March is underway and NBA fans can soon start getting excited about this year's playoffs, as there is just over a month to go of regular season action. Raptors fans should be especially excited as their beloved team is likely headed toward its first playoff appearance since 2022.
The Eastern Conference is a tightly packed race for playoff positioning. That makes it difficult for fans to predict who Toronto may face in a first-round series. The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers currently make up the 2-6 seeds respectively in the conference and are separated by only 7.0 games.
If the playoffs started today, Toronto would see Cleveland on the other side of the bracket, as the fourth and fifth seeds respectively. Among those teams, Cleveland is arguably the best matchup for the Raptors.
Recent history favours the Toronto Raptors
There are a few reasons that should boost Raptors fans’ confidence in this potential matchup.
For starters, Toronto is currently 3-0 against the Cavaliers this season. Granted, Cleveland was dealing with injuries to key players in all three games, and those matchups took place before the Cavaliers made their midseason trade for James Harden.
That trade for Harden was a big, but risky, swing for Cleveland. Not only did it shake up their core by trading away their longest-tenured player and two-time All-Star, Darius Garland, but it also brought in a player with a long history of playoff shortcomings.
Harden has famously underwhelmed in the postseason throughout his career. As recently as last season, he scored only seven points in a critical Game 7 for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Adding Harden to a core coming off a disappointing playoff run may be setting this Cavaliers fan base up for more frustration. Last season, Cleveland was heavily favoured in its second-round series against the Indiana Pacers, but its defense was repeatedly exposed, resulting in a shocking five-game upset.
The Cavaliers are already facing an uphill battle against their playoff history.
Last year’s Pacers gave the Raptors their blueprint to success
Cleveland’s surprising defeat last season may ultimately help Toronto this year. Indiana beat the Cavaliers with a fast-paced style of play on both ends of the floor. They generated easy buckets in transition and disrupted Cleveland’s rhythm with full-court pressure. The Cavaliers never looked comfortable against that style.
Toronto could replicate that formula.
The Raptors currently lead the league in transition offense and have a roster full of rangy, athletic wings capable of applying similar defensive pressure. Cleveland, meanwhile, is built around two offense-first guards and two semi-traditional bigs.
In halfcourt sets, the Cavaliers thrive by exploiting either their size or speed advantage, depending on the matchup. Defensively, they pack the paint and rely on their bigs to control the interior.
Speeding the game up forces Cleveland’s big men into uncomfortable situations in space while exposing the defensive limitations of their guards. If Toronto can control the tempo, it can pull the Cavaliers out of their comfort zone and into the same type of series that led to last year’s collapse.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Toronto will not get to choose its first-round opponent.
However, Raptors fans should be hoping for a matchup with the Cavaliers. Toronto is built to attack Cleveland’s weaknesses, and the Cavaliers’ lackluster playoff history should only further tilt the series in the Raptors’ favour.