The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the brink of advancing to the second round of the NBA Playoffs, after winning Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors, and taking a 3-2 series lead.

This win, in large part, was thanks to a group of Cavaliers who stepped up when they needed it the most, and led to a victory. 

Cleveland’s Game 5 win might just go down as the “Dennis Schroder Game” for what the veteran guard provided the team when they needed it the most.

Schroder has received limited playing time in Cleveland’s matchup against the Raptors up to this point, but he’ll likely get more playing time moving forward after stepping up for the Cavs and scoring 19 points in Game 5, 13 of which came in the second half.

Throughout Evan Mobley’s career, he’s been criticized for how he’s performed in the playoffs, but the Cavaliers forward finally had a performance worth remembering in Cleveland’s Game 5 win. 

Mobley overall finished with 23 points and nine rebounds, but it’s when this production came that shows how much he stepped up for the Cavaliers. 

Cleveland needed a boost going into the third quarter after trailing heading into halftime, and that’s exactly what Mobley gave them. He scored 10 points in the third quarter alone and knocked down all three of his long-range shots in the second half. Plus, Mobley continues to play defense at an elite level.

The Cavs simply don’t win Game 5 if it wasn’t for Mobley's performance on both ends of the floor. 

Sam Merrill wasn’t Cleveland’s leading scorer, and he didn’t see the most playing time on the roster, either. However, when the guard was on the floor, he made a strong impact in a variety of ways.

To start, Merrill scored nine points. He knocked down a pair of threes and made it to the charity stripe a few times, too. The guard also demonstrated some playmaking with his single rebound, two assists, and a steal. 

Even though the guard saw limited action, there’s an argument to be made that Merrill was Cleveland’s most impactful player during Game 5. Merrill finished with a +/- of positive 19, which was the highest on the Cavaliers. Yes, higher than Harden, Mitchell, and even Schroder, who made headlines with his performance. 

With Game 6 just around the corner, it’ll be interesting to see how Kenny Atkinson chooses to employ Merrill after an underrated game. 

Cavs Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Cavs. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.