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Game #21. At the quarter pole the Cavs are on pace to win 53 games, which is the number of wins the #1 seed in the East had last season. And that's playing the 4th hardest schedule so far.
After gutting out an ugly road win over the Pistons last night the Cavs head into the Great White North to take on the 10-9 Toronto Raptors. The Cavs will be looking for some payback after the Raptors ruined their season opener, 108-105, also played in Toronto.
The Raptors are actually two teams. Playing in Canada they are 7-2; playing in the States they are 3-7. They’re a very good home team that doesn’t travel well.
This appears to be a schedule loss for the Cavs. They are playing their third game in four nights on the road. They are on the second night of a back-to-back with travel while the Raptors were off yesterday. And they’re playing a team that is very tough at home.
I don’t know what the status is for Jarrett Allen and Lamar Stevens tonight, but it would really help if they could play. Evan Mobley went 40 minutes last night and there’s no way Robin Lopez has the mobility to keep up with the Runnin’ Raptors (I made that up, but they do lead the NBA in fast break points).
The Raptors have their own injury issues. Pascal Siakam, their leading scorer, rebounder, and assister, is questionable with an adductor strain. Siakam averages nearly 25 points per game with 9.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists. He’s having another All-Star season. In the first game between these teams Siakam had 23 points and 11 boards.
Starting SF Scottie Barnes is also questionable with a knee issue. Barnes does it all with 14.6 points, 6.8 boards, and 6.2 assists. In the opener he was a +20; the second highest Raptor was a +9. He plays solid defense in addition to everything else.
Otto Porter Jr and Precious Achiuwa, both backup small forwards, are out. If Barnes can’t play that leaves OG Anunoby as the only small forward in their rotation.
Other than journeyman Khem Birch, who rarely plays, the Raptors have no center on their roster. Chris Boucher and Juancho Hernangomez, both 6’9”, come off the bench. Their tallest starter is Siakam at 6’8”. Anunoby and Barnes are 6’7”. The Raptors are all in on a small lineup that plays fast.
The Raptors might be the smallest, quickest, most athletic team in the NBA. They lead the league in steals per play by a wide margin (9.4%). The next highest is 7.7%. They really jump the passing lanes. They also lead the league in fast break points per game with 19, obviously due in part to all those steals.
The quickness and athleticism manifests itself on the glass as well. The Raptors are 2nd in offensive rebound percentage. Two nights ago they had a mind blowing 17 offensive rebounds and 10 steals in a 105-100 win over Dallas. The fact that they only had 105 points despite 25 steals and offensive rebounds shows how badly they shoot.
In the opener the Raptors outshot the Cavs 86-77 mainly because they had 15 steals and 12 offensive rebounds.
If Allen and Love are out the Cavs will be missing their two best defensive rebounders, which is the last thing you need against a team as active as the Raptors are on the offensive glass.
If Siakam and Barnes are out it will definitely help. Along with Achiuwa that’s 5.3 offensive rebounds per game they're missing (they average nearly 14 as a team).
In the opener the Cavs were playing with Garland and Mitchell together for the first time and they were definitely not in sync. Garland played only 13 minutes and had 5 turnovers as he was obviously not prepared for the defensive intensity and speed the Raptors came out with. They were so aggressive they tried to steal a routine inbound pass after a made basket, which is how Garland got the eye injury.
Tonight the Cavaliers will be short-handed but this time I’m sure Garland will be ready. I won’t be surprised to see him and Mitchell going one-on-one a lot since it’s so dangerous to pass against the Raptors.
Fortunately, the Raptors don’t shoot well. They rank 25th in 3-point percentage, 28th in 2-point percentage, and 27th in effective field goal percentage. They win with defense (8th in points allowed) and offensive rebounding. Between the steals and the offensive rebounds they just get up a lot more shots than their opponents. Even missing tons of shots something will eventually go in.
Defensively they are 4th worst in effecitve field goal percentage, probably because they lack height. You can get buckets on these guys if you can get shots up, but you need to avoid the turnovers. The fact that they're 8th in scoring defense despite being 27th in opponent's effective FG percentage highlights just how good they are at forcing turnovers.
The keys for any team to beat the Raptors are to limit turnovers, especially those that turn into easy fast break buckets, and get defensive rebounds. The Raptors average 111 points per game but 19 of them are on fast breaks. They shoot so bad that even leading the league in steals, fast break points, and being second in offensive rebounds they still are below average in points per game.
Chris Boucher, a 6’9” backup power forward with mad hops, leads the team in offensive rebounds with 2.7 in 24 minutes. Fred Vanvleet averages 19 points per game in 37 minutes but is only shooting 38% from the field. Malachi Flynn, a backup point guard, is their best 3-point shooter at 48.5%. As a team the Raptors are only making 33% from deep, which ranks 28th.
Donovan Mitchell had 31 points and 9 assists against the Raptors in the opener. The Cavs were a -10 in Garland’s 13 minutes and lost by 3.
This will be a different game as both teams will not have their full complement of players like they did in the opener (except for Garland leaving early). If Allen, Love, Stevens, and LeVert are out for the Cavs (but Garland is back) while Siakam, Barnes, and Achiuwa are out for Toronto it will be a different cast of characters for both sides.
Having to take a late flight after a tough game in Detroit and playing for the third time in four nights will be tough, even if Toronto is missing two of their three best players. If Barnes and Siakam can go, forget it.
The Cavs are now in 3rd place in the East, 1.5 games ahead of surprising Indiana, which is 11-8 and has won 7 of 10. However, the Cavs have played the 4th toughest schedule so far while the Pacers have played the 2nd easiest.
After gutting out an ugly road win over the Pistons last night the Cavs head into the Great White North to take on the 10-9 Toronto Raptors. The Cavs will be looking for some payback after the Raptors ruined their season opener, 108-105, also played in Toronto.
The Raptors are actually two teams. Playing in Canada they are 7-2; playing in the States they are 3-7. They’re a very good home team that doesn’t travel well.
This appears to be a schedule loss for the Cavs. They are playing their third game in four nights on the road. They are on the second night of a back-to-back with travel while the Raptors were off yesterday. And they’re playing a team that is very tough at home.
I don’t know what the status is for Jarrett Allen and Lamar Stevens tonight, but it would really help if they could play. Evan Mobley went 40 minutes last night and there’s no way Robin Lopez has the mobility to keep up with the Runnin’ Raptors (I made that up, but they do lead the NBA in fast break points).
The Raptors have their own injury issues. Pascal Siakam, their leading scorer, rebounder, and assister, is questionable with an adductor strain. Siakam averages nearly 25 points per game with 9.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists. He’s having another All-Star season. In the first game between these teams Siakam had 23 points and 11 boards.
Starting SF Scottie Barnes is also questionable with a knee issue. Barnes does it all with 14.6 points, 6.8 boards, and 6.2 assists. In the opener he was a +20; the second highest Raptor was a +9. He plays solid defense in addition to everything else.
Otto Porter Jr and Precious Achiuwa, both backup small forwards, are out. If Barnes can’t play that leaves OG Anunoby as the only small forward in their rotation.
Other than journeyman Khem Birch, who rarely plays, the Raptors have no center on their roster. Chris Boucher and Juancho Hernangomez, both 6’9”, come off the bench. Their tallest starter is Siakam at 6’8”. Anunoby and Barnes are 6’7”. The Raptors are all in on a small lineup that plays fast.
The Raptors might be the smallest, quickest, most athletic team in the NBA. They lead the league in steals per play by a wide margin (9.4%). The next highest is 7.7%. They really jump the passing lanes. They also lead the league in fast break points per game with 19, obviously due in part to all those steals.
The quickness and athleticism manifests itself on the glass as well. The Raptors are 2nd in offensive rebound percentage. Two nights ago they had a mind blowing 17 offensive rebounds and 10 steals in a 105-100 win over Dallas. The fact that they only had 105 points despite 25 steals and offensive rebounds shows how badly they shoot.
In the opener the Raptors outshot the Cavs 86-77 mainly because they had 15 steals and 12 offensive rebounds.
If Allen and Love are out the Cavs will be missing their two best defensive rebounders, which is the last thing you need against a team as active as the Raptors are on the offensive glass.
If Siakam and Barnes are out it will definitely help. Along with Achiuwa that’s 5.3 offensive rebounds per game they're missing (they average nearly 14 as a team).
In the opener the Cavs were playing with Garland and Mitchell together for the first time and they were definitely not in sync. Garland played only 13 minutes and had 5 turnovers as he was obviously not prepared for the defensive intensity and speed the Raptors came out with. They were so aggressive they tried to steal a routine inbound pass after a made basket, which is how Garland got the eye injury.
Tonight the Cavaliers will be short-handed but this time I’m sure Garland will be ready. I won’t be surprised to see him and Mitchell going one-on-one a lot since it’s so dangerous to pass against the Raptors.
Fortunately, the Raptors don’t shoot well. They rank 25th in 3-point percentage, 28th in 2-point percentage, and 27th in effective field goal percentage. They win with defense (8th in points allowed) and offensive rebounding. Between the steals and the offensive rebounds they just get up a lot more shots than their opponents. Even missing tons of shots something will eventually go in.
Defensively they are 4th worst in effecitve field goal percentage, probably because they lack height. You can get buckets on these guys if you can get shots up, but you need to avoid the turnovers. The fact that they're 8th in scoring defense despite being 27th in opponent's effective FG percentage highlights just how good they are at forcing turnovers.
The keys for any team to beat the Raptors are to limit turnovers, especially those that turn into easy fast break buckets, and get defensive rebounds. The Raptors average 111 points per game but 19 of them are on fast breaks. They shoot so bad that even leading the league in steals, fast break points, and being second in offensive rebounds they still are below average in points per game.
Chris Boucher, a 6’9” backup power forward with mad hops, leads the team in offensive rebounds with 2.7 in 24 minutes. Fred Vanvleet averages 19 points per game in 37 minutes but is only shooting 38% from the field. Malachi Flynn, a backup point guard, is their best 3-point shooter at 48.5%. As a team the Raptors are only making 33% from deep, which ranks 28th.
Donovan Mitchell had 31 points and 9 assists against the Raptors in the opener. The Cavs were a -10 in Garland’s 13 minutes and lost by 3.
This will be a different game as both teams will not have their full complement of players like they did in the opener (except for Garland leaving early). If Allen, Love, Stevens, and LeVert are out for the Cavs (but Garland is back) while Siakam, Barnes, and Achiuwa are out for Toronto it will be a different cast of characters for both sides.
Having to take a late flight after a tough game in Detroit and playing for the third time in four nights will be tough, even if Toronto is missing two of their three best players. If Barnes and Siakam can go, forget it.
The Cavs are now in 3rd place in the East, 1.5 games ahead of surprising Indiana, which is 11-8 and has won 7 of 10. However, the Cavs have played the 4th toughest schedule so far while the Pacers have played the 2nd easiest.
