Don’t let the score fool you. The Raptors were dominated by the Wizards and face a daunting task of winning 4 out of 5.
 | Tyler Hansbrough, PF 12 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | +8 +/-Got the start, zeroes all over his line. Bullied right from the start. If Casey thought he would ‘surprise’ Washington again by throwing out the physical Hansbrough to start, he was wrong. Nene had him in his pocket. |  |
 | Terrence Ross, SF 24 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 9 PTS | -7 +/-Two threes in that early third when the Raptors cut that Washington lead to 2, and other than that, he did nothing. His defense is so poor that it’s an indictment on him and his coach, who has had a chance to work with an athletic, long wing for three years, with zero defensive improvement to show for it. FFS, the guy can’t even close-out. Ever. In any area of the court. |  |
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C 29 MIN | 5-11 FG | 5-6 FT | 10 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 15 PTS | 0 +/-When he did get a possession or two, he converted at a good rate. Much like the regular season, he’s a fringe part of the offense that you kind of visit once in a while when you’re out of ideas. The amount of short, interior passes Nene and Gortat receive from their guards is an example of how Valanciunas needs to be integrated into an offense. Good effort, decent results. |  |
 | Kyle Lowry, PG 27 MIN | 3-10 FG | 0-2 FT | 2 REB | 4 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | +9 +/-What an immature performance. Picked up stupid fouls, especially the third, and had to be taken out which meant Vasquez came in and got torched. His defense has been a write-off for some time, but he made it worse by taking contested shots, losing his temper with the refs, and being a net-negative in every category, including leadership. | |
 | DeMar DeRozan, SG 40 MIN | 9-18 FG | 2-3 FT | 4 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 20 PTS | -9 +/-Started off like a man on fire against Pierce, and cooled off once Washington switched Porter and threw different looks at him. Of course, after Washington’s counter, Casey had no answer on how to get his best player involved, so he spent the rest of the game taking low-percentage, contested shots. |  |
 | Amir Johnson, PF 19 MIN | 4-5 FG | 2-5 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 10 PTS | -18 +/-Absolutely terrible defense. Was labouring as soon as he came in, and was three steps slow in everything he did. Blowing rotations, picking up offensive fouls, and providing no protection against Washingtons’ always-driving guards. Washington was rotating very well on passes back to him on the pick ‘n roll, which forced him to stop and make a decision instead of lay it in, which was a problem. |  |
 | James Johnson, PF 7 MIN | 2-3 FG | 0-4 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | -14 +/-Came in to the second quarter and guarded three different players on three different possessions, and got some nice scores against Pierce. Was soon taken out, and Casey probably blames him instead of Vasquez for the run the Wizards went on in the second quarter. Not enough run, and probably should receive an ‘Incomplete’ but given that he did play well in his brief stint, he gets a high mark. |  |
 | Patrick Patterson, PF 25 MIN | 6-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 15 PTS | 0 +/-The only guy who’s playing the game the right way. He’s hitting his shots, taking his guy off the dribble, and playing defense. The problem is that he’s not doing enough of it, and there’s no plan to get him more involved. The stretch four is a position the Wizards have struggled with all year (they got Gooden, that’s it), except for this series. | |
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG 27 MIN | 2-7 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 7 PTS | -22 +/-That second quarter was one of the worst stretches of basketball he’s ever played. The Raptors simply couldn’t hide him, as on every possession either Wall, Beal or Porter attacked him. He continued playing and it reminded me of when in Game 1 Pierce was burning Hansbrough. Worse defense than Jose Calderon ever played. | |
 | Louis Williams, SG 26 MIN | 5-13 FG | 10-10 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 20 PTS | -2 +/-Wittman switched Porter on him and the Raptors had no response. Porter’s length bothered him and he was taken out of his game permanently. Defensively, the man does not box out, and it makes everyone look bad. |  |
 | Dwane Casey We heard about 6 times Devlin say out how Casey’s yelling “Go, go, go”. Go where exactly? You’re getting killed on the glass so you can’t run. Does this guy not understand that? Does he realize that Nene and Gortat have had serious trouble checking JV when he’s got even semi-deep post position? Does he know that once Porter is switched on to Lou Williams, you have to counter with a bigger guard on the other spot so Washington’s forced into a decision? Does he know that Vasquez was being targeted in the second quarter and that he needed to be taken out? Does he know that hero-ball offense will not work, and is easy to adjust to in the vacuum of a playoff series? Does he know that Terrence Ross is not a reliable defender when guarding a bigger player, and that maybe he should’ve repeated the accident of Wall (who had 546 assists) being checked by Ross? Does he know…anything? | |
Five Things We Saw
- Otto Porter on Lou Williams took the latter out of his game. That can’t be stressed enough. Kudos to Randy Wittman for making the adjustment, and shame on Dwane Casey for not finding a way for his leading bench player to be an influence.
- So much for all that talk about rebounding. The Raptors were -17, and our guards continue to be guilty parties. Not because they’re not getting rebounds, because they simply refuse to do their part on boxing out their checks, and are too eager to run back down the court without the ball.
- John Wall is quick at the point, and Bradley Beal refused to stop moving and Nene and Gortat set great screens. That is a combination that the Raptors defense has no answer for. I’m shocked that they haven’t even experimented with a matchup zone and force Washington to at least test their outside jumper.
- Sorry, who’s got the best backcourt in the East?
- Here’s the sequence – block on Lou Williams and John Wall And1 that killed the game in the third:
