Not many expected the Toronto Raptors, a team that closed the regular season with a shaky 14-13 record, to be standing on equal footing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yet here they are.

The first-round series is tied at 2-2, with Game 5 set for Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The stakes couldn't be clearer: the winner of Game 5 will hold a lead that historically translates to a series win. According to NBA.com, the home team in a decisive Game 5 has won 73.1% of the time.

It’s also worth noting that the Cavaliers have never lost a playoff series to the Raptors, holding a 3-0 all-time record in postseason matchups against Toronto. The Raptors are trying to rewrite that history entirely, and through four games, they've given themselves a legitimate shot to do it.

Toronto’s defensive identity has been the spine of this run. In the two games played at Scotiabank Arena, Donovan Mitchell shot 13-for-39 from the field and James Harden went 11-for-27. Mitchell had only eight points in the first three quarters of Game 4 and Harden had more turnovers than field goals in back-to-back games.

However, the Raptors’ lackluster offense has been genuinely alarming at times, and seriously needs to improve. In Game 4, Toronto shot 31-of-97 from the field and 4-of-30 from three, the lowest field-goal percentage from a playoff winning team since 1970. They escaped with a win despite those numbers because their defense was suffocating, but they may not survive in Cleveland shooting at that rate.

When it comes to the series’ biggest X-factor, that honor goes to Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles. Coming off a historic 22-point performance in Game 3, his 15 points, 10 rebounds (five of which were offensive boards) and two steals in Game 4, kept possessions alive in a game where Toronto shot just 32% from the field. He also outscored Cleveland's entire starting frontcourt of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined.

Scottie Barnes continues to lead all scorers in the series, averaging 25.8 points per game, and has been the most complete player on either roster through four games. He has done everything that has been required of him so far: scoring, rebounding, defending, and facilitating. He is the reason this series is tied.

Brandon Ingram finally showed up in Game 4 after a series-long slump, finishing with 23 points including a critical third-quarter three-point shot. The Raptors need that version of Ingram in Cleveland, not the passive, disengaged version that averaged just 12 points through the first three games.

Then there’s RJ Barrett who has been quietly steady. He is averaging 24.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists this series and has been Toronto’s most efficient scorer through the first four games (55.2% FG).

The Raptors will again be without Immanuel Quickley, who has been ruled out for the rest of the series due to a hamstring injury. But Toronto has managed to hang on without his contributions.

Toronto will go into Game 5 knowing they need to steal a win against all odds, with the hopes of closing the series out in six games. Standing in their way will be a motivated Cleveland team aiming to prove they are still one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference.

Game 5 tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.