Dribbles: Cavs fall flat, and now, it’s all about the response

April 24, 2026

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 126-104 road loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series Thursday.

1. It felt as if the Cavs treated this sort of like a regular-season. Hang around long enough, and then hope your stars take care of business at the end. That seemed to be the approach.

2. Instead, they hung around for a little more than three quarters, and then … completely fell apart.

3. The Raptors know their only hope is to get the Cavs to play an ugly game. That, and make a few three-pointers. They did both on this night, especially when it comes to that second part.

Dribbles: Cavs fall flat, and now, it’s all about the response

4. Now, let’s pause to acknowledge that the Cavs are clearly the better team in this series. And there’s no shame in losing a game. It’s the first to four — not the first to win a game in Toronto. The Cavs still lead the series, 2-1. Win Sunday (also at Toronto), and you can still put this to bed in five.

5. But you can’t do what the Cavs did for most of the night and expect to win in the playoffs. Two over-and-back calls. Two times stepping out of bounds with the ball. Twenty-three turnovers in all. That’s just a lack of focus at the most important time of year.

6. Let’s hope they got it out of their system. Even Oklahoma City got crushed in a playoff game last year. It happens.

7. What matters is how you bounce back. And the Cavs should win this series in five. But they won’t if they have anything close to another game like this. That much I can guarantee.

8. It’s safe to say Donovan Mitchell did not bring his “A” game. To be fair, he’s allowed to have a less-than-All-World evening. When he does, though, someone else needs to take over. No one did, or even came close, and the Raptors were able to turn on the jets at the end because of it.

9. The game was tied at halftime. The Cavs trailed by just two at the end of the third. I thought, “They haven’t played their best yet. I like their chances.” Boy, was I ever wrong. The reasons are many.

10. For starters, the Raptors could not miss. Part of that was just the Raptors feeding off the home crowd’s energy and shooting better than they have all season. Perhaps a bigger part was the Cavs’ lack of resistance defensively.

11. Coach Kenny Atkinson always talks about how the Cavs need to “hold their spots.” That means staying tough, staying sturdy, and not getting pushed around. They did a good job of that in the first two games. Not so much on this night.

12. Max Strus (15 points) offered endless energy. Same with Jaylon Tyson (13), who played his best game of the series. Dean Wade continued to do the little things, including position defense, incredibly well. But I’d venture to say everyone else played below expectations. Some played well below.

13. James Harden scored a team-high 18 points but committed a whopping eight turnovers. That’s compared to just four assists. The Raptors are being incredibly physical with Harden and Mitchell (15 points, 1-of-7 on threes). It didn’t impact them in the first two games. It completely threw them off their game in this one.

14. Evan Mobley also scored 15, but again, it wasn’t real efficient (4-of-13 shooting). It’s harder to make shots on the road. That’s just what the data throughout NBA history tells us. So sometimes, you have to find other ways to win. For three quarters, I thought the Cavs did that. Then they caved.

15. Forward Scottie Barnes (33 points) has been the Raptors’ best player. He’s physical. He’s confident. He loves to defend and talk a little smack. Right now, the Cavs do not have an answer. They’d better find one.

16. Wade and others continue to do a nice job on Brandon Ingram (12 points). The Cavs cannot say the same about RJ Barrett (also 33). And former Ohio State standout Jamison Battle, a Raptors role player? How does 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting sound?

17. If you’re the Cavs, it sounds pretty crummy. Rookie big man Collin Murray-Boyles added 22 points on 11-of-15 from the floor. Battle. Murray-Boyles. Even Barrett. No disrespect, but these are not the people who should beat you.

18. Worse, Toronto shot a sizzling 61 percent on threes. This is a team that’s notorious for being weak from the perimeter. The Cavs did a nice job guarding the arc in the first two games. In Game 3, some of those regular-season bad habits came back to life.

19. Game 4 is Sunday, also in Toronto. There’s only one quick way to forget about this one. And that’s to prove it was nothing more than a random fluke. Only the Cavs can make that happen. The Raptors, clearly, aren’t going to just roll over and die.