10 things I saw from Raptors-Wizards (Game 6) – The Defeated – Medium
Composure: The Raptors showed the focus and the toughness that was missing in Games 3 and 4 to march into Washington and take the victory. Toronto hung around all night, weathered a quiet game by DeMar DeRozan and death by a million offensive rebounds, and they eventually pulled ahead in the fourth. I think they’re just more comfortable mounting comebacks as they are maintaining leads.
WARREN: The power of sport is helping us all to heal | Toronto Sun
Sporting events have become the congregation where we come together to support each other. Both in person and by watching on television or on social media.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors and Blue Jays all played home games the week of the attack. This was where the city could publicly show their unity and support for the victims.
Woz Blog: Wizards tested mettle of Raptors and that could pay off down line | Toronto Sun
Toronto got off to by far its worst start of the series, taking an expected early punch from the Wizards. The Raptors looked a bit tight, missing a slew of makeable shots, while once again getting throttled on the offensive glass. Serge Ibaka, so good early in the series, continued his troubling David Copperfield vanishing act. They will need far more from Ibaka, the third-highest paid player on the team and supposed top defender, moving forward. It’s not a great look for Ibaka that (small sample size alert not withstanding) he was only a part of two of Toronto’s six best four-man lineups in the series and just two of the top 14 two-man groups (Jonas Valanciunas was a part of six of them (minimum 10 minutes required for all lineups). This was a nice block though, leading to a DeMar DeRozan layup.
SIMMONS SAYS: Of VanVleet, Marner, boxing in Toronto and, once again, Lou | Toronto Sun
It’s really a three-pronged problem for both the Raptors and VanVleet. They need him. That much is evident. The questions become: Can they pay the restricted free agent enough to keep him? Can they offer him enough playing time — because they can’t offer him a starting spot — to entice him to stay? Will they be able to match offer sheets that other teams will be preparing for VanVleet?
And does VanVleet want to start somewhere else or be the sixth man key with a first-place team?
Toronto Raptors on Instagram: “🌊”
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Raptors’ Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan vanquish playoff demons
As the Raptors rampaged their way to a 59-23 record and the conference’s No. 1 seed, much of the praise bestowed upon them was done so with a caveat: They’ve been great so far and their offense is markedly different, but their stars have consistently wilted in the postseason. Can they carry this style of play into the playoffs?
Against a feisty Wizards team led by John Wall regaining superstar form, Toronto did just that. At least for a round, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan showed their stylistic changes are genuine and here to stay, fighting off the meteorite that’s often felt imminent for the Raptors in the postseason and eluding extinction.
Bench Mob is whole again and Raps the better for it | Toronto Sun
“When Fred is out there, I feel complete, I guess,” Pascal Siakam said following his best game of the series that included 11 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and a team-best plus-18 rating.
“We’ve been playing together the whole season. Once one piece is missing, I don’t want to say we won’t be the same, but it’s hard to be the same when we’ve played together the same way. Not having him was a little different. We need him out there. Every day, I (would) ask him: ‘When are you coming back?’ He’ll tell you guys that.”
Toronto Raptors on Instagram: “🗣 Bench Mob on 3. Open Gym: Moments pres by Bell”
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Raptors Topple Wizards in Six, Move on to Second-Round | Toronto Raptors
anVleet came into the game to start the second-quarter and immediately sparked a 12 to four scoring run. It was VanVleet’s play in the fourth that really shone, he and his teammates outscoring Washington’s starters 15 to seven in a little under six minutes. VanVleet only ended the game with five points, four boards, and four assists, yet he impacted the game positively every time he stepped on the court. He sparked a certain confidence in his teammates and allowed them to thrive, all five Toronto bench players finishing with a positive plus-minus.
Dwane Casey admitted post-game that VanVleet was the reason for the bench’s success. “We just added Freddy to the group – that’s the difference,” Casey said in an interview with Arden Zwelling. “He’s kind of the engine. The toughness. That little birdie on the shoulder. I thought it really propelled Pascal and those other guys,” he added.
NBA Playoffs 2018 Reliable lineups unlocked the Raptors depth potential in Game 6 – Raptors HQ
All year, the answer was resounding. The Raptors were fun and good. The two best lineups were the starters — no longer a holdover unit with the move of rookie OG Anunoby into the first five — and their bench, made up of the four guys above and C.J. Miles. The starters had a net rating of 11.2; the now-dubbed bench broskis had a rating of 17.1.
So, going into the playoffs, it was a concern that Fred VanVleet was injured. He’s been the head of the bench animal, as well as a beast in transitional lineups (those that Dwane Casey uses in the middle of quarters, mostly). In the few minutes he played in Game 2, he still looked very much injured. There was a sense, though, that whenever he returned after that point, he’d be healthy enough to make an impact.
Siakam steps up as Ibaka struggles | Toronto Sun
“I just don’t feel like I have a position. I don’t consider myself a big man,” Siakam explained after the Wizards were sent packing.”
“I just try to use my mobility and my length to move against guys like Wall and Beal that are very fast and can score the ball.”
Talents like Siakam are a huge asset in today’s NBA and observers are taking notice of his ability to move his feet to switch onto guards on defence while outrunning everybody at the other end of the floor for easy buckets.
