Winners and losers: Cavs vs Raptors Game 1 – James Harden rules the show

The Cleveland Cavaliers defended their home court in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Toronto Raptors.

Let’s look at today’s winners, because there were no losers.

WINNER – Peace

Controlling the clock has been a point of emphasis for the Cavaliers entering this series. Toronto is one of the most lethal transition teams in the league, while Cleveland was just a mediocre transition defense all regular season. Naturally, this was cause for concern.

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Cleveland held the Raptors at bay in the first half. They allowed just one point in transition during the first quarters, falling back on defense and forcing the game into the half court. The Cavs also benefited from drawing a ton of fouls, making 17 free throws in the first half and making it harder for Toronto to knock down rebounds.

“You tell a group that’s hungry to win, ‘this is what we need to do to win the game,’ and I think they freeze,” Kenny Atkinson said of his group after the game.

This carried on into the second half, where the Raptors were stuck in the mud as Cleveland increased its lead. The Cavs kept the game slow and outshot them 52-36 in the paint. Toronto finished with just 3 fastbreak points.

Closing the door on what should be Toronto’s biggest lead in this series is a testament to Kenny Atkinson’s game plan and the players who brought it to life. If they can continue to win marginally, they will win the series.

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WINNER – Choose and launch

One result of slowing down the game is that it forces you to dig deeper into your offensive bag. For the Cavs, slower half-court play meant the world was theirs. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, in particular, have dominated in this regard.

We’ve seen Harden’s mastery of the pick-and-roll for more than a decade at this point. Turns out he’ll continue to perform that action in his classic ’07 Cavs jersey, too. He worked with the Raptors in the pick-and-roll, finding an answer to whatever problem was presented to him. Harden scored with his step-back jumper or by getting into the lane with his floater. If the Raps threw the ball or over-committed to his drives, he would quickly throw the ball to a teammate.

This is Barba’s specialty.

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“He’s throwing darts at the shooters,” Atkinson said. “I would love to see the passes he threw to Max… he’s almost like a quarterback, super accurate, just picks them out with short passes and then hits the long ones every now and then.”

Mitchell, meanwhile, has taken a more full-throttle, no-breaks approach. He applied relentless pressure to the basket, cutting into the paint and taking advantage of the Raptors’ lack of rim protection. When it does AND Does his three-point shot fall? Good luck.

The Cavs backcourt totaled 54 points and 14 assists.

WINNER – Max Strus

The playoffs are where the stars shine the brightest. But make no mistake, this environment has always been ripe for great performances from role players as well.

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Max Strus fits into this picture.

Strus started the game using his gravity to attack poor closeouts and get to the basket. It’s always nice to see someone who was previously considered a three-point specialist then use that skill against the defense to find new opportunities. Strus drove to the basket and made numerous layups in the first half, including a sensational layup to end the first quarter.

“He’s a dog,” James Harden said. “Whether he shoots or misses, he has a bigger impact on our team in ways that probably don’t show up on the stat sheet.”

From there, Strus was free.

We saw more than you’d expect from Strus as the game went on. A three-pointer in the first half got the ball rolling. This carried over into the second half, where he scored three more. Strus finished the game 8-10 from the field, scoring a playoff career-high 24 points and giving Cleveland a huge boost off the bench.

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“When you look at how he works, he trains individually for the big moments,” Atkinson said after the game. “We needed his gravitas today, I think he changed the game for us offensively, and that led to the separation.”