NBA Playoffs 2018: 5 keys to Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers matchup

1. Kevin Love at center

Kevin Love has had a strange playoff run so far in 2018. He struggled to score throughout the Indiana series . Before knocking down some big time shots late in Game 7, he was mostly ineffective against the Pacers. Love’s long range shooting fell apart in the second half of the series. Although he rebounded well on the offensive glass, he couldn’t make Indiana pay. He missed putbacks and easy layups all series.

In the Eastern Conference over the past few years, Cleveland’s Love at center lineups have generally obliterated the competition. The Hawks and Raptors in particular have been victims of numerous 3-point firestorms from the Cavs during the playoffs. Playing Love at the five makes Cleveland extremely difficult to guard. While that also makes the Cavs more vulnerable on defense theoretically, no team in the East has had the offensive juice to kill Cleveland for playing those units.

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Jonas Valanciunas, who had a big series against Washington, could have a tough time against the Cavs. If Love can get things going on offense, Valanciunas might struggle to stay on the floor. In last year’s matchup Jonas put up some solid games from a statistical perspective, shooting well against Cleveland. But the Raptors were outscored substantially when he was on the floor. It’s just so difficult to keep up with Cleveland’s offense when a slower guy like Valanciunas is on the floor. Toronto hasn’t had much of an answer for these dynamic offensive lineups. With the exception of Bismack Biyombo temporarily morphing into Wilt Chamberlain and pulling down 26 boards against the Cavs in Game 3 of the 2016 Eastern Finals, Love at center lineups have generally smoked the Raptors for years.

The Raptors have some more options at their disposal this season if playing Valanciunas becomes unsustainable. Jakob Poeltl is a far better, quicker defender than Valanciunas, although this isn’t an easy matchup for him either. Ibaka and Siakam could be especially important in countering Cleveland’s super stretchy lineups. But the Raptors could get themselves into some precarious situations if they counter the Cavs by going too small; if they play some of their patented guard heavy lineups, LeBron could feast in the post.