Checkmate: DeMar DeRozan | The Defeated
The Pacers have checkmated DeRozan, and continuing to feature him as the No. 1 option will only lead to more failure. And with DeRozan being a liability on defense, he might end up watching more fourth quarters from the bench.
That being said, using DeRozan in limited doses could still prove useful. He should be viable when:
1. When the defense loads up on DeRozan, try to draw the rim protector’s attention, and pass to Jonas Valanciunas (who’s been fantastic thanks to all the help given on Kyle Lowry, DeRozan, and Cory Joseph’s drives).
2. When George is on the bench. Stagger DeRozan’s minutes in the second and third quarters to catch the Pacers when they’re rolling out Rodney Stuckey to check DeRozan.
No matter how much he struggles, demoting DeRozan won’t be an easy sell. He’s a star player and he’s carried the Raptors this far. But if Game 2 proved anything, it’s that the Raptors are better off in this series when DeRozan takes a back seat. It never quite made sense to direct the offense to attack Indiana’s best defender, anyway.
Terrence Ross underwent concussion protocol at halftime. No clear sign of concussion. Has a headache. Out for precautionary reasons. #rtz
— RaptorsMR (@RaptorsMR) April 19, 2016
DeRozan has been more issue creator than anything for Raptors so far | Sportsnet.ca
“That early lead really favoured them,” said the Pacers’ Solomon Hill, who was minus-15 in 27 minutes. “We had a run where we were getting some answer-back baskets, where we were able to move the ball quickly. We made, maybe, one run but once it got to 18 we couldn’t close.”
Hill believed the Pacers may have found something out about the Raptors by the way they were able to have some success in transition, but in the same breath, he acknowledged that “we need to change some of our pick-and-roll coverage,” a nod towards the impact Jonas Valanciunas had on the game.
“We need to get sharper,” said Pacers centre Myles Turner, who suffered a lower back injury early in the second quarter and had just four more points the rest of the way. “The thing is, they [the Raptors] get to watch videotape just like we do. They always say that teams get better during the playoffs.”
George called Valanciunas “the guy causing us problems, right now.” It will be difficult to handle him, as both Pacers big men Ian Mahnimi and Turner are hobbled by back issues. And, like Vogel who said “I thought we had opportunities to take this game,” George wasn’t interested in finding a silver lining the form of a road split.
Raptors putting puzzle together, piece by piece, to Pacers’ chagrin: Arthur | Toronto Star
“I don’t know if it’s tightness or whatever, but . . . he’ll come around,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “Last couple of playoff series it took him a couple of games to get going, and in the fourth, I just liked the energy and defensive toughness that Norm was bringing at his position.”
Maybe that’s where this thing needs to go, though. DeMarre Carroll was limping noticeably when he entered the locker room on his surgically repaired knee, and Terrence Ross left the game with a headache after knocking noggins with DeRozan. But ideally, maybe relying on DeRozan isn’t what this team needs right now, either. He’s had a terrific season, but this series is showing who can thrive in this situation, and who can’t.
When the game was won there was Powell, putting his wide chest into George in the fourth quarter, using his feet to move with him, making life difficult. There was Joseph playing pinpoint basketball, and Lowry playing heavy. DeRozan needed to be benched, and he was.
“Just missed some easy shots today,” said DeRozan. “Try to be aggressive, try to get some foul calls, that didn’t go my way. A lot of shots I did miss were mostly in the paint, mostly layups. But we still got the win, and that’s all that matters . . . It says a lot, especially with the shooting struggles me and Kyle had the first two games and to come out and play the way we did today, it’s just scary. Once we get our rhythm, it’s going to be a scary thing.”
He may be right. But for all of general manager Masai Ujiri’s serenity about the direction of this franchise, these playoffs will tell us a lot about who these Raptors are.
Valanciunas sticks out chest, roars in crucial Raptors win | Toronto Sun
“We had our hands full with their front court” said Frank Vogel, the Pacers coach. He could have been more specific. They had no answer for Valanciunas. Just as they had no answer in Game 1, before Valanciunas left with foul trouble again.
That’s the next step in his development, which has come slowly and carefully. Dwane Casey hasn’t always trusted the big man, patiently pushing his development. He started games last year but rarely finished them. Next for Valanciunas, learning to stay in the game and avoiding the ticky-tack fouls that plague him.
“I was really happy for Jonas,” said Casey, his only NBA coach. “Everybody wanted that kid to be a superstar when he first got here. He wasn’t ready. But again, nobody comes to this league and sets it on fire.
“He’s grown, he’s developed, he’s worked his butt off. I’m really proud of him. It makes me feel good to see him develop like that, play the game. It makes him feel good to not be worried about Valanciunas, about his own security, about his team’s history of post-season defeat, about all the winds that have blown around this team to get to this playoff place.”
For a few days at least, Raptors fans can take a breath | Sportsnet.ca
And while Lowry contributed with his playmaking, DeRozan has turned in two poor performances in a row, shooting a dismal 10-of-37 for the series, continuing a downward trend in his playoff career numbers.
He didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter as Raptors head coach Dwane Casey chose to stick with a makeshift line-up featuring Patrick Patterson (14 points on six shots), Joseph, Norman Powell, a combination of big men Jonas Valanciunas and Biyombo and Lowry down the stretch.
DeRozan didn’t mind, he’s lived through enough playoff disappointment to appreciate someone coming through and lightening his load.
“It’s funny that people think I feel a certain way that I didn’t go back in the fourth,” said DeRozan. “A lot of time I tell the coaches to keep going with the group of guys that are in there.”
1. The Raptors’ bench is still great
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan got most of the credit for Toronto’s 56-win season, but Toronto’s dynamite bench was just as big a key. Joseph, Patterson and Biyombo played crucial roles all season, supplying additional ball-handling, defensive pressure, rim protection and perimeter shooting. The four-man combination of Lowry and those three outscored opponents by 16.4 points per 100 possessions this season when they shared the court.
So it should come as no surprise that they keyed Toronto’s decisive run. Those four, along with rookie Norman Powell in place of Terrence Ross, dominated Indiana’s all-bench unit and continued to do so once the Pacers’ starters returned. Joseph and Patterson provided much-needed scoring with Lowry and DeRozan struggling, while Biyombo was an intimidating presence around the basket.
Raptors even series with Game 2 win over Pacers: 6 things to know | CBSSports.com
The Raptors’ defense won this game. The Raptors don’t win this game with last year’s team. They focused on reconfiguring their team to be more defense-focused over the summer and it’s been an improved part of their team. In Game 1, they played good defense, but Paul George was able to do just enough damage to sneak the Pacers by. In Game 2, the Pacers shot just 41 percent and 20 percent from 3-point range on 20 shots.
George still scored 28 points on 8-of-14 shooting, but with only one assist compared to the six he had in Game 1. The Raptors controlled the paint and ran off shooters. The Raptors played a great team game defensively and that’s the biggest reason they tied the series.
Raptors’ Valanciunas stars in big Game 2 win over Pacers | Toronto Sun
“He’s been huge, literally,” Indiana’s best player Paul George said of Valanciunas. “We are doing a good job on Kyle and DeMar but the third guy, Valanciunas, has stepped up and he is what is causing us the problems right now. We have to figure it out. Playoffs are all about adjustments and we have to figure Valanciunas out.”
Valanciunas comes up big in must-win Game 2 | TSN
If there was any doubt this Raptors team is different, is better, consider Monday’s win – a night in which DeRozan and Lowry contributed little offensively, a game they almost certainly would have lost last year. However, the defence came up big, holding Indiana to 41 per cent, 38 per cent not including George. Led by Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson, who scored 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting, the bench came up big. Then there was Valanciunas. The 23-year-old centre came up big.
“It’s fun to see how far he’s come from being a young kid, skinny kid from Lithuania to taking on the challenge of the playoffs,” DeRozan said. “When our big is playing like that, it’s tough to beat us, no matter what me and Kyle are doing.”
“Everybody wanted that kid to be a superstar when he first got here but he wasn’t ready,” said Casey. “Nobody comes into this league and sets it on fire, it’s very rare when you do. He’s grown, he’s developed, he’s worked his behind off and I’m really proud of him. It makes me feel good to see him develop like that.”
It hasn’t come out of nowhere either. Despite battling a lingering hand injury, Valanciunas showed significant progress throughout the campaign, particularly over the final month leading up to the post-season, playing the best two-way basketball of his career. But this is a different stage, a bigger stage and the Raptors need him more than ever. The playoffs could be his coming out party.
He’s worked with retired NBA all-star Jack Sikma to expand his offensive game, he’s made a concerted effort to lose weight and become quicker on his feet. His confidence is at an all-time high, and it shows.“I’m just doing my stuff,” he said after the win. “I’m just going out there and battling. Nobody is going to take that away from me, I’m going to put my heart and battle for every single ball, every possession.”
Raptors throw Carroll and kitchen sink at Pacers’ George | Toronto Star
“It felt kind of weird. At least I know I got my two fouls being aggressive,” Carroll said of the two ticks that sent him out of action. “I’ll learn from them. That’s my first time starting in I don’t know how long.”
With so much riding on this Game 2 — the pressure of losing seven previous consecutive playoff games, laying an egg in that Game 1 loss on Saturday, and the prospect of being halfway down the road to elimination with another loss — the Raptors made the adjustments they needed to.
Rookie guard Norman Powell heard the quick-succession whistles and knew what he had to do.
“(I was) ready to go out there and make an impact on the game. I’m always ready no matter what the situation is,” Powell said after the Raptors’ 98-87 win on Monday.
Powell only had three points, but played 22 minutes, blocked a shot, had a steal and put together a game-best plus-21 night, along with teammate Patrick Patterson.
“I knew that my name was going to be called when I saw him pick up the second foul and I was trying to go in there and make an impact,” Powell said.
Raptors shake off playoff scars, rebound in Game 2 against Pacers | CBSSports.com
With Paul George hounding him, DeRozan has not resembled the two-time All-Star that he is. DeRozan promised he wouldn’t shoot 5-for-19 again after Saturday, and then he shot 5-for-18. He said that it would be scary when he and Lowry, who missed all five of his 3-point attempts and went 4-for-13, found their rhythm. DeRozan watched the entirety of the fourth quarter on the bench while rookie Norman Powell guarded George.
“I don’t care as long as we win,” DeRozan said. “Honestly. I could care less. I could shoot 1-for-50 as long as we win.”
DeRozan said he was happy to not have to hear more about Toronto’s Game 7 loss against the Brooklyn Nets two years ago. Same goes for last season’s sweep at the hands of the Washington Wizards.
“I’m getting tired of it,” DeRozan said. “It’s a different team, different time, different experiences. That was the past. We’ve grown from that.”
Joseph a stabilizing force for Raptors | Toronto Sun
It’s funny, a lot of people think I feel a certain way when I don’t go back in the fourth but a lot of times I just tell the coaches ‘keep going, keep rolling.’” he said post-game.
And with the Raptors up 18 points in the fourth quarter, it was Joseph, an NBA champion in 2014, who could be seen calming down Lowry after a turnover.
“I have experience and not that he didn’t understand it but I was just trying to calm everyone down and understand that it’s a long game and just take it possession by possession,” Joseph said of the conversation with Lowry.
It’s important to keep your emotions under control, according to Joseph.
“Can’t get too high, can’t get too low,” he said. “We have to understand that we have to be able to re-focus.”
Five moments from the Raptors’ Game 2 win over Indiana | Toronto Star
Lowry and the bench open it up
With George watching, Casey turned to his highly productive lineup of Lowry, Terrence Ross, Bismack Biyombo, Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson. That group got hot and started pouring in three-pointers on the Pacers, with Patterson connecting twice and Ross doing the same after missing his first two attempts. The lead got as high as 18 for the Raptors, before Indy ran off a 15-2 run, thanks in part to George checking back in. He finished the half with 13 points and the Raptors led by just five, creating tension in a crowd that was sorely disappointed with the team’s flat play in Game 1.
Keep your faith strong. Don’t sleep 💪🏽 #WeTheNorth
A photo posted by Lucas “Bebe” Nogueira (@lucasbebenogueira) on
Kelly: Raptors break playoff jinx – and look confident doing so | The Globe and Mail
Perhaps the Raptors are finally beginning to outgrow their compulsive outsider-ism and discover a deeper truth. That they’re good enough not to care what people say about them.
On Monday night, the Raptors did something they hadn’t managed in two years. It wasn’t win (though they did that). It was to spend an entire game without looking like they were waiting for multiple sandbags to begin dropping from the rafters and crushing them one man at a time.
For the first time since the breakout against Brooklyn, they looked as if they believed in themselves. The result was a 98-87 victory.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m at my best, if DeMar’s at his best, if JV (Jonas Valanciunas) is at his best, a win is a win,” Kyle Lowry said afterward.
It gets said a lot around these parts, but it’s starting to sound like a plan.
Raptors even series with 98-87 win over Pacers | Raptors HQ
Casey recognized the issues DeRozan was having, and made the savvy but uncharacteristic decision not to put him back in and risk disrupting Toronto’s fourth-quarter mojo. Priority number one for the Raptors over the two off-days before Game 3 needs to be concocting a strategy to get DeRozan going. Toronto probably has the offensive firepower to manage against Indiana when DeRozan is cold — as we saw Monday night — but snapping his cold spell is going to be necessary at some point if the Raptors have designs on a serious playoff run.
DeRozan’s issues aside, this game cleared up a lot of the concerns that ate at the psyche of Raptors fans over the course of the last 48 hours. Lowry finally flipped into full-on eff you mode in Game 2’s deciding fourth quarter, Indiana’s complementary players faded into the background they so regularly occupied during the regular season, and the tandem of Powell and DeMarre Carroll (who re-entered the starting five for the first time since returning from injury) showed that the Raptors don’t need to rely solely on DeRozan to check George.
The constant fear of and impending disaster will almost certainly creep back into the hearts of Raptors fans in time for Game 3 on Thursday back in Indiana. When that happens, at least fans will have Game 2 and all of its goodness to hold on to tightly like a comforting stress-ball.
All eyes are on the Raptors after losing Game 1 at home
Meh. The Raptors have now lost seven straight playoff games in the weak sister conference. At some point, you have to start asking if something is just wrong with the fabric of your team. Another first-round loss, this one against a demonstrably worse team that couldn’t win close games all season, would mark that point.
This isn’t some Western Conference team winning 55 games every season, and coming oh-so-close to real playoff success; the Raptors aren’t the Clippers, or the pre-2011 Mavs. They’ve done basically nothing. Almost all the key players are in their primes. They are meant to win now, and if they don’t, Ujiri will have to ask some serious questions — about Casey, and about whether DeRozan, a free agent whose cap hold soaks up any potential cap space now and forever, is the long-term fit they want with Powell, Terrence Ross, Valanciunas, and all the babies eventually ready for more.
Doomsday talk is silly after Game 1, but not with this playoff history. The Raptors need to win Game 2, and they need to win this series. Period. Ujiri’s downplaying of expectations before the playoffs — all these teams are pretty good! — is a bit of well-crafted messaging puffery. The Raptors are better, and they should win — starting tonight.
Game Rewind: Pacers 87, Raptors 98 (Game 2) | Indiana Pacers
Indiana once again did an excellent job defensively on the Raptors’ All-Star backcourt, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. After holding the pair to a combined 8-for-32 shooting in Game 1, the Pacers held them to just a 3-of-18 clip and nine total points in the first half on Monday.
They did, however, find a bit of rhythm after halftime, particularly Lowry. The Raptors’ point guard scored 13 of his 18 points after halftime and went 10-for-10 from the foul stripe (7-for-7 after halftime) while also collecting seven rebounds and nine assists.
“His numbers didn’t say how hard he played,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. “I thought he left it out on the floor; diving on the floor, loose balls, rebounding. He got to the free throw line 10 times. He was really playing with force going downhill and that’s what it is going to be about.”
DeRozan made 3-of-6 shots in the second half to finish with 10 points.
Doyel: Paul George (probably) can’t beat the Raptors by himself | Indy Star
And that collapse still could be coming for No. 2 seed Toronto. The Raptors are vulnerable because their best player is awful. DeMar DeRozan is a two-time All-Star and the NBA’s ninth-leading scorer this season at 23.5 ppg, but two games into this series he can’t make a shot, can’t catch a pass, sometimes can’t even hit the rim. And in Game 2 he couldn’t get to the foul line. DeRozan was third in the NBA this season with a franchise-record 653 free throws, making Monday his first game all season — regular season or playoffs — without a single free throw.
Paul George has done that to DeRozan.
Indiana Pacers Nearly KO’d by Raptors Early Then KO’d Late | 8 Points 9 Seconds
The Bad: The opening. As much as you can second guess Vogel’s faith in his reserves (Paul George, for one, was absolutely gassed and needed some rest), it was his starters who lost this game. They had no answer for Jonas Valanciunas in the paint, as Kyle Lowry-led pick-and-rolls exposed and decimated the Pacers defense again and again. They were beyond awful in all respects, and the intensity from Toronto was just overwhelming.
You have to credit the Raptors here. They were running these sets to perfection, and their defensive execution led to, at least, 8 straight Pacers misses at one point. That wasn’t just bad Indiana offense. The Raptors won 56 games this year and were out to prove their mettle on their home floor.
The opening salvo that put the Canadian crew up 18 was 50% Toronto execution, 30% Raptors intensity, and 20% bad Pacers basketball. Tip your cap. They busted Indiana’s ass.
Insider: Obscure Raptors beating Pacers | Indy Star
“We have our hands full with their frontcourt,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said, “but our guys are up to the challenge.”
Vogel didn’t specify which “guys,” but let’s assume he meant the sum of the roster. And maybe that’s what it will take to slow down the Lithuanian big man.
On the first play of the game, Valanciunas rebounded a miss, blew the tip-in but collected another rebound and drew a foul on Mahinmi. Just 19 seconds into the game and Valanciunas was repeating his dominant ways from Game 1. He had a cutting layup, a turnaround jumper and an alley-oop catch and dunk all before the Pacers had made three shots total. In the first quarter, Valanciunas played 10 minutes and hit 6-of-7 from the field. As a team, in 12 total minutes, the Pacers had 5 makes.
“I’m just doing my stuff,” Valanciunas said. “I’m going out there and battling and nobody is going to take that away from me. I’m going to go and put my heart out and battled for every single ball, every possession.”
When Valanciunas wasn’t carrying the weight of the starters’ production, the Raptors bench outshined their All-Stars. During an early stretch in the second quarter, Patrick Patterson and Terrence Ross knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers. At the 8-minute mark as the Raptors’ ball movement beat the defense, Ross nailed another deep shot and the lead swelled to 40-22. Patterson scored 14 points behind bench mate Cory Joseph’s 16.
Unfortunately for Indiana, Lowry remained effective even despite a 4-13 shooting night. Lowry had nine assists (four of those to Valanciunas) and a perfect 10-10 night from the free throw line, seven of those coming in the fourth quarter. As a whole, the defensive effort was there for the Pacers against Toronto, but it got sloppy late, with Toronto going a perfect 16-16 from the line in the final 13 minutes.
That was a big part in Indiana not being able to string together stops. Before garbage time, the Pacers had only two 4-0 runs in the second half, a number that could’ve easily grown with successive stops and an improvement on rebounding. Indiana was outrebounded 44-33, including 12-6 on the offensive glass. Crucial moments throughout the late stages of the game favored Toronto in the most simple of ways especially in drawing fouls and rebounding.
Paul George was fantastic yet again tonight, scoring 28 points on 8-15 shooting, going 10-11 from the free throw line and making DeRozan irrelevant, but Monta Ellis was the only other double figure scorer for Indiana with 15. Just three of those came in the second half after a big second quarter to help bring Indiana back from the 18-point deficit. Frank Vogel had his work cut out for him tonight with rotations when the Pacers were just 4-20 from deep and getting negligible games from nearly everyone else on the team.
Raptors even series with 98-87 win over Pacers | Indy Star
Pacers have a two-man show: Paul George scores 28 points and Monta Ellis 15. They get little from anyone except George in the second half.
Raptors have balance: Jonas Valanciunas has a dominating first half and finishes with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Kyle Lowry scores 18 points, including 10-of-10 free throws. Patrick Patterson comes off the Toronto bench for 14 points and six rebounds.
Toronto Raptors win Game 2 despite DeRozan’s struggles | Raptors Cage
Defence: A-
The Raptors played stellar defence, especially in the fourth quarter. A major issue from game 1 was containing Paul George, but tonight- the Raptors got the job done. The combination of DeMarre Carroll and Norman Powell were able to defend the all star…for the most part.
Raptors, Valanciunas claim victory over Pacers. | Sports on Earth
away from me. I’m going to go and battle for every single ball and every position. We all have to step up. It’s not an individual sport.”
Joseph has been tremendous off the bench, and Patterson — who was a team-high plus-21 in 36 minutes — scored 14 points and continues to make a positive impact on both ends whenever he’s on the floor. The Raptors didn’t need Lowry and DeRozan to play like All-Stars to lead them to victory in the playoffs, which might be the most encouraging sign of this win. This team won 56 games during the regular season in part due to its depth, which should still overwhelm the Pacers over the course of the series. George played 37 minutes in Game 1 and 33 on Monday. Vogel had to rest George, Monta Ellis and George Hill to start the fourth quarter in Game 2, and the game slipped away.
As the series shifts to Indiana, the Raptors can simply focus on Game 3 on Thursday and return to the rhetoric of a growing team poised to make a playoff run.
Toronto Raptors respond to adversity by snapping seven-game playoff skid | ESPN
The bottom line is still this, however: The Raptors need to get over the first-round hump with this core group before it’s too late. And the fact that DeRozan is 10-for-37 from the field in the series — and didn’t get to the free throw line for the first time all season in Game 2 — is certainly concerning, even if he continues to dismiss it.
“I just missed shots. I’m not worried about it. Whether I make shots or miss shots, that’s going to come. But it’s all about playing hard, especially on the defensive end,” DeRozan said.
Pacers-Raptors Game 2 Recap | Basketball Insiders
Defensively, the Raptors knew they had work to do after some of the offensive explosions the Pacers displayed on Saturday. In response, Toronto went with a change in the starting lineup – inserting DeMarre Carroll to try and slow down Paul George, who scored 33 points in Game 1. It didn’t work, at least not in regard to George, because he was still the team’s best player throughout the night and hung 28 on Toronto despite their extra defensive attention.
Outside of George, though, the Pacers really couldn’t get much help. Monta Ellis dropped in 15, but no Indiana bench players cracked double digits, showing why offensive inconsistency was such a concern for them heading into a series against a team with so many offensive weapons.
Raptors Live Up To Their Promise In Game Two | Pro Bball Report
The theme since Saturday’s loss was that you did not see the real Raptors in game one and of course you didn’t. The real Raptors showed up and gutted out a win that they needed.
Terrence Ross Injury: Updates on Raptors Wing’s Head and Return | Bleacher Report
The fourth-year man out of Washington already missed time this season because of a sprained left thumb. Having Ross out of the lineup proved to be problematic for the Raptors, who went 2-4 in his absence.
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