While the Toronto Raptors may be a measly 12-18 against every team in the league not named the Cleveland Cavaliers, they are a perfect 3-0 against a squad that can legitimately be considered one of the best in the Eastern Conference. Who could have figured?
After breaking out of their shooting slump, the Raptors had three different players score more than 25 points in this game. Pascal Siakam was his usual All-NBA self, OG Anunoby remained a nuisance on both ends, and Scottie Barnes had a nice bounce-back game following a serious dud against the Knicks.
Mitchell continued to struggle against the Raptors, as their unique approach to defense overwhelmed the 6-1 guards and handed Cleveland a rare home loss. Rather than offering up a gracious concession, Mitchell decided to complain about an imaginary situation he invented in his own head.
Mitchell said that the Raptors “foul the whole game,” implying that the referees let them get away with a ton so as not to call fouls on every possession. Mitchell is a fantastic player, but he can’t seem to accept that Toronto’s defense is too hard for him to take down at this moment in time.
#Cavs Donovan Mitchell on the Raptors: "When you foul the whole game -- and they're really good at it -- they can foul the whole game and the refs aren’t going to call it on each possession. You gotta give them credit. They're physical ... They kicked our ass"
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) December 24, 2022
Donovan Mitchell struggled against the Toronto Raptors
Let’s deconstruct all the ways in which this is wrong. First, the Cavs had 30 free throws to Toronto’s 18, so it seems like they were getting the benefit of some calls from the refs. Also, excellent job missing 12 free throws in a game that was decided by 11 points, Cleveland!
Second, the Cavaliers let the worst-shooting team in the league make 19 3-pointers and shoot over 50% from deep in the game. That had more to do with the loss than occasionally getting roughed up in the paint, and Mitchell is smart enough to know that.
Finally, Mitchell himself put up another stinker against Toronto. With the fantastic Anunoby serving as the primary defender, Mitchell made just four of his 16 shots and turned the ball over three times. He also scored just eight points on 3-11 in their second loss to the Raptors. OG is in Mitchell’s head right now.
Raptors trio tonight:
— NBA World (@NBAW0RLD24) December 24, 2022
Siakam: Barnes: OG:
26 PTS 25 PTS 26 PTS
7 REB 10 REB 9 REB
9 AST 4 AST 2 AST
2 STL 2 STL 1 STL pic.twitter.com/GSOXYAq865
For whatever reason, the Raptors have proven to be a tough matchup for Cleveland. Perhaps it’s the fact that Toronto is long on the perimeter and the Cavs lean on two undersized ball-dominant guards. Whatever the case may be, there are reasons behind this more complex than the Raptors’ fouling.