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Small-Ball Is The Cleveland Cavaliers Key For Defeating The Toronto Raptors

In the six lineups that yielded a positive net point differential for the Toronto Raptors, none of them had both Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka in them. That’s good news for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

When Ibaka and Valanciunas shared the frontcourt for the Raptors in the starting lineup, they were outscored by 12.2 points per 100 possessions by the Milwaukee Bucks. I would expect the same level of decimation to occur when they meet the King, if not a rather swift execution.

This is in part due to the level of excellence at the top of the Cavs roster, with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love (each named to the All-Star game although Love was a late scratch due to having knee surgery on Valentine’s Day).