TORONTO – Being over six-foot-seven can be considered tall in most walks of life, but within the NBA, that makes you an undersized forward.
That shall be Toronto Raptors’ challenge of their first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Although seven-foot Jakob Poeltl, six-foot-nine Sandro Mamukelashvili and six-foot-seven Collin Murray-Boyles aren’t short by anyone’s definition, they’ll be tangling with Cleveland’s frontcourt of six-foot-nine Jarrett Allen and six-foot-11 Evan Mobley. Murray-Boyles, who has impressed at centre in his rookie season for Toronto, said he couldn’t emulate the sport of Mobley, last season’s Defensive Player of the 12 months, even when he desired to.
“I don’t know if I can study that. He’s got a pair inches on me,” joked Murray-Boyles on Thursday. “I’ve watched most of his film and he’s just blocking shots and mucking it up within the paint.”
The Raptors had the NBA’s fifth-best defensive rating within the regular season (113.25) which helped them earn the Eastern Conference’s No. 5 seed. Smart defensive switches and the flexibility of all-star swingman Scottie Barnes, helped them overcome taller opponents.
Making switches at an elite level shall be needed against Mobley, Allen and guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.
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“They’re a extremely, really good team and have lots of good pieces,” said Murray-Boyles. “It’s going to be a extremely good challenge for me and the team as a complete. The matchup is pretty good as we now have Scott guarding their guards.
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“They’ve a extremely good backcourt, a extremely good frontcourt, really don’t have many weaknesses.”
Cleveland is nearly the alternative of Toronto, with the sixth-best offensive rating (119.26) within the league which helped carry the team to No. 4 within the East. The Raptors beat Cleveland in all three of their regular-season matchups, but all of them got here before the Cavaliers traded for Harden, a surefire Hall of Famer who’s averaging 23.6 points per game in 70 contests split between Cleveland and the Los Angeles Clippers.
“We ended the season being the fifth-best defence within the league, and that’s without having seven-foot something players protecting and changing shots on the rim,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic. “Every little thing for our defence starts with how well we guard the ball and the way well we stay in front of the ball.
“It’s not only necessarily pressuring the complete court and attempting to make them commit turnovers. It’s really making the center of them being physical with them, slow them down. I believe we’ve got to do this.”
Mamukelashvili was one in all only five reserves in the whole NBA that scored over 600 points and pulled down over 300 rebounds. He thinks it might be a mistake to get away from the tactics that helped Toronto qualify for the playoffs for the primary time in 4 years.
“Should you make the playoffs and also you switch up your whole routine, like, what got you thru 82 games?” he said after practice at Toronto’s OVO Athletic Centre. “There have been some tough games, must-win games.
“I feel like now the one thing you’ve got to do is monitor sleep, ensure you get your rest. But all the pieces else is identical. I get up, I walk my dogs, come here and watch the film, then walk my dogs again.”
Each Murray-Boyles and Mamukelashvili said they’ll need to be more physical to decelerate the Cavaliers.
“Rise up in peoples’ grills, but, also, I actually have to be smart,” said Murray-Boyles. “This shall be a extremely big challenge for me to remain out of foul trouble and really lock into personnel and lock into what I want to achieve this I will be effective in the sport.”
Mamukelashvili said every possession will matter.
“It’s not the very best player, but the very best team that wins, and whoever plays harder and whoever wants it more,” said Mamukelashvili. “Also with playoff basketball you’ll be able to never underestimate anybody, but in addition you can’t be terrified of anybody.
“You’ve just got to return on the market and just play hard.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press