Max Strus said being in the playoffs is a privilege, but he also made clear the Cleveland Cavaliers know the price that comes with it. Cleveland hosts the Toronto Raptors for Game 1 on Saturday, and Strus said the Cavaliers need to be mentally tougher after Toronto swept the regular-season series.
The Raptors' three wins over Cleveland came early, between October and November, when the Cavaliers were shorthanded with several players out injured. Strus, who missed the first 67 games with a foot injury before returning March 15 against the Dallas Mavericks, said that history cannot be brushed aside. "They beat us, they played well against us, and it's easy to watch film on that and understand the game and the situation and how they do things and how they like to play," he said.
Strus said the burden is heavier because Cleveland is one of the most experienced teams in the postseason. That, he said, should make the Cavaliers better prepared to handle what comes next. "We know what they like to do, we know how they would like to play, we just got to be mentally tougher," Strus said. He added that the team needs to find "that extra gear," push through fatigue and survive the tough moments that tend to decide playoff games.
The tension for Cleveland is that the regular season offered little comfort against Toronto, even if the context was different. The Raptors won those three meetings while the Cavaliers were depleted, and Strus said that explains the results without excusing them. "We didn't have our full team during that time, but it's not an excuse," he said. That is the test now: whether Cleveland can turn experience into execution when the margin shrinks and every possession matters.
For Strus, the opener is more than a first step. After a season delayed by injury, he is asking for the Cavaliers to meet the moment with the kind of edge that playoff basketball punishes if it is missing.