The Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers are locked in a heated first-round series. Through three games, one stat has decided each result: turnovers.
The team that has won the turnover battle has won every game. That is no coincidence, especially for a Toronto team that thrived in the regular season by taking care of the ball and forcing opponents into mistakes. The early portion of this first-round series has reminded everyone how important turnovers are for this team.
The first two games did not reflect Toronto Raptors basketball
During the regular season, Toronto’s most turnovers in a game were 21, which came on December 15th against the Miami Heat. In Game 2 versus the Cavaliers, Toronto had 22 turnovers.
Game 1 was also bad, with Toronto turning the ball over 18 times. That was far from their season average of 13.7 turnovers per game.
With the Raptors turning the ball over 40 times in the first two games, it is no wonder they went down in an 0-2 hole. There are clear reasons why Toronto had trouble playing mistake-free.
Chiefly, their starting point guard, Immanuel Quickley, has not been able to play in the series. That has prevented Toronto from having another ball handler on the floor who is used to making quick decisions.
We should also mention the Cavaliers’ readiness and stout defense. They clearly had a defensive game plan going into this series and have executed it well. Harden and Mitchell have not been stoppers, but they have played respectable defense, while Mobley and Allen have effectively clogged the paint.
Game 3 flipped the script
Toronto finally took care of the ball in Game 3, committing only 12 turnovers. Not only that, but they forced Cleveland into a season-high 22 turnovers.
It is no wonder Game 3 was the Raptors’ only win in the series thus far. The biggest change from the first two games was the setting: Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors crowd was loud and hungry after not having playoff basketball for four years. That may have played a role, but Toronto cannot allow that to be the only reason for this difference.
The Cavaliers will come into Game 4 better prepared for the ravenous Raptors crowd. Toronto will have to figure out Cleveland’s offense again to win that game and keep this series alive. If the Raptors fall back into the mistake-prone style from the first two games, their upset bid could unravel in a hurry.