Cavs to face Pacers after dropping finale

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

They staggered to the finish line, falling flat and looking nothing like champions.

It’s time for the Cavaliers to get up. It’s playoff time.

LeBron James watched in street clothes as Jonas Valanciunas dropped his first career 3-pointer and the Toronto Raptors closed the regular season with a 98-83 win on Wednesday night over Cleveland, which sat James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love so they’re playoff ready.

The past few weeks have been a challenging stretch for the Cavs, who closed the regular season going 10-14 since March 1. They head into the postseason looking very vulnerable.

But while the crown appears shaky, the Cavs, who dropped their last four and the No. 1 seed in the East, feel like they can defend it.

“I feel very confident that we’ve got a good run in us,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “I think we’re good.”

Norman Powell scored 25 points as the Raptors beat the Cavs for the first time in four tries this season and gave the defending champions something to think about if they meet in the postseason.