Cleveland Cavaliers First-Round NBA Playoffs Opponent Officially Locked In

The stage is set, we now know who will be traveling to Cleveland to start the playoffs, none other than the Toronto Raptors, a team who got the best of the Cavaliers during the 2025-26 Regular season.

The Raptors had the 3-0 edge over the Cavs this season, but so much has changed from their last matchup on November 24th where Toronto was victorious over the Cavs 110-99.

To place context on how long ago those games were, Lonzo Ball played 34 minutes in that game.

Cavs Raptors — Nov 15, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and Toronto Raptors forward Patrick Patterson (54) during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 121-117. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

While these two teams wouldn't necessarily be considered rivals, there is plenty of history for these two teams facing each other in the playoffs, during LeBron James' second era with the Cavs, the Cavs beat the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016, then the conference Semi-Finals in 2017 and 2018, including Toronto being the No. 1 seed in 2018, and the Cavs sweeping them on the way to the NBA Finals.

Though it looked like the Cavs would be facing the Hawks after Friday's loss, the Raptors were able to snag the 5th seed due to their win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Boston Celtics' defeat of the Orlando Magic, and the Atlanta Hawks losing to the Miami Heat.

Now, we look ahead to see how these two teams will match up against one another, and what advantages each team will have going into the series.

Mar 30, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (left) posts up against Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) and guard John Konchar (right) during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Where the Cleveland Cavaliers have the advantage:

Simply put, the Cavs have the better roster of the two teams. While Toronto does provide solid threats like Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, there isn't too much, if anything, where you look at both rosters and feel like Toronto has the advantage.

The first thing that jumps out is the Cavs' size vs Toronto. Even with Donovan Mitchell on the floor, the size of Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Dean Wade will give Toronto a lot of trouble in a best-of-seven series. Look for the Cavs to play more inside-out offense, and use Mobley a lot on inverted Pick & Rolls, especially with James Harden as the screener.

Where the Toronto Raptors have the advantage:

The biggest advantage Toronto will bring into this series is togetherness. The Raptors didn't have a major roster shake up similar to the Cavs this season, and have been together for some time. The Raptors have built a core out of guys like Barnes, Ingram, RJ Barrett, and Immaneul Quickley.

The Raptors do have a fairly deep bench with talented players like rookie Collin Murray-Boyles and Jamal Shead. The Raptors are also a skilled passing team, they were third in the NBA this season at assists per game with 29.5 as a team. The Raptors goal will be to spread the floor out, giving guys like Ingram and Barrett space to attack the Cavs and have Cleveland make decisions on who they will try to take out of the game.

What do the Cavs need to do to win this series:

If you're the Cavs, the biggest thing would be take care of the basketball and get back on defense. Toronto lead the NBA this season in fast break points with 18.6 per game. If the Cavs can set their defense and use their size they should be able to win the series.

Apr 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) dribbles up court during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

What can the Raptors do to win the series:

Toronto has been a really good defensive team this season, currently with the 5th defensive rating at 112.2. Though their offense is the middle of the pack, they have been able to stop teams from going on deep scoring runs.

Series Prediction:

With all due respect to the Raptors, the Cavaliers are simply a better team, and will have the home court advantage. While I do think Toronto can get a game or two, they simply will not be able to match the Cavs fire power necessary to beat Cleveland 4 times.

Cavs win in 6 games.