The Cavs Will Play The Toronto Raptors In The First Round!

Heat. Heat. Yeah. Welcome to another edition of the It's Cavaliier podcast. It's your boy Mac and there you have it, Cleveland Cavaliers faithful. The Cleveland Cavaliers will play the Toronto Raptors in round one after a series of events this Sunday led them to this matchup.

Number one, you got Orlando losing to Boston. That opened the door. Number two, you have Toronto beating Brooklyn. That opened the door. And number three, you have Atlanta losing to Miami. That set up a four or five matchup versus Scotty Barnes and the Toronto Raptors.

Listen, I'll be the first person to admit this. Quite honestly, I thought that this team would be facing off against the Atlanta Hawks. That was the matchup I was ready to see. Nevertheless, this should be a good series, at least for the Cavaliers, in my opinion. I'm I I kid I want to give all due respect to the Toronto Raptors, but I do feel like they are one of the more favorable matchups just from a biased standpoint, just from a Cavalier standpoint. I do feel like they match up much better versus Toronto Raptors who struggle to do a few things that the Cavaliers struggle to work around and defend, namely that three-point shot.

So before we talk about some of the other matchup detail specifics, I just want to hop right in here and point pinpoint a couple of things that the Toronto Raptors have done this season in terms of statistics. Uh entering today, and this is due to change after the last game of the season, uh 114.4 points per game. That's second in uh 22nd in the NBA, 48% from the field overall. That's ninth in the NBA. Here's the key thing right here. 35.3% from three-point distance. That's 22nd. What have the Cavaliers struggle with all season long? Defending that three-point line. What did the Toronto Raptors struggle to do? Knock down the three-point shot. And by virtue of that, they do not take a ton of attempts. 32.2% from three-point distance. Uh or 32.2 three-point attempts per game. That's 26th in the NBA. 42.1 rebounds. That's 24th. So, not an especially good rebounding team with the exception of a handful of players. They do move the ball very well. 29.4 assists per game. That's third. And they have a middle of the road offensive rating at 114.7 as of today. But they are a high-level defense. 112.2 defensive rating all season long. That is fifth in the entire league.

Listen, these Toronto Raptors, just like every other opponent entering the playoffs, should not be taken lightly. I don't want anybody to walk away from this stream feeling like I'm totally disrespecting the Toronto Raptors, nor do I want to look past them. They are an opponent. You do have to take them seriously. And there was one individual matchup that I think we're all clamor to see. Listen, Scotty Barnes and Evan Mobley will be forever linked. I don't give a damn what you think. Scotty Barnes, if you think he's the superior talent overall, Evan Mobley, if you think if you feel like he is the better player entering this series, the one thing that I think we can all agree upon is that Scotty versus Evan feels like it has been a long time coming entering the playoffs. This is going to be the first series that these two will have had basically have at it, right? Evban versus Scotty should be one for the ages, at least in terms of offensive output, right? And defensively, these two, these are two very good defenders. Obviously, with Moy being the Randy defensive player of the year, Scotty is not a bad defender by any stretch of the imagination either, and he is very versatile in his own right. He has his flaws. Mobley has his flaws. But I do find it funny that uh we are now finally seeing these two link up in the playoffs. Uh Scotty is a two-time all-star. He did win the rookie of the year over Evan Mobley in a very hotly debated award race. He was a 2021-22 all rookie designation was Scotty Barnes. And this season he is averaging 18.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists while shooting 50.4% from the field. But he is just shooting 30.4% from three-point range. So Scotty himself cannot shoot. That said, I want to give him respect. He is a two-time all-star. He is somebody that has helped that Toronto team scratch and claw their way back to relevancy after just being in a rebuild. So, give them their credit.

I I do want to see how this series plays out. I think Scotty is one of those guys who is constantly overlooked in terms of some of the better talents in the Eastern Conference. I think that that Toronto Raptors team actually features some very talented players when you look at uh you know their roster in particular and what they do well and I think that the additions that they have had over the past couple of seasons. I mean that's really turned them into the type of team that they are today and why they're in the playoffs. A huge part of that. RJ Barrett coming to Toronto that was a huge huge move right there within itself. Brandon Ingram obviously coming over to Toronto. Huge reason why they are where they are today and uh you know Emanuel Quickley and the list goes on and on. There is some intriguing talents over there that will make life difficult at times for Cleveland, but none that I feel like will make them unbeatable. They're obviously led by Brandon and Scotty and and RJ and they'll do their thing out there. Then Cleveland from a size standpoint they do have somewhat of a disadvantage here as BI is you know about 6'8 6'7 on a day. Scotty is about 6'8 6'9 on a good day and RJ Barrett is by no means a small wing that's standing at about 6'6 or so. So they do feature some signs out there that is worth noting. Yaka Purle is as sturdy as they come in the interior so you got to give him credit and so on and so forth.

These my these the these games are going to be games that I feel like you either are going to love or hate if you are a Cleveland Cavaliers fan because there's no love lost between these franchise these two franchises. I I I look at what they are able to do and I think that their stylistic their stylistic components that that kind of separate them is very interesting. Obviously with Cleveland, they have a really cool dynamic that not many teams feature. Meaning you got two all-star level talents in your back court between James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. And you have two all-star caliber front court mates in Evan Mobley and Jared Allen. There's not many teams in the NBA that can say that they bolst that potential makeup. The the fifth starter has been the issue all season long for Cleveland in trying to nail down who that will be. And in a series like this where it could become very matchup defended at that fifth spot, uh Kenny Atinson's going to have some some decisions to make. And I really can't wait to see what that ends up being. If he'll go game to game or if he's going to enter the playoffs with more of a set rotation and just go matchup dependent from series to series. I think a lot of people would like to see Jaylen Tyson back out there at the back out there at small forward. I think some people still would prefer to have a Dean Wade or even a Max Struce out there. And I have seen people say that Sam Merrill deserves a look too, believe it or not.

So I say all this to say this matchup should be intriguing from a matchups standpoint because you do have some size concerns here still. Obviously Darius Garland is no longer in the roster. So the liability in terms of defense and honestly I use that word sparingly because I think that the word liability was thrown around thrown around way too often with Darius. I do understand though that there's a difference between liability out there and being targeted. As quote unquote the weakest defender out there of the bunch, Darius would probably be targeted in a series like this. The starting five right now, I think you could probably point to maybe maybe James Harden as being the quote unquote target of a defense in terms of trying to hunt matchups. So, I'm very interested to see how that works out. But conversely, I do not think that Toronto has anybody that can single-handedly shut down James Harden or Donovan Mitchell for that matter. And Evan Mobley, the dynamic in return in regard to the chemistry between him and Harden, that will be very interesting to watch play out. How does Toronto defend the pick and roll? Do they go heavy drop? I I don't really know. Do they try and double him? they try and cut off those driving and cutting lanes for the ball handlers and bigs. That will be really, really key. Are they going to muck up that painted area so that the drivers do not have that space to operate out there? And are they going to dare Cleveland to ultimately shoot and knock down that three-point shot? Remains to be seen. But I think from a stylistic standpoint, a Cleveland Cavalary team that is capable of shooting the lights out, but so often hasn't at times versus a team that just does not shoot the three ball all that frequently or all that well in Toronto. It's going to be an interesting thing to see play out on the court.

And you know, make no mistake, uh, again, while we may feel, and this is coming from any Cleveland fan, obviously biased. If you are a, if you are a Toronto Raptor fan listening to this stream, I don't want you to take this as disrespect, but I'm biased. I'm a I'm a Cleveland Cavaliers fan and I have a Cleveland Cavaliers podcast for a reason. And so, I do truly believe that this Cavaliers team is the superior team. But as we all know, that don't mean [ __ ] once those games start. Once you step in beside in between those lines and and the buzzer sounds, it's a whole another story. The Cavaliers should be favored heading into the series, but it's not one that anybody should be taken lightly, especially with how the season has gone. I think that you could look at the you you prior to today's occurrences, right, where we did not know who the Cavaliers would play, whether that be Atlanta or uh or Toronto. You could say to yourself, yeah, this is probably the more favorable matchup of the two due to what Atlanta does best. And you can argue that Atlanta quite honestly did themselves no favors by sitting who they sat today. Maybe they thought that Orlando would be Boston because Boston sat a bunch of people too and Orlando played their starters essentially. Maybe they thought that is what would happen and it backfired on them or maybe they're perfectly content being on the side of the bracket that they are on. But just being objective like just looking at the playoff picture right now, I don't think Atlanta is is giddy about having to play New York or Boston potentially should they make it to the second round. They did themselves no favors in my opinion because it's it's well documented that that Boston team, right, they are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. I say that knowing full well that, you know, I am a fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but I do definitely believe that the Boston Celtics remain the team to beat in the Eastern Conference ahead of the likes of the Detroit Pistons, who are the number one seed on paper, ahead of the New York Knicks, who are a step ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers by about a game. So, I understand all of these things, but I I'm trying to wrap a bow on this and say that the the Hawks the Hulks I don't think they gave themselves a they didn't do themselves any favors. Maybe they felt maybe they felt that they match up better with New York and uh credit to them if that's if they were okay with that. But from a stylistic standpoint, I can't help but wonder would they have given Cleveland a tougher run for the money. Truth be told, I think that New York wins that series. I think that no matter who Atlanta played, they were going to lose, whether that be Cleveland or New York. But I think that length of series matters. And uh it'll it'll be a fun one. I think this first round is going to be really, really fun. The playin tournament is going to be awesome. But as of right now, the two series that we know that will take place are at least in the Eastern Conference are New are New York, Atlanta, and Cleveland Toronto. That's all we know right now. The playin tournament has to take place. You have matchups as of right now, as of recording this between the Hornets and the Heat in that 9-10 spot and the Magic and the 76ers in that 7-8 matchup. So, I cannot wait to see the results of that playing tournament to determine who the seventh and eighth seed will be, which in turn will determine who Detroit and Boston play. And if you're looking at the West, who the Spurs and who the Thunder will play, whether that be the Clippers or the Thunder, the Clippers or the Warriors or the Suns or the Blazers. There's a lot to be determined obviously and I think that uh we're glad and we're really glad and excited that we know who we're going to play. But I say all the that to say it's really going to be fun to to watch that playing tournament because there's going to be a great amount of matchups and the first round should be really fun as well.

But circling back here to this Cleveland Toronto matchup, lots of intriguing talents, a lot of star power between James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Scotty Barnes, uh, BI, Evan Mobley, you know, the list goes on and on. RJ Barrett. I could really just continue to pull names out here, but I think that from a stylistic standpoint, I really am wondering in scratching my head and trying to figure out what Toronto will do to contain the many, many, many, many dribble drives of the Cleveland Cavaliers, between James Harden, between Donovan Mitchell, etc., etc. It's going to be a tough thing for them to try and sty if we're being honest. And I know that that's probably going to come off as me being a little bit conceited with this team and being a little bit biased, but damn it. I that's that's what I feel like. I mean, in terms of how they defend the points of the paint area where Cleveland obviously is always in the top 10, considering that they have Evan Mobley and Jared Allen and James and and Donovan are such excellent drivers of the basketball. They are right now 10th in terms of points in the paint. How does Toronto stack up in terms of defending the points in the paint as of right now? Well, to be fair, they're eighth. So, this is this is going to be a good one. This should be a really really good clash in terms of that interior because Toronto only surrenders 40 uh only surreners 48 per game as of right now. Again, these numbers are subject to change after today as they always do. They will update after this 82nd game. But what I can tell you is this. I think that their ability to defend the interior and Cleveland's ability to dominate on the interior, that's going to be that's going to be fun because stylistically Atlanta Atlanta struggled to defend that paint. We already knew entering that potential series that Cleveland had a decisive advantage inside as long as they took advantage of Jared Allen and Evan Mobley and getting them the ball down low. Whether that be through the DHO, the pick and roll game, getting guys cutting out of the dunker spot or baseline. There were a lot of different things and ways that you could attack a defense like that that struggles to defend the interior. for Toronto. That is going to change a little bit because they do do so well in terms of defending the painted area. They don't give up a ton of points there. They might they they they might seed more than that against Cleveland who again top 10 in points in the paint who score on average 52 per game. But it's going to be a it's going to be a stark clash and in terms of the stylistic differences between these two teams and I can't wait to see it play out.

As always, you know, your boy will create a preview probably within the next day or two. Uh, I had a script written up for a lot of these different series. It's just time to record the lines and whatnot. It's just where I need to from a statistical standpoint and then, you know, the editing process, which takes a little bit of time, but I I hope to have that up within the next day or two. So, stay tuned for that one. I cannot wait to preview this series. I think that Cleveland, if healthy, if engaged, should be able to walk out of that series in no more than six games. It's definitely not one that I think will go seven, but we always must acknowledge the possibility of a series running long because you just don't know what can happen in the playoffs. It's such an odd time of the year. It is subject to numerous injuries, which god forbid that happens. And uh defenses tend to play a little bit differently come the playoffs. I think from a pacing standpoint, this this fits what the Cavaliers would probably prefer just because Atlanta played with such a frantic pace. They were fifth in the NBA entering today in total pace at 102.50. Toronto, on the other hand, is not somebody that you expect to go out there and run the floor. Like possession, possession, possession, possession after possession. They're 21st in pace today. 20 or 99.32 in terms of pace on the season. They slow things down. They're not somebody that will go out there and try and run you off of the floor. Does that mean they're incapable of scoring in transition? Absolutely not. It's just not something that they did at such a high level compared to a uh Atlanta or a team like that. They do score a ton of points in transition though if we're being honest. 28.5 per game. They actually scored more points in transition than the Atlanta Hawks. They just play with a slower pace than Atlanta. So, two things that you have to make that notation and delineation as well. There's a difference between playing fast and getting a ton of points in transition, taking advantage of those opportunities. And that is definitely something that both of these two teams do. So, have to understand that uh it should be fun. It should be fun in terms of watching these two teams go at it. I am a Cavaliers fan though, so I do lean heavily Cleveland. This is not a team that scares me over on the opposing sidelines, nor should they. And to be honest with you guys, it didn't matter who the Cavaliers play in round one. If you had fear in playing Atlanta, if you had fear in playing Toronto, objectively speaking, then this team is not a title contender. So, we're going to find out just how big of a playoff contender this team is in round one. and they they need to go out looking to make a statement and just beating the [ __ ] out of Toronto.

Conversely, if Toronto is to win this series, they have to find a way to contain the likes of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden at the point of attack. They do have some solid defenders over there. Scotty Barnes is a really, really good defender. He's very underrated. I think that they have some guys over there that can make things difficult on the Cavaliers back court, but nobody the likes of a Dyson Daniels, you know, and otherwise Nikquil Alexander Walker, they just don't feature a ton of guys in my opinion that give them a advantage on that end the way that uh that that Toronto uh the way that Atlanta had. So, I don't know. They if they're going to stop Cleveland, it has to be at the point of attack. They have to be able to stay in front of the isolation scores of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. They have to be able to contain the interior presence of Jared Allen and Evan Mobley. They have to be able to stop that three-point shooting that Cleveland is so capable of doing and providing at the drop of a hat. And it'll be fun. We know that Toronto is a great defensive team. We know that uh we know that they are about middle of the pack in offense. So there if they're if they have any plans on making this an extended series or outright winning, they're going to have to take it up a notch. Uh offensively speaking, we know what they can do defensively, but they're going to have to take it up a notch offensively speaking for Cleveland. As long as they play to their strengths, as long as they're as long as they're able to knock down that three-point shot, which has been a real issue for them in years past, they should be fine. I think that going into this series with a healthy rotation that makes me honestly feel really confident and and it should this should be the series that is a coming out party for this rotation because they haven't played together a ton. They don't they James Horn's only been here for about 26 games or so and uh they they they're still pretty new in terms of this new iteration and they don't really have a a a solidified fifth starter. That should tell you something right there. So they're playing they're essentially playing their rotation in uh you know minutes together. They're trying to fortify what that will look like. And I can't wait to see how Kenny Atinson decides on who's in, who's out, whether we're going to go match up dependent, if a guy is going to be out of the rotation in certain games and in it when they need him the next. It's going to be fun, man. It's going to be a really fun one to watch. Uh, I I cannot wait to see how Toronto adjusts to playing a team that does feature such dynamic shotmaking in in Donovan and James and, you know, a couple of others on the roster. But should be a good one and you guys need to look out for uh you need to look out for the playoff preview. I will say this to be fair, to be clear, Toronto did win the season series and they won it handily. So, if we're going to give them credit for anything, we do have to give them credit for beating the Cavaliers during the regular season. Obviously, we know that that does not mean a lot entering the playoffs outside of a mental edge, but they did beat Cleveland this year in the season series, and that cannot be understated. But there's a caveat with that. That happened before the Cavaliers were the version they are now. There was no James Harton. DeAndre Hunter was still on the roster. Lonzo Ball was still on the roster. Darius Garin was obviously still on the roster. This is a much different team. There was no Keon Ellis. There was no Dennis Shruder. I mean, just a lot of different faces that are no longer here or are here now. So, the team that they won was before the trade. I mean, the the games that they won was before the trade. So, if you're a Toronto fan listening to the stream, I give you the credit for winning the regular season series. But if you add that context in, the context in, it's pretty clear that this is a clean slates and this ain't the same Cavaliers team that was defeated this year. That's just me being honest. If you're an objective fan and you're not just being biased, you know, that's the truth and I think that's fair to say.

That's uh that's uh pretty as concise as I can be, though. that that is as concise as I can be in regards to Toronto. I don't think they're a team that truly should scare Cleveland. Atlanta shouldn't have scared them either, but this is obviously the matchup that that most fans probably feel better about heading into round one. And I cannot wait to preview it just because it should be a fun one.

In terms of tonight's game, because I don't want to ignore that either. Um, not really too many takeaways outside of maybe one or two because what what what the [ __ ] can you take away from an 82nd game in the season? It's been a long long journey, guys. It it truly truly has. But if I can say anything, it's that I think that Tyrese Proctor should be in this Cowboys rotation next year come rain or shine. He would score 22 points, grab 11 rebounds, dish out eight assist, and he was nine of 16 from the floor. He did turn the ball over seven times. I don't want to ignore that, but I think that he is coming along nicely. I think if they continue to give him these opportunities, he is going to show them that he deserves to be a part of that rotation probably as the eighth, ninth, tenth guy. But I say all that to say he is incredibly talented. I think that he there's a a spot for him pending some of the roster transactions uh transactions they're going to have to make this off seasonason whether that's moving on from a Dean Wade or a Max Strus or somebody else whatever what have you but you get the point I'm trying to make here.

Also uh a name that probably is not on a lot of people's radars as of right now. I do believe that Olivier Sar is a NBA caliber big. I hope that somebody gives this man a chance. I would love to keep him in-house with the Cavaliers, but I don't know if that is a a relative possibility. I'm sure Sar will look to sign with a team that can offer him him the ability to actually get and show get on to a rotation and showcase what he can actually do. And so this season, I think that actually marks the end of his eligibility. He was a two-way contract this year. He played 22 games, I think, with OKCM 21-22. He played uh he played nine with OKC in 2022-23. He played 15 with them in 2023-24 and this year he played three game well four games now with the Cavs. So I think that actually ends his eligibility. Um don't quote me on that directly but I think you're ineligible entering that fifth season. I think that same situation that Killian Hayes faced this year but uh again, don't quote me on that. that those rules have always kind of been they've always kind of [ __ ] with me a little bit. But what I'm trying to say here is I think Olivier Sar deserves a shot with somebody and I truly do hope that he gets it. It was nice to see him go out there and do what he did tonight against again it is the Washington Wizards and it is the 82nd game of the season. But that was nice to see. It was also nice to see Larry Nes Jr. continue his solid level of play. He would score 10, grab six boards, three assists, and he would go four or six from the field tonight. So, good to see him continually playing solid basketball, getting his body back into game shape after some of the issues that he has dealt with this past offseason and during the season, whether that be the broken leg or the hamstring that had been bothering him. It was nice to see Naquan Tomlin show out today. 26 points for him, eight boards, five assists, nine to 16 from the floor. Maybe best of all, four of eight from three-point distance. I think that that is an area where he has got to get the repetitions up. He's got to take like a gazillion shots this off seasonason in an effort to become somewhere around a 35-36% shooter from keeping distance at worst, which is not impossible to me because you can see like if he starts taking that shot enough, he can knock them down. He doesn't lack in confidence. So, I'll give that to Naqucoin. You're not going to see him hesitate to shoot. But the problem is him making them at times. Tonight he did that. It was cool to see. I'm hoping that he works very very hard in that particular area this off season because I do believe that he could be a cheap rotational piece next year as well.

But again, there's just so much up in the air. I think that they're going to have a lot of decisions to make pending the outcome of this playoffs because let's be honest with ourselves, we really don't know what the future holds for this team. The James Harden deal was a very very nearsighted move. It was a short-term decision obviously with Harden being at the advanced age that he is and in the season that he is at and Donovan Mitchell wanting to kind of push everything in. Hence the move to acquire James. But a bad playoff run could sway a lot of things, man. It could mean the end of this current iteration of this team. It could mean James Harden moving on after half a season essentially becoming a rental. But I don't know, the money that he has on the player option next year, that'd be a lot to turn down. There's been talks of him restructuring his contract, maybe in an effort to bring in another star player, but you guys understand what I'm saying here. There's a lot of things that are undecided in pending the outcome of this playoffs. That's uh it's going to decide which direction this team goes in. But that all starts with this first round series against the Toronto Raptors. They have to get the job done. They have to go out there looking to prove a point and they have to stay healthy. I mean, that's the biggest thing. If they win this series in, I don't know, let's say six games, I'll give I'll give Toronto the benefit of the doubt of stealing two games at the very least. I don't want to disrespect them, discredit them for anybody's in the chat that's a Toronto fan. I definitely think it's possible for them to steal at least two games. But if they get out of this series relatively unscathed, I'll feel great about that because that will set up a potential matchup with whoever comes out versus Detroit in the eighth seed. To me, like that's a good path. And for all people out there that were talking about targeted playoff seating and the Cavaliers, you know, trying to stay where they are, trying to um, you know, not play on the other side of the bracket versus a Boston Celtics in the second round. This, you won, right? you won because Cleveland theoretically, and this is gonna sound incredibly biased. It's gonna sound like I'm being a dick against some of these other teams and fan bases, but I think we can all admit that this is the easier side of the bracket. It truly is. You have Toronto in round one. It's not a light opponent, but it could have been worse. You got potentially Detroit in round two. That's a team that I think that should pose a significant threat to Cleveland in some areas, but due to their inability to knock down the three-point shot in the playoffs, I think that's a team that Cleveland can beat. Eastern Conference Finals, if they're fortunate enough to get there, and right now, that's not a given. It's not a given that they get past round one with the way that this season has gone at certain points, to be honest with you guys. But should they make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, they have the potential of running into the team that everybody did not want to play, and that is the Boston Celtics. We have to acknowledge the fact that New York could make it there. We have to acknowledge the fact that no other team on the other side of the bracket is written off before the playoffs begin as well. So, it's fair game. Everybody starts off 0-0 and we'll have to watch how all of these theories play out. But, I feel pretty confident heading into this one. Hopefully we can uh we can have some productive banter here between the Toronto fans. And let me be honest with you guys, I know I've said that word a lot tonight, but I genuinely enjoy having friendly banter with opposing fan bases. That's part of the reason why I do these playoff previews, and you'll see that within the next day or two. I genuinely enjoy that that interaction, just getting an outside and objective voice and people just not coming in and trolling in the chat. So, if you're a Toronto fan and you're somebody that believes heavily in your team, by all means, you should feel that way. you come in here with a good interaction and you're you know you're kind you all those things you know that that that should be that should be unwritten rules and expected. We're going to have a good time in this man. Truly, we're going to have a fun series and I can't wait to pre to preview each one of these games. I cannot wait to do a live stream for each one of these games and I can't wait to interact with you all whether you're a Toronto fan or a Cleveland fan because there's some really high level talents in this matchup. Whether that be an Ingram, whether that be a a Mitchell, whether that be a Harden or whether that be a Barrett or a Quickley or a Mobley or an Allen or a Tyson. The list goes on and on. But there's a lot to like about this one. there. There should be some really really good first round series, man. It it truly should be a fun first round. It should be one that uh that honestly I don't think we'll have enjoyed as much in a while because there's some really good matchups. Even looking out west, man, that's that's a good one. Truly is. I think everybody is probably hoping to see LeBron have a good series or rather a good playoff run in what could amount to be his final season in LA. I think that everybody is hoping to see Wimi in the Spurs advance to no worse than the Western Conference Finals. I think that we would love to see just being how you know just being objective. We would love to see Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers make some noise in the first round assuming that they're lucky enough to get out of the playin. There's a lot of storylines here, man. Ant-Man versus the Nuggets right now. Uh there's there's a lot, man. This first round should be fun. It it truly should. And I can't wait. I'mma hop into the chat. Take a few of these guy. Take a few of these and we're going to head out of here.

If flags post Matt with fans, I love how the regular season only matters when the Cavs are on the bad side of a matchup. Example, if the Cavs win a season series, doesn't matter. Vice versa. Oh, that's why Cavs are losing. Yeah, that that's that tends to happen a lot. It does. I've I've had this podcast for long enough to interact with some people of the opposing fan bases to see that they'll use these regular season series a lot. And granted, you know, if we're being we're being honest, we do this too, but it's just funny to see it happen. It truly is.

Nicotine says Hawks might handle the Knicks. Certainly a possibility. I do I do think that they are a fun young team. They don't have a ton of playoff experience. CJ McCollum obviously is a veteran of the bunch. I love what he said the other day. Okay, I'm going to see if I can pull that quote up because CJ obviously an Ohio native, somebody who I think carries weight in the Ohio area. You should I mean, everybody should know who CJ McCullum is. If you call yourself a basketball fan, you should know who CJ is. But the quote that we got from him the other day is it's just fantastic just just from the outside looking in. CJ McCollum on his message to the Atlanta Hawks apparently once he got traded there. He said, "I've lived a great life and made a lot of money and just want to see you guys be successful. Your success is my success. I'm not trying to keep moving my family. So, let's figure out how to win." You got to love [ __ ] like that. Truly, I mean, just from the outside looking in in a series like uh like that, you would want you would hope if you're a Hawks fan that CJ shows up big time because you already know what you're going to get out of a Dyson Daniels. He's going to bring that hellacious defense in terms of point of attack. He's going to be a menace in the passing lanes, racking up a ton of deflections. We know he can't shoot the three-point shot all that well, but he will be a he will be a reliable ball handler and somebody that can finish at a, you know, semi high level around the rim and we'll look to get guys involved. You know what Nikil Alexander Walker can do. You know what Jaylen Johnson can do. You know what Jonathan Kaminga is capable of. But I think CJ McCullum as that fifth starter, there's a lot of question marks in a series like that versus a Jaylen Brunson versus some of the other pieces that they present over there. Whether that be Jose Alvarado that can slow you down. That should be a fun one. An interesting dynamic. But yeah, I I loved that quote from uh from CJ McColl there. That's a good one truly. Uh let's see what else we got here.

JJ the stankman says, "I want to see Moy dominate. Scotty always goes after him and they have history. Evan has a chance to change the narrative." That's a good one. Right. I think I let off by saying something along those lines is that like one of the key matchups, probably the key matchup in this series considering the context of it all and these two being linked from day one since they were drafted essentially one after another. They will always be linked. This is the first time they are meeting in the postseason. I think we had all hoped that this would eventually happen and that somebody would be somebody would lose and we're hoping that it's not Evan Mobley. We hope Evan gets the job done. I think that with James Harton in town, they're going to look to exploit any potential mismatches out there with Mobley getting downhill. Whether he's putting the ball on the floor or they're having him operate out of the pick and roll as the roll man as always should be a fun one. Truly should be.

The Goon Gang says Boston needs to get out of here early. I think we would all hope that. I just don't see it h happening. We don't.

Um David C says, "What are we doing if we get bounced in the first round?" Again, I'm assuming that's a question about the Cavs. If the Cavs get bounced in the first round, there will be massive changes. You can guarantee Kenny Atinson's going to be fired. You can guarantee that James Harden likely does not opt into that player option. For all we [ __ ] know, Donovan Mitchell will request outs. You could see them ship off Jared Allen. You could see them fully rebuild around Evan. [ __ ] Evan Mobley might move. I don't know. But I know that there will be sweeping changes if they lose in the first round, as there should be. If we're being honest, you got to blow it up at that point. If this team loses in the first round, you're not making you're not making a case. This is coming from a very optimistic person in regards to the Cavs. If they lose in the first round, you got to blow this [ __ ] up. It's not working. It was never going to work. work if they lose in the first round. That's why you make a move like this for Harden and push the chips in because you believe that this is your season to get the job done and there's a pathway there. At least that's the that was a thought process I think before Boston did what they did and then uh Jason Tatum came back and they look like the team to beat in the East. So that's just me being honest. That's me being objective, but that's hopefully that answers your question truly.

Uh Nate R. Nate 406 says Purle sucks. Their backup bigs are much better. I don't think Purle sucks. I think that he is a quality player. He brings what he he's not necessarily a star, but he is somebody that does add to the equation there. I think that comes off as just not understanding the value of guy like this. Man is shooting 69.5% from the field. That's very high efficiency. And obviously that's coming all around the rim for the most part. But I mean 69.5% it's basically 70% from the floor contributing 10.7 point 7.1 rebounds to assist. This is a player that is quality. I think that is a little more uh borderline disrespectful to say that you know he's he's not that good or he's not as good as the the bench players. But you know everybody's entitled to their own opinion truly.

Uh Jimmy Pope says, "Looking forward to a good series. Cheers indeed, man. I know that uh I can come off sometimes, especially if you're not a not a listener of the podcasts full-time or if you just pop in and out at times. I could probably be a little bit overbearing in terms of my uh my cavalier bias, but I've tried to I've tried to be a little bit more objective lately. I truly have. It likes both Mac with fans. Oh, actually I think I already read that comment, but yeah, I I still agree with that one.

DJ Jack DJ Jackson says, "Brandon Ingram is a great is great shooting in the paint." I understand what you're trying to say. Yeah, BI is always somebody that has really really gifted has been really gifted in terms of his in between game. I think that in terms of what Brandon does from the mid-range area, it's uh it's somewhat of a throwback, but that is that is why you're hoping that guys like Dean Wade and Evan Mobley and Jaylen Tyson can slow a BI down in terms of what he has been able to do in that mid-range area this season. He is in the uh 72nd percentile in mid-range looks this year, knocking down 46%. That's pretty damn good for ABI. And to be honest with you, this man has been above 70% or better all the dating all the way back to his third season in the NBA, which is 18-19. 2018-19. So, he's been doing this [ __ ] for long enough for people to understand that he is a quality mid-range talent. He is a threat to pull up on you. He is a threat to back you down and turn turn around jumper your ass into the uh into oblivion. So, you have to be aware of what he can do. and at about 6'8 6'9 or so, that's definitely somebody that I think is uh is capable of making potential impact in this series. So, that'll be a matchup problem for somebody. But, I definitely believe that uh they're going to have they're going to have a real real task on their hands. They being the Cavaliers in terms of defending Brandon Ingram because he is a quality quality player.

I guess as Mamu is better than Purle and Nick Richards is a more reliable rim running center. Purle is just lucky he signed that contract. Again, I think that this just comes off as incredibly unnuanced. I mean, you don't roll out of bed and get lucky to contribute 10.7 and two on 70% from the field and be lucky to sign a contract. I just don't think that's fair to Yakoba Purle. But I understand having faith in some of the other players that they have on that roster. I agree with the Nick Richards being a better rim roller, but I think that's incredibly um I I think that's incredibly uh inaccurate to say the least. Uh I mean that's that's uh that's just me though. Mamu is a quality player in his own right. He spays the floor. He can he's a solid rim running re He was a solid rim runner, you know, averaging about 11.25 and shooting about around 53% from the field. 52-53% solid player. I don't think that necessarily he is a better player than Yaka, but that's just my opinion. I'm not saying I'm right. I'm not saying you're wrong. I just don't think uh I don't I don't agree with that one. What else we got here?

Uh King Meep says, "Really hoping we stay healthy. It's if that's the case, we have a chance to go far unlike last year and a disappointing end." And that is why in a nutshell I think the 2024-25 Cavaliers season was so disappointing because it had such a huge buildup. There was so many reasons to believe that this team was finally going to get over that hump. I think that there are so many reasons for optimism heading into

The playoffs, especially after trouncing Miami in round one against Grant, you know, the eighth seed. Uh, it's not truly a huge accomplishment, but again, huge confidence builder heading into that Indiana series.

Obviously, Darius Garland sustains his re-agravated toe injury. Uh, and then you got a couple of fluky injuries that follow, whether that be DeAndre Hunter's dislocated thumb, which I do believe impacted his level of play. Uh whether that be Sam Merrill missing some time, whether that be Evan Mobley having an ankle issue, just a lot of things that led to the Cavaliers not having the greatest playoff run and health was a huge factor.

Wasn't the only factor because the Cavaliers did themselves no favors. They did not close out games well. They did not have guys truly that were capable of putting the ball on the floor and beating the uh on ball pressure that Indiana was throwing at them. And the pace was a huge factor in that series as well. But there were a lot of reasons to believe heading into the postseason at the very least that they were going to turn the corner and that just did not happen. And it was very, very, very disappointing.

This year has been disappointing at times, but we're here. This is another 50 plus win season. This is a much different roster than we had to begin the year, a much different playoff rotation. And all we can do right now is just hope that they gel at the right time, that James Harden has a playoff run for the ages and finally overcomes his demons. And again, I said this in a recent video, so many narratives could change simply by winning one ring.

If James Harden gets that ring, which is really the only true thing that is not on his resume, so many narratives change, especially if he is one of the leading factors in that, which he will undoubtedly be if they go that far. A lot of narratives will shift around whether or not Evan Mobley and Jared Allen have what it takes to win in a playoff setting. A lot of narratives will change about Donovan Mitchell and his inability to escape the second round. So many different narratives could change. But again, we won't really know until these uh these series start to occur. And I think that is an, that is an interesting and intriguing, some somehow scary thought at the same time. But I cannot wait.

And uh I think that's a good stopping point tonight, guys. Look for that playoff preview within the next two days. I'm going to say uh I'll probably try and have it out by no later than Tuesday. We we know we got the playing tournament going on around then, but I do have to give it a little bit of time for the numbers to settle out after tonight's game. There has to be a shift in terms of that so that I can actually update my script for that so that when I do record it is accurate and then I have the film that I need and all that good stuff. But look for that series preview to come out in about 2 days. I cannot wait though.

But depending the outcome I'm going to play in, we'll know when the actual dates for the playoffs will be, I think. And um to be honest with you guys, I will probably be down there in Cleveland for a handful of these games in the first and second round. So if you're down, if you're in Rocket Mortgage, if you're in the, you know, if you're in the Fieldhouse, I'll be there. I I hope to meet a couple of you guys. I might have a couple of surprises in store for uh appearances, but I'll tell you guys one thing. I cannot wait. I cannot wait for this series to start.

If you're still here by chance, do your boy a favor. Even if you're not a fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers, if you're a fan of basketball, do your boy a favor. Hit that like button. Subscribe to this Cavalier YouTube channel. Do the same for Positive Hooper. That link should be in the chat or not in the chat, in the description of the video. Um, and if you want to support the show in a small but helpful way, consider becoming a member over on Patreon. You can do so on YouTube as well for as little as $1 a month.

One last thing I want to say, it has been a long and challenging and arduous season, and it has been frustrating at times and and we've had some really high highs, too. But through it all, this channel has provided me an outlet to get some of those feelings out, as it always does. I get to interact with you guys, have some of that friendly and sometimes not so friendly banter, and it's all in good fun. But what I'm trying to say here is I truly do appreciate you guys for staying with me and uh you know, locking in and joining the streams whenever you can because you've helped the channel grow by leaps and bounds. We've almost hit the 30K mark like I uh like I wanted to prior to the season and we very well might get there before the end of playoffs.

But to see where this channel has gone from start to finish, like if you've been a longtime subscriber, you know that it wasn't just me at the start. I was there. My my boy Corey was a was a big part in these streams early on. And when I went solo with it all, like people, you guys have allowed me to to grow this channel so much. That's what I'm that's all I'm trying to say. And stick with me. Hopefully we continue to rise from here. get a couple more uh couple more guests on and whatnot. Couple more players like we have over the years. And can't wait, man. Can't wait for these series to start. Go Cavs. Have a good night.