Toronto might be down 0-2 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first round playoff series, but a silver lining emerged in their most recent loss that could be the spark to turning this series around. The Raptors have a real chance to get things back in their favor as long as they can carry this area of momentum into Game 3 and beyond.
That ray of hope I am referring to is the strong Raptors bench production witnessed in Game 2.
Raptors' strong bench spark creates a playoff series lifeline
Toronto's reserves combined for a total of 45 points, which ran circles around the Cavaliers' bench production of only 19 points.
Now, there was a significant role shift that took effect during the game, wherein rookie Collin Murray-Boyles largely ended up slotting in as Toronto's primary big after it became increasingly difficult to justify having a struggling Jakob Poeltl out there for extended minutes. That being said, CMB still came off the bench and led that bench mob pack with an impressive performance that included 17 points, seven rebounds, one steal and one block.
Next behind Murray-Boyles was Ja'Kobe Walter, who provided a helpful three-point shooting boost as the Raptors' leader in that metric, going 3-for-7 and having 14 points overall to his name. Sandro Mamukelashvili rounded out the bunch with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while AJ Lawson provided two points in a limited run.
The bench was always going to be a key storyline in the playoffs, and it certainly got magnified after Toronto lost the ability to use Immanuel Quickley in Games 1 and 2. For a group of guys who are largely inexperienced at this level, their Game 2 effort showed they could bring that same grit and output that put them in the headlines during the regular season.
It definitely stings that Toronto wasn't able to come out of Game 2 with a win, especially considering how hard the bench unit worked. Their performance wasn't exactly maximized to the fullest extent even though it fell into the Raptors' hands to use to their advantage. Still, this was exactly the breaking ground this Raptors' bench needed to establish in a playoff atmosphere.
Toronto's coaching staff saw it, the fanbase has now caught wind of it, and it should continue to be a main stressing point to get the Raptors back in this series. The bench showed they can play an impactful part, but weak performances from key starters (particularly Brandon Ingram) proved to rain on that parade. The hunger to chase victory was there, but it can't stop at just Game 2.
Also, just because the Cavs bench was weak in their recent outing, I wouldn't exactly count out Dennis Schroder, Sam Merrill, Max Strus, Jaylon Tyson, or Keon Ellis. Any one of them could pop off at any given moment.
The Raptors will need the bench to continue blossoming, which puts the starters at a heightened sense of responsibility to contribute. If those two elements can produce desirable results and the Raptors get good news regarding Immanuel Quickley’s availability, they will have a clear blueprint to carve out a winning edge, even with the odds stacked against them right now.
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