The Cleveland Cavaliers made their bed. Now they have one game left to get out of it.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
24 points, 2 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 3 turnovers
Mitchell should be the best player on the floor. That hasn’t been true for four straight games. Mitchell has finished with a negative plus/minus in each game since Game 2 — and wasn’t able to change that even with his strong end to this one.
The Cavs nearly had enough to come back and win tonight. Mitchell’s in-between scoring helped bring them back, but his previous three quarters are what put them in the hole.
Grade: D+
James Harden
16 points, 9 assists, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers
Harden’s turnovers are hard to defend. He’s often so careless with the ball that it drives you crazy. His 5-14 shooting didn’t help either.
Still, Harden’s command of the offense has felt night and day compared to Mitchell. The Cavs at least have a chance with the way Harden is playing. He’s generating advantages, even if he isn’t consistently converting on them.
Grade: C+
Evan Mobley
26 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
The last two games have been huge for Mobley’s reputation. After consecutive stinkers in Toronto, Mobley put up back-to-back heroic fourth quarters in games 5-6.
Mobley nailed a corner three-pointer in the fourth quarter to keep Cleveland alive. Then, he buried CMB in the paint for the tying bucket. His defense helped hold the Raptors to just 12 points in the fourth quarter, and his shot-making felt like the counterstrike that the Cavs have needed with Mitchell struggling.
Grade: A
Jarrett Allen
14 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Allen deserves massive credit. He set the tone early by being aggressive on offense (even laying himself out on the opening possession). As the game went on, his contested rebounds were pivotal in Cleveland’s rally. Allen snagged some key boards and did all he could to get his team the weekend off.
I removed half a grade for his 2-6 free-throw shooting.
Grade: B+
Dean Wade
10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
Wade’s the best fit next to the core four. He’s proven that in this series. He’s done a phenomenal job defensively and is doing enough to stay on the floor offensively. I think the Cavs need to revert to Wade in the starting lineup for Game 7.
Grade: A-
Max Strus
6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Strus hasn’t gelled with the core four like he did in the past. I truly think that has more to do with Mitchell than him. Still, the Cavs can’t afford to keep him in this spot. Strus is undersized at the wing and hasn’t made a significant difference in how the Raptors defend the backcourt. He isn’t posing a big enough offensive threat to force an adjustment.
Grade: C–
Thomas Bryant
0 points, 2 rebounds
We’ve seen enough of Bryant in this matchup. He just doesn’t have it.
Grade: F
Jaylon Tyson
5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Tyson did his thing, floating in the short-roll and making plays from there. The only problem was his 1-5 shooting from downtown. That’s not going to cut it.
Grade: C+
Sam Merrill
2 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Merrill went 0-3 from deep and shot just 1-2 elsewhere. That caused him to play just 18 minutes as the rest of his game was tested by Toronto’s full-on attack.
Grade: D+
Dennis Schroder
7 points, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 turnovers
Schroder saved the day in Game 5. In Game 6, he partially threw it away. He shot 0-4 from the floor and flat-out made the wrong read at the end of the game.
Grade: D-