Watch: 6 memorable Cavaliers-Raptors moments
Two Great Lakes and 291 miles of highway separates Cleveland and Toronto, yet the two cities, historically, never had a serious sports rivalry. That's all changed in last calendar year, however, as Cleveland claimed semifinal triumphs over Toronto in both the NBA and MLB playoffs.
The Raptors host the Cavaliers on Monday for the second time this season (the teams' third meeting overall), and for the last time until the regular-season finale on April 12. As it stands, these are still the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, and whichever wins will hold first place.
In that spirit, here's six of the most memorable Raps-Cavs moments from the last decade (most of them this past year). It should be noted that while the highlights are equal, Cleveland has taken six of the last eight meetings, between the regular season and playoffs.
Bosh's then-girlfriend heckles LeBron, who goes off
Before LeBron James and Chris Bosh were Miami Heat teammates, Bosh was a Raptor and had a girlfriend who isn't his current wife. Perhaps what doomed that relationship was the lady's heckling of LeBron during a Jan. 6, 2008 contest in Toronto. James promptly scored 24 fourth-quarter points - leading the Cavs to victory - and thanked her for the motivation.
2016: Biyombo goes 'no easy baskets' on James
Bismack Biyombo was a defensive monster for the Raptors against the Cavs in the 2016 Eastern Conference finals, averaging nearly two blocks per game. In Game 4, he rose to emphatically stifle James' alley-oop attempt, and while Biyombo was whistled for the foul, it was a memorable moment in a series-tying 105-99 Raptors win.
Lowry caps career-high performance with game-winner
Kyle Lowry's tie-breaking jumper on Feb. 26 of this year not only gave the Raptors a 99-97 win, but also cemented his career-high 43-point performance.
LeBron steals, finishes through hard foul
In Game 3 of last season's ECF, James did his best NFL lineman impression by brushing off DeMar DeRozan's foul as if he were a fly.
LeBron's baseline jam
The Cavaliers set the tone for the series in Game 1 last spring when James blew by DeMarre Carroll and threw down a monster dunk.
DeRozan destroys Thompson
In this season's first meeting five weeks ago, DeRozan gave one of the rudest homecoming welcomes imaginable to Toronto native Tristan Thompson.