Our man Norm received an A+ in the Quick Reaction and was showered with praise in the post-game and the podcast, and all that despite going 1-6 from the field. Why is that? Because of his defense is why. He was introduced in the first quarter after DeMarre Carroll got into early foul trouble, and supplied high quality help and man defense against Paul George, Ty Lawson, and Paul George. He didn’t play the second quarter, and was introduced late in the third after which he finished the game, playing all 12 minutes in the final quarter.
His engagement level on defense was the best of any Raptor, and his hounding of George off the ball and on inbounds slowed the already-struggling Pacers offense down to a crawl. George may have had a big night statistically, but it’s colored with frustration courtesy of Powell.
Once again, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, and listen to Sam and myself discuss Game 2 in the reaction podcast:
