Cavs Vs. Raptors Game 5: 6 Things We Learned

The Cleveland Cavaliers rolled over the Toronto Raptors last night. 6 Things We Learned from Game 5.

After dropping two straight games in Toronto, the Cavs responded by blowing out the Raptors 116-78. Cleveland started out strong and they never let their foot off of the gas.

With the exception of game 4, every game this series has been a blowout. The problem with blowouts is that it’s harder to make definitive declarations after a lopsided game. Especially in one with a 38 point margin. Basically everything that the Cavs did worked, and everything the Raptors did didn’t. But, here’s a some things that we can take away from this one.

1. An aggressive Kevin Love, is the best Kevin Love.

After being nonexistent in the two games in Toronto, Love came out and played arguably the best game he’s ever played in a Cavs’ uniform in the biggest NBA game he’s ever played in. He finished with a game high 25 points on 8 of 10 shooting in just over 23 minutes of play. Love also added 2 blocks, 2 steals, and an assist.

Game 5 showed us what we already know, when Love is aggressive on offense he can be a great on both ends of the floor. When he isn’t aggressive, he appears to lose interest and becomes ineffective on offense and defense. While it’s important for his teammates to recognize this and give him the ball early in the game, it is more important for Love to keep himself engaged even when he isn’t being force fed the ball. Only he can control the effort that he gives on a nightly basis.

It’d be great to say that Love’s struggles are behind him and that we should expect a great game from him in Toronto for game 6, but his history shows otherwise. Love appears to have a much harder time getting engaged in road games then he does at home. If he brings the same effort and intensity for game 6 as he did for game 5 then there is no doubt he can have another great game.

The big question with Kevin Love is never his skills. There’s no doubt he is one of the most skilled players in the NBA. The thing that is questioned is his mental toughness. Hopefully this game gives him confidence that he can carry throughout the playoffs.

2. Dwane Casey refuses to adjust to the Cavs’ LeBron James and bench unit.

The bench unit’s domination has been one of the few constants of this series. They were a plus 7 in game 5 and are now a plus 30 on the series.

The baffling thing about the bench unit is their ability to dominate by using the same set over and over again. They give the ball to LeBron in the high post and then they work from there. It seems like every possession they get a made basket or at the very least an open look off of that set.

The thing that is so mind-boggling is the fact that Casey isn’t able to adjust to it. It’s not like he doesn’t know what’s coming. It’s variations of the same set nearly every time. Casey needs to find some type of answer to this set. It has gotten to the point where it’s simply ridiculous. Whether it’s resting his starters at different times, or trying to double team LeBron on the entry pass, something needs to change. There’s no excuse for the Raptors allowing the LeBron and bench unit to dominate this much.

3. The Cavs’ defense is better when they’re trapping on pick and rolls.

The Cavs’ defense was much better in game 5 then they were in the previous two games in Toronto. They held the Raptors to 39% shooting from the floor. They also kept DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in check by limiting them to 27 points.

Part of the reason they were able to limit Toronto’s two all-stars was because they were blitzing the pick and roll similarly to how they did against the Pistons in the opening round of the playoffs. In the previous two games they simply switched on the pick and roll which led to DeRozan and Lowry attacking the basket and scoring in the paint seemingly at will.

Trapping the ball handler on the pick and roll requires the ball handler to get rid of the ball quickly. This strategy forced the ball out of the hands of DeRozan and Lowry, and into the hands of players such as Demarre Carroll or Bismack Biyombo who aren’t nearly as talented offensively.

Blitzing the pick and roll proved to be successful in game 5. We’ll see what type of adjustments the Raptors make to counter. Using Jonas Valanciunas more in pick and roll or pick and pop situations would be a good way to counter the Cavs’ double team because he is Toronto’s only big that can consistently knock down a mid-range shot. However, because of his injury there’s no telling how many minutes he can effectively play.

4. Matthew Dellavedova is the most annoying opponent in the NBA.

Delly is one of those players that you love if he’s on your team, and you hate when he’s not. Anybody who’s played any pickup basketball knows that the most annoying person to play against is the one guy who face-guards you all the way down the court.

Dellavedova took that a step further in game 5. Instead of face-guarding Lowry all the way down the court, he decided to face-guard him for 15 seconds before the ball was even ready to be inbounded.

Never change Delly.

5. The Raptors simply struggle in Cleveland, and they know it.

The home team has won every matchup between the Cavaliers and Raptors this season. The Raptors looks like an entirely different team in Cleveland than they do in Toronto.

The Raptors acknowledged how bad they’ve played in Cleveland, and it appears to be wearing on them. After the game Biyombo said that they can’t play their game on the road, and that they are “a completely different team on the road.” Patrick Patterson and Kyle Lowry both acknowledged that they play worse at the Q, but neither had an idea of why that’s the case.

One thing that is not up for question is how much of an advantage the Cavs have at home.  Cleveland is now a plus 88 this series when they play at the Q. Even if the Raptors win game 6 in Toronto and force a game 7, they can’t feel too confident about winning a do-or-die game in Cleveland.

6. The Big Three can score 71 combined points in less than 3 quarters.

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The Big Three took control of the first “must win” game they played together. They combined for 71 points on 27 of 44 (61%) shooting. Their combined 71 points was only 7 points less than what the Raptors got as a team. What’s even more impressive is that they scored those 71 points on only 55 possessions, which is roughly 1.3 points per possession (according to Raptors Republic).

The Cavs will go as far as the Big Three takes them. The Big Three set the tempo early in game 5 and the rest of the team followed. In the two losses in Toronto the Big Three started off slow. The team with the best start has won every game this series. The Big Three will need to start out fast in game 6 to avoid a game 7.

Cleveland responded well to it’s first real adversity of the postseason and are now one win away from reaching their second straight NBA Finals. They’ll look to finish off the Raptors with a win Friday night in Toronto.

What did you learn from the Cavs big win in Game 5?