officially ruled out with a hamstring injury<\/a> that had him questionable all week. For a muscle injury to be bad enough for him to miss the game, it’s unlikely he will be at 100 percent for quite some time – potentially not for the entire series.<\/p>\nFinding safe places for both James Harden and Donovan Mitchell to exist on defense is always a challenge – less of a challenge than when Darius Garland was still on the team, but certainly not an easy one. Taking Quickley, the team’s best two-way guard, out of the lineup should have Cleveland coaches breathing a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n
Quickley will likely be replaced in the starting lineup by backup point guard Jamal Shead, a defensive pest whose offensive game is extremely limited. He is their version of Isaac Okoro, a player the Cavaliers eventually had to move because of those offensive limitations. That will help the Cavs on defensive tremendously.<\/p>\n
The Raptors are now easier to defeat<\/p>\n
The Raptors are still stocked with talented players, from Evan Mobley’s arch-nemesis Scottie Barnes to undeserving All-Star Brandon Ingram to old New York Knicks foe RJ Barrett. They have some interesting pieces coming off the bench. Without Quickley, however, their ceiling is capped — and it’s remarkably close to the Cavaliers’ floor.<\/p>\n
They can now go out and stomp the Raptors in Game 1, setting the tone and notching that all-important first win onto their belts. Go up 2-0, and they fly to Canada in a dominant position. And more importantly, with some of that pressure easing off.<\/p>\n
Quickley is the only Raptors player listed on the injury report, while the Cavaliers have a clean bill of health heading into the series. Game 1 is now there for the taking — all Cleveland has to do is close their first. <\/p>\n
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