RCF Front Page

Game Summary Whew. That's the sigh of relief across Northeast Ohio as the Cavs took care of business after being down by 10 in the 1Q and not leading until the second half. A 32-point swing going from down 10 points to up 22 points is emblematic of this Cavaliers team -- they can both look so bad and yet so good within a matter of minutes that is equal parts frustrating and comforting. (It's only fitting Cleveland weather is the same way). Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley both battled foul trouble while Jarrett Allen battled (and conquered) past playoff demons with a game-changing 3Q performance that saw a double-double (with 5 offensive rebounds) that Jakob Poeltl would have loved to have in any game this series. The Cavs did what they...

Game Preview The home team is 6-0 this series so let's hope that continues for one more game. The Cavs have won their home games by 13, 10, and 5, so I don't like the way this is trending. Toronto has won 3 of the last 4, another bad trend. Cleaning the Glass has the following on/off stats for the Cavs: Wade +31.3, Merrill +18.0, Harden +16.0, Allen +14.6, Mitchell -2.4, Strus -19.0, Mobley -20.4, Tyson -15.9, and Schroder -5.1. I really think the big lineup is much more effective but we can't play the bigs for 48 minutes so some little guys are going to have to step up. The Cavs had 19 offensive rebounds in Game 6 and 18 turnovers, so if they can continue to get offensive boards while reducing the turnovers they should win...

Game Summary Pain. Disappointment. Shock. All typical emotions being a Cleveland sports fan that are expected and experienced but never welcomed. For the second time in as many games in Toronto, the halfcourt line is a line they couldn't cross just like the line between compete and caring they only crossed until somewhere in the 3Q heading into the 4Q. The Cavs have struggled to win on the road in the core four era but struggling to win against a five seed without two of their best players and the compete and care factor not being there in a closeout situation is hard to comprehend. And the cherry on top is a team who was outcoached since Game 2 and it was never more present than Game 6. By The Numbers 127.1: Raptors 1H offensive...

Game Preview The Cavs return to Toronto where they have averaged 94.5 points in their two losses. Obviously that won't cut it. They need to find a way to score more on the road in front of a loud and hostile crowd. The Cavs are shooting an appalling 42.5% from the field and 28.2% on 3's in Toronto. Their free throw percentage is just under 72%. Donovan is shooting 32%, Mobley 33%, and Harden 41% north of the border. All three need to improve their shooting percentages. In Game 4 the Cavs committed 14 turnovers in the first half leading to 28 Raptors points. In the second half they committed one turnover which did not lead to any points. So the difference in points lost on turnovers was 28. The Raptors scored 74 points in the first...

Game Summary Nothing is given, everything is earned is a saying but also applies to being a Cavs fan. A roller coaster of emotions for three-ish hours finally resulted in a win that had the Cavs season on the brink at one point. The Raptors started strong and carried the games largest lead at 12-points at one point. They also took a lead into halftime and into the 4Q. Brandon Ingram didn't finish the game (heel) and Scottie Barnes struggled to finish the game (knee), and the Cavs needed all the luck they could get which included Dennis Schroder going off and Evan Mobley finding his range. It wasn't pretty, and was quite frustrating at points, but the Cavs finally found their defensive switch when they needed it... but still almost gave...

Game Preview After choking away a win that would have given them a commanding 3-1 lead the Cavs return to Cleveland with all the pressure on them. They have to hold serve or this season is for all intents and purposes over. It was an epic choke. In the final 4:55 of regulation, Cleveland went 2-of-10 from the field. They surrendered four offensive rebounds. Donovan Mitchell committed an eight-second violation. These aren’t the mistakes of a battle-tested contender — these are the mistakes of a team that panics under pressure. - Chris Fedor The Raptors opened the door wide and the Cavs still managed to find a way to lose. Toronto went a ghastly 31 of 97 (32%) from the field and 4 of 30 (13.3%) from beyond the arc. It’s the lowest...

Game Summary This core, and this team, has pushed back so much on what they aren't but keep doing everything in their power to confirm what they aren't. Lose one game, that's the playoffs. Lose two games when you had an opportunity to adjust and failed to take advantage of it. The Cavs led for most of the game but their inability to close quarters and do the little things, something we've seen throughout the year, came back to haunt them. And for James Harden and Donovan Mitchell to be the leaders of this team, and to co-sponsor back-to-back performances like that, is whatever Webster's dictionary synonym you want to use for disappointing. By The Numbers 33:18: Time the Cavs led during Game 3 39-7: Raptors combined runs to close out...

Game Preview Up 2 games to 1 the Cavs will try to get back on the horse and beat the Raptors in their building to prevent this from becoming a best-of-three series. What do the Cavs need to do to restore order? The dirty work. We didn’t do the dirty work that’s necessary to win on the road…Pretty much at every position, down the line, they won the force battle. It’s kind of the story of the game. I think their force wore us down. - KA Whatever they decided to do, they did it with more force and aggression. I think when you are ... I don’t want to say timid, but I think when you’re not as forceful as the home team and then they start making shots and the crowd is behind them, you get the result you get. - Donovan Mitchell Force was a...

Game Summary The Cavs had chance to give Toronto a head start on Cancun and instead gave them life. Everything was okay until it quickly wasn't in the 4Q. For a team that ranked 3rd in 4Q net rating during the regular season, the Raptors kicked into overdrive and left the Cavs in the dust. The Raptors played like the more desperate team that was willing to do all the little things necessary to win. Meanwhile, not one Cavalier had a good game and that's an issue when you're core four like the Cavs are. By The Numbers -105.3: 4Q Cavs Net rating after ranking 3rd during regular season 45: Cavs 3PAs yet they shot just 31% 60.9%: Raptors 3P% 5th: Percentile rim FG% for Raptors 83rd: Percentile rim FGA frequency for Raptors +20: Paint point...