking three players for their roles in a racist sex tape filmed on the tour.

Ranieri said he planned to visit the temple of the Thai monk who had blessed the team during their astonishing rise.

"Good energy had helped,” he said.

Vichai is a regular devotee of Phra Prommangkalachan, the 63-year-old assistant to the abbot of Bangkok's Traimitr Temple, and took the monk to Britain to bless the stadium and the team.

In a light-hearted media session, Ranieri sang and joked that instead of pizza, he would have to buy lobster for the team when they keep a clean sheet next season.

"But only one lobster for the whole team," he said.

AMMAN — Jordan has a new world champion after professional kickboxer Amer Abdallah knocked out Britain’s Daniel Hughes to win the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) Cruiserweight World Title in Lockport, New York, according to a statement from the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

Abdallah needed just 1.19 minutes into the second round to claim his title in front of a “home” crowd, with the Jordanian now in the New York State city which was hosting its first ever world title fight.

He was supported by thousands of local fans as well as Jordanians who travelled across the country to support.

“I’m proud, excited, happy, grateful, humbled, accomplished — you name it and I feel it,” he said. “I dedicate this title to HM King Abdullah II. It was a great moment when I saw Jordan’s flag high at the hall, and an honour to win in front of my family and friends.

The former amateur national champion Abdallah, 38, improved to 17-0 as a professional with a lethal array of leg kicks that sent the WKA British cruiserweight champ down to a knee in the first half of the first round of their scheduled 10-round world title bout.

Hughes withstood that onslaught and went to his corner for instructions from his life-long trainer, his father Christopher.

But the end was near, as Abdallah, as focused as ever, sent a variety of blows the Englishman’s way, connecting with solid, booming leg kicks to the body, then sent him down for good with a solid left leg to the midsection.

Abdallah, said he appreciates all the support he’s received from family and friends.

“My parents flew in from Jordan and my brother flew in from Dubai, and I had family here from San Francisco and Florida, friends, Dewey Cooper and Baby Joe Mesi, Jim Andrello, Kevin VanNostrand, were here — I’m surrounded by the best. We’re loyal. We’re the family,” Abdallah said.

Abdallah said he would defend his world title this November against an opponent who will be determined by the WKA. Retirement, he stated emphatically, is out of the question at this time.

“It’s up to the WKA to tell me who I’m going to fight,” Abdallah said. “I can no longer pick and choose. It’s up to the sanctioning body to determine who the number one contender is.”

In the meantime, Abdallah, who has switched recently to Las Vegas and trains at the Mayweather Gym, said he plans to stay in his hometown of Lockport for a few more weeks to celebrate his world title with family and friends.

He is expected to travel to Jordan for a visit during Ramadan where he will receive a hero’s welcome.

BARCELONA — Juergen Klopp, who has breathed new life into Liverpool in his seven months in charge, would seal his place in the hearts of the club’s supporters if he pulls off victory over Sevilla in Wednesday’s Europa League final.

It would bring Liverpool’s first European trophy since the famous fightback against AC Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul in 2005.

Klopp conjured up the spirit of that historic win in the extraordinary quarter-final performance over his former club Borussia Dortmund when the Reds turned a 3-1 halftime deficit in the second leg into a stunning 4-3 victory in stoppage time.

Sevilla, current holders, might be a different matter though. Klopp will be up against coach Unai Emery, whose side have won the last two editions of the tournament and hold a record four UEFA Cup/Europa League triumphs, all in the last decade.

Sevilla had an easier path to the final, beating Shakhtar Donetsk 5-3 on aggregate in the semis, although they needed a penalty shootout to overcome fellow Spaniards Athletic Bilbao in the last eight.

Sevilla have endured a disappointing domestic campaign, finishing seventh in La Liga and failing to win a single away game, the only team in Europe’s top five leagues to do so.

Liverpool’s season has not been dissimilar.

Klopp’s team have ended in eighth place in the Premier League, their lowest finish since 2012.

The charismatic German has proved a master of the big occasion, however, knocking out Manchester United and Villarreal as well as Dortmund with his trademark game plan of high intensity pressing.

He will be looking for the same high octane performance against Sevilla.

“There will be challenges all over the pitch. There will be a lot of fight, for sure; you cannot win a cup with just a little bit of playing football,” Klopp told UEFA.com.

“You have to show that you’re really ready for the big moments.”

Klopp must decide whether to start with captain Jordan Henderson, who only returned from a knee injury by playing half an hour as a substitute in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

Emery, who has no new injury concerns from the semifinal, is banking on his team’s mental resilience to become the first coach to win three consecutive Europa League trophies.

“The fact that this is our third consecutive final demonstrates how focused and hungry we have been to do well in the Europa League, and win it,” he said.

“That means competing — standing up to be counted throughout the 90 minutes.”

Oklahoma centre Steven Adams converted an errant pass by teammate Russell Westbrook into two critical free throws with 1:01 left on Monday to short-circuit a Golden State rally and help the Thunder to a 108-102 Game 1 victory in the Western Conference finals.

Westbrook overcame a slow start to score a game-high 27 points. Kevin Durant added 26, including a lead-extending jumper with 30.7 seconds left, as the Thunder stole home-court advantage from the top-seeded Warriors.

The Thunder overcame a 13-point halftime deficit.

Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday in Oakland, where the Warriors absorbed their first loss of the postseason on Monday.

Adams’ free throws came after the Warriors rallied within 101-100 on an interior hoop by Harrison Barnes with 2:02 to go.

After an exchange of possessions, Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka recovered a missed jumper by Durant, giving Oklahoma City a second crack with 1:12 to play.

Westbrook then drove towards the hoop and lobbed a pass that smacked hard off the backboard and deflected towards the free-throw line, where Adams retrieved it and took off for the hoop.

He was fouled on a shot attempt, and he made both free throws to increase Oklahoma City’s lead to 103-100.

The Thunder were able to win despite relatively poor shooting by Durant (10-for-30) and Westbrook (7-for-21).

Each contributed in other areas, with Durant grabbing 10 rebounds and Westbrook dishing off 12 assists.

Adams played a key role in the win, recording a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double. Ibaka also had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Warriors star Stephen Curry had 26 points to go with team-highs in rebounds (10) and assists (seven).

He hit six of his 14 3-point attempts, but the Warriors struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 11-for-30 and outscoring the Thunder (8-for-17) by just nine despite taking 13 more attempts.

Klay Thompson had 25 points and Draymond Green 23 for the Warriors, who lost just twice at home during the regular season.

The Thunder had not led since 10-9 midway through the first quarter before Durant buried a 3-pointer and Westbrook a driving hoop in the first 90 seconds of the final period, pushing Oklahoma City into a 90-88 advantage.

The lead grew to as much as 101-93 with 4:42 to play as the Thunder defence took control of the game, limiting Golden State to just two field goals in the first 7 and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter.

A 3-pointer by Curry, the Warriors’ first of the fourth quarter after seven consecutive misses, ended the Golden State drought and got the Warriors within 101-96 with 4:28 to go.

Green and Barnes converted interior hoops as a desperation Golden State surge continued, closing the gap to 101-100 with 2:02 to go.

However, Green then failed to convert on a drive to the hoop, and Adams came up with his key play for the Thunder, allowing Oklahoma City to finish off the upset victory.

The Thunder trailed by 13 at halftime and 66-52 in the third minute of the third quarter before riding a Westbrook surge to within 88-85 by period’s end.

Westbrook had missed nine of his first 10 shots before pouring in five of seven, including a pair of 3-pointers, over the final 7:02 of the third quarter.

After a three-point first half, Westbrook had 19 in the third quarter, almost single handedly shooting the Thunder back into the game.

The Warriors got an unexpected boost from Barnes early on to take a lead they extended to 13-point advantage by halftime.

The teams played to an 11-all tie before Barnes’ first of two first-quarter 3-pointers capped a 9-2 run that propelled Golden State into a 20-13 lead.

The margin reached 13 on two occasions in the second quarter, including 1.5 seconds before the halftime horn when Curry buried his second 3-pointer of the night.

Curry’s first 3-pointer, which came earlier in the period, extended his streak of making at least one to 45 straight play-off games, breaking Reggie Miller’s record of 44.

Thompson led all scorers in the half with 19. Westbrook, meanwhile, had only three points on 1-for-8 shooting.

Westbrook’s refusal to bow down to league darling Stephen Curry helped Oklahoma City to stand tall and send a strong opening message in their Western Conference finals clash.

Curry has gathered a legion of fans as the NBA’s two-time MVP and most popular jersey seller, but Westbrook resisted becoming one of them in the lead up to Monday’s meeting.

“It’s not nothing I haven’t seen,” Westbrook told reporters of Curry’s offensive prowess. “Just [have to be] be physical.”

Westbrook proved good on his word as he snatched control of Game 1 to push the Thunder to a comeback victory.

TORONTO — Less than two weeks ago, Kyle Lowry was a struggling so badly that he stayed past midnight to work on his game after a tough play-off loss.

Now a red-hot Lowry is carrying the Toronto Raptors into their first ever Eastern Conference finals.

Lowry scored 35 points, DeMar DeRozan had 28 and the Raptors reached the conference finals by beating the Miami Heat 116-89 on Sunday. They play in Cleveland on Tuesday night.

“I missed some shots I could have made, but we won the game,” Lowry said. “That’s all that matters. I’m going to keep pushing and try to be better, and do things to keep helping my team get wins.”

After Toronto’s overtime loss to Miami in Game 1, when Lowry scored seven points and missed 10-of-13 shots, he stayed behind for more than an hour to practice his shooting alone while work crews picked up garbage from beneath the Air Canada Centre seats.

Things were a lot different in Sunday’s Game 7 when Lowry topped 30 points for the second straight game and the third time in the series. A standing-room-only crowd of 20,257 cheered every one of Lowry’s baskets, roared in appreciation when he was subbed out with the game winding down, and then chanted “We want Cleveland” as the final seconds ticked away.

“That’s just what he does,” DeRozan said of Lowry. “He has  been doing it all year, he won us countless games.”

Checking out early gave Lowry a chance to sit on the bench and soak in the scene as Toronto set franchise records for play-off points and margin of victory.

“It was just a time to relax and just think about the things that we’ve done, and we have to continue to do,” Lowry said.

Toronto will need both Lowry and DeRozan to continue pouring in points to have any chance against the Cavaliers, who are unbeaten so far this postseason.

The two Raptors All-Stars have been inconsistent so far in the play-offs but seem to be finding their form at the right time. They’ve combined for more than 50 points in three straight games.

“They’re our guys,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “They carried us all year. There were some moments of ‘Are they ever going to make a shot?’ But deep in your heart, you believed that those guys were going to come around.”

Toronto won two of three against the Cavaliers in the regular season, with both victories coming at home by a combined six points. Toronto’s defeat was a lot more lopsided: they lost 122-100 in Cleveland on January 4.

Scouting booklets for the Cleveland series were sitting on the chair of each Raptors player inside their locker room less than an hour after Sunday’s game.

“We know we’ve got a tough task ahead,” Lowry said. “It’s always a challenge going against those guys.”

Casey declined to say whether centre Jonas Valanciunas, who sprained his right ankle in Game 3 against the Heat, would be available against Cleveland.

“He’s still limping around but he’s doing therapy 24/7 so we’ll see,” Casey said.

Whether or not Valanciunas plays, Toronto must control Cleveland’s All-Star trio of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. They’ll also have to defend the 3-point shot — the Cavs have averaged an NBA-best 16.8 3-pointers per game this postseason.

“Obviously we know they’ve got three All-Stars, they have a supporting cast around those three that make shots,” Toronto guard Cory Joseph said. “We’ve all seen them play in this postseason and they’ve been making a lot of 3s.”

Toronto’s last consecutive defeats were road losses at Boston on March 23 and at Houston on March 25.

“This group is hungry,” Casey said.

It’s also a historic one. Toronto, now in its 21st season, had never won a seven-game series before these play-offs. Now they’re the 15th team to win two in the same postseason.

By knocking out Miami, the Raptors left Charlotte, the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans as the only NBA teams to never reach a conference final.

“We aren’t satisfied,” Lowry said. “It’s just our mentality. Our goal is to play as long as possible. Everyone is excited and, yes, we’re excited, but we want to continue to get four more wins and get to the finals.”