CLEVELAND – Dennis Schroder spent a few minutes at halftime listing out all of the things the Cleveland Cavaliers should be doing better in Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors. On the top of that list, was getting back to playing their way.
“I felt like I had to say something to the group,” Schroder said afterward. “So we can rise and play Cavs basketball.”
The Cavs played their brand of basketball in the second half. After being down 12 near the start of the third quarter, Cleveland rallied for a 125-120
victory in Game 5. They now control a 3-2 lead in the series and have a chance of ending things back in Toronto on Friday.
Being able to control the paint made the difference.
After being mostly an outside shooting team in the first half, the Cavs made a concerted effort to get inside in the second. They attacked the basket in a way they haven’t this series, going 14-25 (56%) on shots in the paint. Conversely, they held Toronto to just 9-26 (34.6%) in the paint over the final two quarters.
Schroder led that charge. His speed and willingness to attack the basket changed how the game was played.
The Raptors have kept Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in check by being physical away from the play and not allowing for easy catches. And once they do get the ball, they’ve put as many bodies as possible in the lane, making it difficult to get to the basket.
That strategy has worked for the Raptors, but it does create opportunities for someone else to beat them off-the-dribble. This is where Schroder took advantage.
These two plays show how.
First, Schroder fakes a dribble-hand-off with Harden to freeze Jakob Poeltl. Poeltl hesitates, expecting Harden to get the ball. That pause is all Schroder needed. He has the speed to get past his man, and the help defense was far too late to recover.
This also worked with Harden as a screener. Here, the pick from Harden freezes Scottie Barnes enough for Schroder to get into the lane.
Schroder has always played his best basketball when he’s been empowered as a ball handler, as seen in his numerous successful international tournaments with Germany.
This has carried over to his time in Cleveland. He was exceptional for the Cavs before they made the Harden trade, and was solely responsible for running the second unit. Similarly, he performed well when they were without Mitchell for a few games at the end of February. In both stretches, the team allowed and needed Schroder to create offense for them.
It’s been more difficult for Schroder to fit in when both Mitchell and Harden have been healthy. One of the starters is on the court at all times, and typically, you want them to have the ball in their hands. This has made it tricky for Schroder to stay involved as he does his best work on-ball.
That trust was placed back in Schroder during Game 5. Mitchell chose to stay on the bench midway through the fourth quarter instead of coming back in like he usually would to give Schroder more time on the court.
Mitchell told head coach Kenny Atkinson no when asked if he wanted to return to the game. “Why? This is working,” Mitchell said. “You ride the hot hand.”
The Cavs certainly did.
Schroder accounted for 17 points in the fourth quarter, with the 11 he scored and the two triples he assisted. That’s the same number the Raptors as a team had in the final frame. That was much needed on a night Harden and Mitchell combined for just one fourth-quarter point.
For the third game in a row, Mitchell didn’t have the hot hand. He struggled to get inside as a scorer and wasn’t able to finish when he did. Mitchell went just 4-10 in the paint and had 19 points on 7-17 shooting.
Typically, the Cavs have lost when Mitchell doesn’t produce as a scorer. During the regular season, they were 7-11 when he played and scored 21 or fewer. That trend continued in the playoffs as he was held under 21 points in both losses this series.
Unlike in Game 4, Mitchell didn’t force the issue. He let the game come to him more than he typically has during the playoffs, saying that sometimes the best offense is standing away from the ball and creating room for others with how Toronto is guarding him.
“I’ve done this at a high level in the playoffs, I’ve scored a lot of points,” Mitchell said. “I could score zero, and if we win the game, we advance. Excuse my language, I don’t give a damn.”
While this is the right attitude and possibly not one Mitchell has had throughout his entire career, the simple truth is that the Cavs will need him to score more at some point in the playoffs. This team is built around him carrying the scoring load. He hasn’t been able to do that in the last few games against Toronto.
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Inserting Max Strus into the starting lineup for Dean Wade didn’t work. The Cavs lost the 10 minutes Strus played with the core four by 11. This has been a trend throughout the series as the Cavs have now lost the minutes with that lineup by 24 points in 23 minutes.
Atkinson said before the game that it’s difficult to put too much stock in lineup data from a sample size this small. He also mentioned that the idea to go with Strus wasn’t because of anything Wade did, but more so to give the starters a boost with additional playmaking and shooting.
Usually, you don’t change a starting lineup after a playoff win, but this might be the exception. The Cavs have opened better with Wade than they have with Strus thus far.
Atkinson also decided to bench Keon Ellis. That move makes sense given Toronto’s size on the wing and the fact that the Cavs already have too many shooting guards to give minutes to.
Losing Brandon Ingram really hurts the Raptors. He left the game in the first half with a heel injury. We don’t know if he’ll be available for Game 6, but we do know the Raptors offense struggled mightily without him.
After scoring 74 points in the first half, the Raptors registered just 46 in the second. This included putting up 17 in the fourth quarter on 7-28 shooting (25%).
Even though Ingram hasn’t found his shot in this series, he’s helped Toronto’s offense with the attention he’s drawn. The Cavs have consistently sent two to the ball or have used their best wing defender in Wade to stop him. Both of these things help his teammates, as does the shot-creation he provides.
There’s a cascading effect with injuries. Losing starting point guard Immanuel Quickley shifted some of the playmaking responsibilities. Part of that fell to Ingram.
Now, the Raptors will need to pick up the facilitating burden that transferred to Ingram while also trying to replace their leading scorer throughout the regular season. In Game 5, that put even more of a burden on Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.
Both Barnes and Barrett had a difficult time in the second half after being lights out in the first two quarters. Barnes went from putting up 14 points on 6-10 shooting with eight assists in the first half, to having just six points on 0-6 shooting in the second. Meanwhile, Barrett went from scoring 13 points on 5-8 shooting to having just 12 points on 4-11 shooting in the second half.
This shouldn’t be surprising. The defense was able to key in on Barnes and Barrett much more easily.
We’ll see whether or not Ingram can go in Game 6, but if he can’t, the Raptors will have a difficult time generating consistent offense.
Mobley continues to be a difference maker.
There’s a common theme in the Cavs wins and losses — the outcome has coincided with how well Mobley has played.
The Cavs turned momentum around at the end of the third quarter when Mobley went on a 5-0 run in the closing seconds to make it a three-point deficit heading into the fourth. A three at the start of the fourth then gave the Cavs a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the remainder of the game.
Mobley’s offense was at the center of their second-half comeback. He contributed 16 of his 23 points in the final two quarters. Nine of those were from three-balls that he confidently knocked down despite being hesitant to take outside shots throughout the series.
The Cavs passed the test in Game 5. They weathered an up-and-down first half to take a commanding 3-2 lead in the series. It was the response that Atkinson was looking for from his group.
“We’re trying to get over the hump, we’re trying to get to the next level,” Atkinson said. “That’s a real mental challenge to me, especially in a Game 5, 2-2. These are high-pressure elements. You’re down. You feel the crowd getting nervous. So I think we took a step tonight.”
This game wasn’t pretty. But there’s no style points in the playoffs. The final result is all that matters. This time, the Cavs found a way to do that. And given this group’s track record in the playoffs, that isn’t something to knock them for.
At the same time, it’s fair to acknowledge that they still aren’t playing up to their incredible talent level. This is a highly skilled team that fits together well on paper, and has a time throughout the regular season. Whether or not they can figure out how to get that to come through consistently in the playoffs will determine how long this run lasts.
At the very least, this was a step forward from where things were after Game 4.
“We didn’t sit here and think we’re coming out 4-0,” Mitchell said. “We weren’t going 16-0. This is a test. The same test we’ve been talking about all season, and we responded tonight.”
