Winners and Losers: Cavs vs Raptors Game 7 – Jarrett Allen plays the hero
The Cleveland Cavaliers are moving forward, courtesy of one Fro.
Let’s check out tonight’s winners and losers.
WINNER – Jarrett **c**** Allen
I’m not sure there was a more encouraging way for the Cavs to exorcise some demons and advance to the second round than Jarrett Allen going into full beast mode in a Game 7.
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Are the lights no longer too bright?
Allen was consistent in the first half, quickly making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. But it wasn’t until the third quarter that all hell broke loose. Allen scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds during that span, suddenly appearing wherever a rebound was available.
This was Allen’s complete package. Offensive rebounds and second chance opportunities. Blocking shots at the rim, then securing saves with his defensive rebounding. Meanwhile, Allen rolled hard towards the basket and continued to pressure Toronto’s undersized frontcourt to push him away. They were unsuccessful and Allen made sure to make the most of it.
The Cavs turned on their fake snow machine for a ‘Cavalanche’ in the fourth quarter. Moments earlier, Allen received loud MVP chants at the free throw line. He finished with 22 points and a mammoth 19 rebounds. To say it again, beast mode.
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Allen had some real suckers in big spots. We’ve seen him look totally invisible in some of the biggest games of the season. Tonight couldn’t have been more different. You couldn’t watch a possession without noticing Allen on the floor. This was the best performance of his career in what was probably his biggest match to date.
LOSER – Turnover in the first half
Every second you fall behind in a Game 7 feels like you’re drowning. The Cavs drowned for almost the entire first half, breathing briefly only when the game was tied in the final moments of the second quarter.
Turnovers were the main reason for that fight.
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The Cavs turned the tables 13 times in the first half. To his credit, only one of those came from James Harden. The rest of the Cavalier starters spit it out 10 times. This is the kind of thing that can end your season.
Cleveland knew this would be an area of concern against the Raptors. This is a team that has thrived on generating steals and getting them in transition. Toronto showed its strengths early in this game by scoring 14 points off turnovers in the first half.
WINNER – The Role Players
As mentioned, the first half of this game wasn’t pretty. The Cavs were flirting with an early deficit that could have closed the door on something significant happening in the second half. There are many reasons why they avoided this outcome.
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One of them is Merrill.
This wasn’t a super explosive game from Merrill. But his timely shot was a life jacket during an otherwise tempestuous section of the match. Toronto recovers and closes down shooters as quickly as any defense in the NBA. Merrill is simply faster.
Merrill also deserves credit for his defense. The tone of this game changed when he and Max Strus started pressing the ball full court. Neither can be considered a defender, but hustle and heart go a long way in a win-or-go-home environment.
Next on the list are Max Strus and Jaylon Tyson. Every player came through at crucial moments in this game.
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Strus did a bit of everything, scoring 10 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists. Oh, he also had 2 steals and 1 block. He may have struggled at various points in this series, but Max remains the type of player you want on the field in the biggest spots.
Then there’s Tyson, who is quickly proving that, even in his second season, no moment is too big.
Tyson changed the dynamic of this game by being able to float around the free throw line and create from the center of the court. His guard-to-guard throw unlocked the Cavs’ offense greatly, and his game-winning shot late in the first half gave the Cavs their first jolt all night.
“I thought Jaylon was huge,” Kenny Atkinson said. “It was great, James and Don just gave him the ball and let him go – we needed that.”