What else can be said about Game 1’s for the Toronto Raptors? Sure, it would’ve been nice to stick it to the less experienced Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, finally exorcise those Game 1 demons, and really take the next step as a franchise as a team with a winning playoff pedigree. But no…that didn’t happen. While it was in different fashion than we’re used to seeing, some grim similarities remained; most notably the shooting of Kyle Lowry.
Reasons to be positive – why things can change
So where do we go from here as Raptors fans? What else, other than focus on some of the positives, and things we’d like to see changed in Game 2? For starters, the obvious point to note is that this is familiar territory. To say that we’ve been here before would be an understatement. From the 7-game series against the Nets, to back-to-back playoff series victories against the Pacers and Heat last year, losing Game 1’s and bouncing back in roaring fashion has become a spring time tradition for Dwane Casey’s Raptors. That tradition, at least in successful or competitive series, usually includes a roar-back in Game 2, a gutsy road win, disappointing road losses sprinkled in, a wild Game 5 victory, and the usual Game 7 toss-up. So there’s the first positive – we’ve been there, we’ve been out of it, and it’s almost a part of what this team’s personality is all about (the Raptors led the league during the regular season in 10-plus point comeback wins, with 19 and 15-plus comeback wins with 6).
The second thing we can point to is some of the possible adjustments. Dwane Casey confirmed at practice on Sunday that DeMarre Carroll will remain the starter against Giannis Antetokounmpo, who absolutely abused Carroll during his time guarding the Greek Freak. It was one of the glaring weaknesses in the Raptors defensive schemes that really helped the Bucks stay on pace in the first half, before Antetokounmpo’s foul trouble in the second half. Despite Carroll starting, you’d have to figure the Raptors will throw more of P.J. Tucker at Giannis.
Another adjustment the Raptors’ will have to make is their transition defense, which struggled mightily. The Bucks’ length and action on defense, including off of blocks by Antetokounmpo and Maker, allowed them to get up and go repeatedly. The Raptors will have to make a collective team effort to get back on defense to guard the rim and the 3-point line (Brogdon, Dellavedova, and Snell all showed the ability to make it when open), and somehow contain the speed and athleticism of Giannis in the open floor. This would be especially true in the first quarter, as a couple of dunks is likely all Antetokounmpo needs to get his confidence going. Sending a double in the half-court may be tricky if it leaves some of those shooters open, but in the right situation, like a trap in the corners, it could be a good option for Toronto.
The third reason for optimism is pretty simple – the Raptors are the better team. I’m usually a fan of the “best player in the series” theory, but there’s always an exception to that ideology. While an individual player can probably win you a game or two in a playoff series, or even extend a series to seven games, the team with (1) a superior offensive and defensive system, (2) a collectively more talented unit, and (3) more experience, usually will prevail. The Raptors have two bona-fide all-stars, and a more balanced roster thanks to their trade-deadline acquisitions. Their bench depth is better, their offensive and defensive ratings in the regular season were better, they won the regular season series, and they have the clear edge when it comes to playoff experience as well. I’m not saying all of this means the series is a lock, but my money is still on the Raptors in 6 or 7; though a 7-game series win would prove to be more stress than I think any of us can handle.
Storylines heading into Game 2
While this series is still in its infancy, some storylines have already started to develop. One of them was from Sunday’s practice, when a clearly frustrated Kyle Lowry addressed the media. When asked about his aggressiveness, Lowry said he’ll have to “force more shots”. Lowry, who’s known to show some passive-aggressiveness when it comes to the media, is also someone who just loves to play, rather than talk about playing. So, while this was an intriguing way to put things, I really wouldn’t read too much into it. It’s just a frustrated player having to answer the same questions year after year. One thing is for sure – there’s not much worse Lowry can perform in Game 2. What will be interesting to see though, regardless of his shooting, is Lowry’s ability to defend Bucks rookie Malcolm Brogdon, who appeared calm, composed and sharp with his scoring (6/13 from the field) and outside stroke (4/7) in Game 1.
Here’s Lowry’s media availability video from Sunday’s practice:
While Serge Ibaka essentially confirmed that he’ll give it a go tonight, his ankle continues to be monitored. At yesterday’s practice, Ibaka confirmed that it’s “feeling better”, but that it continues to be something he needs to be careful of and that he was taking it “day by day”. When asked if he could play if the game was yesterday, Ibaka said “it would be tough”. All things considered, after his amazing performance in Game 1, if we see Ibaka tentative, or off-form it wouldn’t exactly be shocking.
The Raptors’ issues starting games was another topic of discussion at yesterday’s practice (see Blake’s practice news and notes for the full run-down), as DeMar DeRozan likened his team’s starts to an “Old Regal”, which needs some warm up time when initially started, but hits its cruising conditions once it heats up. While the analogy is nothing more than just that, it’s really something that boils down to (1) who gets the first few touches, (2) how the Raptors plan to guard Giannis to start the game, and (3) whether the Raptors’ shooters can preserve the spacing and rhythm that the team needs to get their offensive punch back. If the prospect of going down 0-2 in the first round is not enough to get these guys riled up to start things off, I’m not sure if any of the game planning will really matter. The Bucks have shown themselves to be formidable, and if the Raptors don’t show the requisite sense of urgency, they will likely find themselves in trouble once again.
Tip off time tonight is 7:00 pm.
