Playoff Live Thread: Cavs vs Raptors
2026-04-18Happy Playoff Saturday, Cavs fans! The longest (non-covid or labor negotiation interrupted) regular season of our lifetimes is over. The ‘offs start today! On deck, a dreaded early afternoon game, and a seven game series with the same Toronto Raptors the Cavs posted an 0-3 record against this year. There is some good news, though. The Cavs have zero players on the injury report. The Death Star is fully operational!
Meanwhile, Cavs Immanuel Quickley is out as per a game time decision. So that bodes well. Also boding well? The Cavs choosing to embrace size with the starting lineup of Allen, Mobley, Wade, Harden, and Mitchell. While normally, the Beard is just rolling out of the back room of Christie’s Cabaret at this hour, one has to hop[e he got his beauty sleep and as NOMAD suggested, the Cavs have been practicing for these 1:00 starts.
We could go in for a lot of analysis, but this game is really about mindset. The Cavs are the Eastern conference team most set up to embrace bully ball, possession based basketball, and a ground and pound offense. The Cavs need to attack the paint relentlessly and use it to set up wide open threes. Embrace the two and three man game with half court executors like Max Strus, Sam Merrill, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson, James Harden, and Donovan Mitchell. I think they got this. Cavs in five. LFG!
LT up
G3, LFG!!!
Quickley ruled out tonight. TB probable.
NY only had 2 guys score that quarter. Brunson and OG. Down 12, 33-21.
They are in trouble. It is early, but damn.
Forgot about earlier start in ATL. Apparently so did Knicks.
🤣🤣
Vrabel out of football by Monday? — they were rigging stuff six years ago:
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/latest-photos-of-mike-vrabel-and-dianna-russini-put-her-espn-reporting-in-spotlight
Wow.
AGREE WITH NATE —- FORCE QUICKLEY TO WORK HARD ON BOTH ENDS——- SCHROEDER WITH HIS QUICKNESS COULD BE A KEY TONIGHT—— DRIBBLE PENETRATION—- SEE IF QUCKLEY CAN “ HANG “ WITH HIM
Counterpoint: Schröder stinks.
If we must have another ball handler against pressure that isn’t a wing, Schroder works fine: he’s not great but he is the right tool for some tasks. Bryant stinks too but he’ll help tonight.
Both Ellis & Schröder could be more useful tonight. They should be #9 & #10 in the rotation, though.
Dennis is more effective 5 out. Butcwe rately do that here. Allen cannot shoot 3s and Mobes was 30%. I doubt we see any Bryant/Wade big lineups in the POs. Though Wade as a small ball 5 isn’t completely crazy
Guess we’ll see, but feel like a fully operational Orlando are too much for Detroit.
Looks like my kiss of death is also fully operational.
They seem like they’re happy to get a split in Detroit.
Wagner really laying an egg.
All of em
He has not been back too long. This kinda happens with a lot if guys after a long layoff. A good game, then a bad one.
It was even at half.
Out West OKC wins easy, but Williams pulls a hammy. And the Suns openly complain about the whistle SGA gets.
That’s a good callout. I also 100% think they were happy with the split, didn’t want to expend too much energy and wanted to get home. They also desperately need a point guard who isn’t Suggs.
IDK if I buy that. It was even at half. So, in your scenario, the Magic were like, hey, I know we are 24 minutes from being up 2-0, but let’s just save our energy for 3 days from now, despite the fact we just played them even? Come on.
Now, after they got hit with that haymaker to start the 3rd? Yeah, I think they let go of the rope a bit. So much so they were down 30 with like 4 min left in the 3rd.
After that? Sure. Pack it in. But was over at that point.
REPORT s ARE GOOD CHANCE QUIKLEY WILL PLAY TOMORROW NIGHT————-THOUGHT s ??
Toronto pace will increase, at least opportunistically on Cavs missed shots. Will the defense keep up?
He is their starting PG. He will help them.
Yeah, he’s fun. I think he’ll get loose and we’ll trail more in G3 than we did in the first two games combined.
He will also be food in the closing lineup.
I think we trailed zero minutes in the first two games?
TOR led by 5 in Q1 of game 1.
So I don’t mind Mrsteal’s estimation here.
I think it was six minutes or so
Depends on how much he can push. I’d go at him a lot early.
HEY BUCKAROO— BEEN LONG TIME—WHERE ARE YOU
(we’re winning)
haha — the Buckster only shows up when the Cavs are losing.
lol – there’s a guy at FTS who is always like “no wins count only losses” and that’s definitely the case with buck
“DITTO “ WHAT JASON POSTED 👍
I’d love for us to finish the Raps quickly while Detroit, NY, and Boston go longer.
Allen can reat his knee and get closer to 100% and maybe Bryant’s calf gets back to full strength. Det/Orl are both big & physical.
got that right!
Man I wish I could’ve stayed up to see the king reign.
he had some great moments
The Rockets are certainly my most unlikeable squad left. Udoka and KD.
This is correct.
I enjoyed watching them lose last night!
This is Gomer Pyle night in the playoffs.
Surprise! (76ers over Celtics)
Surprise! (Blazers over Spurs)
Surprise! (Lakers over Rockets with KD)
two outta three ain’t bad
😆
Blazers win. 27-10 run to close it.
Blazers leading Spurs w 11 seconds left. (Wemby out under concussion protocol)
And they win!
Watched Cavs/Raps #2 on League Pass this afternoon (one advantage: no commercials or halftime nonsense). I’ll just add that while Sam did not score a ton (took 6 shots to get to 5 pts), he definitely contributed to bodying up Ingram on the defensive end.
this is looking to be an all time wild playoff year
Magic and Cavs only undefeated teams in the EC
Philly win. Maxey & Edgecombe lead the way.
Embiid could be back sometime.
glad we missed them.
You and me both. Might see then eventually.
Maxey with a pure ankle-breaker (no pushoff) just for fun.
Edgecomb and Maxey with two knockout blows, up 13 with 2 minutes left, it’s going to Philly 1-1 (knock on wood).
Celtics wave the white flag. Down 13 at 2 minutes left.
Philly gonna take this.
Maxey killing it.
And he’s giving it to the crowd right in front of the Boston bench. Sensational.
Up 13 at 4 min.
Boston had it down to 2, b2b triples from Maxey. Up 8 under 5.
Philly up by 11 early in the 3rd. I want to believe.
Up 7 after 3.
WISH/ HOPE BRYANT CAN GET HEALTHY HE WOULD BE A PLUS FOR OUR BENCH!!!
Bummed I missed stark county’s own CJ Mccollum cooking the Knicks in the fourth
Forgot he is local!
Multiple mutuals have reported that he’s an awesome dude.
I am enjoying this season!
Harden had SIX stocks last night (including 5 steals). And there was another play where he erased a dunk attempt by ………vili but picked up a debatable foul call. He’s not a “bad defender” categorically, just at certain things. Doesn’t have quick feet defensively and not great at closeouts, but oak-strong in the paint with quick hands.
I loved that block – really set the tone, or continued to – think that was in the third.
Stick with it. Keep trying.
Hawks hung on!