Donovan Mitchell making his way to the Cleveland Cavaliers have made the team a legitimate Eastern Conference contender for the first time since LeBron James left close to half a decade ago. Spida and crew haven’t exactly been cruising through their competition but the potential to be a force to be reckoned with is certainly present.
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The Cavs are currently3rd in the East standings with a record of 22-12 following their loss last night against the Toronto Raptors. Their defense is what stands out most as they are ranked number 1 overall in opponent points per game at 104.9
Mitchell has also inserted himself into the MVP discussion as he’s averaging 28.9 points (highest point average of his career) on 49.7% shooting from the field.
However, the point where the Cavaliers fail is when Don has a lackluster game, like today where he had merely 12 points on 16 shot attempts, and don’t have any of the other guys truly step to the plate.
Donovan Mitchell on playing the Raptors last night
The Raptors and the Cavs squared off in Cleveland last night with the former picking up the 118-107 win. 4 players on Toronto’s squad scored 18+ points with OG Anunoby going off for 26 points while guarding Donovan Mitchell on a variety of possessions.
Following the loss, Spida took to his media availability to talk about how the Raps played him. Needless to say that he wasn’t pleased with the aggression that they played with, claiming they fouled his team constantly. He would give them props by admitting they got their “a** kicked”.
#Cavs Donovan Mitchell on the Raptors: “When you foul the whole game — and they’re really good at it — they can foul the whole game and the refs aren’t going to call it on each possession. You gotta give them credit. They’re physical … They kicked our ass”
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) December 24, 2022
The Raptors have a litany of players with long wingspans, allowing them to disrupt plays through passing lanes. With this defensive versatility of theirs, they’re bound to get wrapped up with opposing players.
Joel Embiid expressed concerns similar to Mitchell’s
Joel Embiid, in a game against the Raptors that went into OT, expressed just how frustrating it was to play against the Raps. He called it one of the worst games of his career. He was, of course, referencing both Toronto’s physicality and the supposed, poor officiating.
The free throw disparity in last night game between the Cavs and the Raps shows that the latter were more physical as Cleveland was awarded 30 free throw attempts in comparison to their 18. Even in the Philly game, they would attempt 27 while Toronto attempted 20.
