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How do the Toronto Raptors match up against the Cavaliers?

By Mike Luciano

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 06: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers tries to block Precious Achiuwa #5 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 06: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers tries to block Precious Achiuwa #5 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MARCH 11: Head coach Nick Nurse reacts during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns (Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images) /

Coaching and Infrastructure

The Raptors might be a very young team that is learning how to win, but that doesn’t mean that they are necessarily the more inexperienced of the two teams. The Cavs are a comparative neophyte squad compared to a Toronto team that has some battle scars.

Toronto still has several star players that were around when the team won a championship in addition to the two masterminds behind it all in Nick Nurse and Masai Ujiri. On the other side, Cleveland has endured several consecutive seasons of dumpster-diving before putting it together this year.

The Toronto Raptors have more playoff experience than Cleveland.

Koby Altman was in the Cavs front office when LeBron James won a title, but he has not had a winning season without James in the lineup. J.B. Bickerstaff has been in the NBA since he was 25, but he had just one winning season (a 71-game interim stint in Houston), a 1-4 playoff record, and a 37% winning percentage before this season.

Part of the reason that Toronto was able to finally break through and win a championship when they did was the fact they had so much postseason experience and success beforehand. This could make them a tougher matchup than a Cavs team that is learning on the fly.

Advantage: Raptors

Next. 3 Raptors to watch in March Madness. dark