It wasn't pretty but the Cavs got the job done and take care of homecourt. The Raptors never led but the Cavs never lost control. Relying on their defense to set the tone early, and on their best players late to close the game, the Cavs did something good teams do. Winning ugly is something they struggled to do in the regular season, and while the Raptors were able to disrupt the Cavs offensive flow and made some adjustments, the Cavs were too good, and executed too good, in the end for it to matter (for now).
By The Numbers
+7: Cavs advantage in the 1Q
+3: Cavs advantage the rest of the way
30.8% Offensive rebound % by the Raptors leading to...
19: Second chance points by the Raptors
22: Forced turnovers by the Cavs
4: Second half turnovers by the Cavs
+14: in fast break points advantage for the Raptors
63.6%: FT% by the Cavs... make your damn free throws!
+5: FTA advantage for the Cavs, a game after the Raptors lived at the free throw line
81.8%: Raptors FG% in the restricted area in the second half
+12: Raptors advantage with points in the paint
+12: Cavs starting lineup plus-minus (Cavs won by 10)
By The Players
James Harden: His late shot clock shotmaking is exquisite. Harden only had 4 assists but it felt like a lot more than that with the way he was able to control the game and manage the Raptors pressure when he was on the floor. For instance, the patience creating an easy look at the rim. The five turnovers can't happen... but there was a 20.6 offensive rating swing with him on the floor as opposed to off. The Raptors tried to throw a bunch of different coverages on him, and few of them worked. The common factor was Harden drawing Ingram, or the weak defender on the floor, into the action and going to work. Like this, which was likely an offensive foul, but still fun. Postgame, Kenny, and even Donovan, mentioned several times on Harden's defensive activity. He had 5 steals for the game, and Kenny noted Harden isn't someone defenses can target.
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Donovan Mitchell: If Harden was 1A in shotmaking, Mitchell was 1B. Mitchell led the Cavs in shots but when you're doing stuff like this, and shooting +50% from the floor, it's hard to complain. Mitchell only had 1 FTA but 7 of his 23 shots were in the paint + restricted area which is a nod to his renewed persistence in getting downhill and attacking the Raptors defense inside. The one interesting part of his offensive performance: The mid-range. He went 4-for-6 (all unassisted FGMs) in that spot and is a nod to playoff basketball where a players abiltity to self-create in those spots can be needed. With plays like these, it's hard not to appreciate his compete level.
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Dean Wade: The connector. The stopper. The difference maker. Whatever you want to call him, it likely applies. How can a 3 points, 5 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steal, 1 turnover stat line be so impactful? First: His ability to balance lineups and make them work might be his best skill. Case in point, how good the Allen + Mobley minutes are but when paired with Wade they're really, really good. Second: His defense on Ingram has been fantastic. He held Ingram to 0-for-4 shooting with 1 assist and 1 turnover in direct matchups, and has done a good job staying attached to Ingram and not allowing him to get to his spots or get to the line to get his offensive rhythm going. Wade has been one of the few role players Kenny has been able to trust so far and has rewarded him for his confidence in inserting him back into the starting lineup.
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Evan Mobley: This was a good Evan Mobley offensive game but a so-so Evan Mobley defensive game. Seeing him play confident on offense will always be a good indicator to how impactful he will be on that end. Mobley has been pretty aggressive thus far in getting downhill on drives, getting into the bodies of Raptor defenders, and getting his shot. He also hit a spot-up three-pointer which is just enough to keep the defense honest (for now). What Mobley provided most was a play finisher in going 9-for-10 in the restricted area and 7 of those 9 FGMs being assisted. On the other end, there were some good plays like this one but the Cavs struggled mightily in one-big lineups with Mobley on the floor to the tune of a 131.3 defensive rating in just under 23 minutes. The Raptors were 17-for-21 in the restricted area in those minutes, and part of it was Mobley being too jumpy and too reactive to pump fakes often putting him in tough spots to contest shots. Mobley has to remember his length is an asset, even while on the floor, and his ability to disrupt shots is as much about positioning as it is about skying in for the block.
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Jarrett Allen: You can tell Allen is still not quite his self with his burst around the rim and up-and-down the floor but it's still good enough for plays like this at the rim. The free throws continue to be another way you can tell he's limited, as the bend he usually gets isn't quite there and it's resulting in an upper body heavy shot -- he was 2-for-4 from the line and is now 2-for-6 in the playoffs. The counting stats line is just okay (10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) but he finished 5 stocks and did a lot of the little things -- 6 screen assists for 16 screen assist points, 2 deflections, 14 contested shots, and the Raptors FG% in the restricted area was 52.9% with him on the floor compared to 81% with him off. Those are all the little things that register impact and are the reason why he led the team with a +18.
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Dennis Schroder: The struggle is the Cavs kinda need him and the need him to be better. It was good to hear Kenny talk postgame about the adjustment to put Schroder more with Mitchell and less with Harden, as the spacing with Harden is off, and it showed with all 13 of his minutes coming with Mitchell on the floor. Kenny got him on the floor early due to the Raptors ball pressure as he saw 1Q minutes. Schroder had a good run with the second unit in the 2Q (+3) but his run in the 3Q (-7) was a swing point in the game where the Cavs had a large lead, and the Raptors were able to make it a game. The 4 assists were good but the continued issues from the field are killer. He had a drive late in the 3Q, which is more of what they need. The abilty to come in and control the offense, and take pressure off Mitchell is valuable, but the continued lack of efficiency from the field is sinking his value as that's part of the value he brings when he's on -- a microwave scorer who provides a pop off the bench.
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Sam Merrill: The hand has to be bothering him more than anyone wants to admit. He went 1-for-5 from deep and is now just 2-for-8 to start the playoffs. Heck, he even missed a free throw. And this is coming off an 15-game sample size to end the regular season shooting 32.7% from deep on 6.9 3PAs per game. Even during the game the announcers commented on Merrill clutching his hand (which hasn't been uncommon as he's battled through the injury). The spacing and gravity he provides is still there. The being a good decision maker is still there. And he's still someone you can trust defensively, even though the Raptors did have success going at him as his direct matchup went 5-for-8. If the shot isn't going to be there, being more aggressive off the catches and attacking the paint off the dribble, something we've seen him do before, has to be the next step until the shot starts to come back.
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Max Strus: If Kenny trusts a role player, it's like Dean Wade and Max. After that? It's tough to say. Strus didn't have the most productive of nights, and nowhere near his Game 1 performance, but knocked in 2-for-4 from deep, including an important one in the 4Q, did also contribute 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and contested 5 shots (more than any other perimeter player not named Dean Wade). Strus was 5th in minutes played in the 4Q and seems to be the preferred closing lineup combination with the starters as the shot making and clutch gene is hard to dismiss.
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Keon Ellis: Whew, buddy. He had 2 steals and was able to be disruptive defensively, which helped prop up his value off the bench, but the offense was hard to come by. One airball and 0-for-4 from the field later, and Ellis just got under 9 minutes for the game. We're not there yet but we're running into the same issue we had with Okoro: The defense is fine when he's out there but the offense becomes too much of an issue for him to be out there too long. Along those same lines, in about 24 playoff minutes he has just 3 rebounds and 0 assists. It's one thing to be a zero on offense but to not pick up the slack in other ways also further limits your value. This isn't to be too harsh on Ellis but it's the small sample size of reality we've seen so far. We know he can do more than he's shown but right now the shot needs to pop or he needs to provide more off ball value (how about some cuts?) or else the limited minutes may continue.
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Jaylon Tyson: It's growing pains for the young player. Just 1-for-4 from the floor but his 3PA hopefully, hopefully can build some momentum for the next game to get something going. Tyson came out chippy and parlayed that into a little skirmish between Raptors players and him after a play. The edge that he plays with, which Kenny noted postgame, is what you want to see. It's just the confidence has to come with it. It's hard to prepare a young player for a playoff environment, and it probably doesn't help he is fresh off an injury an extended stretch out. But if there's a role player that can make the biggest difference in the Cavs playoff run, it's probably Tyson. His skillset offensively is unlike the others around the core, and his ability to make plays off the bounce for himself and create extra possessions can be very valuable. It's why you have to keep throwing him out there and hope he figures it out. For now, you want to see some of those ancillary skills pop (offensive rebounding, deflections, some short roll assists, etc,) until the shot starts to come to which may help the shot start to fall as well.
Game Notes
- It's good to have Donovan Mitchell and James Harden on your side. The issue right now is who is going to hop on the ride with them? Mobley has stepped up admirably and played well thus far. Allen has done the best he can while managing his knee and has still brought a positive impact (albeit not the same levels we've seen at times from him this year). And Wade and Strus have stepped up to be the next two role players in line after the core. But the rest? It's anyone's guess right now. Non-core role players shot 5-for-17 deep and scored just 21 points. See the first part of this sentence but the one concern is which role player will step up to help the core? In Game 1 it was Strus and in Game 2 it's hard to say who it was.
- The Cavs prided themselves on depth and it helped them get through the year and win 50+ games despite all the injuries. But that depth has quickly shrunk as Kenny has cycled through guys to find who will stick. Schroder has fallen off after his first 10-ish games with the team. Merrill is battling the hand injury. Tyson is still working himself back and experiencing the playoffs. Ellis is trying to find enough offensive value to stick on the floor. Where does he turn from here?
- One of the issues that further compounded this is even once the Cavs role players started to attack more off the bounce, seeing their shots weren't falling, the Raptors were very good about helping on drives and creating unproductive attacks. The Cavs role players aren't the best off the dribble but they've shown this year to be enough of a threat to make something happen. The Raptors have been able to shut that down and Ellis, Tyson, Merrill, Strus and Wade all had one turnover for the game.
- One issue that popped back up from previous playoffs is how the Cavs handled ball pressure particularly at POA. The Raptors continued to pick up high and made it a point to get into the Cavs dribblers space. It disrupted the Cavs offensive rhythm at times, especially when Harden wasn't in the game, and forced a lot of possessions to be rescued by Mitchell and Harden. The outcomes were good but the process in how the Cavs got there at times was not which is part of the concern.
- The Raptors are a good defensive team -- they came in with the 7th ranked regular season defense and were 4th in forcing turnovers. It's part of who they are and it allows them to get out in transition which they do really well -- they were 7th in points per play in transition on the year. So some of it is the Raptors being good at what they do but the Cavs also have to better manage playing their game, their pace and not allowing the Raptors to speed them up and play their game.
- And the Cavs did a better job of this with just 7 turnovers after 5 turnovers in the 1Q. It's still an issue the Cavs will have to answer to and is why you're seeing some Dennis Schroder minutes. Understanding he's had his own struggles but with how the Raptors have been playing defensively it's required Kenny to turn to another ball handler to help relieve some of the pressure off of Mitchell and Harden. While Mitchell and Harden should always be on the floor, they shouldn't always need to be the play initiator and playmaker while they're on the floor -- it's how players get worn down and the Cavs are not just playing for one series here.
- Having another ball handler out there can help but it's also on the other players on the floor to be more active in moving to the ball to create advantages to play off of of the pressure but also some backside action to free up players instead of being stagnant and allowing the pressure to have a greater impact. There were also several times throughout the game were Cavalier ball handlers picked up their dribble in dangerous spots away from the basket and it got the Cavs into some hot water.
- One adjustment the Raptors quickly went to was more Collin Murray-Boyles. He's a good player and he's likely earned more minutes moving forward. It's very much giving Joanthan Isaac for Wendell Carter Jr vibes in the Magic series when the Magic were losing that battle inside. CMB is much like the Raptors version of Wade where he's a good, versatile defender and may have some offensive limitations but does all of the little things that contribute to winning. 17 points, 3 offensive rebounds, 1 steal, 6 FTA and 1 assist all point to that. CMB is more active on the glass than Poeltl, and more versatile defensively as well. He also forces the Cavs to guard the Raptors center while on the floor as opposed to Poeltl who the Cavs were completely sagging off of. Instead of clogging the paint and having a roamer, it now forces the Cavs bigs to guard more consistently. We already saw how the Raptors adjusted with more Mamu and CMB in the second half, and no Poeltl, and we'll see how that continues in Game 3 and how the Cavs adjust.
- This is a series the Cavs could really use Thomas Bryant. With the way Allen has been laboring and some of the issues with Mobley as the lone big on the floor, the Cavs could use his size, rim deterrence and rebounding to help balance out some of the issues we saw in Game 2 and give Kenny another size option they don't really have. With the Raptors not being a heavy P&R team, it would play into Bryant's value defensively instead of putting him spots where he's struggled. Hopefully he gets healthy soon.
- Speaking of P&R: The Cavs have been going to it and the Raptors haven't been able to stop it. That and Mitchell and Harden getting a screen to get the matchups they want. The Cavs have struggled at times when teams have went to blitz or hard hedge those opportunities so it'll be interesting to see if the Raptors change up their coverages to get the ball more out of Harden and Mitchell's hands and ask the Cavs role players to make plays. Or go to more late doubles and take away some of the late shot clock shot making Harden and Mitchell hurt the Raptors with.
- Mitchell and Harden said it after the game but Game 3 is going to be a battle. The Raptors are going to come out aggressive after the first two losses and be pumped to be playing in front of their home crowd. How the Cavs handle the first two quarters will go a long way in determining the next 6 quarters. If they can manage the punches the Raptors throw out and not let the momentum get the best of them, this may be a quick series. But if the Raptors go up big and the Cavs lose their cool, it could be more of a fight than some expect.
Box Score & Highlights