The Toronto Raptors rebounded from a slow second-half start to win five consecutive games on their West Coast road trip. At 39-30, they now stand tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the coveted No. 6 seed in the conference. Earning that seed would help them escape a play-in matchup against the Nets.
The Cavs had plenty of distance between themselves and their conference rivals to the north before the break, but injuries to Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert have contributed to their precipitous slide down the standings. Cleveland went from a top-four team to a potential play-in contender in a few weeks.
The Cavs have beaten Toronto in each of their three meetings, but those wins need to be qualified. The first was by one point when they had Collin Sexton in the lineup, the second came when Toronto’s roster was almost entirely sidelined due to COVID-19, and the third came without OG Anunoby or Fred VanVleet in the lineup.
While these two teams play with very contrasting styles, they are actually fairly even when matched up against one another. When it comes to deciding which team is more deserving of the higher seed, it’s a fairly difficult choice to make given how they are built.
Are the Toronto Raptors better than the Cleveland Cavaliers?
Backcourt
Toronto has a clear advantage over the Cavaliers here. Despite the sensational Darius Garland, the injuries to Ricky Rubio and Collin Sexton have sapped tons of spark out of this lineup. Even though he has returned from injury, LeVert’s value is still very much a question mark at this point.
Even when Cleveland is healthy, Toronto might have the edge. VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. provide one heck of a 1-2 punch in the starting lineup. Scottie Barnes might be listed as a frontcourt player, but Toronto has utilized him to great effect as an oversized point guard throughout this season.
The Toronto Raptors have more backcourt star power.
On the bench, both teams are not exactly well-equipped. Malachi Flynn might be the most effective reserve Toronto has at the moment in this area and the cadaver of Rajon Rondo is not going to scare anyone from a scoring point of view. Toronto’s edge in star power may come in handy.
Trent might be in a slump right now, but his 41-point performance against Phoenix and 28 points against the Lakers show what he can do when he’s in a groove. With VanVleet having a slight statistical edge over Garland, Toronto may have the edge if they ever meet in the postseason.
Advantage: Raptors
Frontcourt
In an age where every other team is getting smaller and quicker, Cleveland decided to go in the other direction. In addition to pairing fallen with No. 3 pick Evan Mobley in the frontcourt, the cavaliers will utilize a three-big lineup with names like Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love out there to space the floor.
Muscular hybrid-forward Isaac Okoro continues to make his presence felt as a defender while role players like Dean Wade and Cedi Osman can snipe from the perimeter. A Toronto team that still does not have a player taller than 6-9 might have a difficult time combating that much height.
The Toronto Raptors don’t have Cleveland’s size.
Pascal Siakam is playing arguably the best basketball of his career, and Precious Achiuwa has been a revelation in the second half. Even with those two feathers in their cap, the likes of Khem Birch and Chris Boucher can’t hold up to Cleveland’s stable of long-limbed towers in the middle.
The Raptors and Cavs both have the manpower needed to become a real pest for any team that has designs on a long playoff run. However, if their playoff matchups turn into a battle down in the post, Toronto’s lack of depth and Cleveland’s duo of young stars could make them more formidable in that area.
Advantage: Cavaliers
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