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 had to do, and made it harder in doing so even in closing out the 4Q, but that's all that matters as they advance to Round 2.
By The Numbers
0: Time led by the Cavs in the first half
23:42: Time led by the Cavs in the first half
60: 60! Rebounds by the Cavs
+19: In second chance points off their 20 offensive rebounds for the Cavs
3: 3PMs in the 1Q for the Raptors
5: 3PMs the rest of the game for the Raptors
13: Fast break points for the Raptors, 1.6 below their series average
13: First half turnovers by the Cavs
4: Second half turnovers by the Cavs
22&19: Jarrett Allen's final statline in 33 minutes
+20: Max Strus's team leading plus-minus off the bench in 30 minutes
41.3%: Combined FG% for James Harden and Donovan Mitchell
32-11: Cavs runs under 3-minutes in 1Q thru 3Q to finish the quarters
By The Players
James Harden: Only two turnovers, progress! For a Game 7, Harden played just okay -- only 9 shots, 33% from the field (20% on 5 3PAs) but did manage a +5 and did his best work at the free-throw line where he went 13 times. This is one of the few games this series where the Cavs were more efficient with him off the floor (a 31.2 net rating swing). For most of the first half, with Mitchell struggling to find his way, the Cavs were in need of Harden's scoring -- he had 6 1H FTAs but just 5 1H FGAs. That was just one more than Strus or Schroder. The Cavs can't expect a 36-year old to be their everything offensively at this point in his career but Harden scored more than 20-points in 3 of the 7 games and more than 25-points in just one game. This lack of scoring will be remedied by good role player shooting and Mitchell doing what this team is set up for him to do but there also has to be some push offensively at times by Harden as well.
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Donovan Mitchell: Yeah, it didn't look great early. 7 points on 9 shots (5 misses on 6 3PAs) in the first half with zero assists and two turnovers. As the Raptor role players made their shots early, Mitchell missed his, and it looked like a trip to Cancun awaited. Part of what killed Mitchell is the same thing that killed him most of the series -- overdribbling and indecisiveness. So when a few plays later you saw him get downhill decisively and use that to create looks, you saw the dichotomy of what they were missing. Even Schroder was fed up with Mitchell's lackadaisical play and let him know. His third quarter was slightly better (9 points on 7 shots and zero turnovers) but it was the mindset that was a bit different -- just 1 FGA inside the free-throw line + paint area in the first half but 5 FGA in those areas in the 3Q alone. We often talk about Mobley needing to be decisive and aggressive but it might apply to Mitchell as well.
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Dean Wade: Not Dean's best night. You saw some of the issues Kenny was trying to protect against when he swapped Strus for Wade in the starting lineup, as Wade was a -16 in the first half and 0-for-2 from three-point range; the team had a 70.8 offensive rating with him on the floor. That's not all on Wade but sometimes the defense isn't enough to overcome the lack of offense and it showed at times in Game 7. The good news? A +10 in the second half with a made three. While Wade started on Barnes, Barnes only had 2 FGAs on Wade as the Raptors were hunting Harden switches most of the first half to shed Wade's defensively abilities. It'll be interesting to see what Kenny decides for Detroit.
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Evan Mobley: The battle of 2021 Draft picks was also the battle of foul trouble. Mobley had a herky-jerky night as he was on-and-off again with zero fouls in the 1Q, then 3 fouls in the 2Q and then a quick 4th foul in Q3 that forced him to the bench. Mobley had some troubles getting it going in the 1Q with 3 turnovers, and a relatively quiet quarter. But then, he started to get involved more invovled as a play initiatior and we saw things change. And again. And again. Time-and-time again Mobley has shown strengths as a ball-handler in running inverted P&Rs -- not too many bigs can stay with him in those situations, and it helps get the advantage for him in getting downhill. For as good as G5 and G6 were for Mobley, G7 was a bit rocky.
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Jarrett Allen: The number one reason the Cavs are moving onto Detroit --- what a performance. Kenny said JA was "flying around" pregame and Haden said Allen was really talking during the game. Whatever it is, do it some more. He went into half with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 stock and emerged from the 3Q with 20 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 stocks. His activity level in all areas was the difference -- whether it be creating extra opportunities on offense (5 offensive rebounds in the 3Q alone, 8 for the game) or locking down the defensive interior by cleaning up rim attempts or clearing the possession. The icing on the cake was a bucket off his own missed free throw (chefs kiss). By game's end, you had an usually mild-mannered Allen telling Barrett to "go home!". And, hey, he could do that because his play single-handedly sent Toronto packing.
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Dennis Schroder: He finished with a team worst -11 in 13 minutes of play, and missing a two-foot, wide open layup attempt about sums up his night. The drives were good, the finishing was not. He was just 1-for-3 around the rim and 1-for-5 inside the arc. The hot-and-cold play of Schroder is ever present in this series and shows the quick switch Kenny has to have with Schroder when things aren't going well, and look to find ball-handling elsewhere (Tyson?). Schroder's best contribution to the game was probably his leadership and holding Mitchell accountable when he wasn't playing to his or the team's standards. It's a shame Schroder isn't more consistent because they need his energy more consistently and it's harder to do that on the bench.
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Sam Merrill: His shooting was just enough to help tie the Cavs over into the second half to allow for the 3Q run to happen. He started 2-for-2, and unfortunately finished 1-for-5 from three-point range. Merrill battled, and the game wasn't pretty for him, but his minutes off the bench were critical to helping the Cavs get, and sustain the lead. Kenny has been looking for some consistent role player/wing play and it's amazing to see what happens when he gets it. Despite being outsized for much of the series, Merrill showed a lot of fight. The Raptors targeted him but he held Raptor offensive players to 4-for-11 shooting on the game.
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Jaylon Tyson: The 2Q + 3Q Tyson is the Tyson we were so high on for so much of the year, and why he's shown to have the highest ceiling of the Cavs wing players. Kenny noted postgame that Mitchell and Harden let have Tyson have the ball and said 'go ahead' to handling playmaking responsibilities, and he showed why some thought he was the Caris LeVert replacement when he was drafted. The spark he provided with the ball in his hands was as welcomed as much as the 9 rebounds were (which was second on the team). The shooting needs to come back (just 34.8% on 3.3 3PAs in Round 1) but saw the flashes of the added dynamic of what he can do with the ball in his hands. The only downside for Tyson was the Raptors were 5-for-8 in direct matchups against him.
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Max Strus: He headbutted Barnes, looked like he was playing at Rucker, and sent Toronto packing with a dagger late. It was an adventurous night for Strus but the Cavs needed every bit of it. A team leading +20, and even though he was 2-for-8 on 3's, he contributed 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 stocks and an infectious energy that was monumental in the Cavs getting their lead. There's probably no play that represents it better than this -- picking up Barnes full court, speeding him up and forcing a live ball turnover that went the other way. That was all Strus. For as much as some question why Kenny plays Strus as much as he does, you can see/feel not only the impact his play has on the team but also the intangibles as well. Kenny, Donovan and Harden were all effusive in their praise for Max in what he provides to the team.
Game Notes
- Can Round 2 be less stressful, please? Our nerves can't take it.
- Thank goodness they turned it around after a mistake filled first quarter that you could see the Cavs pressing a bit. They realized the weight of the moment and were trying to do a little too much, too soon, and when they finally let the game come to them, things flipped. But at first, it was ugly.
- And some of it was what we've been seeing all series. Overhelping. A lack of awareness. And just overall sloppy play. The overhelping may hurt a bit less against a Pistons team that isn't three-point shooting maestros that would kill that type of defense but the Raptors and Pistons were about dead even in 3P% during the regular season and we saw the type of damage the Raptors were able to inflict on the Cavs. At some point, even with some of the POA issues the Cavs have, they have to trust their big men to clean up the defensive mistakes, and live with some of the two-pointers instead of the three-point kickouts that gets the Cavs off their game scrambling.
- The first half also brought a struggle to inbound the ball which really was just a struggle to focus. Which, again, is the most maddening part of this team at times. It's Game 7, win or go home, and that's the effort you put out there? Put it on Kenny for whatever play cal that was and put it on the players for the lack of want but those are the things, when done too many times in one game or one series, come back to bite and they have at various points throughout this series. And they're things that have to get cleaned up, and removed, in order for them to keep playing into May.
- The 2Q offense was also emblematic of some of the stretches they fall into where they do themselves more harm then good. The perimeter shot wasn't falling... so they kept shooting it. 5 of their first 8 FGAs in the 2Q were behind the arc, and is part of the issue we have seen at points in the season where they get too passive offensively and try to shoot themselves out of slumps instead of playing their way out through more rim attacks which can lead to easy buckets to boost confidence and more kickout attempts that help the offense flow.
- The one thing they did do well that bailed them out of their struggles in the first half, and frankly kept them in the game, was finish quarters. And that's not something they've done well all series. They finished the 1Q on a 12-4 run and finished the 2Q on a 11-2 run. That's an 17-point swing in 6 minutes and otherwise the tie game at half looks a lot different. Those are spots the Raptors were winning, and it was demoralizing with all of the Cavs work they would put in during the quarters that was gone like that. Good teams close quarters, and win on the margins like that, and it was a big reason why they were able to withstand shaky play.
- Kenny touched on all three wing role players postgame, and their minutes are a big reason why the Cavs are advancing. Coming into the game, the Cavs role players were shooting 33% on 3s compared to 35.6% on 3s for the Raptor role players. Wade, Merrill, Schroder, Tyson and Strus combined to shoot 7-for-23 on 3's in this one.... but, were so much more impactful in other ways. Rebounding, playmaking, hustle plays, and bringing the energy the team needed. If they can sustain this level of consistent play, and doing what's asked of them when it's needed, the team takes a different shape. It was Merrill's shooting in the first half, Tyson's playmaking in the 2Q and 3Q and Strus's energy in the second half that all helped propel them at various points. Kudos to them, now do it again.
- It's really nice being the team that is dominating the boards particularly the offensive glass. The Cavs finished with 20 (!) offensive rebounds and led the playoffs with a 35.9% ORB%. The Raptors got theirs on the offensive glass as well, in part due to all the misses, but the Cavs were a +4.4% on the series which played itself out in Game 7 especially.
- In wins this series the Cavs turned it over on average 15.3 times. In losses, they turned it over 19.3 times. They finished right in the middle in Game 7 with 17 but had just 4 turnovers in the second half after a blasphemous start. And it gets to the point we've seen all season: Bad offense leads into bad defense and if the Cavs can play clean offense it usually means an effective offense. Once the Cavs cut down the mistakes, their defense is better and their offensive possessions were more productive. Detroit was #1 in the NBA this regular season in forcing turnovers (Toronto was #4) so the task doesn't get easier in the 2nd Round it just gets more important.
- A play early in the 4Q is one I'd like to see them come back to more often. It was a Mobley + Mitchell P&R but they got into it off a Mobley hand off that allowed Mitchell a running head start to get downhill with the defender trailing him. Too often this series the Cavs got stagnant in how they got into P&R looks that allowed the Raptors to get set, play the gaps and force too much on the guards to have to create. Simple ways like this can clear the defense and get into the look the Cavs want but in a different way that allows the guards to do so a bit easier.
- 115 seems to be the magic number. While they scored 114 in the G7 win, they were 3-0 when they hit 115 coming into the game. Considering the Pistons have a similar approach, and will try to grind it out with a less-than-stellar offensive game, 115 seems like it'll keep being the key number for the Cavs to hit in these playoffs. The defense can be good but the offense has to be there and the 115 mark is usually a sign the offense is flowing like it needs to in order for the Cavs to win.
- Wade with the starters ended the game a wash -- 0 +/- in just under 10 minutes of play. It'll be fascinating to see how Kenny approaches the next round given his proclivity to want to put Strus in there for shooting but also understanding the need for Wade's defense (and rebounding) in both the first and second unit. Could the best of both worlds be Tyson? We'll see.
- Give Mobley and Allen lots of credit this series: The Cavs asked them to step up at various points, and they did. It took Allen a bit but he still battled and eventually got there. Mobley had a couple of stinkers but also had significant steps forward in games 2, 5 and 6 that showed the type of production the Cavs need out of him consistently. But for all the flack these two got, Round 1 was a major step forward in producing and playing in a way the Cavs need them to be at in order to win.
- Finally: Can we play through the bigs? Kenny said the team was hammering the message home about moving the defense, and the Cavs guards forcing too much in driving down tunnels. The more Mitchell and Harden are there to help them offensively, and the Cavs can be more sustainable offensively that way, the easier the offense will flow. And it's also on Kenny to reinforce that messaging and not allow a switch in matchups to so easily deter them from going to the backbone of their offense which is the P&R.
Box Score & Highlights