The Cleveland Cavaliers took a 2-0 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
This was another dynamic scoring game from Mitchell. He opened the night with a handful of ridiculous jumpers, including a one-legged fadeaway at the end of the shot clock.
Mitchell continued to apply pressure to Toronto’s defense as the game went on. The Raptors did their best to show additional help and get the ball out of his hands. But Mitchell was still able to deal significant damage despite seeing multiple defenders on every other possession.
Harden drilled a tough step-back three-pointer over a Raptors double-team in the second quarter, and that wasn’t even his most impressive shot of the period. One possession later, he dropped Scottie Barnes and nailed another three-pointer.
His mastery of the pick-and-roll put the Cavs in front during Game 1. In Game 2, Harden’s elite shot-making neutralized even the best of Toronto’s defense.
Mobley might be ascending before our eyes. He’s playing with the most confidence we’ve seen from him in a playoff setting. He feasted in the paint any time the Raptors fed him a smaller wing. And when they tried to stick a larger player like Mamu on him, Mobley would burst around him for a bucket.
“Aggressive, put his head down and got to the rim, trying to dunk on people,” said James Harden of Mobley after the game. “He recognized that ‘hey, they’re switching pick-and-rolls so I gotta get it, or crash the offensive rebounds’.”
This is the version of Mobley that can help the Cavs reach their ultimate ceiling. Head-hunting for mismatches and filling in as a play-finisher to complement his two star guards.
The box score isn’t always going to reflect Allen’s impact as the games are dominated by Harden, Mitchell and Mobley. Still, while I think Allen’s value was much larger than the stats suggest, this wasn’t his best performance. Specifically, on the glass, where Allen had just 1 rebound going into halftime and finished with 3 boards overall.
This is a team sport, obviously, and the Cavs were not getting bruised on the boards by any means. But this is still an area you want Allen to be more present — considering how poorly this category has gone for him in the past.
But don’t get it wrong. Allen’s size advantage in the paint has proven to be a massive issue for the Raptors as they struggle to establish themselves on either end of the floor.
Wade’s showing his worth as a wing defender in this series. He played a huge role in shutting down Brandon Ingram in the second half of Game 1 and contributed to holding Ingram to 3-15 shooting to go with 5 turnovers.
That’s elite, and it’s a huge relief for anyone who has been waiting to see this version of Wade in the postseason.
Dean Wade is finally playing good minutes in the NBA Playoffs 🙏 pic.twitter.com/6witv7iCOL
“It’s a luxury to have a 6’9″ wing that we can use as a stopper,“ said Kenny Atkinson after the game. ”He’s been phenomenal so far.”
I still think the Cavs can use more from Wade on offense. The Raptors seemed to bet against him doing anything with the ball throughout this game and successfully jammed up a few possessions as a result.
The Strus never quite got loose in this one. He was far cry from the 24 points he poured on Toronto in Game 1. Nevertheless, he drilled a momentum-swinging shot in the fourth quarter and kept the defensive intensity turned up throughout the game.
Ellis was disruptive with his hands tonight. He broke up a few plays and amped up the Cleveland crowd with his hustle.
Still, it’d be nice to make a single shot. Just one?