The Cleveland Cavaliers had plenty of chances to end this series in Game 6 on Friday night. They didn’t come out with the effort they needed, the late-game offense was bad, and a costly turnover with the shot clock off cost them a chance to put the game away at the line. They need to […]
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley was adamant that his turnover in the closing seconds of overtime wasn’t off of him. “I felt like it was our ball,” Mobley said afterward. “They called it different.” He was then asked if it was off Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles. Mobley confirmed that Murray-Boyles “hit the ball out.” […]
Heartbreak only happens when you put yourself in a position to make it possible. The Cleveland Cavaliers had their souls crushed by an RJ Barrett three that bounced off the rim multiple times before falling through to give the Toronto Raptors a 112-110 victory and force a Game 7. The Cavs shouldn’t have been in […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers made their bed. Now they have one game left to get out of it. All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. Donovan Mitchell 24 points, 2 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 3 turnovers Mitchell should be the best player on the floor. That hasn’t been true for four […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers blew a chance at ending the series. Now they’ll face the Toronto Raptors for a Game 7 in Cleveland. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers. LOSER – Single Rims I’ve seen enough. The NBA should invest in double rims, preferably ones that cause shots to rattle out more often. Please, I’m […]
This era of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball has become synonymous with playoff collapses. How it happens changes. The final result doesn’t. This time, it was RJ Barrett who broke Cleveland’s heart by hitting a game-winning three that careened off the rim, hung in the air for eternity, and then fell through the hoop with just over […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a chance to close out the Toronto Raptors tonight. Will they do it? Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard! Go Cavs!
Despite the Cleveland Cavaliers walking away from Game 5 with a 3-2 series lead, they still haven’t fully instilled confidence as a bona fide contender. In many ways, Cleveland’s wins have felt more tied to Toronto’s limitations and mistakes than the Cavaliers consistently imposing their own identity and style of basketball over extended stretches of […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers will have a chance to close out the Toronto Raptors in Game 6. For them to do that, they’ll likely need a superstar performance from at least one of their best players. 1. Donovan Mitchell needs to be a more efficient scorer Stars often decide closeout games. That will likely be the […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers exorcised some of their demons in their Game 5 win over the Toronto Raptors. They overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to pull out a much-needed victory. They now have a 3-2 lead as the series shifts back to Canada. Despite the win, the series isn’t over yet. This Raptors team has found […]
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers regained momentum in the series after gutting out a 125-120 victory in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead over the Toronto Raptors. The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass. As a note, the percentiles are in comparison to other playoff games, which influences the […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers have pushed the Toronto Raptors to the brink of elimination with a 125-120 victory in Game 5. The Raptors have persevered through numerous obstacles already this series, including having to play without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley. Their road to stealing the series just became more difficult. Toronto could be without its […]
CLEVELAND – Dennis Schroder spent a few minutes at halftime listing out all of the things the Cleveland Cavaliers should be doing better in Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors. On the top of that list, was getting back to playing their way. “I felt like I had to say something to the group,” Schroder […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back for a huge Game 5 win and a 3-2 series lead over the Toronto Raptors. Let’s go over today’s losers. LOSER – The First Half I can’t blame anyone for feeling antsy in the first half. To be honest, if you weren’t starting to worry about a full-blown panic attack, […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers survived a thriller against the Toronto Raptors, largely thanks to Dennis Schroder. Schroder, we all owe you an apology. You might have just saved the season. All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. Donovan Mitchell 19 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers This […]
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers fought back from a double-digit second-half deficit to regain control of the series. Eleven fourth-quarter points from Dennis Schroder and multiple clutch shots from Evan Mobley carried the Cavs to a 125-120 victory to take a 3-2 series lead over the Toronto Raptors. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson decided to […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to maintain homecourt advantage in the series as they take on the Toronto Raptors in Game 5. Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard! Go Cavs!
The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten away from what’s worked in games 1 and 2. The Toronto Raptors deserve a ton of credit for that. Their physicality with Cleveland’s star backcourt has made it difficult for the Cavs to establish any kind of momentum. At the same time, the Cavs simply need to be better. Let’s […]
This technically isn’t a must-win game, but it comes about as close to being one as possible for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland was in firm control of their opening-round series through the first two games. They were getting whatever they wanted offensively with their star backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden leading the charge. […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers had chances to take a decisive 3-1 lead over the Toronto Raptors in Game 4. They had an eight-point advantage with five minutes to play, but squandered the lead with a combination of bad defense, reckless decisions, and missed point-blank shots. This all added up to a 93-89 loss with the series […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t get the reputation of being playoff failures overnight. They’ve earned it through years of falling short in the biggest moments. Although their first-round series with the Toronto Raptors isn’t over by any stretch, Game 4 showed all the telltale signs of what has plagued this team in previous postseason runs: lack […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers looked ugly once again as the Toronto Raptors tied their series 2-2. Let’s go over today’s losers. LOSER – The Core Four Yep, all of ‘em. Winning in the playoffs can often come down to having the best player on the floor. In the case of the Cavs, they have an argument […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers gagged away a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead. Their offense let them down as they dropped Game 4 to the Toronto Raptors 93-89. The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass. As a note, the percentiles are in comparison to other playoff games, which influences the […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped their second straight game to the Toronto Raptors. The series is now tied 2-2, heading back to Cleveland. All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. Donovan Mitchell 20 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 turnovers We’ve seen the worst of Mitchell across the last two games. An […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been consistently criticized for being soft and unable to rise to the pressure of a playoff environment. They’ve publicly pushed back against that notion, but actions speak louder than words. The Cavs played scared offensively. Their highest-paid players didn’t just have a bad shooting performance — that could be explained. No, […]