Schedule and 2015-16 Results
Regular Season Records: Cleveland 57-25, Toronto 56-26
Game 1 on Tuesday, 17 May: Toronto loses at Cleveland, 115-pts-84
Game 2 on Thursday, 19 May: Toronto loses at Cleveland, 108-pts-89
Game 3 on Saturday, 21 May: Cleveland loses at Toronto, 99-pts-84
Game 4 on Monday, 23 May: Cleveland loses at Toronto, 105-pts-99
Game 5 on Wednesday, 25 May: Toronto loses at Cleveland, 116-pts-78
Game 6 on Friday, 27 May: Cleveland wins at Toronto, 113-pts-87

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The Cleveland Cavaliers visited and defeated the Toronto Raptors 113-pts-87 to complete a 4-games-2 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1314 victory. With the series 1314 win, the Cleveland Cavaliers improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 16-9 overall and 3-3 in the Semifinals round. With the series 1314 loss, the Toronto Raptors see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 2-6 overall and 0-1 in the Semifinals round. The win order for the victorious Cleveland Cavaliers in series 1314 was WWLLWW: Series 1314 thus becomes the eleventh NBA Semifinals-round series, the 32nd NBA series (all rounds), and the 74th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The sum of the victory margins in series 1314 was 135 points over six games, which breaks the best-of-7 NBA playoff series record for largest sum of victory margins (previously held by series 1074, in which the victorious Atlanta Hawks and vanquished Miami Heat combined for a sum of victory margins of 134 points over seven games, in the 2009 NBA Preliminary round). The Cleveland Cavaliers also set a more obscure best-of-7 format NBA playoff record in series 1314 Games 5 and 6, winning them by a combined 64 points. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series history, the previous largest combined victory margin in Games 5 and 6 by one team was only 46 points, set in series 888 by the Detroit Pistons against the Orlando Magic and in series 895 by the Los Angeles Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves (both in the 2003 NBA Preliminary round).

After Game 5: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and defeated the Toronto Raptors 116-pts-78 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1314 lead of 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 7-1 (with an active four-series winning streak) and a Game 6 record of 5-3 (with an active four-Game 6 winning streak). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Toronto Raptors have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 6 record of 1-1. The 38-point series 1314 Game 5 victory by Cleveland over Toronto is the largest victory margin in a best-of-7 format NBA Semifinals game since series 843, in which the Los Angeles Lakers hosted and defeated the San Antonio Spurs 111-pts-72 in Game 3 of their 2001 NBA Semifinals series.

After Game 4: The Toronto Raptors hosted and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-pts-99 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1314 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 5-6 and a Game 5 record of 6-5, while the Toronto Raptors have a series record of 2-2 and a Game 5 record of 3-1 (with an active three-Game 5 winning streak).

After Game 3: The Toronto Raptors hosted and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-pts-84 to reduce the Cleveland Cavaliers best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 1314 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 5-2 and a Game 4 record of 3-4. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Toronto Raptors have a series record of 0-3 and a Game 4 record of 1-2. The series 1314 Game 3 loss thus ends the Cleveland Cavaliers' winning streak from the start of the 2016 NBA playoffs at ten games, thus tying the 2012 San Antonio Spurs for the longest winning streak from the start of an NBA playoff season since the NBA adopted the format of four rounds of best-of-7 series in 2003. When the 2012 San Antonio Spurs' ten-game winning streak ended in series 1183 Game 3, the Oklahoma City Thunder proceeded to win Games 4-6 and their 2012 NBA Semifinals series against the Spurs. In the last two best-of-7 NBA playoff series in which the Cleveland Cavaliers led 2-games-1, Cleveland lost Games 4-6 and the series (series 1112, in the 2010 NBA Quarterfinals against the Boston Celtics; series 1283, in the 2015 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors).

After Game 2: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and bested the Toronto Raptors 108-pts-89 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1314 lead of 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 10-0 and a Game 3 record of 7-3 (with an active four-Game 3 winning streak). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Toronto Raptors have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 3 record of 1-1. Series 1314 Game 2 becomes the tenth consecutive game won by the Cleveland Cavaliers since the start of the 2016 NBA playoffs, tying the '16 Cavaliers with the 2012 San Antonio Spurs for most consecutive wins since the start of an NBA playoff season since the NBA adopted the best-of-7 format for its Preliminary round in 2003. (After the 10th San Antonio win in 2012, the Spurs then lost four consecutive games and series 1183 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Semifinals.)

After Game 1: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and topped the Toronto Raptors 115-pts-84 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1314 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 12-1 (with an active four-series winning streak) and a Game 2 record of 10-3 (with an active four-Game 2 winning streak). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Toronto Raptors have a series record of 2-4 and a Game 2 record of 4-2. The Cleveland victory in series 1315 Game 1 is the ninth consecutive victory by the Cavaliers without a loss thus far in the 2016 NBA playoff season. The 31-point Cleveland victory in series 1315 Game 1 is the largest margin of victory in Game 1 of a best-of-7 NBA Semifinals series since series 768, in which the Utah Jazz hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 112-pts-77 in 1998, en route to a four-game series sweep.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2015-16 NBA regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers finished one game ahead of the Toronto Raptors. From 1947 through the 2016 NBA Quarterfinals round, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by one regular-season game, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 17-21 (.447) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1314 is the 25th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the eighth for the Toronto Raptors. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have an all-rounds series record of 15-9, a Semifinals-round series record of 2-3, and a Game 1 record of 13-11, while the Toronto Raptors have an all-rounds series record of 2-5, a Semifinals-round series record of 0-0, and a Game 1 record of 1-6 (with an active six-Game 1 losing streak). Series 1314 is the first best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors.