Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell force Raptors to 9-year NBA Playoffs drought after Game 2 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Cleveland Cavaliers have now taken a commanding 2-0 NBA Playoffs series lead over the Toronto Raptors. For most fans, this will still be a shock.

But for longtime members of the Cavs faithful, it was not at all new. This is because Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are just continuing an Eastern Conference legacy that was started when LeBron James still played for the franchise.Cavaliers force Raptors to endure 9-year NBA Playoffs win droughtThe reason why the Cavaliers were heavily favored against the Raptors was more than the fact that they were the higher seed six wins. It was because the Raptors had not won a single NBA Playoffs game against the team for nine years, per StatMuse.

For context, the last time the Raptors were able to triumph was when LeBron James still played for the Cavaliers back in Game 4 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals.After that, the Raptors would lose 11-straight NBA Playoffs games and end their postseason fast in the hands of the Cavaliers.This game was not different and showed. Donovan Mitchell put up an offensive masterclass which brought the Cavaliers to a 115-105 win. He put up 30 points while knocking down 56.52% of his shots from the field while also knocking 40% of his threes.

Mitchell also dropped a game-high five assists to keep the Cavaliers offense going.James Harden, on the other hand, put out an all-around performance for the Cavaliers. He scored 28 points as 64% of his shots saw the bottom of the net. Whenever Mitchell was not holding the ball, Harden took on playmaking duties as he dropped four assists.

But, this was not the best part of his NBA Playoffs performance. Harden was a defensive menace. The Cavaliers veteran recorded five steals, five rebounds, and a block to prevent the Raptors from gaining any sort of offensive momentum.Nine years is a long time. If the Cavaliers continue this, this NBA Playoffs drought will last for over a decade while James hands over ownership of the Raptors to Mitchell and Harden.More Cavaliers News:Donovan Mitchell reveals why James Harden gives Cavs best NBA championship shotHow Coco Jones impacts Donovan Mitchell's definite answer on Cavs future before NBA PlayoffsDonovan Mitchell reveals how Cavaliers changed to accommodate James Harden