CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. TORONTO RAPTORS PREVIEW: Why everything in this matchup favors Cleveland
The Toronto Raptors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the regular season, but none of that matters now.
The Cavs are heavy favorites and rightfully so.
James Harden is known as one of the greatest players of this generation, and also for his lack of a ring. He can’t resolve that blemish in the first round, but this is where such a quest must begin — with a new team, once again.
Give him this: Harden smoothed his midseason transition with the Cavs by wisely being a facilitator first and foremost. This allowed him to defer to Donovan Mitchell and also put his new teammates in position to score, namely big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Meanwhile, the Raptors are young and quick and bring a group that’s fully familiar with each other and seemingly in sync. Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett will need to collectively produce for the Raptors to have a chance. This is the first playoff trip for this bunch and there are other players in the rotation who have underachieved or are still developing; you wonder how they’ll respond in the bright lights.
Keep your eyes on
Evan Mobley’s production. Mobley had a solid season, nearly averaging a double-double while providing a credible job on defense. And that’s where it ends. He didn’t come anywhere close to copying his breakout 2025 – when he earned All-Star, All-NBA Second Team and Kia Defensive Player of the Year honors – so, in that sense, this followup was uninspiring. Contrast him to Ingram, who led the Raptors in scoring and earned an All-Star berth alongside Barnes.
One more thing to watch for each team
For Cavaliers: Their defense, which wasn’t exactly championship-quality during the regular season, will be tested this series. The Cavs must find someone to keep Toronto’s active wings in check because Ingram, Barrett and Barnes are the heart of this team. All three are capable of not only dropping 20 points, but being threats late in tight games.
Who’s the best option defensively for the Cavs? Max Strus, Sam Merrill, Dean Wade or Jaylon Tyson? Is there a stopper or two amongst that bunch? The length of this series, or maybe even the outcome, will rest with that question.
For Raptors: A few years ago center Jakob Poeltl was a solid interior presence for the Raptors and the club extended him. This season, he missed 39 games and looked spotty when he did play. While Toronto finished allowing the ninth-fewest points this season, the Raps could use some force from him.
As a tandem, Allen and Mobley can be bullish on the boards; Toronto finished 24th in rebounding. Toronto did get encouraging play from Collin Murray-Boyles, but coming up big (literally) in the playoffs might be a big ask for the 20-year-old rookie.
One key number to know
89 – The Cavs’ most-used lineup played a total of just 89 minutes this season. That was the fewest minutes for any team’s most-used lineup, and that particular group included Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter, who were both traded mid-season.
James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen played together in just seven games and for a total of just 92 minutes. The Cavs were terrific in those 92 minutes, outscoring their opponents by 26.7 points per 100 possessions. But that’s a very small sample size and the Cavs go into the playoffs with the least continuity of any team.
For comparison, the Raptors’ starting lineup had played 348 minutes together prior to the season finale against Brooklyn, even though Jakob Poeltl missed 36 games. That group outscored opponents by 7.5 points per 100 possessions, a mark which ranked 12th among the 19 lineups that played at least 200 minutes.
9 Comments
I've hated TOR ever since Vince and Stoudemire left and nothing's changed. I can't stand that damn team. Only team I hate more is OKC.
I want this chump team to be demolished and thrown in the trash where they belong. And don't talk to me about their defense. We're a better defense against top 10 teams than TOR. They're 12th and we're 7th. So that completely nullifies their "strength".
It's funny how this dude sounds so confident in the cavs , it's like he hasn't watched them play before. I wonder what they will say in game 6
All this talk about raps record vs top 10 teams. The Cavs have wins in calendar year 2026 vs T10 teams.
Elgin Baylor is the best player to never win a ring. Karl Malone is also better than Harden. Charles Barkley etc
Let’s be fair. Since Donovan has been here the team has been injured by multiple stats. It’s amazing when a team misses one star like the Pacers and don’t make the playoffs but the Cavs have been injury prone that really the REASON, We make excuses for other teams when their stats or main players are injured
Dude already analyzing 2nd round 😂 Cavs are playoff chokers and know that u’ll never get pass Knicks or Celtics even after spending millions lol won’t even be surprised if Raptors stop yall #overrated
Worry about the first round and James Harden before you start thinking about round 2, LMAO. There is absolutely NO pressure on Toronto.
Cavs are better than their record and statistics. They were sunk in the first half of season between Hunter, hurt Garland, and Ball. Combined with injuries to their bigs all season.
Wade needs to start for sure. Mobley doesn't have to be the best on Cavs just has to be Efficient and Contribute heavily. And just try to minimize other teams 3's.