The Cavaliers can finally take a deep breath—and Jarrett Allen can take a well-deserved victory bow under the bright playoff lights.

It was the kind of deep breath that almost brings a smile from somewhere deep inside. The kind that whispers, "Everything is going to be all right. You are back to being who you’re meant to be." That was the Cavs in their commanding 114-102 Game 7 win over the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena on Sunday night.

Let's talk about a Game 7 where Cleveland absolutely dominated the boards, outrebounding Toronto 60-33. And let's talk about Jarrett Allen. Yes, Jarrett Allen!

The center with the infectious smile and signature happy 'fro delivered a monster performance: 22 rugged inside points and 19 rebounds. To put that in perspective, the only other Cavalier to ever record at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a Game 7 is LeBron James. That's elite company.

But Allen wasn't the only hero. Max Strus and Jaylon Tyson came off the bench and sparked the team with relentless hustle, combining for 19 points and 17 rebounds in 50 minutes. They posted the top two plus/minus stats for Cleveland: Strus at +20 and Tyson at +19.

Meanwhile, stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden were simply "good"—and that was plenty good enough. The beauty of this talented roster is that their stars don't have to be great every night. The goal is to become a great team. And in their biggest game of the season, the Cavs were exactly that.

For most of this seven-game series, it felt like the Cavs were battling not just the young, athletic Raptors, but also old playoff ghosts. There was a weight of great expectations and past failures. Harden had lost his last three Game 7s, averaging just 12.8 points on 28% shooting. Mitchell, a nine-year playoff veteran, has never survived the second round. And Allen—remember, he admitted during the 2023 playoff loss to New York that "the lights were too bright" and was labeled "soft."

This win changes the narrative. The Cavs shed that weight, found their identity, and reminded everyone what they're capable of. So take that deep breath, Cleveland. The journey continues.