Raptors Send A Message In Game 3

We have a series.

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The Raptors turned in a monstrous performance to cut the series deficit in half last night in front of an electric Air Canada Center, fueled by an incredibly dominant performance from Bismack Biyombo in the paint, all-star contributions from DeRozan and Lowry, and a huge bounce-back game from Cory Joseph who put Kyrie Irving in his pocket.

Of those four, it’s hard to single one over the other as the true star of this game, but if you have to pick one, it was Biyombo’s 26 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 7 points that really set the tone and sent a stern message to the Cleveland Cavaliers – that this isn’t going to be easy.

Defensively, Biyombo’s four blocks were just half of it. Those four swats should have been five had his clean and emphatic rejection on LeBron James in the 2nd half not been wrongfully called a foul, and besides that, he was a menace in the paint – altering shots and keeping the Cavs from getting inside throughout the game.

As presumed prior to game 3, if Biyombo was switched onto LeBron on the perimeter, he could force James to settle for jumpers. It rang true. James ended up sinking some jumpers, but you’ll live with that if you’re Dwane Casey. Keeping Cleveland out of the paint was a priority after the shellackings in games one and two, and the Raptors improved dramatically in that aspect.

Biyombo’s presence can’t be understated here. If the Raptors want to continue to force Cleveland into low-percentage looks outside the restricted area, they won’t be able to do it with Biyombo who has stepped up big this season over and over again when Valanciunas has sat out.

26 rebounds in game 3 puts him in one impressive shortlist. Via HoopsHype:

“He reminds me of a guy like [Dennis] Rodman going for the rebounds,” Casey said. “He knows where the ball is coming off, he has a sense of where it’s coming off, and he does a good job doing that.

“He’s one of the top rebounders in the league, and no telling how many times he gets hit and fouled under there without being called. Again, I’m going to say this: I think he gets hit almost on every rebound and putback there is, and he just doesn’t get the calls, whether he’s rolling to the bucket, and we’ve just got to have consistency with that.”

Offensively, Biyombo’s 7 points were bonus – he was sound in his decision-making with the ball, let the game come to him, and scored inside on some easy looks.

But Biyombo’s defensive efforts were what mattered most, and the Raptors backcourt took care of the rest. DeMar DeRozan came up with perhaps his best post-season performance to date, scoring 32 points on 24 shots. His shot selection was really good. Even if a lot of his looks were contested, they were in rhythm, and within his scope of a high-percentage look. He also got to the line nine times – more than any other player on the court.

Thought he did have slips defensively which he’ll need to fix for game 4 – spacing out and losing JR Smith behind the arc which led to easy threes – his offensive output gave the Raptors a much-needed boost.

DeRozan’s all-star partner in the backcourt, Kyle Lowry, was no less impressive. The Raptors desperately needed Kyle Lowry’s form to return if they were to have any chance of grabbing a game in this series, and Lowry showed up in a big way. His 20 points came in just 32 minutes, and his shooting stroke returned as he nailed 4-of-8 bombs from three.

His limited minutes only came as a result of foul trouble after several dodgy fouls called against him in the first half. Dwane Casey’s hand was forced. He recalled Lowry back to the bench despite Lowry really setting a positive tone on the court. The concerns then hovered around the Raptors’ inability to outscore the Cavs with Lowry on the bench, but Cory Joseph quickly took over, carving the Cavs offensively while really disturbing Kyrie Irving on the defensive end.

When Lowry hit the bench, the Raptors went on a remarkable 16-5 run.

It seemed unlikely, but the Raptors not only avoided the sweep, but they won emphatically, and sent a message with it. This felt like a regular season game – in a good way. The crowd was fun, the Raptors played freely and without pressure, and they played the Cavs as they had played them before the playoffs started. It doesn’t mean the Raptors are going to win the series, but it does point to signs of growth, and it’s all very impressive.

Dwane Casey stuck with a tight rotation which saw Scola start at the four again. Scola, who played 16 minutes, played the majority of the first quarter and did a fine job guarding Kevin Love. And in the end, the Raptors as a whole did a pretty job of neutralizing both Love and Irving. The Raptors needed Cleveland to cool down after game 2, and apart from JR Smith and Channing Frye’s hot shooting (combined 9/19 from three), Cleveland didn’t get much scoring output outside of LeBron James. Both Love and Irving combined for 4-of-29 from the floor.

“I don’t know if we need to get hit upside the head before we play, but we have to treat every game like it’s Game 7 almost,” Casey told reporters after the game. “People can write us off, it’s a long series – it’s not over yet. Everyone thought we was going to get swept and that fuels us. If that’s what it takes, so be it.”

The Air Canada Center stepped up big too, proving to be a menacing venue for the Cavs who looked so comfortable at the Q Arena.

“We need it. We want it. I don’t know if the fans know how much we appreciate it, but we really do appreciate it, and we want them to be as loud as they possibly can,” DeRozan said. “I think it affects other teams, and it gives us just that energy. We know we make a big run or we make a big shot or Biz gets a block and he goes and does his little thing, they love it. We feed off that positive energy.”

Kyrie Irving left the game early, and was in visible pain walking in the tunnel, but thankfully it seems like he just got wind knocked out of him, and will be just fine.

Some fun things..

Michael Grange hands LeBron a fun question at the end of the post-game presser

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