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Raptors vs Wizards: outside shooting disappears as Toronto loses 93-86 in OT – Raptors Rapture
Washington’s big men were doing exactly what we feared they would. The Raps don’t have the heft to hold these guys off the glass. Nene, Drew Gooden and Marcin Gortat grabbed 11 offensive rebounds to the Raps’ 2. With DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry a combined 4 of 13, there were a lot of boards to grab the other way, but our guys didn’t pull them down. Greivis Vasquez moved the ball well enough, but his lack of quickness was exposed. He took no shots in 12+ minutes as the fired-up Wiz were all over him. Paul Pierce wasn’t troubled by the verbal commentary from the crowd, as he scored 10 points in Q2, including a pair of long balls. The Raps were behind by four at the break, having surrendered the 4-point margin they held after 12 minutes.
Toronto Raptors lose Game One to the Washington Wizards
Offense: B+ If I wrote this report at the end of the third quarter, the grade would not be so generous. The first half of ball was a fairly even match-up (as predicted). Patrick Patterson showed up in front of his former Kentucky coach John Calipari with 10 points off the bench. Joining Pat in the “Slightly more immune to criticism” club is Amir Johnson, who recorded eight points in the first half and finished the contest with 18. Aside from the bigs, Lowry and DeRozan put up just six points apiece at the break. As Raptor fans undoubtedly know, low energy from the backcourt bleeds into the rest of the starters and proves detrimental to offensive output. Terrence Ross shot 0-6 from deep. That should tell you enough about his decision making in this one. Jonas Valanciunas was active in the early minutes, getting deep post position against Marcin Gortat but putting up just two points at halftime.
Thoughts on the Wizards’ win in Game 1 & Predictions for Game 2 vs. the Raptors – Bullets Forever
It might be hard to believe, but there is a reason why we’re sitting on the couch while Randy Wittman is on the sideline. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, the man is doing something right even if it’s not pretty. What concerned me after our victory in Game 1 is how people are trying to find other things to bash Wittman about: -Inability to draw a play at crunch time -4th Quarter Collapse (criticism deserved) -A step late when calling timeouts -An offense scheme that rivals the era of the Raptors themselves -A laundry list of other failures people will gladly mention in the comment section.
Raptors’ top players off the mark in Game 1 | Simmons | Raptors | Sports | Toronto
Greivis Vasquez walked across the floor of the Raptors dressing room, glanced back at an area congregated by reporters and then said to one in particular: “They shot 35%.” It was an imperfect — but telling — comment for an imperfect beginning to the playoffs for the Raptors. It was just off the mark. The entire afternoon was. The game. The atmosphere inside the Air Canada Centre looked and sounded like a choir of missed notes. Almost everything about the Raptors seemed just a little off Saturday. Kyle Lowry knew what kind of day it was. The kind he didn’t expect to experience.
The Truth hurts: Paul Pierce shows Toronto why he’s here yet again – CBSSports.com
“I don’t mind playing the role of underdog or villain or whatever you guys want to call it,” Pierce said after the game. “I’m out here just trying to help my team win. Trying to get the mental edge. Just a veteran presence. Anything I can give them, I have a lot of experience in this game I’ve been around a long time, been in every situation you an probably think of. I’m trying to give us an edge somehow.” “If that’s the role you’re going to play, you’ve just got to embrace it. It’s not that I’m a bad guy. Everybody knows I’m a good guy off the court. That’s the role you probably portray to the media, on the court, on the road, everybody is booing you, nobody likes you. I embrace it and it fuels me.”
Bradley Beal scored 16 points on 6-for-23 shooting Saturday. (Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post) TORONTO –Paul Pierce has repeated the refrain since he arrived in Washington: The Washington Wizards will go only as far as John Wall and Bradley Beal take them. The young, dynamic guards are the franchise cornerstones, the duo selected to shepherd the organization out of a dark epoch, and the biggest reason why Pierce viewed the District as a desirable landing spot. But the Wizards needed to find their way without the guards’ best work on Saturday and they did, overcoming their shooting struggles in a 93-86 Game 1 overtime winover the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. For the second straight year, Wall and Beal began the playoffs with forgettable performances. Last spring they netted a combined 29 points on 7-for-25 shooting in Game 1 against the Chicago Bulls. On Saturday, they were worse, compiling 26 points on a ghastly 11-for-41 effort, missing a variety of open looks near and far from the basket. “It’s always tough because you want to make every shot,” said the 21-year-old Beal, who scored 16 points on 6-for-23 shooting. “I think the toughest one are the ones when you are wide open, the ones that you make every day in practice or in shoot-around in general. We know that for this team to win we have to step up.” While Wall and Beal weren’t at their best offensively, they helped stifle the Raptors’ own standout back court. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan were nearly as inefficient, combining to post 22 points on 8-for-30 shooting. “It’s not just scoring, it’s defensively and I think we both did that,” said Beal, who compiled nine rebounds and six assists. “I think we did a good job of rebounding, moving the ball when we had the opportunity to because they doubled the pick-and-rolls. We just played our game, let the game come to us and just played within the flow.”
Wizards let Raptors back in, but win Game 1 in OT behind Paul Pierce | Ball Don’t Lie – Yahoo Sports
The bigger problem for Toronto wasn’t anything Pierce said, but how he played. The 37-year-old changed the game in the first half after being moved to the four position — just as he did with the Brooklyn Nets in their first-round series against the Raptors last season — and scored 10 of his game-high 20 points in the second quarter. That outburst mattered in a low-scoring game that saw both teams shoot less than 40 percent from the field on the day. Toronto saw particular scoring struggles, with key players DeMar DeRozan (15 points on 6-of-20 FG) and Lou Williams (10 points on 4-of-16 FG) playing inefficiently. But the true nightmare belonged to point guard Kyle Lowry, who shot 2-of-10 for seven points and fouled out in just 33 minutes (although his counterpart John Wall also had a poor game with 10 points on 5-of-18 shooting). Lowry was deservedly voted to his first All-Star Game this February but fell off considerably in the second half of the season while dealing with a back injury. He will need to play far better if the Raptors hope to win this series.
Raptors must rebound after soft showing – Article – TSN
Playoff basketball is about toughness, both of the physical and mental variety. Casey knows that, his team is coming to understand it, but talk is cheap. “That was the game,” he said roughly four hours later. Toronto had just fallen 93-86 in overtime. The Raptors, not unlike the Wizards in many ways, had been all kinds of awful. Neither team could buy a bucket or produce anything resembling a coherent offence for most of the afternoon. None of the featured guards, on either side, made much of an impact. The list goes on but, rightly so, Casey kept going back to the top of it. Rebounding. “We talked about it,” he continued. “And it’s not just our big guys, it’s everybody. We start watching when the shot goes up and we’ve got to get in and clean up the boards. We know that. It’s been an issue. We do a good job, we don’t do a good job. So we’ve got to get consistent with it. And until we make it a priority it’
Wizards Killer, Lou Williams, led Toronto’s late finish by drilling two long range 3-pointers, causing familiar angst among Washington fans. Greivis Vasquez tied the game up on a deep three with 20 seconds left in regulation. His celebratory wiggle would have made Antoine Walker blush. After a predictable Wall isolation jumper failed, Toronto threw up a lob from the side of the court on an inbounds play with .4 seconds remaining that was almost tipped in by Otto Porter. If the Wizards lost a playoff game by their own player, poor Otto would have been enshrined in the Shaqtin’ a Fool Hall of Fame. Exhale….
Paul Pierce embraces villain role as Wizards steal Game 1
“I’ve been in a lot of tough environments,” Pierce told USA TODAY Sports. “This is right up there at the top. Even last year when we won the series, I didn’t want to come back to Toronto and be in this environment. It’s a tough place to play in. “You’ve got to love these moments. These type of buildings that support their team. It was one of the best crowds I’ve ever been a part of on the road. It’s something that drives me. I enjoy going and getting a win on the road more than I do at home.” The 17-year NBA veteran proved the crowd didn’t bother him with his performance. Pierce made seven of 10 shots in a little more than 36 minutes of floor time. That included four 3-pointers, the most meaningful of which came at the beginning of overtime to put his team up 85-82.
Paul Pierce embraces villain role as Wizards steal Game 1
“I’ve been in a lot of tough environments,” Pierce told USA TODAY Sports. “This is right up there at the top. Even last year when we won the series, I didn’t want to come back to Toronto and be in this environment. It’s a tough place to play in. “You’ve got to love these moments. These type of buildings that support their team. It was one of the best crowds I’ve ever been a part of on the road. It’s something that drives me. I enjoy going and getting a win on the road more than I do at home.” The 17-year NBA veteran proved the crowd didn’t bother him with his performance. Pierce made seven of 10 shots in a little more than 36 minutes of floor time. That included four 3-pointers, the most meaningful of which came at the beginning of overtime to put his team up 85-82.
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“Typical Uri,” said Pierce, mispronouncing the general manager’s name either by accident or for show. “You heard what he said last year when I was in Brooklyn. I could really care less. I think I can play the psychological war a little bit better than him.” Ujiri, with his light profanity, was on brand. And so were the Raptors. Despite a late comeback, the Raptors played a poor overall game, and they did so in a lot of the same ways that they failed over the final few months of the year.
Raptors fall to Wizards in overtime in playoff opener – The Globe and Mail
“I was aggressive; I didn’t shy away from a lot of shots I’m used to taking,” said Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan. “We missed a lot of easy shots as a team.” Beal contributed 16 for Washington, while Wall was held to 10. Amir Johnson was Toronto’s leading scorer with 18, while DeRozan had 15, and Vasquez, Williams and Patrick Patterson each had 10. Lowry had seven on 2-of-10 shooting. James Johnson didn’t get into the game. “Believe me, I heard people yelling to put James in, but who do you take out?,” said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. “There will be a place for James in this series, and I’ve talked to him about that.” At the end of the day, being out-rebounded 61-48 stung Toronto. Allowing opponents too many second-chance baskets has been a lingering issue, and that surfaced again, as Washington grabbed 19 offensive boards.
As expected, Randy Wittman made some changes to his rotations to start the playoffs, but not all the ones we were anticipating. He went to a stretch four early, but it was Drew Gooden in tandem with Nene, rather than the Pierce-Gortat pairing many were expecting to see. But in fairness to Wittman, his hand may have been forced by Gortat picking up two early fouls, so that decision was understandable. The more confusing decision was opting to go with a lineup that featured four reserves (Sessions, Porter, Gooden and Seraphin) for the early minutes of the second quarter. As you’d expect Patrick Patterson destroyed that lineup until Wittman went to the Wizards’ White Whale lineup of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, Paul Pierce and Marcin Gortat. As you’d expect, the lineup delivered the spacing the Wizards needed, and unleashed Pierce in a role where he can be an effective scorer. The lineup was a +12 in the first half and guided the Wizards to halftime with a four point lead.
Wizards Take Game One in Toronto
This was why the Wizards went out and got Paul Pierce. He led all scorers with 20 points and the Wizards stole game one in Toronto in overtime, 93-86. Toronto made a huge comeback late to send the game into OT, but Washington shut the door in the extra session, outscoring Toronto 11-4 to get the victory. Clutch veteran performances and outstanding defense were the story of the day for Washington. Pierce and Nene, two guys who played precious few minutes down the stretch, showed they were well rested as they starred for Washington. Pierce got hot when they needed him most and ended up leading all scorers with 20 points on 7/10 shooting, including 4/7 from deep, while Nene set the tone for the game early and finished with a double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds). Washington’s defense was in command for the vast majority of the day, as they held the likes of Lowry, Derozan, and Williams in check. Toronto averaged 104 points per game during the regular season, and managed just 86
Wizards-Raptors: Game 1 postgame analysis – The Washington Post
What went well for the Wizards: Much like last year’s opening playoff game, Bradley Beal and John Wall struggled on and off, leaving it to the old guys, Nene (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Paul Pierce (20 points on 7-for-10 shooting), to bail out the Wizards with timely shots. The sharpshooting Pierce knocked down four of Washington’s six threes on the day, including one to open up the team’s dominant overtime performance. Pierce’s play also opened up opportunities for Beal (16 points) to get going during an 11-4 third-quarter run. Beal’s second-half revival helped offset Wall’s struggles from the field (10 points on 5-for-18) and complemented the play of the Wizards bench (27 points). Capitalizing on surprising faith from Coach Randy Wittman at this early juncture in the playoffs, Ramon Sessions, Kevin Seraphin (10 points), Otto Porter and Drew Gooden helped the Wizards steadily balloon their second-half lead to 15. Nineteen offensive rebounds also helped give the Wizards more opportu
Raptors lose ugly to start series against Wizards
HOMEFANTASYNFL DRAFTMAYWEATHER VS PACQUIAONFLMLBNBANEWSSCORESSTANDINGSTEAMSPOWER RANKINGSPLAYER STATSEXPERT PICKSODDSDRAFT RANKINGSMOCK DRAFTNHLNCAA FOOTBALLNCAA BASKETBALLGOLFNASCARTENNISHIGH SCHOOLFULL SITE  Raptors lose ugly to start series against Wizards By James Herbert / NBA writer April 18, 2015 05:55 PM ET  TORONTO — Lou Williams wouldn’t answer the question on Friday. Less than 24 hours until Game 1 against the Washington Wizards, a reporter asked the Toronto Raptors guard if the basket feels smaller in the playoffs. “It hasn’t started yet,” Williams said. “So we’ll see what happens. After Game 1, you can ask me that same question, I’ll let you know.” The answer was obvious on Saturday, and it was bad news for the Raptors. They bricked shot after shot, finishing with marks of 38 percent from the field and 20.7 percent from the 3-point line in the 93-86 overtime loss. Casual fans tuning in for the playoff opener would have had no idea that, in the regular season, this was the league’s third-best offensive team. For an overtime game, it was rather anticlimactic. The drama leading up to this — Washington’s Paul Pierce told ESPN that Toronto didn’t have “it” and was not intimidating, then Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri told a raucous crowd, “We don’t give a shit about ‘it!’ ” — eclipsed the action on the court. Toronto fans had a brief cause for celebration when backup guardGreivis Vasquez hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and proceeded to shimmy halfway down the court, but the joy vanished shortly thereafter. In the first four and a half minutes of the extra frame, the Raptors didn’t score a single point and gave up four offensive rebounds, setting the stage for swingmanDeMar DeRozan to drive to the basket untouched and deliver the saddest dunk of Toronto’s uneven season with 29 seconds left. The Wizards didn’t fare much better with the ball in their hands, shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from deep. Unlike Washington, though, the Raptors got this far on th
Wizards’ Paul Pierce has “it” in Game 1 win over Raptors | Toronto Star
“If that’s the role you’re going to play, you just gotta embrace it,” Pierce told reporters after the game. “I don’t mind playing the role of underdog or villain or whatever you guys want to call it. I’m just out here trying to get my team the win.” The Wizards were certainly appreciative, especially while playing in front of a heated and hostile Toronto crowd that was still reeling after Pierce pronounced this week that the Raptors don’t have what “it” takes to succeed. Ahead of the game, Raptors general manager Masai Ujiritook to the stage in front of a horde of fans outside the arena, declaring he “doesn’t give a sh–” about “it.”
The top 10 bars to watch a Raptors game in Toronto
Want to watch the Raptors game at a Toronto bar? There are plenty of sports bars and pubs around the city, but this list zeros in on the best of the best to watch the Dinos in action. Not chillin’ courtside with Drake or gazing at the big screen outside the ACC? You can still show your We The North pride at these fine spots. Here are my picks for the top bars to watch a Raptors game in Toronto.
Raptors fall to Wizards in overtime in playoff opener – The Globe and Mail
Suddenly, in the second quarter, that venom seemed to awaken the beast. Pierce began swishing three-pointers and effortlessly tossing step-back jumpers. He rumbled for 10 fast points, and it spurred a Wizards run. Washington took a 46-42 lead into the half. The Raptors struggled to pull back in line during the third, especially as the usually sharp-shooting Lou Williams was off the mark on jumper after jumper. The Wizards took a 74-59 lead into the fourth quarter. Pockets of fans began to chant for the Raptors to bring in defensive specialist James Johnson.
