James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and the Cleveland Cavaliers dictated Game 1 of their NBA playoff series, crushing the Toronto Raptors' pressure.
The Cleveland Cavaliers took a one-game lead over the Toronto Raptors with a 126-113 victory on Saturday, and they dictated the pace and style in doing so.
About midway through the second quarter of Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors, the Cleveland Cavaliers found a way to put their foot on the gas pedal and assume control. Even with a hot-shooting night from the visitors, the Wine and Gold stayed calm, cool, and collected, avoiding the trap of speeding up the game.
The Cavs took care of the basketball, punished Toronto's ball pressure up top, and got to the paint. James Harden and Donovan Mitchell ensured that the looks were quality, putting a strain on the rim and opening up the game for their teammates in the process.
For a squad that has a reputation for swarming and stealing, the Raptors only had three steals and three fastbreak points. Cleveland shot it well, and so did they, but there was a stark difference in the offenses.
In an episode of Courtside with Cavs, Spencer German and I analyzed why Game 1 showed that Cleveland should have the upper hand going forward:
The Raptors shot 52% from the field, and they should've lost by 20-plus. Let's not forget, too, that they were at the free-throw line for 35 attempts. So, they were still getting the amount of looks that they wanted -- maybe not as many threes -- but that's not their style.
They're more of an in-between type of team, a lot of floaters, a lot of mid-post, a lot of the Brandon Ingram-type shots. When Scottie Barnes gets going, he takes the little mid-post fadeaway or baseline fade. Finding cutters, and all that stuff. So, they don't take too many threes. They might touch the paint, but they don't really spray it out too much. The Raptors aren't much of a drive-and-kick team.
The Cavs tip off Game 2 at 7 p.m. ET in downtown Cleveland with a 1-0 series lead.
The series will shift to Toronto for Game 3 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Game 4 will be another afternoon tilt from up north, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
If necessary, April 29, May 1, and May 3 will be the dates for Games 5-7.
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