Morning Coffee – Wed, Apr 18

Miles had three of them (he finished 4-of-6, and is now 8-of-13 in the series) and was making a point about how much that shooting opens up the floor, particularly when the offence flows through the hands of aggressive ball-handlers off the dribble, such as Raptors guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
“It’s as big as anything in the game on the offensive end,” Miles was saying. “The more space we can give them, the tougher they are to cover. Because, now, you’ve got Serge [Ibaka] making a couple threes. OG [Anunoby’s] made a couple threes…”
Suddenly, from across the room, an interruption.
“Hey!” hollered Jonas Valanciunas, observing from afar as he fastened the cufflinks of his trim white button up. “I made one, too!”

NBA Playoffs 2018: Raptors beat the Wizards in Game 2, 130-119 – Raptors HQ

The truth is, as has often been the case this season, it’s impossible to separate the components of this Raptors win and highlight a single thing. Toronto has stars — again, DeRozan and Lowry definitely qualified tonight — but the team really is at its best when it’s even greater than the sum of its parts. And watching these different Raptors add (multiply?) together to put the Wizards away with — relative — ease was, if you’ve been watching the Raps for some time, a delicious and delightful sight.
I stress the word “relative” there though because, in typical old school Raptors fashion, it was a bit stressful. Despite leading for all but the first minute of the game, and putting up 44 points in the first quarter (a post-season franchise record), Toronto let the Wizards comeback in the second half. Toronto’s torrid three-point shooting cooled (from 50 to 15 percent) and the combination of John Wall, Mike Scott, and (who knew) Ty Lawson, decided to power Washington back into it. Toronto’s lead, which had gotten as big as 23 in the first half, was gradually chiselled away to five before the midway point of the fourth. Naturally, the rollicking atmosphere inside the ACC dissipated, and we all got a bit tight.

Raptors Post-Game: Jonas Valanciunas – April 17, 2018 – YouTube

Wizards showed lack of pride in easy Raptors win | Toronto Sun

Why should the Wizards have brought more focus? If it wasn’t enough that Toronto was the East’s top seed and the NBA’s second-deepest squad, you could also factor in the math. NBA teams that have built 2-0 leads at home have gone on to win the series 94% of the time, per whowins.com.
On his 61st birthday, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey had the correct attitude.
“We can’t get relaxed and start believing the hype. We’re playing against a very non-traditional eighth seed, a very talented eighth seed, a well-coached team,” he had said.

Raptors making believers as they win first two playoff games for the first time | The Star

Unless, of course, you learn to sail. The Raptors played a Game 2 without the weight of a Game 1 loss on their shoulders Tuesday night, and they were mercilessly, joyfully good. A 44-point first quarter, an 18-point lead at the half. The Washington Wizards were bickering. The Raptors looked free.
And when the inevitable run came, it was … fine. Wizards point guard John Wall led a charge, and the lead was down to 108-103 with 7:52 to go. This is where previous Toronto teams might buckle; this is where previous teams might fall.

Raptors Post-Game: C.J. Miles – April 17, 2018 – YouTube

Teamwork and timing on Raptors’ side in Game 2 win | The Star

All-star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan had announced in the lead-up to the series that they’d be treating Game 1 “like a Game 7,” never mind that Game 1s lack even the distant spectre of elimination. Come Tuesday’s followup win — a 130-119 result that produced Toronto’s first 2-0 playoff-series advantage in franchise history — Lowry and DeRozan had convinced other members of the squad that the approach was a worthy one.
Said Pascal Siakam, the second-year forward: “Game 2 is Game 7, too.”

The Raptors shellacked the Wizards in Game 2, and this is how good they are – SBNation.com

oronto has a familiar problem: nobody will trust them until they prove it. We’ve all been scared away before. But Dwane Casey and Masai Ujiri have helped build a masterful team here, one that has thrived even without (probably) a top-15 player. Hell, Casey broke out the 13-man rotation on Tuesday, and it wasn’t even due to last-minute garbage time subs. (There were some ulterior factors, though, like Fred VanVleet being not quite healthy enough.)
The Raptors won’t prove anything in the first round, sure. They know that. But they also know that they can play like this, and Game 2 was a reminder why that’s so dangerous.

Raptors Post-Game: Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan – April 17, 2018 – YouTube

Raptors impressive building lead, fighting adversity in Game 2 – Sportsnet.ca

Toronto is entering a brave new world. Having opened a playoff series at home with a win for the first time in the Dwane Casey era the team was playing a Game 2 without the added weight of looming failure, without the paralyzing fear of possibly going down 0-2.
Everybody now. Breathe. Enjoy the house money and play the game the way it’s meant to be played: loose and free.
For the benefit of Drake who missed it, this is what it looks like: Once struggling rookie OG Anunoby – at six-foot-eight and 240 pounds – getting low, stymieing Washington Wizards two-guard Bradley Beal on the dribble and forcing him into an awkward, fading two and a miss.

Raptors Post-Game: Fred VanVleet – April 17, 2018 – YouTube

DeRozan, Raptors control Wizards to take 2-0 series lead – Article – TSN

“DeMar is an unbelievable player, all-NBA, MVP-type calibre player,” Lowry said. “Every year I’ve been with him he’s just continued to get better. He’s my friend, I don’t care. He still sucks as a friend, but as a basketball player he’s really good, just getting better every single year. If I’m not shooting the ball well, he held it down for our team.”
Seated together at the post-game press conference, Lowry poked fun at DeRozan — backcourt bromance at its best.

Raptors Post-Game: Delon Wright – April 17, 2018 – YouTube