Commentary: Plenty on the line for Cavs team that could employ the best roster in years

If this is the year the Cavaliers are finally going be taken seriously as postseason threats, then the following cannot be repeated: In the first round of the 2023 Eastern Conference playoffs, the Cavs were eliminated by the Knicks in five games. In the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cavs were eliminated by the Celtics in five games. In the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cavs were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in five games. In other words, in the last three years the Cavs' postseason record was 3-12. Friday night in Toronto, the Cavs were a win away from eliminating the Toronto Raptors. The game was not expected to be a blowout in either direction, unless it was. The Cavs came into the game with a record of 3-2, a win by The Fighting Atkinsons would advance the Cavs to the next round of the playoffs. A loss by the Cavs would force a crucial Game 7 to decide which of the two teams advances. A loss by Toronto would eliminate the Raptors from the tournament. A loss by the Cavs would still keep Cleveland in the hunt, thanks to what would be a Cavs' homecourt advantage for the deciding Game 7. In addition to that, even if the Cavs lose to Toronto in Game 6, Cleveland's two home run hitters, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, would, barring injuries, be in the lineup for a deciding Game 7. There would, however, be more at stake than that for the Cavs, who, with a Game 7 loss, would have lots of explaining to do. This version of the Cavs is perhaps the best roster of talent they have produced in several years. Start with the starting five of Mitchell, Harden, Evan Mobley, Max Strus and Jarrett Allen, and bench players Dean Wade and Sam Merrill. It's a loaded roster filled with experience and anxious to prove it on the court. That, of course, only counts for something if the Cavs do what they should with a roster this prolific. Not to mention the fact that this roster has two future Hall of Famers in Mitchell and Harden, plus two big men in Allen and Mobley and a bench that features talented and experienced replacements. It's a team that has too much talent to be swept away so early in the tournament. But that's where the Cavs are as they take the floor Friday in hopes of beating a Toronto team, playing at home, that has enough young and talented players to make this Game 6 a nightmare for the opposition. When it comes down to it, however, this specific game is the specific reason why Cavs officials loaded up the roster at the start of a season in which the front office clearly was preparing for battle with multiple talented opposing teams capable of dismantling a Cavs team that was built to win games like the one that will be played tonight in Canada. For all their wins and all their exciting finishes and all the heroic dunks and slams, the Cavs are still a team that needs to prove it is capable of winning a pivotal game against a young and hungry opponent that is capable, with all it's energy, of making a night miserable for a team that specializes in making nights miserable for the other team. There is a reason why so much has been, and is being expected for this Cavs team that, even with Mitchell and Harden leading the way, has yet to confirm the legitimacy of this franchise, when it opposes teams as intimidating as the Cavs can be. Come what may tonight, there is plenty on the line for both teams, not just tonight, but in a potential Game 7 that potentially would determine the ultimate outcome. If the series does go the limit, the Cavs will have some explaining to do should the Raptors, not the Cavs, advance to the next round. It's a Cavs team that has been continually praised by those who get paid to praise. Now, however, it's go time. It's winning time. A Cavs collapse now, in this game — be it 6 or 7 — in this series, or both, will leave a sour taste in the mouths of fans who, for too many games in too many years, have endured both. Email Jim Ingraham at jingraham4@gmail.com.