Commentary: Cavs ran up the white flag in Game 3 loss at Toronto

What makes them give up? That was the start of a conversation I had with myself after watching the Cavaliers stagger through the fourth quarter of their playoff loss to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night. I was struck by how not-hard the Cavs were playing. They certainly had all the reason to do so since this was, well, you know, a playoff game and everything. The Cavs had already won the first two games of the series. They only had to win two more games to eliminate the Raptors, who were playing as though their playoff lives were at stake, which they were. The Cavs, however, displayed no such intensity. They appeared to be playing the game as though it would be just a matter of time before they would eliminate the home team from the tournament. But then, in the second half of the game, the Cavs seemed to lose interest and the Raptors were more than happy to use the Cavs' la-de-dah approach to the game. Bad idea. The Cavs won the first two games of the series, but did so by playing both games at home. The series then shifted to Toronto, as did the tone of the competition. The Raptors suddenly became the aggressors, and the Cavs suddenly became a poorer version of the Washington Wizards. That change in geography changed everything, starting with the fact that the Cavs were no longer playing at home, but the Raptors were. The result was a complete change, not just on the scoreboard, but on the tenor of the competition. The Raptors, and their fans, immediately became the hunters, and the Cavs became the hunted. That flipped the script of this series that, for the Cavs, started as smoothly as expected, but then the roof caved in, and so did the Cavs' ability to do anything about it. Indeed, everything flipped — for the Raptors for the better and for the Cavs for the worst. The absolute worst. The home team became instantly energized by their fans, while the Cavs became totally discombobulated. Not for a few minutes, but for the remainder of the game. The Raptors went on a game-ending mission that completely disheveled their Ohio visitors. The Cavs were in immediate disarray, while the Raptors were large and in charge. It was a complete competitive turnaround, with the Raptors, for the first time in the series, having their way with the visitors, and the Cavs trying to figure out how all this happened. For the Cavs, and for the Cavs' fans, the biggest problem was that Cleveland's two moneymakers and basket-makers, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, were, for whatever reason, reduced to mere statues. That signaled trouble, and all of a sudden, the Cavs became the Cav-nots. Coach Kenny Atkinson did what he could to halt the gruesome turnaround, but it wasn't enough to impact what needed impacting. The Toronto crowd, of course, was out of control while gleefully watching its team toying with Cleveland's team, which only led to even more Buckeye chaos added to what quickly became a Cavalier dismantling. The final statistics told the story of an Ohio team's attempt at making quick work of this initial playoff competition. At least that was the plan. But in the span of one NBA game, the Cavs went from being a formidable opponent for any NBA franchise to one that is not. Or something like that. Let's just say that this particular playoff series is far from over. The Cavs, who were semi-demolished 126-104, certainly looked like a worn-out opponent as they left the court while being jeered by fans who couldn't get enough of watching the discombobulated Cavs stagger off the stage following Game 3. The Cavs still lead the series 2-1, but it didn't feel like it near the end of Game 3. The statistics from that game, nor the taunting of Toronto's fans, as the vanquished visitors shuffled off the court, probably didn't ease Atkinson's nerves. All that ruckus, all those taunts and all that bad basketball the Cavs played Thursday aren't going to be easily forgotten. For example: In that game the Cavs' largest lead was five points. Five. Toronto's largest lead was 25 points. The percentage of the game in which Toronto had the lead was 80. The percentage of the game in which the Cavs had the lead was 10. So how do you like the playoffs so far? Contact Jim Ingraham at jingraham4@gmail.com.