18 Turnovers and Weak Bigs: Cavs Beat Themselves and Mobley/Allen Were Invisible

18 turnovers. That's not a loss. That's a self-inflicted wound.

Raptors 93, Cavaliers 89. Game 4. Series tied 2-2. And the Cavs threw this one away with sloppy basketball and weak play from their two biggest guys.

What Happened

Donovan Mitchell went 6 for 24. That's the headline everyone's gonna focus on. But that's not the real story.

The real story is 18 turnovers. Bad passes. Lost balls. Charging into trouble. The Cavs were careless. They weren't sharp. They looked like a team that thought it could just show up and win.

And where were the big men? Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen were invisible. Not playing bad. Invisible. You got two All-Star caliber bigs and they don't show up when you need them.

James Harden had 19 points. He was efficient. He was doing what he's supposed to do. But even Harden can't fix 18 turnovers and weak paint defense from your two best post guys.

Mobley and Allen Did Nothing

This is the part that's actually concerning. Mitchell has bad shooting nights. That happens. But Mobley and Allen are supposed to be the foundation of your defense.

They got pushed around. They didn't control the boards. They didn't protect the rim. They let the Raptors just play in the paint.

That's not effort. That's not bad luck. That's weak.

The Shooting Didn't Help

Mitchell shot himself out of the game early. Then he couldn't get back in rhythm. He missed a three that would have tied it with 25 seconds left. He finished 6 for 24.

The Cavs were shooting threes when they should have been running offense through the post. They were forcing when they should have been patient.

Toronto Had No Business Winning This

Real talk. The Raptors are not the better team. But they played better today. Scottie Barnes hit free throws when it mattered. Brandon Ingram was efficient. They didn't beat themselves.

The Cavs did. 18 turnovers at home with your two best interior defenders playing soft.

What's Next

Game 5 is in Cleveland. They get another chance. But Kenny Atkinson is gonna have to get in Mobley and Allen's face about showing up. You can't have your best post defenders disappear.

That's the real problem. Not Mitchell. Not the turnovers. It's that your franchise guys in the paint didn't play like it.

Fix that and the Cavs win Game 5. Don't fix it and they're headed back to Toronto needing a Game 7.