Toronto has tied the series at two wins a piece in their first-round playoff matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While the Raptors faced a 2-1 deficit heading into Game 4, the series has proven to be quite competitive from the get go. The Cavaliers haven't quite put on an especially dominant showcase in the series despite taking Games 1 and 2. You could argue Toronto's win in Game 3 was the first real emphatic statement game of the series, seeing as they won by the biggest margin to date at 22 points (126-104), but that affair proved to be contested until the Raptors went on a massive fourth quarter stretch to push them over the hump.
Which brings me to the events of Game 4 and the contributions of Brandon Ingram.
Game 4 Raptors win was a mixed bag performance for Brandon Ingram
It was an intense game where neither team could truly get into a serious shooting rhythm, as both squads shot under 40 percent from the field (36.8% for Cleveland and 32.0% for Toronto) and looked dismal from beyond the arc (25.0% for Cleveland and just 13.3% for Toronto). The Raptors pulled it off with a gritty, skin-of-the-teeth 93-89 victory, but there are a lot of takeaways to look at in the aftermath and it starts with Brandon Ingram.
It's been the broken record of this playoff series, but everyone keeps wondering when Brandon Ingram will show up in the way his team needs him to. Game 1 left fans wanting more, Game 2 definitely left fans wanting more, and Game 3 looked like it was heading in the right direction but still fell short of expectations. That made Game 4 a critical moment for BI to turn things around and prove he can be a playoff riser. Ingram led the team in scoring alongside his co-star Scottie Barnes with 23 points, but that number at first glance doesn’t tell the full story.
One of the many grievances about Ingram’s impact is his efficiency. 39.4 percent from the field thus far in the postseason leaves a lot to be desired. If he isn’t efficient, it’s on BI to contribute in other ways that influence the game: whether that’s solid defense, good passing, relentless hustle, grabbing rebounds, or other intangibles. 23 points is nice to see and Ingram definitely contributed to the win, but there's still a concern about having to shoot 23 times to reach that total.
The bright side for the entire Raptors squad is that they won the turnover battle once again, giving up the ball just 11 times while the Cavaliers committed 17 turnovers. Ingram had only one turnover himself, but aside from that positive trend, there is still a sense of frustration that lingers. Not only within the "Notorious B.I.3" himself but undoubtedly among his peers, coaching staff, and especially the passionate Raptors fanbase. You could see on the court that he had good looks and the output was there, but frustratingly, things just were not going his way.
Whether it’s come from Ingram himself or head coach Darko Rajakovic, the feelings of self-belief and an inevitable breakthrough has been recurring in this series. However, that theme of wondering when Brandon Ingram will have a true statement game to prove he can be an effective playoff performer has either been limited to an appetizer showing (like in Game 1 or Game 3) or has completely missed the mark altogether (like in Game 2).
The Raptors winning in Game 4 doesn’t change the talk around Brandon Ingram. He still needs a big game to help Toronto get over the hump in this series. Toronto will head back to Cleveland for Game 5, then return to the Bank for Game 6, and if the series goes to a Game 7, the Raps will close things out on the Cavs’ home court. In a series where Ingram has been cold andImmanuel Quickley is out for the entire duration, the Raptors have fought hard to keep things within reach.
The hope is that Brandon Ingram can finally see his shots fall and help turn the tide of this series beyond the results we see now.
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