2026 NBA Playoffs - East First Round - #4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs #5 Toronto Raptors (Series tied 2-2)

[GiannisAnte34]

You'd say that regardless

I think the Raps can take a game, maybe maybe 2....

But yeah I think the Cavs will win this. Stopping Mitchell and Harden just isn't likely.

Yea I just think the Cavs are too well rounded. Mobley and Allen should give the Raps trouble on the boards

I like the Cavs or Hawks to win the East this year, I think Pistons and Knicks choke early this year

The Celtics will be a tough out

The Hawks? Wow

Cavs vs Celtics/Hawks winner in ECF

Cavs advance to their 1st Finals since LeBron to get the brakes beat off of them by whoever comes out of the West

[VanWest82]

Lots of talk in the media about how Raps will guard Mitchell and Harden, and that definitely looks to be a big advantage for Cavs.

But Cavs face match up issues guarding Ingram, Barrett, and Barnes.They'll probably start Mobley on Ingram which leaves some combination of Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, and either Harden or Mitchell on the other two? idk that feels like a problem. Raps won this match up in the regular season and it was at least partly because Cavs couldn't guard their wings.

This series could be more interesting than the easy 4-5 games everyone seems to be predicting.

[JujitsuFlip]

Raps won this match up in the regular season and it was at least partly because Cavs couldn't guard their wings.

Or, it was because they were playing against a skelton crew lol

Game 1 - 6 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Tyson v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Wade v Scottie
5: Mobley v CMB

Game 2 - 5 months ago

1: Merrill v IQ
2: Mitchell v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Mobley v Scottie
5: Allen (20 mins) v Yakka Purtle

Game 3 - 5 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Mitchell v Walter
3: Tyson v Ingram
4: Nance jr v Scottie
5: Mobley v Yakka Purtle

Now let's look at Saturday's potential 5

1. Harden
2. Mitchell
3. Wade
4. Mobley
5. Allen

[mcfly1204]

Lots of talk in the media about how Raps will guard Mitchell and Harden, and that definitely looks to be a big advantage for Cavs.

But Cavs face match up issues guarding Ingram, Barrett, and Barnes.They'll probably start Mobley on Ingram which leaves some combination of Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, and either Harden or Mitchell on the other two? idk that feels like a problem. Raps won this match up in the regular season and it was at least partly because Cavs couldn't guard their wings.

This series could be more interesting than the easy 4-5 games everyone seems to be predicting.

Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Jaylon Tyson, Max Strus, Keon Ellis... Cavs have a lot more defensive looks on the wing than you realize.

[VanWest82]

Raps won this match up in the regular season and it was at least partly because Cavs couldn't guard their wings.

Or, it was because they were playing against a skelton crew lol

Game 1 - 6 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Tyson v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Wade v Scottie
5: Mobley v CMB

Game 2 - 5 months ago

1: Merrill v IQ
2: Mitchell v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Mobley v Scottie
5: Allen (20 mins) v Yakka Purtle

Game 3 - 5 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Mitchell v Walter
3: Tyson v Ingram
4: Nance jr v Scottie
5: Mobley v Yakka Purtle

Now let's look at Saturday's potential 5

1. Harden
2. Mitchell
3. Wade
4. Mobley
5. Allen

Yeah it was a long time ago but it's still the same problem as far as i'm concerned. Cavs strength is in their guards and bigs. Their wings have never been good and still aren't good. Raps one strength is they're good on the wing. That's their match up advantage in the series.

[Asian Celtic]

Possibly the most entertaining 1st round matchup in the East.

[JujitsuFlip]

Raps won this match up in the regular season and it was at least partly because Cavs couldn't guard their wings.

Or, it was because they were playing against a skelton crew lol

Game 1 - 6 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Tyson v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Wade v Scottie
5: Mobley v CMB

Game 2 - 5 months ago

1: Merrill v IQ
2: Mitchell v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Mobley v Scottie
5: Allen (20 mins) v Yakka Purtle

Game 3 - 5 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Mitchell v Walter
3: Tyson v Ingram
4: Nance jr v Scottie
5: Mobley v Yakka Purtle

Now let's look at Saturday's potential 5

1. Harden
2. Mitchell
3. Wade
4. Mobley
5. Allen

Yeah it was a long time ago but it's still the same problem as far as i'm concerned. Cavs strength is in their guards and bigs. Their wings have never been good and still aren't good. Raps one strength is they're good on the wing. That's their match up advantage in the series.

I don't think Evan Mobley and Dean Wade are going to have any issue slowing down Scottie and Ingram.

If those 2 get injured or in foul trouble, then yeah, Ellis and Merrill will struggle to contain those dudes. But i wouldn't base a series perspective on your wings having to face reserves, for the series to be competitive.

[Johnston]

This season the Raptors are 2-18 against top 8 defensive teams and 44-18 against against the rest....Cavs defense has been ranked 18th since the Harden trade.....we will see what happens. I can see this series going a lot of different ways.

[QingJames]

Cavs in four or five, Raptors just don’t have anyone that is truly dangerous offensively.

Fortunately, the Cavs aren't a good defensive team.
Raps defense will make this a competitive series.

Knicks and Celtics would've swept us. Cavs don't worry us.

I have Cavs in 6-7 - but I highly doubt it'll be a sweep.

Yeah, they kind of are.

15th in DRTG this year. Raptors were 5th.

So no, they kind of aren’t.

[Iwasawitness]

Fortunately, the Cavs aren't a good defensive team.
Raps defense will make this a competitive series.

Knicks and Celtics would've swept us. Cavs don't worry us.

I have Cavs in 6-7 - but I highly doubt it'll be a sweep.

Yeah, they kind of are.

15th in DRTG this year. Raptors were 5th.

So no, they kind of aren’t.

Yeah, they kind of are. When they weren't missing the majority of their team they were a top ten defensive team in the league. Learn what injuries are and how they work.

[QingJames]

Yeah, they kind of are.

15th in DRTG this year. Raptors were 5th.

So no, they kind of aren’t.

Yeah, they kind of are. When they weren't missing the majority of their team they were a top ten defensive team in the league. Learn what injuries are and how they work.

They got even worse after trading for Harden. 18th since acquiring him. They’ve gotten by on their offense, which has really improved since acquiring Harden since he is good at making glorified lob men like Mobley and Allen look much better on offense than they are.

But no, they aren’t a good defensive team.

[JujitsuFlip]

15th in DRTG this year. Raptors were 5th.

So no, they kind of aren’t.

Yeah, they kind of are. When they weren't missing the majority of their team they were a top ten defensive team in the league. Learn what injuries are and how they work.

They got even worse after trading for Harden. 18th since acquiring him. They’ve gotten by on their offense, which has really improved since acquiring Harden since he is good at making glorified lob men like Mobley and Allen look much better on offense than they are.

But no, they aren’t a good defensive team.

The predicted starting lineup for the Cavs... Harden/Mitchell/Wade/Mobley/Allen has a 95.5 defensive rating. Far better than the Cavs season average of 114.1

So the Cavs for sure have potential to put solid defensive lineups on the floor.

[Iwasawitness]

15th in DRTG this year. Raptors were 5th.

So no, they kind of aren’t.

Yeah, they kind of are. When they weren't missing the majority of their team they were a top ten defensive team in the league. Learn what injuries are and how they work.

They got even worse after trading for Harden. 18th since acquiring him. They’ve gotten by on their offense, which has really improved since acquiring Harden since he is good at making glorified lob men like Mobley and Allen look much better on offense than they are.

But no, they aren’t a good defensive team.

Did you read anything I just said? Do you even know how to read?

[ReggiesKnicks]

Lots of talk in the media about how Raps will guard Mitchell and Harden, and that definitely looks to be a big advantage for Cavs.

But Cavs face match up issues guarding Ingram, Barrett, and Barnes.They'll probably start Mobley on Ingram which leaves some combination of Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, and either Harden or Mitchell on the other two? idk that feels like a problem. Raps won this match up in the regular season and it was at least partly because Cavs couldn't guard their wings.

This series could be more interesting than the easy 4-5 games everyone seems to be predicting.

What is your prediction for the series? How many games?

[Duffman100]

Raps won this match up in the regular season and it was at least partly because Cavs couldn't guard their wings.

Or, it was because they were playing against a skelton crew lol

Game 1 - 6 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Tyson v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Wade v Scottie
5: Mobley v CMB

Game 2 - 5 months ago

1: Merrill v IQ
2: Mitchell v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Mobley v Scottie
5: Allen (20 mins) v Yakka Purtle

Game 3 - 5 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Mitchell v Walter
3: Tyson v Ingram
4: Nance jr v Scottie
5: Mobley v Yakka Purtle

Now let's look at Saturday's potential 5

1. Harden
2. Mitchell
3. Wade
4. Mobley
5. Allen

I was prepared to counter that the Raptors were hurt too. But actually against Cleveland we were relatively healthy.

[JujitsuFlip]

Raps won this match up in the regular season and it was at least partly because Cavs couldn't guard their wings.

Or, it was because they were playing against a skelton crew lol

Game 1 - 6 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Tyson v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Wade v Scottie
5: Mobley v CMB

Game 2 - 5 months ago

1: Merrill v IQ
2: Mitchell v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Mobley v Scottie
5: Allen (20 mins) v Yakka Purtle

Game 3 - 5 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Mitchell v Walter
3: Tyson v Ingram
4: Nance jr v Scottie
5: Mobley v Yakka Purtle

Now let's look at Saturday's potential 5

1. Harden
2. Mitchell
3. Wade
4. Mobley
5. Allen

I was prepared to counter that the Raptors were hurt too. But actually against Cleveland we were relatively healthy.

Yeah, I've looked at these 3 games stats extensively lol

Hard to draw any conclusions when Ball started 2 of the 3 but is no longer in the NBA. Hunter also started 2 of 3 and was one of the worst shooters in the NBA before being traded and then having season ending surgery. Even Nance jr was given 1 start and he would be a star zombie in the tv show The Walking Dead.

I do think you can take some things from the matchups, like Mobley at 5 is probably going to get bullied, so need to play him with Allen more. Wade off the bench doesn't really work, so gotta start him, even if his on floor rotations are sporadic. Mitchell cannot be the lone ball handler or he'll struggle.

There are lessons in there for sure but just being 5 or 6 months ago with a bunch of dudes no longer on the team, makes it where ya gotta weigh how impactful the data is.

[Iwasawitness]

Raps won this match up in the regular season and it was at least partly because Cavs couldn't guard their wings.

Or, it was because they were playing against a skelton crew lol

Game 1 - 6 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Tyson v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Wade v Scottie
5: Mobley v CMB

Game 2 - 5 months ago

1: Merrill v IQ
2: Mitchell v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Mobley v Scottie
5: Allen (20 mins) v Yakka Purtle

Game 3 - 5 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Mitchell v Walter
3: Tyson v Ingram
4: Nance jr v Scottie
5: Mobley v Yakka Purtle

Now let's look at Saturday's potential 5

1. Harden
2. Mitchell
3. Wade
4. Mobley
5. Allen

I was prepared to counter that the Raptors were hurt too. But actually against Cleveland we were relatively healthy.

And I think this is another thing people are missing the mark on when it comes to the Cavs defense in general. When they've run with a great wing defender along with their twin towers, they're usually an elite defensive team. They're really at their best when they start either Wade or Tyson at the three. At no point this season did Toronto face that. People who just look at the Cavs defensive rating for the season and are concluding "they aren't a good defensive team" have no clue what they're talking about.

Cleveland's greatest weakness defensively is that they still struggle with containing perimeter shooting even at full strength. They seem to get lost on basic switches and when it happens they suddenly forget where the guy they're supposed to be guarding is.

If Cleveland is going into this with their twin towers and Wade/Strus/Tyson available, I fully expect Toronto to struggle against their defense.

[Duffman100]

Or, it was because they were playing against a skelton crew lol

Game 1 - 6 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Tyson v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Wade v Scottie
5: Mobley v CMB

Game 2 - 5 months ago

1: Merrill v IQ
2: Mitchell v Rj
3: Hunter v Ingram
4: Mobley v Scottie
5: Allen (20 mins) v Yakka Purtle

Game 3 - 5 months ago

1: Lonzo Ball v IQ
2: Mitchell v Walter
3: Tyson v Ingram
4: Nance jr v Scottie
5: Mobley v Yakka Purtle

Now let's look at Saturday's potential 5

1. Harden
2. Mitchell
3. Wade
4. Mobley
5. Allen

I was prepared to counter that the Raptors were hurt too. But actually against Cleveland we were relatively healthy.

And I think this is another thing people are missing the mark on when it comes to the Cavs defense in general. When they've run with a great wing defender along with their twin towers, they're usually an elite defensive team. They're really at their best when they start either Wade or Tyson at the three. At no point this season did Toronto face that. People who just look at the Cavs defensive rating for the season and are concluding "they aren't a good defensive team" have no clue what they're talking about.

Cleveland's greatest weakness defensively is that they still struggle with containing perimeter shooting even at full strength. They seem to get lost on basic switches and when it happens they suddenly forget where the guy they're supposed to be guarding is.

If Cleveland is going into this with their twin towers and Wade/Strus/Tyson available, I fully expect Toronto to struggle against their defense.

For some reason I remember Cleveland's bigs surprisingly not causing us as many issues as I would have thought.

But yeah, if Cleveland's greatest weakness is containing perimeter shooting I have good news for you - we suck at shooting.

[JujitsuFlip]

I was prepared to counter that the Raptors were hurt too. But actually against Cleveland we were relatively healthy.

And I think this is another thing people are missing the mark on when it comes to the Cavs defense in general. When they've run with a great wing defender along with their twin towers, they're usually an elite defensive team. They're really at their best when they start either Wade or Tyson at the three. At no point this season did Toronto face that. People who just look at the Cavs defensive rating for the season and are concluding "they aren't a good defensive team" have no clue what they're talking about.

Cleveland's greatest weakness defensively is that they still struggle with containing perimeter shooting even at full strength. They seem to get lost on basic switches and when it happens they suddenly forget where the guy they're supposed to be guarding is.

If Cleveland is going into this with their twin towers and Wade/Strus/Tyson available, I fully expect Toronto to struggle against their defense.

For some reason I remember Cleveland's bigs surprisingly not causing us as many issues as I would have thought.

But yeah, if Cleveland's greatest weakness is containing perimeter shooting I have good news for you - we suck at shooting.

I think Ingram, Walter, and Lawson (if he gets minutes) will find a lot of success with that corner 3 being wide open. Hopefully Kenny and the Cavs adjust.

[Iwasawitness]

I was prepared to counter that the Raptors were hurt too. But actually against Cleveland we were relatively healthy.

And I think this is another thing people are missing the mark on when it comes to the Cavs defense in general. When they've run with a great wing defender along with their twin towers, they're usually an elite defensive team. They're really at their best when they start either Wade or Tyson at the three. At no point this season did Toronto face that. People who just look at the Cavs defensive rating for the season and are concluding "they aren't a good defensive team" have no clue what they're talking about.

Cleveland's greatest weakness defensively is that they still struggle with containing perimeter shooting even at full strength. They seem to get lost on basic switches and when it happens they suddenly forget where the guy they're supposed to be guarding is.

If Cleveland is going into this with their twin towers and Wade/Strus/Tyson available, I fully expect Toronto to struggle against their defense.

For some reason I remember Cleveland's bigs surprisingly not causing us as many issues as I would have thought.

But yeah, if Cleveland's greatest weakness is containing perimeter shooting I have good news for you - we suck at shooting.

I think rebounding is our greatest weakness. We tend to get out of position on defense easily and it's easier for opponents to take advantage of it. Luckily, that's not Toronto's strong suit either.