The Toronto Raptors kick off the 2025-2026 NBA Playoffs, drawing the matinee matchup in their best-of-seven series against the four-seed Cleveland Cavaliers. This will be Toronto’s first postseason appearance since 2022.
In regular season games, Toronto swept Cleveland 3-0. While this is promising, all of those matchups were in a four week span in late October/early November making this the first time they’ve seen each other in almost five months. Both teams have changed since then.
Cleveland has had
a rough couple of years in the playoffs. A gentleman’s sweep in each of the last three years was not the outcome they were looking for, especially since last year they were the top seed in the East. Now, they have retooled their roster to try and address their weaknesses and finally make the final push. This could really be a make or break year for them.
All season the Cavs have had their strengths, being a top-four scoring team at a rate of 120 points per game. Mobley and Allen are big and physical and help protect the paint on the defensive end. They are also both lob threats who can draw defenders when they dive into the paint to open up the rest of the floor for kickouts. Merrill, Harden, and Mitchell all excel as shooters, spacing the floor for bigs but also knocking down shots when open. This is a tough recipe to stop. Of course, both Mitchell and Harden will have to overcome the years of frustration they’ve both experienced in the playoffs throughout their careers.
Despite Cleveland’s strength, Toronto has already proven that not only are they capable of beating the Cavaliers, but they might be the best team for it. Let’s take a look at why:
1. Matching size
Mamu and Poeltl both have the height to take care of Allen defensively. Paired with CMB, Barnes, and Ingram to guard Mobley, the Raptors have the size advantage in most matchups across the board, even guards. There won’t be bully ball or a size advantage that Cleveland will be able to exploit, something they did frequently throughout the season.
2. Top-5 Defence
Even better than a good offence is a good defence. Finishing the season with the fifth-best defence in the league, the best way to slow down Cleveland is to stifle their offence. The Cavs won games through their opponent’s inability to keep up with their offence. Toronto has shown throughout the season that when they want to, their help defence and strong performances from Scottie, CMB, and Shead proved they can be really difficult to score on. Additionally, their defence forces a lot of turnovers that allow Toronto to get ahead. Scoring 20 points per game on turnovers (fourth in the league) and almost 19 points per game on fast breaks (first in the league), their defence generates a ton of offence for them. Their defence-to-offence strategy has been successful before
3. Ball Movement
There’s no shortage of highlights from this season of guys making the extra pass to find a better shot. A good shot becomes a great shot, and keeps their offence flowing. Their unselfishness on the court makes them challenging to guard, as help defence is scrambling, mismatches form, and then Ingram or Barnes can take advantage. Even passes under the basket lead to higher percentage shots, limiting the times they’re blocked as well. The potential is their for them, if they can tap back into that energy they’ve had at times this year.
4. The Bench
It should be no surprise to anyone that Toronto has the arguably better bench in this matchup. CMB has had a season that should earn him a spot on an all-rookie team, Mamu has made a case for sixth-man, Ja’Kobe has blossomed into a multi-level scorer that doesn’t shy away from big moments, and Shead’s defence looks unbelievably frustrating to play against. Gradey and Jamison have made good shots in the past, and if they can also contribute in this series, this is almost a second coming of the bench mob. Toronto should be able to win the bench minutes, which could be another difference maker in this series.
Ultimately, Toronto has all the tools they need to be successful against Cleveland, as long as the right version of them shows up. At times, frustrations over calls, injuries, and stooping to their opponent have all led to losses by the Raptors in very winnable games. If they can keep their composure and execute in tight situations as well, sticking to all of the things they do well, they have the ability to overcome the cavs and move on to the next round.
Where to Watch
Tune in at 1pm ET on Sportsnet
Probable Starters
Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley
Cleveland: Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade
Injury Report
Toronto: Immanuel Quickley (Questionable: Hamstring strain)
Cleveland: Thomas Bryant (Out: Calf strain), Tristan Enaruna (Out: Two-way), Riley Minix (Out: Two-way), Olivier Sarr (Out: Two-way).
