The Toronto Raptors are trying to win their first playoff series since 2020, but Game 1 exposed some problems that need to be addressed. Toronto fell 126-113 to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The game slipped away in the third quarter. Toronto hovered within striking distance throughout the first half, but a quick Cavaliers run after the break pushed the lead to 20 midway through the third. Cleveland never looked back.
The pace of play clearly favoured the Cavaliers all night. Cleveland thrives in the half court with its pick-and-roll attack, while Toronto’s offense is built on transition opportunities. The slower pace played directly into the Cavaliers’ hands and took Toronto out of its identity.
Darko Rajaković already knows what went wrong
The most notable stat of the game was Toronto scoring just three fastbreak points. They led the league during the season with 18.9 per game. Without those transition opportunities, Toronto’s offense never found a rhythm.
Another obvious issue for Toronto was that Brandon Ingram, the team’s leading scorer during the season, attempted just nine shots. If Toronto wants to upset the Cavaliers, then they will need much more from Ingram.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković addressed both issues after the game:
“I think we did not do a good enough job of running our stuff with pace. We did not do enough of a job to involve Brandon. Some of that is on me, but we as a group, we got to do a better job of, not just Brandon, we got to do a better job of moving the ball, making quicker decisions, pushing the ball in transition.”
It is relieving to hear Toronto’s bench boss display a clear understanding of how this team must improve between Game 1 and Game 2 of the series. That being said, implementing those changes is much easier said than done.
Brandon Ingram also understands that Game 2 must be different
Brandon Ingram understands that a repeat of Game 1 cannot happen, as he said post-game:
“At the end of the day, me shooting nine shots is not going to win basketball games. Got to figure out ways where I could still be effective.”
It looks like Toronto’s head coach and All-Star are on the same page about what needs to change going forward. That is a positive sign for Raptors fans. Expect Ingram to get plenty of looks early in the next couple games of the series, and for the entire team to do a better job pushing the pace.
If the Raptors can successfully implement those changes, then they can still win this series. There is still a long way to go.
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