Kyle Lowry’s disappointing performance, Gasol’s hesitancy to make an offensive play, Nick Nurse’s head-scratching lineup decisions and everyone not named Kawhi’s inability to knock down an open jump shot. There were many unflattering narratives surrounding Toronto since their Game 3 dismantling at the hands of Joel Embiid and company.
But as the Liberty bell rung in the city of brotherly love on Sunday afternoon, commencing Game 4, there was only one story Toronto cared about: winning this game.
For all the panic buttons hit, and slander thrown at the Raptors roster over the past few days, all it was going to take to wash the rancid taste left in their mouths by Philadelphia was a victory.
The help Kawhi Leonard needed for the past two contests finally arrived on Sunday. In a wild affair of impossible shot-making and grind-it-out defense, Leonard’s teammates set the table for him, and he finished the job.
Marc Gasol scored a series-high 16 points, Lowry chipped in 14 and Leonard erupted for 39, hitting the biggest shot Toronto Raptor’s Franchise history, as he lifted his team above the 76ers to win Game 4, 101-96.
While this was very much Kawhi’s game, as it’s been his series, the focus from the jump for the Raptors was getting Kyle Lowry going. It was clear from the opening possession that Kyle knew he had to take a more assertive role in directing Toronto’s offense.
Scoring 5 of the Raps first 7 points, initiating offensive sets, and poaching open teammates for clean looks, Lowry began this game playing like his season was on the line.
The other Raptor who fans were equally as concerned with before the game, Pascal Siakam, was not himself on Sunday. Bricking 3 wide open corner threes in the opening four minutes of the game all but confirmed what we expected – Pascal was playing hurt.
Ibaka Leonard and Gasol would need to have big games considering the their 2nd best offensive talent was playing on one leg. They answered the call.
Leonard, didn’t attempt a shot until the 7:30 mark of the first quarter, but as soon as he did, his scorers mentality took over. A couple buckets and one three later, he found himself on the fast break with his point guard, where they were finally able to make some magic happen:
Toronto’s lead swelled to 11 at one point in the first, and they forced Philly into a drought where they missed 9 consecutive shots. But as they’ve done all series, the Sixers fought back. The Raptors held Philadelphia to 33% shooting in the first quarter, but only took a 3 point lead into the second frame.
Kyle Lowry’s assertiveness was encouraging, and we knew Kawhi was going to be Kawhi, but with Siakam at what looked like 20%, and the inability to play Fred VanVleet, the other starters needed to step up.
In the second quarter they did just that.
The ball was moving beautifully (especially on fast breaks), Gasol was looking for (and making) his own shots, and Serge Ibaka hopped in a time machine and teleported back to his all-defence days in OKC:
This game was hard to breathe during. At no point did it look like either team felt they had their opponent figured out. It was back and forth until the very end. But what seemed to keep the Raptors competitive, and able to answer the punches thrown at them by Philly, was the tenacity of Kyle Lowry.
The Kyle effect was in full force. He only had ten points in the first half but he was countless valuable things. Directing traffic on defence, making extremely savvy choices with the ball in his hands, and being a vocal leader. His infectious competitive nature seeped its way into the game’s of his teammates at just the right time.
Philly dealt Toronto a solid blow late in the first half, but the Raptors responded with a quick 7-0 run in the space of a minute to retake a lead of 47-45 after 24 minutes
The first half was entertaining, but the 3rd quarter is when Raptors fans got really concerned about their blood pressure.
The Sixers struck first in the second half. The whistles of Marc Davis and Tony Brothers were not favouring Toronto early, which seemed to eat away at their confidence on the defensive end of the floor.
Toronto conceded a flurry of offensive rebounds to Philadelphia, which led to second and third chance points for the home team.
After Lowry missed his second consecutive wide open three, Harris found Butler on the wing of the perimeter for a deep three which splashed, giving Philadelphia their largest lead of the game at 5.
Kawhi Leonard had seen enough. The rest of the 3rd quarter, Leonard put the Raptors on his back yet again, hitting 4 contested 3’s in an unfair display of offensive talent. Philly was playing good defense, but there was nothing they could do to stop the guy.
The difference in this game was when Kawhi exploded, his teammates didn’t watch him like they were on a field trip. They seemed to want this almost as bad as he did. Kyle Lowry was back to doing things like this:
But for as brilliant as Leonard performed, and as strong as his supporting cast was, the Sixers were playing some damn good basketball. This thing was all tied up heading into the fourth.
If you weren’t already gasping for air at this point in the game, Nick Nurse did the equivalent of dangling your inhaler in front of you, then tossing it out the window. He sat Kawhi Leonard to start the fourth.
The fury brewed by this choice didn’t last too long for the Raptors faithful, as Leonard was subbed back into the game after 2 minutes of rest.
These two teams were trading blows like seasoned prize fighters, neither one willing to show the other they were hurt.
Butler banked in a ridiculous three pointer from the top of the key to give the Sixers a 84-81 lead. But Marc Gasol and his new found offensive confidence answered right back with a triple of his own, then the Raptors went up 89-85 on a Kawhi baseline jumper just a minute later. Reddick hit a 3 to cut it to 91-90 with 2:07 remaining.
Following a missed Embiid layup with 1:55 to go, Toronto corralled the rebound and carried the ball up the court, and precisely followed the game plan laid out to them by Coach Nurse during the previous timeout – “Just give the ball to Kawhi”.
With the shot clock winding down, and his team clinging onto a one point lead, the best player in Toronto Raptors franchise history danced around a Gasol Screen, took three dribble to his right, stepped back, rose up over Embiid, and nailed what is unquestionably the biggest shot in this franchise’s history.
A few Danny Green free throws later, and this series was all knotted up at 2 games a piece.
Suddenly everything in Toronto sports isn’t so grim as it just was. There’s work to be done, and this team is not out of the woods yet, but Leonard provided its fanbase with an elixir of hope, that will sustain them for at least another 48 minutes.
Game 5 tips off Tuesday at 8pm in Toronto.
