Down one point with under a minute left in overtime, the Raptors set up their crunch time offense slowly. Usually they turn to DeMar DeRozan, their designated closer in times such as this. Kyle Lowry methodically pounded away while the shot clock winded down and DeRozan looked calm, almost too calm for a defining moment. Then, on the other side of the floor, Terrence Ross spotted up as he came off a screen and converted on what would become the game-sealing three pointer. But how did we get here?
The Raptors, like so many teams down the stretch, turn to their dependable “pet plays.” During Dwane Casey’s tenure with the team, a few have risen above the rest and have cemented themselves as mainstays of the Raptors’ crunch-time offense, such as their “Post DHO” (dribble handoff).
The play generally starts with a superfluous high pick and roll in the middle of the floor while both wing players are slotted in opposite corners. The big-man who is not tasked with screening the ball handler will cut across the paint sharply, carving out space in the mid post to present himself as a target for the ball handler. When timed correctly, they will quickly receive the pass and instantly transfer into a dribble handoff with the wing in the corner. As this action is not commonly defender coming out of the corner, confusion generally arises between defenders allowing for the slashing wing to attack the rim.
Opposing teams are smart. When any team depends on the same set of actions year after year, the rest of the league catches on. In years past, particularly when Amir Johnson was on the team, the Raptors were able to catch a lot of teams off-guard by cutting backdoor when they denied DeRozan the ability to receive the DHO from the corner. However, since his departure to the Boston Celtics, no Raptor big-man has been able to build a chemistry with DeRozan on that play that can compare to Johnson’s feel and ability to read the defense.
As a result, teams generally make it more difficult on the Raptors to make the entry pass or engage in the DHO by completely overplaying the top-side in addition to “loading up” on the strong side while leaving the weak side of the floor unattended. This is where Ross comes into play.
Against the Denver Nuggets, the Raptors leveraged a perceived inevitability of their crunch time offense to create a highly efficient shot.
The Nuggets’ defenders, particularly on the side of the floor with Ross and Jonas Valanciunas, did not display anywhere near the level of attentiveness and effort that is attributed to a crucial moment in the game. It was just assumed that Patterson would saunter over to DeRozan as they had seen on film and hand the ball over to a great slasher, possibly forcing them to help off their assignments. The Raptors flipped the script of their usual pet play and had Valanciunas set a quick pin down for Ross. Nikola Jokic, defending Valanciunas, was not prepared to show or help while Jameer Nelson trailed far behind Ross, leading to one of the easier looks of the night for either team.
What appeared to be some lazy late-game defense and a good shooter coming off a simple screen was much more than that – it’s one of many moments that are coming in increasing regularity that signal Casey’s and the Raptors’ willingness to trust their complimentary players when their stars have drawn too much attention.
Just a few games before, the Raptors leveraged the attention being paid to DeRozan in the post when they were playing the New York Knicks. Another Raptor pet play, “Rip Seal,” which has DeRozan receive a rip screen to help establish post position for himself to back down his defender, was slightly altered to take advantage of what was perceived as an inevitability of the possession.
Generally, that play ends as an isolation post up for DeRozan, but the Raptors were aware the Knicks had shown a tendency throughout the earlier stages of the game to send help from the weak side of the floor to double along the baseline. They quickly reversed the ball and were able to attack a lurching Carmelo Anthony with a pin down causing him to trail too far behind to make a meaningful contest.
The predictability of the Raptors’ offense has been a point of contention among fans and analysts for quite a while now, but this season appears to be different. The Raptors are well aware of how teams like to send extra attention and help to defend their high-usage guards, especially on well-scouted pet plays. The peripheral players, such as Ross and Norman Powell, are beginning to become even larger beneficiaries of this attention with the strategic decisions being made to twist the opposing defense’s decisions against them.
