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The Cleveland Cavaliers are entering the 2026 NBA Playoffs with a chip on their shoulders. Before they can prove anything of substance and go the distance, they need to take care of business as the heavy favorites in their first-round series with the Toronto Raptors.
Here are three keys to making sure that happens. All stats are via Cleaning the Glass.
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1. Control the Pace
The Cavs have a talent advantage in this series. But talent can only get you so far. Winning on the margins is often what determines outcomes. If you lose the mini-battles, you lose the series.
For Cleveland, losing control of the pace would be the quickest path to destruction.
Toronto finished the regular season 3rd in transition frequency. They scored over 20 points per game off fastbreaks. They also generated the fourth most turnovers in the league. These transition opportunities are huge for a team that finished 13th in offensive efficiency.
In short, this series favors the Cavs if they can keep this game in the halfcourt. How do you achieve that?
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Taking care of the ball is the first step. Cleveland finished the season 8th in turnover percentage and was even better (6th) in the two months after acquiring James Harden. This will be key as the Cavs ranked 11th in transition defense post All-Star break, but struggled heavily in scenarios created off turnovers, finishing 20th off steals.
Then there’s the double-edged sword of attacking the offensive glass. On one hand, offensive rebounds can wear a team down and slow things significantly. On the other hand, coming up short on an offensive board will leave your transition defense more vulnerable. The Cavs have to play this carefully.
The Raptors finished 1st in transition frequency off live rebounds. However, they ranked 19th in keeping opponents off the offensive glass. Cleveland was 11th in offensive rebounding percentage. There’s an opportunity for the Cavs to burn or get burned here. I’ll be interested to see how they approach this.
Either way, a slower pace benefits Cleveland. Expect the Cavs to make this their top priority in round one.
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2. Trust the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/playoff-preview-3-keys-cavs-174337944.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-17 17:43:00
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