Cavaliers-Raptors Game 1: Cleveland flips the season series script

For those who need a refresher on why the regular season doesn’t always translate in the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers just served up a defiant reminder and statement.

It’s true that during the season the Toronto Raptors had the Cavs’ number, sweeping them 3-0. The new and more important numbers are Cavs 1, Raptors 0 in this first-round playoff series.

With sparse few exceptions in the first half, the Cavs ruled and rolled throughout a 126-113 victory in Saturday’s opener, punishing the Raptors by exposing their tendency to make mistakes — and riding Donovan Mitchell, easily the best player on the floor.

“He was focused,” said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. “I liked how downhill he was. He was locked in at getting to the rim and made some really good decisions kicking it to our shooters. The goal for him now is sustaining and keeping that consistency.”

It was a necessary reaction by Cleveland, to put the regular season result in the rear view and find ways to flex like a higher seed should. The Cavs were better at both ends and gave Toronto a look that wasn’t evident in those three earlier losses — which is exactly the purpose of the playoffs.

Here are Four Takeaways from Game 1:

1. So far so good for Harden, Mitchell

The Cavs made the curious decision two months ago to pull the plug on the Mitchell-Darius Garland backcourt, breaking up a duo capable of dropping 50 points combined on any given night and against any given team.

The reasoning was sound enough; Garland was frequently injured and at times his size was problematic against certain opposing guards. What made the choice to part with Garland easier to comprehend is that he was swapped for James Harden, who not only could match Garland’s point production, but is a far superior passer.

And that skill has enabled Harden to connect fairly quickly with new teammates and especially with Mitchell. Both were evident against the Raptors when Mitchell remained the Cavs’ lead singer, taking 20 shots for 32 points, while Harden delivered 10 assists which were just as helpful as his 22 points, if not more.

Together they were too much for Toronto, swapping turns punishing the Raptors’ defense. Mitchell and Harden were responsible for more than 80 of the Cavs’ 126 points.

Cleveland is now 21-6 since acquiring Harden in a trade with the Clippers. He has helped balance the Cavs’ offense to where it isn’t so reliable on Mitchell to generate plays and scoring opportunities. And that’s the key going forward — using his court vision and passing to make Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley bigger threats and the Cavs less predictable.

2. Strus brings the juice

In retrospect, this year won’t be a wash for Max Strus. He spent much of it recovering from offseason foot surgery, and with just 12 games worth of warm up before the playoffs, Strus wasn’t projected to have a significant impact if only because of the inactivity.

Such much for that theory, which was erased just one game into the playoffs. Strus delivered what he does best — stretch the floor, become a deep shooting threat, boost the bench play and take advantage whenever he gets open looks.

Strus scored 24 points, shooting 8-for-10 overall, including 4-for-6 on 3-pointers. Not only was Strus battling physical forces this season, but he also saw others step up and assume his role, notably Jaylon Tyson and Sam Merrill. Those two combined to shoot 1-for-8.

Strus came off the bench in Game 1 and while he’s certainly capable of starting, the Cavs could keep him in the sixth man role to fortify the second unit.

Mitchell said: “If you’ve seen all the work he puts in, it’s for this moment. Give him credit for his journey.”

3. Immanuel better return Quickley for the Raptors

Toronto was doomed by a rush of turnovers, all of which seemed to come at the most unfortunate times in the game. All told, the Raptors had 18 turnovers and a handful became easy transition points for Cleveland.

It was probably no coincidence that the Raptors struggled in this manner in a game without Immanuel Quickley, their best point guard, who dealt with a hamstring issue. That put Toronto at a disadvantage against a Cleveland team bringing quality guards and a thirst for forcing Toronto into bad decisions.

The Raptors turned to Jamal Shead, who actually played reasonably well (17 points) as the replacement starter; it was more a depth and ball-handling issue for Toronto. Suddenly, the play-making chores went to others and their flaws were magnified.

The Raptors averaged more than 29 assists per game, good for third-highest during the season. This efficient ball-sharing and careful consumption was absent Saturday.

“We missed Quickley big time with the way he gets us organized,” said coach Darko Rajakovic. “We wanted to have multiple ball handlers on the floor with Jamal.”

Without better ball sharing and control, Ingram suffered — the Raptors’ leading scorer took just one shot in the second half and scored four points after the break.

4. Scottie Barnes needs a Game 2 response

He’s among the league’s better players from an all-around standpoint, bringing the ability to score in the mid-range, handle the ball and defend. That’s why it was strange how most of that was missing in Game 1 from Scottie Barnes, who uncharacteristically did more harm than good for Toronto.

The Raptors stand a far better chance of winning playoff games when Barnes is his typical self. He made only six baskets with five turnovers and never really establish a rhythm or flow after a decent start — making three straight 3s, which is rich for him — and certainly didn’t strike fear into Cleveland.

Barnes led Toronto in rebounds and assists and was third in scoring. He usually manages to impact games different ways, except he didn’t standout against the Cavs and at times was vapor.

His Game 2 response will be critical and curious. Barnes doesn’t need to suddenly become a volume scorer; the Cavs have RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram for that. But if Quickley misses a second straight game, Barnes’ playmaking and decision making could once again dictate Toronto’s chances for winning, or reasons for losing.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.