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The Cleveland Cavaliers defended their home floor in Game 1 of their first round series against the Toronto Raptors.
Let’s go over today’s winners, because there were no losers.
WINNER – Pace
Controlling the tempo was a point of emphasis for the Cavaliers entering this series. Toronto is one of the deadlier transition teams in the league, while Cleveland was just a middling transition defense throughout the regular season. Naturally, this was a cause for concern.
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Cleveland kept the Raptors at bay in the first half. They only allowed one point in transition during the opening quarters by hustling back on defense and forcing the game into a half-court setting. The Cavs also benefitted from drawing a load of fouls, attempting 17 free throws in the first half, and making it harder for Toronto to push off rebounds.
“You tell a group that’s hungry to win, ‘this is what we need to do to win the game,’ and I think they lock in,” said Kenny Atkinson of his group after the game.
This carried deep into the second half, where the Raptors remained stuck in the mud as Cleveland grew its lead. The Cavs kept the game slow and pummeled them 52-36 in the paint. Toronto finished with just 3 fastbreak points.
Closing the door on what should be Toronto’s biggest advantage in this series is a testament to Kenny Atkinson’s game plan and the players for bringing it to life. If they can continue to win on the margins, they’ll go on to win the series.
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WINNER – Pick and Roll
One result of slowing the game down is that it forces you to dig deeper into your offensive bag. For the Cavs, a slower game set in the halfcourt meant the world was theirs. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, especially, dominated in that regard.
We’ve seen Harden’s mastery in the pick-and-roll for more than a decade at this point. It turns out, he’s still going at running that action even in a classic ‘07 Cavs jersey. He worked the Raptors in pick-and-roll, coming up with an answer to any problem he was presented. Harden scored either with his step-back jumper or by getting into the lane with his floater. If the Raps…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/winners-losers-cavs-vs-raptors-203521256.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-18 20:35:00
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