Last night the 56 win Raptors showed up in Toronto for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and it was a sight to behold. They outworked, outrebounded, and outscored the previously undefeated Cavaliers, and showed the resilience that saw them through significant injuries this season (including the currently injured Jonas Valanciunas) and two hard-fought game 7 victories.
That was Toronto Raptors basketball in its purest form. Hardnosed defense, an aggressive “us against the world” attitude, making the extra pass to open shooters, rotating almost perfectly on defense, and winning due to unsung heroes. It was Raptors basketball.
Yes, DeMar DeRozan carried the way offensively, and last night was a great reminder as to why he will be receiving a max contract from someone (likely Toronto) this summer. 32 points on an efficient 24 shots, 8-of-9 from the free throw line, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, Derozan contributed across the board. What stood out most to me in his game was his team leading 4 assists. He showed much improved decision making from the first two games, knowing better when to pass. This was exemplified late in the fourth when he drew the double and found Bismack Biyombo under the basket for the wide open dunk.
And despite early foul trouble, Kyle Lowry had a huge impact on the biggest win in franchise history (we’ve had a few of those in the past few weeks). He scored 20 points on just 13 field goal attempts, was 4-for-8 from three point land, and hauled in 6 rebounds (including one offensive rebound).
The Raptors’ All Star guards both showed up in game 3, and when that happens the Raptors are a dangerous team that can compete with anyone, but they weren’t alone last night.
Bismack Biyombo had a podium worthy game, and certainly did not disappoint in his post-game presser. Watch this video, don’t just listen to it. His facial expressions in the middle of questions are far too enjoyable to miss.
He 1000 percent deserved to be at that podium, and that number is not a typo. His 26 rebounds were a franchise playoff record, and that alone was worthy of accolades. Adding in h is 2 rebounds, many other altered shots, and a personal 6-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter were just gravy. He even guarded LeBron perfectly in a few isolation. Stepping back, giving him plenty of space, daring him to shoot from places he has struggled at recently, and giving himself lots of time to adjust if LeBron decides to drive.
A lot has been made of Bismack already though. Praise was heaped on him last night, and all of it deserved. But someone else had a dominant game without nearly as much pizzazz as Biyombo. We got regular season Cory Joseph last night.
Cory has been hit or miss during the playoffs so far after excelling for much of the regular season, and the first two games against Cleveland he was even outplayed by Matthew Dellavedova. Last night was entirely different. Cory was forced into extended minutes due to Lowry’s early foul trouble, and he answered the bell in resounding fashion.
Not only did he outplay Dellavedova, he hounded Kyrie Irving whenever they were matched up. His defense was elite last night. One fourth quarter sequence saw Kyrie Irving trying to spin past him to the hoop/back him down. Every way that Kyrie turned, Cory was perfectly in position to prevent lane penetration, and forced a very difficult shot. Next time down the court Cory hits a beautiful foul line jumper, while ESPN’s commentators talk about how his defence gives them goose bumps.
His three pointer to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter was also a turning point of the game. The Cavaliers had been fighting back and were about to head into the fourth quarter being down by just 7 points. Cory ran up the court, got into LeBron’s body to bump him back, and calmly drained a straightaway three to end the quarter. He grabbed momentum back at a pivotal moment, and helped the Raptors head into the final frame with momentum on their side.
Cory Joseph was the second best point guard last night, behind only Kyle Lowry. And if he can maintain that moving forward, the Raptors can continue to cause some problems for Cleveland.
