The Raptors won a possible franchise changing game in game four. Down two games to one, on the road, with the Bucks having a lot of momentum, the Raptors had their backs against the wall and provided their best playoff performance this round. The Raptors coaching staff made changes, they adapted to some of the defensive schemes the Raptors saw in the first three games from the Bucks, and the lineups they threw out were nothing like we had seen before in the playoffs, or even in the regular season.
The first change was obvious but very unexpected, the Raptors substituted Norman Powell for Jonas Valanciunas. Most thought the move to make in the starting lineup was shifting DeMarre Carroll to the bench, and replacing him with either Patrick Patterson or P.J. Tucker. The Raptors opted to go smaller, shifting Ibaka to the five spot, and having Carroll play the four, and Powell at the three. This move worked, the spacing was much better, and stopped the Bucks from trapping heavily up top with more ball handlers in the lineup.
The slow starts that have plagued the Raptors recently was halted by the change in the starting lineup. The Raptors starters traded leads with the Bucks, playing 6:10 until the Raptors made their first substitutions. The starting unit played a total of 14:53, and was used three different times throughout the game. This lineup still struggled to score, but this time it wasn’t execution like previous games, this time it was simply just missing open shots. This lineup had a 78 offensive rating, and a 42% true shooting percentage, most of the scoring coming from the hot scoring of DeMar DeRozan. The defense improved in this lineup, with Valanciunas out the Raptors were able to keep up with the Bucks much better in transition, and minimized some of the cross matching from the previous starting lineup. The Raptors weren’t hurt by switching with more perimeter players in this lineup, which was huge when guarding the Bucks main scorers Khris Middleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Raptors really came alive in the third quarter, and end of the fourth quarter with a lineup of Lowry, DeRozan, Powell, Tucker, and Valanciunas. When Valanciunas checked in with seven minutes left in the third, the Raptors were down two. During the first stretch with this lineup playing together, the Raptors gained a nine-point lead with three and a half minutes to go. Casey opted to rest Lowry, DeRozan, and Powell before bringing this lineup out to close the rest of the game. This lineup would close the win out on the road, playing a total of 10:53 to a +8, and turned a six-point lead into an eleven point lead at games end.
Lowry and DeRozan had massive bounce back games on the offensive ends, Valanciunas was great as the roll man and did his best at slowing down Greg Monroe. Tucker was great on the defensive end slowing down the Bucks scorers, and Powell had another huge playoff game. It will be interesting to see what the Raptors coaching staff decides to roll out in game five today. The addition of Norman Powell in the starting lineup definitely threw off the Bucks game plan, it will be interesting to see how the Bucks adjust to the lineup changes the Raptors made. Powell’s ability to stretch the floor out, hit open threes, and be an unselfish pick and roll ball handler, was a huge addition to the Raptors on the offensive end.
If the Raptors do change it up in game five they will have to continue to run out their hot hands. Starting Carroll isn’t optimal, he’s struggling to find his shot, and cannot keep up with Antetokounmpo on the defensive end. Starting him to balance out some of the rotations is probably a must, but having him play a short shift in the first and third quarter are probably the best times to play him. Carroll did see reduced time in the game four victory, but the stretch he played in the second quarter was where the Raptors struggled the most.
Patrick Patterson only played 7:48 in game four. He could provide a lot of versatility against some of the Bucks frontcourt players defensively, and has been shooting well from three as of recently. Patterson would be a great option to further alleviate some of Carroll’s minutes, and allow Powell to rest for a stretch (who played 34:14). It would especially be great to see Tucker, Patterson, play a bit more with the new starting lineup. When Tucker, Patterson, and Ibaka share the floor this postseason for 27 minutes they post a 108.3 offensive rating, and 102.1 defensive rating. The sample size is obviously small, but with improved offensive play from Lowry and DeRozan, the spacing in this lineup makes a lot of sense on paper. In the second quarter, the Raptors sent out their new starting lineup before subbing in Carroll for Tucker after a short stint. DeRozan would go off during that time scoring 11 points in that 7-minute stretch, helping the Raptors close in on the Bucks lead. With this lineup, it would offer the backcourt similar spacing, and better defense in case DeRozan isn’t doing his best 2008 Kobe impression for a stretch.
Although they were somewhat backed into a corner, the Raptors coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for the great adjustments they made between game three and four. It will be interesting to see the changes from both teams in game five. The Raptors made very big adjustments game to game, wether they stick to their new rotations, or change things up a bit, I full expect the Bucks to come out with a major sense of urgency in game five. Game four was a must win game, so is game five. The Raptors now hold home court advantage in a new three game series.
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