Raptors’ plight yet another downer for Toronto sports fans – Toronto Sun
The Game 2 loss to the Washington Wizards wasn’t your typical Toronto defeat. It wasn’t heartbreaking. It wasn’t last-minute or last-second. It wasn’t could have been or should have been.
It wasn’t something we’re going to talk about 10 years from now.
It felt more like a punch to the solar plexus. The kind of punch that buckles your knees. The kind of punch that leaves you gasping for air, without answers, without time, and without a sporting chance for recovery.
This wasn’t the kind of defeat we’re used to here in Toronto. We’re used to heartache. We’re used to almost. We’re used to Kyle Lowry having a last-second shot to win a series, having it blocked, getting knocked down, and then spending years talking about the series the Raptors almost won.
Down 0-2, Raptors admit to "alarming" lack of urgency in playoff series
It was one of the lowest of the lows for the Toronto Raptors, and the morning after DeMar DeRozan summed it up best. "If being down 0-2 shouldn't stimulate urgency, then I don't know what would," DeRozan said. Yet through two dreadful playoff games against the Washington Wizards, they've been missing just that. The Raptors dropped a horrendous 117-106 decision to the Wizards on Tuesday night, and head to Washington desperate to avoid elimination in four games. They studied video Wednesday morning and came away with one glaring message.
They aren’t rolling over, but the Wizards may just be rolling into the second round. Still, while they are comfortable talking trash, none of the Wizards want to get too comfortable with their series lead. “We’ve got to play like we’re down 0-2,” Beal said of Game 3. “Nothing changes. We can’t stop being aggressive.” Wizards coach Randy Wittman echoed Beal’s comments. “It’s hard winning four games in a series,” Wittman said. “And as you continue to move on, the harder it gets. Game 3 on Friday is going to be harder to play in than these first two games. It just gets that way as the series moves on.”
Charles Barkley Is Right About Raptors Being Done Against Washington Wizards – RantSports
“Toronto’s cooked,” Barkley said on TNT’s postgame show. “Listen, Washington to me has been disappointing. This is what we thought we were gonna get the entire season after they made the great playoff run last year. You’ve got Curry and Thompson in Golden State, but the next true great tandem is Wall and Beal. Beal has just been hurt all season. But he played fantastic tonight. And Toronto, they’re pretty much done.”
11 things the Raptors need to do in Game 3 | Raptors | Sports | Toronto Sun
PLAY SOME ZONE — It’s clear the Raptors can’t guard Washington’s players one-on-one. John Wall has been doing whatever he wants and Bradley Beal rallied from a bad Game 1 to dominate in Game 2. The big men have gone to work as well (partly because the Raptors frontcourt members have had to help far too frequently, leaving them out of position). Casey has designed some excellent zones in the past, both in Toronto and before that in Dallas. This team has the foot-speed (a few players aside) and athleticism to cover a lot of ground. Beal can beat a zone, but Washington doesn’t have many other shooters. Take your chances letting Wall fire away.
5 things we've learned about Wizards-Raptors | Comcast SportsNet Washington
Trevor Ariza might've been a better fit during the regular season, but Paul Pierce is better for the postseason. This isn't a matter of who is better at this stage of their career. But Pierce, aside from being able to create his own shot even at 37, has infused the Wizards with an attitude that they lacked. Though Ariza also won a championship before he came here, his personality type is more subdued. A superb defender, he always has been a role player. With Pierce, a career alpha dog, he can teach each day (with his words) and occasionally show (with his play) John Wall and Bradley Beal how to carry a franchise.
Raptors fans expected to storm Washington for Game 3 against Wizards | Toronto Star
Despite losing the first two games of the series, the Raptors faithful are expected to once again head down south for the team’s playoff run in Washington, with some taking advantage of hotel and ticket packages offered by tour companies. Alex Gibbins, 27, a lifelong Raptors fan who had never seen the team play on the road until last year, decided to book a package through Elite Sports Tours to head to Brooklyn last spring. The intensity of Games 3 and 4 was at a whole new level for Gibbins. “It was electric,” he said. Bad behaviour by NHL playoff fans to the road team’s supporters has been a topic of conversation this year. But Gibbins didn’t fear for his safety, since being part of a larger group of Toronto fans made him feel like he had “backup” to deal with the inevitable heckling from wearing a Raptors jersey in Barclays Center.
Toronto Raptors: Gilbert Arenas Rips into Amir Johnson
It really was a case of “be careful what you wish for”, when it came to the Toronto Raptors. Whether they admit it or not, it appears they did everything possible to avoid a potential second round matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers or Chicago Bulls. (At least, that’s what I surmised from resting DeMar DeRozan in the second-to-last regular season game, with 50 wins and positioning still up for grabs.)
BPI: Toronto Raptors' odds of beating Wizards down to 16 percent – NBA – ESPN
After dropping a second-straight home game to the Washington Wizards, the Toronto Raptors' chances of advancing to the conference semifinals have fallen to 16 percent, according to ESPN Stats & Information's Basketball Power Index. Here's a deeper look at the stats. 16 percent – Raptors' chances to advance past the Wizards 6.6 percent – Raptors' chances to advance to conference finals 1.8 percent – Raptors' chances to advance to NBA Finals 0.3 percent – Raptors' chances to win the championship
Pierce's effect on Wizards' youngsters being felt in playoffs – NBA – ESPN
The veteran has spent all season trying to pass along wisdom to John Wall and Bradley Beal and make them better leaders. In Game 1, the two guards had off shooting nights but still made contributions in other areas to help Washington take the opening game. In Game 2, Pierce beamed after seeing Wall and Beal combine to score 54 points. Wall, and particularly Beal, played with attitude. “I saw their focus before the game, even at halftime those guys were very vocal, very intense,” Pierce said. “I saw it in their eyes.” “I think a lot of the stuff that y’all see coming out I think has always been there,” he added when asked specifically about Beal’s edgy play. “I just think I kind of manifest it to another level.”
It’s not enough for the Raptors to be in NBA’s middle class: Arthur | Toronto Star
Yes, that was embarrassing. Members of the organization were shocked at the lack of response, of fight in the biggest game of the season. Maybe it was for the best, in a roundabout way. “It’s not really one thing we can pinpoint,” said Lou Williams, who is Toronto’s second-leading scorer in the two games, and is shooting 31%. “We didn’t play with the energy that we needed to, we didn’t play with the urgency that we needed, down 1-0 at home. I felt like we should have competed harder. Games like that don’t really come down to Xs and Os, it comes down to guys just wanting to win and competing. I think they just did a better job than we did.”
Wizards winning battle of guards, and their series with the Raptors | Toronto Star
Following the team’s film session on Wednesday, coach Casey said Lowry needs to keep playing with a post-season intensity, while working to avoid situations that could put him in foul trouble again. “He’s smarter than that,” Casey said. “I know he is and he’ll do a better job next game.” DeMar DeRozan, who starts alongside Lowry at shooting guard, said it’s “extremely frustrating” to see his partner in the backcourt benched with too many fouls, but that he believes he can bounce back from a rough start to the playoffs. “He feels like he’s letting us down, in a sense. But we all got to stay together, no matter what,” DeRozan said. “Sometimes you just got to be there as a teammate more than anything … We’re all going to be by each other’s side.”
Can the Toronto Raptors band together and write an improbable comeback story? | National Post
“We’ve got to trust the pass. We’ve got to trust our bigs,” Casey said of the Raptors’ ball-handlers. “They’re not guarding our bigs and they’re making them make plays. And they’ve got to make plays out of the double teams, out of the blitzes, out of the corrals. … The first game Amir [Johnson] was excellent in making the right reads. [Tuesday] night was a little stagnant and what we’ve got to do is make the play out of that, quarterback. And the guy with the ball has got to trust, ‘OK, we’ve got to burn them with the pass, now they take the traps off.’ That’s the mentality, instead of the guy with the ball saying, ‘OK, how can I score, how can I score?’”
Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry’s leg is fine but his level of play still a mystery | National Post
As for raising Lowry’s level of play, that is a big more of a mystery. Lowry is shooting 5-for-20 from the floor in the series, has not hit a three-pointer, and has collected more fouls (10) than assists (eight). He has looked oddly flat, and his foul trouble led to the Raptors’ downfall in the second quarter on Tuesday. “Don’t put yourself in that position,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said of Lowry’s fouls. “He’s a smart player. He’s one of our smartest players. He understands that he can’t put himself in that position, to put the team in that position, to take a foul. We just had the same thing on Saturday. It happens. It happened. He’s smarter than that.” Do not expect his teammates to try to pump him up with a motivational speech, either. “He understands what needs to be done at this point,” Lou Williams said. “Sometimes, you (have) just got to be there as a teammate for him more than anything,” DeMar DeRozan added. “And sometimes not saying nothing can be better than saying something.”
Washington Wizards playing Paul Pierce at the 4 | Business Insider
The lineup of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr., Pierce, and Marcin Gortat has played 18 minutes and outscored the Raptors by 11 points while shooting 45% from the field and 44% from three-point range. When looking at this unit's production per 100 possessions, they're crushing the Raptors with a 127.5 offensive rating and a 26.8 net rating. The second lineup of Wall, Beal, Porter, Pierce, and Nene Hilario has outscored the Raptors by nine points while shooting 53% overall and 50% from three in nine minutes. This unit is posting a 138.1 offensive rating with a 75.1 net rating. Neither of these lineups played more than 10 minutes during the entire regular season. Again, these are small sample sizes, so the numbers can be skewed. But the small-ball formula seems to be the difference in what was expected to be a close series between two teams that have been struggling.
When John Wall plays this way, 'best point guard in the league' | Comcast SportsNet Washington
"I think the difference was Wall hitting his threes," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "(Bradley) Beal came off his pin downs and knocked his shots down, even his threes. They were 4 of 9 between them and once they saw the ball go in the hole I thought that was the difference and got us spaced out a little more."
What did Bradley Beal scream at Kyle Lowry last night? – SBNation.com
Looks can be deceiving. Sure, it appears that Bradley Beal yelled "Don't f*** with me, Kyle!" last night, but it could have been a lot more innocent than that. "Come dance with me, Kyle!" "Get pho with me Kyle!" "Buy pants with me, Kyle!" "Feed ducks with me, Kyle!" "Starbucks, Kyle?!"
Kyle Lowry Is The Most Frustrated Man | Deadspin
That is the face of a fiercely competitive dude who has been prevented, by a bunch of stupid foul calls, from responding to a challenge directly, fruitfully, on the court, and is now being asked to respond to it indirectly, impotently, in the locker room. It is the face of a man whose body will begin glowing like the heating element on an electric stovetop soon, if the refs keep standing between him and the opponents whose asses he is dying to kick. It is the face of the most frustrated man. Maybe let’s all leave Kyle Lowry alone until Friday.
Charles Barkley says the Raptors are cooked against the Wizards | The Washington Post
Charles Barkley, you’ll recall, said after Washington’s Game 2 first-round win over the Bulls last year that the Wizards would sweep. He was off by one game — the Wizards won in five — but he’s consistently been among the loudest Washington advocates for two seasons now. And he was at it again Tuesday night. “Toronto’s cooked,” Barkley said on TNT’s postgame show. “Listen, Washington to me has been disappointing. This is what we thought we were gonna get the entire season after they made the great playoff run last year. You’ve got Curry and Thompson in Golden State, but the next true great tandem is Wall and Beal. Beal has just been hurt all season. But he played fantastic tonight. And Toronto, they’re pretty much done.”
