The Raptors played a pretty good first half in Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, sinking a bunch of 3-pointers and trailing by only seven points going into halftime. Things quickly fell apart in the third quarter, as the Cavs built up a lead the Raptors couldn’t overcome.
Darko Rajaković wasn’t very surprised by some of the team’s struggles, considering the lack of playoff experience on the roster.
“We played out of character, which is kind of to be expected from a young team, a lot of guys playing in the playoffs for the first time,” Rajaković said during a practice media availability on Sunday. “There’s some guys playing the playoffs after a long time. So, I think all of those things, nerves of the first game of the playoffs, all of those things were to be expected.”
The Raptors didn’t play their brand of basketball
The Raptors aren’t a great 3-point shooting team. They also don’t thrive in the halfcourt. Instead, they create their best offense when they can push the pace off forced turnovers or rebounds.
They didn’t play that way in Game 1. They only got three steals and scored three fastbreak points. They also lost the battle in the paint, but shot surprisingly well from behind the arc.
Playing the Cavs’ style of basketball won’t help the Raptors win.
This roster doesn’t feature a ton of playoff experience
The only players in the Raptors’ main rotation who have won a playoff series before are Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl. Scottie Barnes played four games as a rookie, but in a very different role, and A.J. Lawson appeared in ten games back in 2024. Brandon Ingram only went to the playoffs twice in ten years. The rest of the rotation—Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, and Sandro Mamukelashvili—just got their first taste of playoff basketball.
Even for the players who had been in the playoffs before it had been a few years since their last experiences.
The Cavs, meanwhile, have been a constant presence in the playoffs with the core of Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley. James Harden has never missed the playoffs since he came into the league in 2009.
The Raptors need to bounce back in Game 2
If the Raptors can manage to win Game 2, their hopes for this series are still very much alive. Going to Toronto with the season even at 1-1 will be a much better feeling than coming home with a 0-2 deficit to overcome.
They know what to expect now and can hopefully get back to playing their brand of basketball.
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