The Big 3 Was More Than Enough. Cavs Go Up 2-0.

Cleveland went into Game 2 exactly like they went into Game 1 — in control. And while the Raptors made it a real game in the second quarter and traded punches in the third, the story was the same when the final buzzer sounded: the Cavs are just the better team. Mitchell, Harden, and Mobley combined for 80 points and handled business. Cleveland wins 115-105, goes up 2-0 in the series, and now heads to Toronto for Game 3 Wednesday.

The bench struggled, the margin wasn't as comfortable as it looked on the scoresheet, but the Big 3 stepped up every single time the Raptors tried to make it a series. That's what good teams do. That's why Cleveland is going to win this series.

THE BIG 3 DID BIG 3 THINGS

Let's start with what matters most. Donovan Mitchell dropped 30 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Evan Mobley went for 25 points and eight boards. James Harden had 25 points and four assists. That's 80 points combined from three guys — on a night where the rest of the roster was basically invisible offensively.

Mitchell was doing his thing from jump. He was attacking the basket, getting to the free throw line, and making the right read every time Toronto tried to throw something different at him. There was a stretch in the third quarter where he caught the ball against RJ Barrett, crossed over twice, went behind his back, and got to his spot like Barrett wasn't even there. That kind of stuff cannot be guarded. And Mobley was a monster inside — he finished at the rim all night, mixed in some mid-range work, and the Raptors had no answer for him in the post.

Harden's line was quieter than Game 1 but his fingerprints were all over the win. He hit a stepback three late in the second quarter that made Scottie Barnes look like he was playing in quicksand, and he controlled the pace every minute he was on the floor. The offense looks completely different without him — slower, less decisive — and that showed in the stretches where Cleveland stalled.

📊 KEY STATS — GAME 2 Mitchell: 30 PTS · 7 REB · 5 AST Harden: 25 PTS · 4 REB · 4 AST Mobley: 25 PTS · 8 REB Allen: 10 PTS

THE RAPTORS FOUGHT, ESPECIALLY IN THE SECOND

I'll be honest — Toronto turned up the defensive intensity in the second quarter and made it a real game. They were physical, they were contesting shots, and for a stretch it looked like they might actually cut it to one possession. The Raptors came into the third within striking distance.

But here's the thing: they needed their whole team to do that. And they only had part of it. RJ Barrett was efficient — he went nine of twelve from the floor and gave Cleveland fits all night with his cutting. Scottie Barnes went ten of seventeen. But Brandon Ingram shot three of thirteen from the field. Three of thirteen. That is not winning basketball. Those are the kind of nights that get you eliminated, and on a night where Barrett and

Barnes both played well, Cleveland still won comfortably. Imagine how this series looks if Ingram finds his game.

"If you get the second quarter Raptors, I'll give them a game. But Brandon Ingram is not going to go three of fifteen again. That's not who he is. The question is whether the real Ingram shows up in Toronto."

Immanuel Quickley still hasn't played. His absence is killing their spacing and their ball movement. Every time the Raptors stalled in the fourth quarter looking for a shot creator, that was Quickley's presence missing from the floor.

THE BENCH NEEDS TO WAKE UP — AND IT WILL

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. The Cavs bench was bad in Game 2. Sam Merrill went two of six. Jaylon Tyson went one of four. Keon Ellis went zero of four from three. Dennis Schroeder shot one of five. Strus, who went nuclear in Game 1, was one of five in this one.

The bench combined for a brutal shooting night at a time when the starters needed some rest and some relief scoring. And what happened? The offense slowed down, the lead shrank, and suddenly Toronto was making it a game again late in the third.

Here's my real talk on this: it doesn't matter much in THIS series, but it absolutely has to get fixed before Cleveland runs into a tougher opponent. If this is the second round against the Pistons or the Magic, you cannot survive a 1-of-5 night from Sam Merrill. You can't win with Keon Ellis going zero-of-four from three when Mitchell needs a breather.

The good news? This is the series to work it out. Cleveland is in a comfortable position, and I fully expect the bench to find their rhythm sooner rather than later. But the alarm is on and the clock is ticking.

WHAT GAME 3 IN TORONTO LOOKS LIKE

Cleveland leads 2-0 and now heads to Scotiabank Arena for Game 3 Wednesday. Expect the Raptors to come out with a different energy on their home floor. They're going to try to make it loud, physical, and uncomfortable. That second quarter they showed in Game 2? That's what a full forty-eight minutes looks like when Toronto is desperate.

But I still feel like this series ends in a sweep when it's all said and done. This team isn't Boston 2023 where the Raptors had enough firepower to win games. The Cavs have too many ways to beat you, and the Big 3 is operating at a level where if you can't stop all three of them, you're losing. Toronto cannot stop all three of them.

If the bench finds any rhythm at all in Toronto, Cleveland is taking Game 3. If not, the Big 3 will still find a way. That's just who they are.

"The Raptors ain't messing with us. That's basically what this series is going to boil down to. If we lose a game, it's going to be because of the type of energy we saw in that second quarter — and I'm expecting a storm in Game 3. But Cleveland is still taking this series."

Mitchell. Harden. Mobley. See you Wednesday.

— Chef Zae / The CrocPot Podcast