The Toronto Raptors may have their eyes on an eventual showdown with the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, but Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have other ideas.Milwaukee came into the Air Canada Centre on Saturday and left with a dominant 97-83 victory in Game 1 to seize the series lead and home-court advantage.Antetokounmpo led the way for the visitors with 28 points and eight rebounds, although he received critical help from his supporting cast:As for Toronto, 27 points and eight rebounds from DeMar DeRozan and 19 points and 14 rebounds from Serge Ibaka were not enough. Giannis Lives Up to "Greek Freak" MonikerCasual NBA fans who don't consistently watch Milwaukee witnessed a perfect example of why Antetokounmpo is known as the "Greek Freak."He is 6'11" but appears to stretch and rise even further when he extends in the lane for dunks, often finishing them with graceful power at the rim.Antetokounmpo had no issue doing just that to the Raptors a number of times throughout Saturday's contest:Hoop magazine's Josh Eberley had a fitting description:Toronto's DeMarre Carroll is aformidabledefender but looked helpless at times against Milwaukee's playmaker. In reality, it didn't matter much who the Raptors threw at him, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports realized:While he was the primary storyline for the Eastern Conference's No. 6 seed, his teammates also survived his second-half foul trouble, which set the stage for Milwaukee's 51-32 advantage after intermission. Game 1 Curse Is RealToronto has been inept historically in Game 1, and Saturday was no different.The Raptors now have nine straight Game 1 losses, and the nerves appeared quite real. They shot a mere 27-of-75 (36 percent) from the field and 5-of-23 (21.7 percent) from three-point range and struggled to stop the Bucks' extended momentum in the second half when the visitors turned a five-point halftime deficit into a commanding double-digit win.What's more, the nervous crowd, which isn't accustomed to winning these first games, groaned with seemingly every Antetokounmpo basket.Matt Moore of CBS Sports and Eberley responded to Toronto's slow start to the series:It looked as if DeRozan and Ibaka were going to save the Raptors for stretches, especially in the second quarter, but Milwaukee's balanced scoring effort (six players in double figures) and Thon Maker's stellar interior defense proved effective.The Raptors can at least take solace in the fact they reached the Eastern Conference Finals last year despite first-game losses in each of their first two series. Kyle Lowry's Offense VanishesDeRozan finished with an impressive 27 points, while Ibaka anchored the interior play with a double-double, but Toronto needs its All-Star point guard to fulfill expectations as a title contender.Kyle Lowry did some of the little things with six assists and two steals, but he was an abysmal 2-of-11 from the field on his way to four points. He played the final four games of the regular season but missed the prior 21 contests with injury.The rust was more than apparent.However, Kyle Neubeck of Complex noted this was not an isolated incident for Lowry, so the injury was hard to completely blame:Lowry wasn't the only one to struggle for Toronto, as even DeRozan went just 7-of-21 from the field.ESPN's Ryen Russillo pointed to one of the problems:Toronto's struggles are also a credit to Milwaukee's strong defense, and the Bucks will look to replicate the formula for the rest of the series.What's Next'Game 2 is Tuesday in Toronto.The cliche is a series doesn't start until the road team wins a game, so the Bucks wasted little time starting this one. The Raptors will need a bounce-back effort to avoid a dire 2-0 hole heading back to Milwaukee, while the Bucks have a golden opportunity to seize complete control of the series.
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