The Toronto Raptors had what may have been their final practice of the 2015-16 season on Saturday. They want to practice again, with their stars adamant that they don’t want the season to end just yet. They know, too, that it will require a major effort, a ton of energy, and a serious reversal of course from the last three games, save for about 18 minutes.
Hitting the reset button
Kyle Lowry can’t help but try to give himself a clean slate ahead of Game 7. He’s shot woefully through six games, and while he’s still played well for the most part, there’s little he can do about what’s transpired over the last two weeks.
So what’s a guy to do?
“I’m hitting the reset button,” he said. “I don’t care what happened, one through six. I’m shooting 36? I don’t care. I’m shooting zero percent right now. I got a clear, empty clip…You can completely change everything with game.”
He’s right, really. He’s played well despite shooting poorly, and he’s one KLOE game away from most forgetting his shooting slump. Because again, he’s still been playing well outside of that.
Head coach Dwane Casey said exactly that, and it’s clear “reset” has been a common phrase since the loss. I’m not sure that’s necessarily an accurate rallying cry for the entire team, but I’m very much a believer in positivity over negativity in these situations – if they’re rallying around each other and the opportunity to win instead of dwelling on the bad outings and growing anxious about the opportunity to lose, then I’m all for that.
This isn’t NHL 94 on Sega, so you can’t just reset all your problems, but if they’ve gotta hit that button, go for it.
“One, let’s go in with a clear head,” Casey said. “You’ve gotta push the reset button. Flush what has happened in this series, you’ve gotta go and do what you do, you’ve done for 82 games. You’ve played at a high level. Play to your personality. Do what you do…Stick with the process, stick with our identity, which is playing hard, defense first, and sharing the ball offensively. We’ve gotta stick with that.
“And most of all, thirdly, stay together. Don’t fragment. Don’t listen to the noise. The most important person is sitting next to you. Play for him. Play for that guy sitting next to you and stick with that guy sitting next to you.”
Yes, the reset button. Not the rest button, as I tweeted with a typo earlier.
“We gotta reset, get our mojo back, get our swag back,” Casey later repeated.
And roll your eyes at the ball-sharing part, but that’s a good message to have. And no, it doesn’t mean the fans aren’t on their minds – all three were exceedingly complimentary of the Raptors’ fan base and they want to reward their enthusiasm and commitment.
“Just really living in the moment,” DeRozan said of what he’ll be thinking about before the game. “Because like I said, a lot of people don’t get this opportunity, to be able to play in a Game 7, to experience what it’s like to be in such a great moment. So many people going to be watching the game, so many people going to be outside, the crowd is going to be amazing. That type of atmosphere, you can’t duplicate.”
Relax, relapse
The message at practice today was to try to let go of Game 6, relax, and then prepare for the game as usual. The Raptors were certainly glad to only have a day off between games, though.
“Hell yeah,” Lowry said. “I don’t want to be waiting around two or three days. I wish we could play today, to be honest.”
“I think the day between is good when your anxious to get back and get going again,” Casey said. I’m certainly thankful for the quick turnaround, at least, and I got the sense before Games 5 and 6 that the additional time off only allowed that nervous energy to grow.
There’s going to be a major urge to draw parallels between this team and series to the 2014 Raptors, who took a 3-2 lead against the Nets only to lose Game 6 and then come home and lose Game 7. The Raptors are only going so far as accepting that as a lesson learned and experience gained, not any sort of bad omen or predetermined fate.
“I think the team is completely different,” Lowry said, correctly pointing out that five players are the same but it was the least experienced team possible against the most experienced team possible (“A bunch of guys who never even taste the playoffs,” as DeRozan put it).
“Resilient. I think we have more grit,” Casey said of the difference. “I think we perform with our backs against the wall better than we did last year…I sense fight. Guys understand what this is about. And they’re not afraid of the moment.”
As for DeRozan, he’s looking forward to coming out on the other side of a similar series this time around.
“You think about it, for sure. It’s time to experience a new feeling now,” he said. “That’s the way we gotta approach it. It’s Game 7. This is what you live for, to be in these moments.”
With that said, they’ll be remembered exactly the same if they lose. So please don’t.
Yes, this is big
Lowry compared it to the Super Bowl and to March Madness, repeating “win or go home” throughout his availability.
“Just know it’s going to be physical, It’s going to be intense. It’s not going to be a runaway game. We know the ferocity we’ve gotta play with tomorrow, and that’s all that matters,” Lowry said. “One game. It’s survive or don’t survive. That’s the mentality it’s gotta be…Gotta win. Gotta win…That’s a tough pill to swallow, if you don’t win it.”
For DeRozan, he was even more open by being somewhat guarded.
“Game 7 feel like life or death,” DeRozan said. “I only experienced it from a losing aspect, and that feeling sucks…If tomorrow don’t go, I don’t even want to put that negative energy out there, because that’s not how we thinking.”
The players seemed keenly aware that the outcome of that game determines a lot about where the Raptors go from here, even if they didn’t come out and say exactly what was on the mind of those asking the questions. Not surprisingly, Casey didn’t quite feel the way the questions were leading.
A nod to levity
DeRozan provided some adorable levity when speaking about how he keeps the pressure from getting to him too much.
“It’s never too overwhelming when you got a three-year-old daughter who just wants to watch cartoons with you all day. It kinda keeps me at ease,” he said of daughter Diar, his “good-luck charm…my little kiss before the game.” “Honestly, just being able to ease my mind with that, things like that kind of alleviate the pressure, if you want to call it pressure.”
