ICYMI from Raptors Republic
Game 3 Post-Game Reaction Podcast – Pacers Dominated | Raptors Republic
The Raptors take 2-1 series lead in a comfortable demolition of the Pacers in Indiana. The early returns suggest that there’s little the Pacers can do to cope with the Raptors bigs, guards, bench and…well, anyone except DeMar DeRozan.
Scott Suggs wins D-League Sportsmanship Award | Raptors Republic
Off the court, Suggs was an instrumental piece in growing the 905 brand in their first season. The 905 did a great job with public outreach all season long, and Suggs was a key part of many of those efforts, even sticking around at the end of the season to continue those efforts. He also peeled back the curtain for fans, writing a season-long diary for Upside & Motor.
The entire Raptors organization very clearly values the quality of their people as an organizational asset, something that’s come to the forefront multiple times this year. This is another indicator that being a good human is the first box you have to tick off with the Raptors, and Suggs ticked it off emphatically all year.
This is a great nod for Suggs, who was always a pleasure to deal with, speaking from my own personal perspective.
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Links from the Internets
Pacers can’t overcome Raptors’ talent advantage | The Defeated
Solve one problem and another arises. That’s the luxury of having multiple threats as the Raptors do.
Vogel will have counters prepared after dropping the last two games. But he’ll have very little to point to in practice on Friday. Vogel pulled every trick in the book to get the Pacers going after halftime, but none of it worked.
He went big with Myles Turner starting at power forward. The Raptors countered that by remaining strong on the glass, and Luis Scola drained a three while Turner was lost on the perimeter.
Vogel tried C.J. Miles as the power forward in a smallball lineup, but that failed too. The Raptors just stuck Lowry on him and Miles continued to be ice-cold (he’s now 1–11 from deep in three games).
They also shuffled the pick-and-roll coverage. Vogel sagged both of his bigs back to help on the interior, but that opened up threes elsewhere after the Raptors forced them to scramble. Then he moved to trapping, but the Raptors beat that with ball movement. Finally, Vogel switched actions, but that allowed DeRozan to shake free of George’s clutches and he was able to score against Solomon Hill and Monta Ellis.
Again, it goes back to talent.
Raptors finally bring A game: Arthur | Toronto Star
So let’s qualify it: the Raptors are better when they’re not playing scared, playing stupid or, presumably, playing drunk. When the Raptors don’t play like they’re worried they might have their passports revoked, they are the team that should win this playoff series.
“Tonight, out of these total three games, I felt like this was a lot closer to Toronto Raptors basketball,” said forward Patrick Patterson, after a 101-85 no-doubt win in Game 3.
“Yeah, that’s close, very close,” said DeMarre Carroll, who played 35 productive minutes on his surgically repaired right knee. “Once we start clicking on all cylinders we’re going to be very scary. If we can keep playing like this and the bench keeps playing the way they’re playing, the sky’s the limit.”
DeRozan, defence key to Raptors’ Game 3 win over Pacers | Toronto Star
With DeRozan scoring 21 points and Carroll hindering George into a so-so shooting night, the Raptors rolled to a 101-85 win before a subdued Bankers Life Fieldhouse crowd to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Toronto can take a stranglehold on it when Game 4 goes here Saturday afternoon; Game 5 is in Toronto on Tuesday.
While there were many other factors — monstrous defence at times, more rebounding dominance by Jonas Valanciunas and the seemingly indestructible will of Kyle Lowry — the Raptors needed DeRozan to be himself and he was from the opening tip.
He scored a dozen points in the first quarter, looking like he was playing a game in mid-January rather than late-April as the Raptors took control right off the bat.
DeRozan shoots 21 points as Raptors take series lead vs. Pacers | Toronto Sun
On DeRozan’s first touch of the night, he sought out Paul George, drawing the contact and then finishing both the bucket and the and-one.
By the end of the first quarter, he had 12 points. By the end of the half, he had 16 despite playing less than half the second quarter.
DeRozan would finish up with a game-high-tying 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting, the same offensive output as Kyle Lowry, although the bulk of DeRozan’s came as the Raptors built their lead.
“We put in a couple of new sets in shootaround,” DeRozan said. “But I came out aggressive, looking for my shot, understanding, picking, choosing where I was going to shoot from and they went down tonight.”
It was really the first night this series the Raptors have played to their identity and it wasn’t a surprise that this was the most convincing they have been to date, as well.
Raptors look poised to take flight after thorough Game 3 win | Sportsnet.ca
So results aside, heading into Game 3 of their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, the question of the day was: “When would the Raptors actually show up and play their best basketball? Would they begin looking like the No. 2 seed in the East, the club that won 56 games, or not? Would their regular-season road show travel in the playoffs?”
The answer is yes. With their most complete effort of the series, with contributions from all across their roster but in particular from their biggest-name players, the Raptors came to Bankers Life Fieldhouse and snatched home court advantage back from the Indiana Pacers with a thorough 101-85 win in which they led nearly wire-to-wire and were never really threatened.
“Tonight out of the total three games, this was a lot closer to Toronto Raptors basketball,” said Raptors forward Patrick Patterson, who has been one of the steadiest players in the series.
It wasn’t perfect. Focusing on the process means that there is always something that can be improved. But for the first time in this series, and maybe for the first time for this core group in the playoffs period, you could see the outline of their best selves from here and against the Pacers at least, it looked pretty promising.
DeMar DeRozan finally finds his shot as Raptors rout Pacers in Game 3 | ESPN
Kyle Lowry had 21 points (4-for-10 from 3-point range) and eight assists, and Jonas Valanciunas overcame early foul trouble to finish with nine points and 14 rebounds. But Toronto’s true unsung hero proved to be offseason acquisition DeMarre Carroll, who had a $60 million night guarding Paul George.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, George (25 points, 6-for-19 overall, 1-for-8 on 3s) went 2-for-13 from the field (0-for-6 from 3) when Carroll was guarding him. He had gone 3-for-4 in Game 1 and 2-for-5 in Game 2.
Carroll, who was limited to 26 games because of knee surgery and plantar fasciitis, and only came back right before the end of the regular season, had his minutes restriction lifted and played 35 minutes, scoring 17 points and grabbing five rebounds.
“I just tried not to let him get ‘feel-good shots,’ ” Carroll said of George. “Because once he gets a feel-good shot to go down and sees the ball go through the hoop, he’s a beast. I just tried to make every shot harder for him and tried to be physical with him.”
Carroll comes alive for Toronto in Game 3 win. | Sports on Earth
“I tried not to let him get some feel-good shots,” Carroll said. “Once he gets a feel-good shot, he’s a beast.”
Said Dwane Casey: “We ramped his minutes up. He gave us intensity on the defensive end. That’s what we brought him here to do. His shooting and cutting is really helping us on the offensive end with the spacing. He just came back two weeks ago, and now you’re going from regular season to playoff intensity, that’s a huge step, but I thought tonight he looked closer to who he really is.”
It was Carroll’s most impressive showing since his return, and while he’s taken a winding road to get here, it was exactly what the team envisioned his playoff role to be when they signed him to a four-year, $60 million deal last summer: a complementary offensive player next to Lowry and DeRozan, and an impact perimeter defender.
“The biggest thing for me was to come in and be physical,” Carroll said. “Coach told me he was going to lift the minutes restriction. It relieved me mentally. I knew I could play as hard as I can for as long as I can.”
If the Raptors have plenty to be encouraged about after Game 3, the Pacers might be running out of answers. Even with George averaging 30.5 points through the first two games, Indiana struggled to generate any consistent offense throughout the series. The same scenario unfolded in Game 3, as George’s teammates finished 20-for-49 from the field.
Five key moments from Raptors’ Game 3 win over Pacers | Toronto Star
Welcome back, DeRozan
With a combined 24 points in the first two games (he averaged 23.5 this year), DeRozan finally got his game back Thursday. He hit his first three shots, had 12 of the Raptors’ 24 first-quarter points, went 5-11 in the half and made 6-8 free throws. DeRozan didn’t play at that pace the rest of the way, finishing with 21 points, but the Raptors didn’t need more than what he gave. DeRozan’s play in Game 3 should inch him back toward his regular-season form, with the Raptors now two wins away from advancing to the second round.
Game Rap: Raptors 101, Pacers 85 | Toronto Raptors
RAPTORS PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
DeMarre Carroll had a sensational all-around effort on Thursday. In his second consecutive start, Carroll played 35 minutes. He scored 17 points on 7-for-16 field goals and grabbed five rebounds, four coming on the offensive glass. He added a steal and a block, but his most impressive work came on the defensive end of the floor. After Paul George scored 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting in the first half, he went just 2-for-9 in the second as Carroll and the Raptors made him work for every point scored.
Raptors Rout Pacers 101-85, go up 2-1 | Raptors HQ
DeMarre Carroll was huge. Norman Powell was the odd man out in the rotation as Carroll had his minutes limit lifted tonight. Carroll played 35 minutes, and looked GOOD for most of them. 17 points, took on the duty of guarding PG, and hit 3 three pointers as well.
Doyel: Focus, maturity escape, as does opportunity | Indy Star
On the bright side, this debacle wasn’t watched by a full house. It was announced as a sellout, but I’m telling you: Not even close. The gold T-shirts laid out on each chair disguised just how many seats were empty — until fans started taking those free shirts, exposing hundreds of green chairs, including most of three entire sections behind one basket.
This was a bad night all around, I’m saying, and not just for the home team — but for the home crowd. The empty seats, the rubber ball thrown from the crowd that hit the opposing coach in the head, and then the moment when this crowd surrendered. It happened with 5:26 left, when Kyle Lowry hit a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer to give the Raptors an 88-69 lead.
Vogel called timeout. The crowd left. It was a gold rush right out of the building, with several fans carrying their extra gold T-shirt out the door.
Grades: Indiana Pacers Proving Why They Are the 7th Seed | 8 Points 9 Seconds
The Bad: Bad maybe isn’t the perfect way to put it, but the last two games of this series have served as reminders of the fact this is really a transition year for the Pacers, and they overachieved by making the playoffs.
The starters weren’t so bad, but combined was limited contributions from the bench, and you have a loss on your hands.
Great team win! 💯💯💯 #JYD2Point0 #TeamCarroll #StayPositive #WeTheNorth
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Pacers turn over home-court advantage | Indy Star
The Pacers’ offense, which has become difficult for fans to watch outside of George and rookie Myles Turner, betrayed their solid defensive effort in the first half with a brutal performance. The Pacers had as many field goals — 12 — as they did turnovers. Those two statistics resulted in Indiana scoring just 36 points in the first half, its lowest point production of the season. The Raptors led by 17 points at halftime.
“They took about, like, 20 something more shots than us,” Solomon Hill said of the Toronto having 26 more attempts.
He added: “There’s no way you’re going to beat a team when they get 20 more shots, especially when you’re not being efficient.”
Even when Vogel called for pick-and-roll plays between Ellis and Mahinmi — one of the more reliable plays in the Pacers’ playbook this season — the two struggled to connect for easy baskets. Ellis threw a bad pass, which was deflected into one of the Raptors’ hands. On the next possession, Mahinmi did not catch the ball, which allowed the Raptors to collect it off the court with ease.
NBA Playoffs: Slow start dooms Pacers in crucial Game 3 loss to Raptors | Indy Cornrows
While fatigue may have played a factor late in the game, Frank Vogel was given no choice after his all-bench rotation flamed out, highlighted by non-highlights from C.J. Miles and Ty Lawson, both going scoreless, both picking up a turnover. The play of Myles Turner was the only encouraging thing to come from the second unit, with the rookie scoring 17 points with eight rebounds and three blocks.
The only problem with Turner is that he is a rookie. As well as Turner played offensively, he has a lot of work to do to get to the level of Jonas Valanciunas, who spent much of the night setting up camp against the rookie, picking up four offensive rebounds on a night the Raptors had 15, simply outhustling Indiana on every type of rebound.
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Pacers: ‘We didn’t do our job’ | Indy Star
The Raptors did not come close to greatness – shooting 41.5 percent overall, fouling often, including sending George to the line for a series-high 12 attempts – but they did more than enough to dominate Indiana. Carried by DeMar DeRozan’s awakening (12 of his 21 points scored in the frame), the Raptors won the first quarter for the third straight game. Indiana’s meek first-quarter resistance, while captured by several moments, was at its worst during certain plays.
HQ Overtime Post-Game Show: Let’s talk about a blowout | Raptors HQ
Guess what? The Toronto Raptors got another massive win tonight, this time 101-85 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse, to go up in a series for the first time since 2001. On this episode of Overtime, HQ editor and podcaster Sean Woodley joins me to discuss DeMar DeRozan’s semi-emergence, DeMarre Carroll’s minutes, the tightening of the rotation, and what Indiana could possibly do to win again (not that we want that).
Toronto Raptors assert dominance, pummel Pacers in Game 3 | Raptors Cage
Defense: A+
A++ for the Raptors defense tonight. What an effort. To put things in perspective, the Raps had 94 shots attempted, while the Pacers only got 68. This came from forced turnovers, good rebounding, and great hustle. The Pacers were frustrated, and finished with 3 technical fouls.
Carroll really gave Paul George a hard time tonight – it was awesome to see. He guarded George most of the night (Carroll got 35 minutes in), limiting George to 6-19 shooting. Paul George still finished with 25 points, but it was not an efficient or positive performance at all for him.
Myles Turner was the only real effective Pacer offensively, scoring 17 on 7-12 shooting. Valanciunas and Biyombo both picked up a bunch of fouls, forcing them to play a bit more conservative than they usually would at times. Ultimately, the Raptors defensive unit as a whole was on tonight.
No longer a secret, Raptors rookie Powell getting a big playoff shot | CBSSports.com
The Raptors liked Powell before the workout, and he rose in their rankings afterward. Mahlalela said Powell earned “shining marks” for how he treated the staffer who picked him up from the airport and how he carried himself at lunch and dinner.
“He was a four-year senior, but he was even mature for that,” Mahlalela said. “There was a worldliness to him. He’d seen a lot, he’d been around a lot. The bright lights didn’t faze him. It was just sort of like another day at work. He treated that workout as a professional, he’s treated every day he’s been here as a professional.”
Powell, a San Diego native, credits his disposition to his upbringing. He was raised by his mother, Sharon, a social worker who demanded good grades.
“Growing up, it was tough,” Powell said. “Not having a dad there. Seeing my mom work and struggle to keep me and my two sisters afloat. So it really made me want to take the load off her plate and just make it easier for her. It really made me focus and work even harder to not struggle anymore. That just made me have to mature faster.”
Roundtable: NBA Playoffs are here | Hardwood Paroxysm
Parish: Well, I don’t think there is one size fits all answer here, but the answer probably revolves around getting Patrick Patterson and Cory Joseph plenty of minutes most likely in the stead of Luis Scola and Terrance Ross. Ross has been aimless stumbling around this series like Hodor beyond the Wall and Scola hasn’t been able to turn his crafty veteran savvy into anything to help the franchise finally advance. Crunch time should probably be Lowry, DeRozan, Patterson, and Valanciunas, with a game-by-game call on whether Joseph, DeMarre Carroll or Norman Powell joins them. Although color me INTRIGUED with the notion of Derozan-free line-ups, especially if it ends the cruelty Paul George has been inflicting upon him.
DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry Finally Step Up to Carry Toronto Raptors | Bleacher Report
“The just came out with a ‘we have to win Game 3 attitude’,” Pacers forward Solomon Hill said, who was often tasked with chasing DeRozan. “They got about 20 more shots than us. That’s all effort and heart.”
After building a 44-28 lead late in the second quarter, the Raptors seemed in control. DeRozan had started out uncharacteristically hot with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting in the first period, and Lowry had six assists by halftime. He also hit four three-pointers on 10 attempts overall, often outstretching his post-make hands in relief.
It also helped that the Pacers were sloppy, committing 12 turnovers in the first half and aiding Toronto to a 53-36 lead at the interim.
Leads have been made and lost too many times by these Raptors over the last couple years, yet every time the Pacers got within 11 to 13 points, Toronto struck back with a timely bucket, usually matched with an even better play on the other end—often from one of its two stars.
“We have to understand,” DeRozan told Bleacher Report, “that we have to stay consistent on the defensive end and buckle down when they make a run.”
Lowry, DeRozan help Raptors re-establish identity | Sporting News
Carroll was, first and foremost, the primary defender on George, who shot just 6-for-19. The series’ best player through the first two games finished with 25 points (shooting 12-for-12 at the line) in Game 3, but those 25 didn’t come easy. According to SportVU, a greater percentage of George’s shots (13 of 19) were contested than were in Game 1 (13 of 22) or Game 2 (six of 15).
“I tried not to let him get some feel-good shots,” Carroll said. “Once he gets a feel-good shot and sees the ball go through the hoop, he’s a beast.”
If Carroll only contributed only on defence, his presence would have been a positive. But have gave the Raptors a lift on offence as well, scoring 17 points, hitting three 3-pointers and scrapping for four offensive rebounds.
“DeMarre Carroll was on the floor,” the Pacers’ Solomon Hill said. “All it takes is plays being made by guys who aren’t the stars to get a team going. They played like they really wanted Game 3.”
“I didn’t even know he had 17 points,” Lowry said. “That’s a bonus with the things he’s doing.”
Raptors’ Patterson deep-sixed by award voters | Toronto Sun
Toronto’s was the sixth-best in terms of net rating and Patterson was a part of nearly all of the top Raptors five-man units, yet got ignored, as did Cory Joseph.
Patterson, in particular, should have been in the mix. He might be the NBA’s most underrated player. But he doesn’t care.
“Sixth man of the year is all about scoring, we all know that. Whether I get a vote or not, I knew I wasn’t going to win it, or anybody on this team was going to win it, so, it doesn’t really matter,” Patterson said before the Raptors played the Pacers on Thursday night.
Patterson seems a bit hopeful, though, that voters will start digging deeper.
“No, it’s not frustrating at all, that’s just the way it is, you can’t change society … Like I said, knew I had no chance of getting that award.
“Maybe it will eventually change, they’ll add other attributes and requirements to get an award like that, but as of right now, it stands as it is.”
Is Jonas Valanciunas the strongest person on the planet? | Reddit
One time I saw him move the entire city of Indianapolis westward by 2 miles
Not because it was in his way or anything
He did it because he could
Beating Pacers Isn’t Enough For Raptors Patrick Patterson | Pro Bball Report
“In order for us to have a successful year in my eyes, we have to advance out of the first round,” Patrick Patterson told Pro Bball Report. “Despite all the accomplishments and accolades and records that we set, at the end of the day for this to be a successful year we have to advance outside of this first round.
“That’s my focus. That’s where my eye is on, getting to the second round. Trying to do whatever I can possible out there on the court. Whether it’s setting screens, talking, communicating, taking advantage of my opportunities offensively, rebounding. Whatever I can do to get my teammates going and our juices flowing. That’s just my mindset for the playoffs.”
The early first round offensive struggles of the Raptors All-Star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have been worked over ad nauseam, but this Raptors team is deeper than just their star players. Toronto’s solid reserves have stepped things up in the postseason to average 44.5 points on 55.8 percent shooting from the field and 47.1 percent from three led by Patterson with an unbelievable true shooting percentage of 96.8 and 11.5 points per game. Joseph is second on the team in scoring at 17 points per game and an 88.2 true shooting percentage.
A day in the life of the Raptors’ equipment staff | Sportsnet.ca
There is a method to the madness of what the Raptors wear and when. At home the Raptors only wear white unless they are wearing the “OVO” themed black and gold uniforms you see for each “Drake night.” The predominant road uniform is the reds which they are obligated to wear the majority of the time for their 41 regular season road games. They can’t wear their alternate black and red or “OVO” uniforms more than 18 times a year. The Raptors bring two pairs of each uniform for each player. “I bring a game set and a blood sweat. That way if a player gets a jersey bloody or it rips during a game we can just swap it out”.
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