Raptors Beat Spurs as Best Laid Plans Come Through

The Raptors have stayed close with the NBA's elite before, but today the bridesmaid became the bride.

Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP

Box Score – Raptors 97-94 Spurs | Quick Reaction | Listen to Blake Murphy on TSN 1050 discussing the game

There are times when things that are supposed to happen, happen.  It’s rare that plans made on paper come to fruition seamlessly, but when they do, it validates the architect’s approach and the executor’s ability.  Such was the feeling as the Raptors played their most complete game of the season against one of the league’s best sides, despite missing two key starters in Jonas Valanciunas and DeMarre Carroll, not to mention the trending Lucas Nogueira.

Two things that Dwane Casey has always hoped to get from this roster has been consistent defense and efficient production from his two best players.  When those hopes materialize into reality, like they did against the Spurs, it checks of the top two requirements for a Raptors win, and makes the game a lot easier to manage.  Rather than searching for combinations that click throughout the game, the coach is provided the foundation needed for an impressive win.

The Spurs are fourth in the league in assists and assist rate, and move the ball around relentlessly.  In many ways, they’re the anti-Raptors as you’ll rarely find isolation plays and premeditated drives to the hoop that one can anticipate.  Like Greg Popovic teams of the last 15 years, they’ll religiously move the ball until they get the shot they want, and they’re good at it.  They don’t panic, they don’t get flustered, and they don’t make mistakes. To deal with such an offense requires any defense to remain locked in for the full 24 seconds, because the Spurs are notorious at burning with you a side pick ‘n roll which they started executing at 3 seconds and finished at 0.5.

The Raptors, with the exception of a few possessions, did that all night. There was no letup in their defense, no 4-minute stretch where they conceded a deflating run, and no lapse in their transition defense.  They forced the Spurs into 11 TOs in the first half (they average 14 a game) while spreading their offense around.  With 23 of the 37 field goals coming via an assist (well above the norm), the Spurs were getting a taste of their own medicine.  The side pick ‘n rolls with Luis Scola were working for DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, with the Argentinian finding space in the middle of the Spurs defense for soft jumpers.  Bismack Biyombo, left wide open by LaMarcus Aldridge on practically every possession veered into the painted area and made the necessary repayment in order to keep the Spurs honest.

Most of all, though, it was the efficient offense of DeMar DeRozan (10-15 FG, 28 pts) and Kyle Lowry (6-11, 19 pts) that was the difference.  Lowry got his points rather easily against Danny Green and Tony Parker, neither of which could stay with Lowry’s hesitation moves which left them clutching at straws too often for Popovic’s liking.  When the uber-aggressive Patty Mills was switched on him, he made his aggressiveness backfire by baiting the Spur who reached only for Lowry to teach.  

Credit to Biyombo and Scola for setting effective screens that had the Spurs second-guessing Lowry’s next movement, and at the end of the night, they still didn’t have an answer for the MVP-candidate.  And yes, he’s an MVP candidate because if you take him out of the Raptors lineup, they’re a lottery team.

DeMar DeRozan’s points had a different flavor to them.  He went in barreling into the paint and the elbow area every time, and finished against defenses who were content at the shots he was taking.  It was a matter of good defense being overcome by better offense, with the defender tipping his cap to DeRozan as he walked back up the court.  When the Spurs were making their late game run, the Raptors mostly went to DeRozan who delivered despite most of the fanbase cringing while he executed his moves.  

Credit to DeRozan, who went a perfect 8-8 FT from the line as well.  Here’s a couple of those clinching DeRozan moves:

Kawhi Leonard was battling an illness and managed to play 27 minutes, without being a defensive factor.

Whether this kind of offense “works” is for the post-season to decide, and for now we’re thankful to DeRozan for delivering in the clutch against a very good team and a very good offense.  Whatever you think of the methods behind his offense, you have to respect and credit him for wanting to take the shot and putting the pressure and onus on himself to carry his team.  He’s not gun-shy at all.

The Spurs first-half field goal percentage of 53% makes it sound like they had an easy time which was far from the truth.  The aforementioned 11 turnovers inflate that number and when they did score, they simply executed against an organized defense, which could not be considered at fault.  The second half was a different story.  The Spurs managed to get good looks, especially for the road, but they were either hurried or contested.  The Raptors close-outs, rotations, and contests were the best we’ve seen all season.   Even Terrence Ross was in two places at once multiple times, along with Patrick Patterson and Luis Scola.  Yes, Luis Scola.

The Spurs were constantly looking down the barrel of the shot clock in the second half, and when they did miss a contested look, the Raptors defensive rebounding was excellent (+8 DRB).  Some examples:

The Raptors only conceded two fastbreak points in this game and that is down to two things: not making offensive rebounding a priority (they only had 4 all game), and being cognizant of Tony Parker who likes to push in semi-transition.  Cory Joseph and Kyle Lowry need to be commended for this, and so do James Johnson and Terrence Ross, who did not allow any leaks.  Johnson was part of Dwane Casey’s 8-man rotation (Spurs played 12 players) playing 16 minutes, and was key in the second half with two assists which appeared to deflate the Spurs, one of them to Terrence Ross here:

As part of a smaller lineup with Patrick Patterson at the 5, Johnson was conceding size against Boris Diaw in the paint, but was providing enough space coverage on defense to warrant inclusion.  Patterson struggled defensively against Diaw forcing Casey to think twice about how to guard the Frenchman’s ability to back his way down from the elbow to the circle to get the shot he wants.  A mixture of weak-side help, organized rotations, and intelligent positioning (without fouling) saw that Diaw and Aldridge were contained if not stopped.

On the other end, the Raptors had 14 fastbreak points against a Spurs team that was crashing the glass.  Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard being very good transition defenders didn’t stop the Raptors from pushing the issue when switching play.  It wasn’t that the Raptors were leaking out and getting breakaway dunks, it was about setting up the offense a few seconds early so you get more than one attempt to probe the elastic Spurs defense.  Even if you decide to run an isolation play for DeRozan and it doesn’t go anywhere, there’s still time to reset and try something else.  That second option in a set is critical to the Raptors offensive success because DeRozan, Lowry and Joseph are very good at passing out of trouble, with DeRozan especially improving this year.

It’s always a test of character and resolve when a team like the Spurs is knocking on the door and you manage to keep it shut.  Clutch offense is one of the biggest predictors of playoff success and one of the key items to keep your key on during a regular season that goes through peaks and valleys.  The Raptors couldn’t finish the job against the Warriors twice and last night showed again that they’re more than capable of staying with top quality opposition.  Dwane Casey could not have dreamed up a better win.  As he’s publicly stated time and time again, he has extremely high regard for the Spurs organization and their approach to team building, and getting one over the best coach in the league is always a good feeling. As a defensive coach, he has to be pleased with the fluidity of his defense and how they reacted to the Spurs constant pressure.  As a backer of the iso-driven offense, seeing it come through when it counts against a stellar defense is vindication at its finest.

The Raptors have the 7th best point differential in the league, and have been blown out in only one game all year (at Miami).  These close games have meant that DeRozan and Lowry are playing heavy minutes, with DeRozan clocking in at 36.3 (3 above career), and Lowry at 35.7 (6 above career).  What the ramifications of this are remains to be seen, though Casey’s current approach is understandable.  A total of 2 games separate the 1st and 8th seed in the East, with 3 games separating 1st and 10th.  This is a conference where nothing can be taken for granted, and with the Raptors battling injuries on multiple fronts, now may just be the time where staying afloat suffices.

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