![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mitchell-harden-050226-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Cavaliers will rely on the big-game experience from Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Download the NBA App<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n The first three games of the Toronto Raptors-Cleveland Cavaliers\u00a0first-round Eastern Conference series<\/a>\u00a0were decided by 10 or more points.\u00a0The next three were decided by five points or fewer, including\u00a0a\u00a0white-knuckle overtime ride\u00a0to the finish of Game 6.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a 3-3 NBA playoff series,\u00a0you\u2019d expect it to be close, and the numbers reflect\u00a0that. The Cavaliers and Raptors have each scored 111.5 points per game; the Cavs are shooting 47.2%\u00a0from the field, 35% on 3-pointers and 72.2% on free throws; the Raptors are shooting 46.9%\/36.7%\/73.2%. Cleveland has collected 42.2 rebounds per game and Toronto\u00a041.5.\u00a0<\/p>\n In points per 100 possessions, the Raptors have a slightest edge, outscoring the Cavaliers 113.2-112.4.\u00a0<\/p>\n Through six games, the aggregate score is 669-669.\u00a0<\/p>\n Game 7 in Cleveland (7:30 ET, NBC\/Peacock<\/strong><\/a>) is\u00a0fitting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Here are three things to watch in Game 7:\u00a0<\/p>\n 1. Cleveland\u2019s Donovan Mitchell and James Harden\u00a0<\/p>\n Mitchell has played in 69 playoff games, and Harden 179. This is Harden\u2019s eighth Game 7 and Mitchell\u2019s third.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cavaliers will rely on their big-game experience. Harden has scored at least 22 points in Cleveland\u2019s three victories, and while he is a gifted passer\u00a0who\u00a0creates shots for teammates, his scoring is important. He was 5-for-14 from the field and 1-for-4 on 3-pointers for 16 points in Game 6.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mitchell\u2019s 11-for-26 from the field, 2-for-10 on 3s and zero free-throw attempts in Game 6 won\u2019t get it done. It\u2019s not all on Mitchell and Harden, but it starts with them. It\u2019s why the Cavaliers acquired Harden in a February trade deadline deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2. Toronto\u2019s Scottie Barnes<\/p>\n Scottie Barnes scores 25 points and dishes 14 assists, tying the franchise record for most in a postseason game.<\/p>\n Barnes has produced big games in the series: 33 points and 11 assists in Game 3; 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists in Game 4; and 25 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks in Game 6.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n He has been fantastic, and\u00a0Toronto needs\u00a0his scoring and playmaking if it wants to advance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s never on one player. RJ Barrett\u2019s scoring is necessary, and Collin Murray-Boyles is playing more like a veteran than the rookie he is.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But for the Raptors, it starts with Barnes, the two-time All-Star who the Raptors determined was the franchise centerpiece.\u00a0<\/p>\n 3. Home sweet home \u2014 or not<\/p>\n The home team has won every game\u00a0in this series, and prior to Saturday\u2019s Philadelphia-Boston Game 7, the home team\u00a0has\u00a0won\u00a0Game 7 74.2% of the time (115-40).\u00a0This is\u00a0also\u00a0the only first-round series where at least one team has not won on the road.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Cleveland has been impressive at home this season, winning 16 of 19 at home since\u00a0Jan. 23. While the home team has enjoyed overall success in Game 7s, there has been at least one Game 7 road winner in each of the past 10 seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at\u00a0jzillgitt@nba.com<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Cavaliers will rely on the big-game experience from Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. \u2022\u00a0Download the NBA App…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":770185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[315795,1260,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-770184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-cavs-raptors-game-7-preview","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116510066314220638","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/770185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}