Cavs-Raptors Prediction: PHYSICAL series, Harden & Mitchell eventually beat Ingram & Barnes

0:00This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human. This message is brought to you by Applecard. Applecard members can earn unlimited daily cashback on everyday purchases wherever they shop. This means you could be earning daily cash on just about anything, like a slice of pizza from your local pizza place, or latte from the corner coffee shop. Apply for Applecard in the wallet app to see your credit limit offer in minutes. Subject to credit approval. Applecard issued by Goldman Sachs Bank, USA, Salt Lake City branch, terms and more at applecard.com. The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are built to keep going backed by Toyota's reputation for legendary reliability. Step into a Tundra with the available I Force Max hybrid engine, delivering impressive torque and serious towing power. Or take a look at Tacoma with an available power lift gate so gear goes in fast and the adventure keeps moving. Toyota trucks are built to last year after year, mile after mile. So drive home today. Visit Toyota.com to find out more.

1:01Toyota, let's go places. Geico presents a 30 second podcast between your podcast. Today's story is shared by one of our listeners. It's called Betrayed by Bill. It was in that moment I caught who was staring back at me in betrayal, or more like what? My insurance bill. With trembling hands, I grabbed my phone and switched to Geico, saving about $900 in the process and never to be betrayed again. But now that was bloody riveting. It feels good when the story ends with savings. It feels good to Geico. Spring is starting at the Home Depot and bringing you everyday low prices so you can wake up your yard this season. Shape up your lawn with top brand outdoor power tools like Ryobi 40 volt mowers that have up to 50 minutes of runtime. Bring in a splash of color with spring blooms and fresh plants from the Home Depot Garden Center. Then refresh your garden beds and keep them clear of weeds with Earth grow mulch. Five bags for $10 to make your yard feel like new.

2:03Start your spring with low prices now through April 2nd, only at the Home Depot. Exclusions apply, see Home Depot.com slash price match for details. Shop now. The volume. All right, welcome to Hoops tonight here at the volume. Happy Friday, everybody. Hope all of you guys are having an incredible end to your week. We've got another series preview today. This time we're hitting the calves and the raptors. You guys know the drill before you started? Subscribe to the Hoops tonight YouTube channel so you don't miss any more of our videos. Make sure you guys hit the subscribe button. And don't miss any more of our videos. Make sure you guys hit that like button and sign up for post notifications. It helps us a lot. We are on the road to 150,000 subscribers. Anything you guys can do to help us grow the channel, hitting that like button, signing up for post notifications, hitting that subscribe button. That goes a long way towards helping us. All right, let's talk some basketball. So the season series between the calves and the raptors. These are the numbers for whatever they're worth.

3:05The raptors are three and oh, the season. And they've absolutely dominated. They have a plus 11.4 net rating. They've dominated Cleveland on the glass. They've dominated in transition. It hasn't been pretty. But I take little to nothing from this data. Just because all three of these games took place during the first six weeks of the season. The calves were utterly decimated by injuries. There was no Darius Garland. Obviously no James Harden, because that was before the trade. Jared Allen only played in one game. Max Truce obviously was out of the line up at that point. Here's how banged up. The calves were. If you look up the highest total minutes played for the calves in games against the raptors this season. Lonzo Ball and DeAndre Hunter are fourth and fifth on that list. So they just really aren't the same team as they were. Again, the last time they played was in late November. So we're basically flying blind. As we look at this particular series. If you look around like. We have a really good example from the Hawks mix. Match up from a couple weeks ago. That's like a really good example. The Timberwolves in the nuggets have been kind of the same core for a while. And I've been beaten the hell out of each other for years.

4:06Kind of a better feel. But even then their regular season games. They've had a lot of guys out of the lineup. Rockets Lakers. Obviously you have the the Luca D'Ansic and Austin Reeves injury. But there were some good games to look at that. At least gave you a feel for what the series would have looked like. If both teams were healthy. Could not be further. I think it's going to be a good example. I think it's going to be a good example. I think it's going to be a good example. I think it's going to be a good example. I think it's going to be a good example. I think it's going to be a good example. It's going to be a very good example. To provide you a feel for what the series would have looked like if both teams were healthy. It could not be further from the port for this particular match-up. It's a lot of flying behind. We'll do our best to guess how these teams will guard each other and how they'll look to score. But this is. This is one of the tougher ones based on what our regular season evidence is. The series prices. Again all of our lines are provided by our partner hard rock bet. Cleveland is a massive. Faber right now, there I mean 600 onlar is a plus 4, 2500. 25 underdog. Those are the lines at the time of this recording. I think that line makes a lot of sense to me. Toronto has been one of the worst teams in the league this season against good teams. According to cleaning the glass against teams that are in the top 10 in point differential, the Raptors were just seven in 22 this year. That's the ninth

5:10worst record in the entire NBA. That's tied with the Dallas Mavericks. That's behind teams like Chicago, Milwaukee and Golden State. And they didn't do themselves any favors in this conversation then the season as they racked up toward like right now, final month, double digit losses. Just in the final two weeks, actually, just double digit losses to the mix, to the Celtics and in the pistons where they just looked overmatched. Cleveland even with all their injuries had the seventh best win percentage against teams in the top 10 in point differential at 11 and 13. So there's a clear sign that like just forget about anything involving this individual matchup. Cleveland just looks like a much better team based on the data we got from this year. Even then Toronto had injuries as well, but Cleveland was especially decimated and they just accomplished more over the course of this season. So let's start with Cleveland on offense. And I want to start actually with the way that the Raptors can flip this dynamic. So again, massive underdog, right? How does

6:10Toronto change that dynamic? Flip the script on their struggles in the regular season against good teams and find a way to compete in the series. Toronto's issues in big games have actually come down to the offense event of the four. Their defense has translated pretty well overall. They're big. They're switchy. They apply physical ball pressure. They rotate really well. Scotty Barnes has been one of the best three or four defensive players that have watched in this entire season overall. To me, it's the physicality that I want to harp on to start here. Because if there's any shot for the Raptors to flip the script on the lack of optimism surrounding them before the series, it's that there is some legitimacy to the fact that Cleveland, both before and after the trade and in previous seasons, has shown some vulnerability to teams that can physically dominate them. If you can pressure their guards, if you can shove around their bicks, you can play them into lower quality threes, you can turn them over and get out and transition and you can get active on the offensive glass. Donovan Mitchell looked a little banged up towards the tail end of the

7:14season. James Hardin is an older ball handler compared to some of the other guys are going to have major responsibility this season. We'll see. I have no idea whether or not Emmanuel quickly is going to be ready to go. He's had this hamstring thing that's been an issue. That's something I want to kind of bring up when we talk about offense because that's something I'm concerned about. But let's say it's Jacobi Walter and RJ Barrett. If those two guys can just get up into Mitchell and Hardin and just make them physically uncomfortable with ball pressure, if Scotty Barnes can just like kick Evan Mobley's ass just because he's bigger and stronger than him. If Jacoperto can shove around Jared Allen on the offensive glass, like if they can do some of those things, that can go a long way towards giving Toronto a puncher's chance in the series. Today's show is brought to you by presenting sponsor Hardrock Bet, the official sportsbook partner of the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. Hardwood is heating up as the NBA playoff push rolls on. And with Hard Rock bet every night is a shot to build the same game parlay and score a major bucket. Maybe you like the hot hand to drop 30. The big man to control the glass of the double double and the point guard to dish out five assists. However you draw it up, Hard Rock bet gives you tons of

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9:18New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia. This message is brought to you by Apple card. Apple card members can earn unlimited daily cashback on everyday purchases wherever they shop. This means you could be earning daily cash on just about anything, like a slice of pizza from your local pizza place or latte from the corner coffee shop. Apply for Apple card in the wallet app to see your credit limit offer in minutes. Subject to credit approval, Apple card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch, terms and more at Applecard.com. The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are built to keep going, blending rugged muscle with precision engineering, all supported by Toyota's time-tested legacy of dependability. Step into a Tundra and feel the unyielding capability. With the available iForce Max engine, Tundra puts out impressive power, torque, and towing performance. And the Rumi high-tech cabin keeps you connected on the go. Or look at Tacoma, made for drivers who push past the path. Agile, tough,

10:18and relentless with available features like crawl control, a portable JBL speaker, and a power lift gate. So gear goes in fast and the adventure keeps moving. The Tacoma and Tundra are engineered to endure, season after season, mile after mile. So drive home today. Visit Toyota.com or stop by your local Toyota dealer to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. They're masked up, torching deep cuts into stubborn pipes. Her helmet's on, riding deep into backcountry. When there's no time or space to spit, grab Copenhagen's spit-free pouches. Find them in stores today. Not all varieties available in all geographies. Warning, this product can cause mouth cancer. But I don't really see that happening outside of a game or two.

11:18Donovan Mitchell has a habit of kind of, we talked about this with Carter Rodriguez when he came on to talk have a couple of weeks ago. Donovan Mitchell has a habit of looking a little if he post all-star break and then just being fine when he gets to the post season. And he's been one of the most reliable playoff scoring guards in the NBA over the last few years. I think he'll be fine. James Hardin is a big strong ballhandler. He tends to do pretty well against ball pressure, especially from players that are smaller than him. I talked about this right after the trade. It's crazy as it sounds. I actually think James Hardin is a more reliable playoff player than a banged up, Darius Garland by a pretty decent margin. Evan Mobley has shot the ball well and played pretty well in this match up this season. And Jared Allen gives Hardin and Mitchell their play finisher when they're looking to attack Yaka Perl in drop coverage. The Cavs also when they're healthy have some of the most deadly spot-up shooters in the league. They have multiple guys that like you straight up cannot leave open. Max Trues, Sam Merrill, obviously Jalen Tyson as well. There are guys that you straight up cannot leave open. I know they haven't been as good as I thought they would be after

12:21the Hardin trade. But I still think they're a really well-built roster and there are numbers that you can dig into. They only played Hardin, Mitchell, Jared Allen and Evan Mobley, that quartet for about 200 possessions this year. It's about two games worth, right around 100 minutes, right? There are plus 24 points per 100 possessions. So a lot of this stuff with Cleveland, I think you can still be concerned about some of these issues. But overall when they're actually healthy, we haven't seen it very much, but they've been very dominant. A lot of this could still come to fruition in a postseason run. And the real problem I have for the Raptors and their chances in the series comes down to their ability to score consistently. Toronto's a bottom 10-3 point shooting team. And specifically the Scotty Barnes Yaka Perl front court that will allow the Cavs to keep Mobley and Allen stacked in any sort of pick and roll coverage. That means if you want to bring Jared Allen to the level, Evan Mobley can be under the rim. If you want to bring Evan Mobley to the level, Jared Allen can be underneath the rim. They can stack and pick and roll coverage, which is always when Cleveland's been at their best defensively

13:22because the Raptors don't really have the ability to space out to the corners. Not unless they have Sandra Mamma-Calisfeely on the floor, which opens up some defensive issues for them. I think for the most part, the Cavs are going to be able to keep Mobley and Allen stacked and pick and roll. What I mean by that is just up at the level with strong low man help. And I think that's going to give them a really high floor defensively in the series. All those Scotty Barnes and Brandon Ingram Isos and Post-Ups, you're going to have one of those guys just sitting right behind them at the rim. And this is probably the biggest concern I have. One of my favorite parts of the Raptors offense this season has been the ability of a manual quickly in Jamal Shed to start the engine of the Raptors offense. The Raptors offense actually, they move the ball really well. They have a lot of high level playmaking talent. They don't have shooting talent, but they playmaking talent. So they can get some really high quality looks when they break the defense now. But one of their ways to do that is the dribble penetration in a manual quickly is dealing with the hamstring issue. And you know, we'll see if he's even available for game one, but let's say he

14:23is like that's the kind of injury that could have a significant impact on his ability to make hard driving moves towards the basket. I think in order for Toronto to win the series, there's going to have to be physical domination on both ends of the four. They're going to have to, once again, lots of ball pressure, lots of shove in heaven, mobility off of his spots, forcing turnovers that sparked their transition attack, forcing bad threes. Again, Cleveland's three point shooting is very contingent on the quality of shots that they get. When that slips, they can go cold, that can spark the long rebounds that lead to those transition battles, physical and offense. Like Scotty Barnes has to just straight up bully heaven, mobility. And if he's able to draw Jared Allen over and help, it's going to have to be Jacoperto cleaning things up on the back. And they're going to have to do some damage on the offensive class surgical mid range scoring from Ingram. He's going to have a lot of help behind him at the rim. He's going to need to be able to hit shots over the top. And they're going to need a ton of dribble penetration from their guards. And it's, it's just a narrow path. It's a narrow path that over and over again this season,

15:26the raptors have been unable to thread when they've played the upper level competition in this league. And no, Cleveland, Cleveland is not a Boston Detroit, Boston Detroit level talent, you know, in terms of when you're talking about the very, very best teams in the league, the, the nicks as well. I lump in there when I'm talking about the upper level teams that Toronto has struggled with over the tail end of the season. But Cleveland is pretty close to that level. Like they're not far off of that like nicks Celtics level. And I put Cleveland kind of on the same tiers Detroit right now in terms of what I view them as an overall playoff team. So like I don't think this is the type of matchup that that Toronto is going to have a lot of success with. They've struggled consistently with this. They're success against Cleveland early in the season, stemmed mostly from injuries. So I think in in the half court in particular, it's just a really good match up for Cleveland. So as long as Cleveland doesn't decompose

16:27under Toronto physicality, physical ball pressure, physicality under the rim, physical post ups and isos from guys like Scotty Barnes. As long as they hold up there, they should take care of business. I'm picking the calves in six. All right guys, that's all I have for today. As always, I sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting us and supporting the show. We'll be back tomorrow morning, Saturday morning with our one eight series previews. I will see you guys then. The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are built to keep going, backed by Toyota's reputation for legendary reliability. Step into a Tundra with the available iForce Max hybrid engine, delivering impressive torque and serious towing power. We'll take a look at Tacoma with an available power lift gate. So gear goes in fast and the adventure keeps moving. Toyota trucks are built to last year after year, mile after mile. So drive on home today, visit Toyota.com to find out more. Toyota, let's go places. Copenhagen spit free pouches are packed full of American

17:32grown tobacco made for welders stuck behind masks for mechanics stuck on a few spark plug. The long haul trucker is stuck in gridlock. Performance working late at the field office. Or anytime there's no time or space to spit, there's Copenhagen spit free pouches. Phantom and stores today, not all varieties available in all geographies. Warning, this product can cause mouth cancer. Geico presents a 30 second podcast between your podcast. Today's story is shared by one of our listeners. It's called Betrayed by Bill. It was in that moment I caught who was staring back at me in betrayal or more like what? My insurance bill. With trembling hands, I grabbed my phone and switched to Geico, saving about $900 in the process and never to be betrayed again. Now that was bloody riveting. It feels good when the story ends with savings. It feels good to Geico. What's up cousin? I want a new phone. Have you seen any good deals? Everyone has

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