Commentary: Cavaliers meet challenge of feisty Raptors, emerge victorious with spirited fourth quarter

If you don't like Dennis Schroder, you don't like basketball. Wednesday night at Rocket Arena, with the Cavs' season disintegrating before their very eyes, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson unleashed his secret weapon on the feisty, yet unsuspecting Toronto Raptors, and all he did was save the Cavaliers' season. Schroder was a desperately needed addition to the Cavs' late-game, save-our-season battalion, and it was Schroder, of all people, who led the charge, saved the Cavs' season and, perhaps, his coach's job. Other than that, it was just another day at the office for Schroo-dog. And not a moment too soon. With chaos oozing everywhere, with the Cavs' front-line regulars trying to bring some order to the court, with the Raptors desperately trying to avoid having their late-game lead dissolve, Schroo-dog took the game by the leash and did much of the heavy lifting at crunch time in an unbelievably tense game that didn't end until the Cavs, the Cavs' secret weapon, the Cavs' fans and Schroo-dog himself declared it over. The final score in Game 5 of this incredibly tense series: Cavs 125, Raptors 120. Schroder, who didn't even take off his warmups in the second half until the start of the fourth quarter, was all over the court making baskets, preventing baskets and frustrating the Raptors, who had given the Cavs fits for the entire game, or at least until a frustrated Coach Atkinson barked: "Schroder! Get in there and do something!'' A half-hour later, the Cavs put the final touches on a breathlessly dramatic game that threatened to end their season and crush their fan base, but instead has extended their season and demoralized their opposition, to the point that Kenny's Kids only have to win one of their remaining two games in order to keep their spot in what has become a wildly exciting and entertaining NBA postseason. Indeed, this Cavs-Raptors series has captured the attention of the hoops-happy crowd. How could it not? It's Ohio vs. "O Canada". The Cavs' five-point victory over Team Raptor gives Cleveland a 3-to-2 lead in the best-of-seven pie fight. Stick around, you haven't seen anything yet. Well, actually, you have, but there is still more to come. Probably lots more. These teams don't like each other, and only one of them is going to advance in the tournament. Wednesday's hostilities featured all kinds of good and bad basketball that was so intriguing the home team had to struggle mightily just to keep up. Team Toronto had the best of the arm wrestling in the early portions of the scrum. But in the second half the Cavs suddenly started playing like they had remembered that the game was still going on. The Cavs' double-barrel Kid Dynamite (Donovan Mitchell and James Harden) took turns being their versions of Superman, and they needed to, because the team from the Great White North was a handful for most of the game. The teams took turns taking the lead and then giving it back. It wasn't until the later stages of the third quarter that Kenny's Kids put on their work boots and went to work. The highlight of that was the firm of Mitchell and Harden taking control of the game. That was needed, because the clock was running and the Cavs still weren't winning. Naturally, the teams took turns roughing up the other, but that only accelerated the competition that really didn't need much more competition, because they had already been street fighting for most of the third quarter. That, however, was good news for the Cavs, whose front line of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen finally started throwing their weight and elbows around, which helped stifle the visitors' orneriness. Mobley and Allen countered by Mobley and Allen-ly the visitors, which, of course led to multiple instances of barking by both parties toward the other. That's when Rocket Arena started rocking, and Coach Kenny looked down at his bench and barked: "Schroo-dog! Get in there!" Schroo-dog did as he was told, and that was when the game eventually became decided. Indeed, it was that rarest of Cavs games in which Mobley AND Allen put on their work boots and went to work. Just in the nick of time. This was the game that felt like the game that will ultimately decide which team advances and which team goes home. Seeing Allen AND Mobley actively skirmishing whenever necessary appeared to inspire their teammates, and for the final five minutes of the game, there was little doubt which team was headed for the winner's circle. For now, anyway. The Cavs lead in the series 3-2, so the hostilities aren't over yet. The Raptors certainly seem to enjoy locking horns with Donovan and the Donovanettes, and if all else fails, Schroo-dog is waiting in the wings. Contact Jim Ingraham at jingraham4@gmail.com.