The Toronto Raptors pulled out an unlikely game-5 victory with a miraculous run. A run like that will not likely happen again. The Raptors will need to attack the Indiana Pacers from the tip-off in game 6, and there are a few observations I made about what works and what does not.
What does not work
Isolation
The top two Raptors players are obviously DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. The top two defensive Pacers are George Hill and Paul George. How does that add up for the Raptors’ isolation attack? As expected, just terrible. It’s no secret that Lowry is shooting just over 30% in the series, and it should be no surprise that George Hill is limiting his assignments to 29.8% in the postseason, Lowry or not. On the flip side, Paul George is doing his part limiting his assignments to 37.3%. Both are exceptional wing defenders and the variations of the plays put in by Dwane Casey made all the difference on getting DeRozan cleaner shots on way to his 34 points in Game 5 (more on that later).
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Patrick Patterson starting
Patterson started for the first time this season and it was a random disaster. Or was it not random? In the attempt to match up with Myles Turner and push Patterson to play more minutes, he ended up only playing 26 and ending with a paltry -20. “It’s frustrating as a player: thinking you are doing all the right things, rotating, communicating and helping but they are still scoring,” Patterson confided. Although the small sample size is easy to accept, you can’t argue with the results. PatPatt wasn’t his usual energetic self and we will see what decision Casey makes for Friday.
Attitudes
Casey discussed how he never knows before a game how his team is going to come out and play. They always have the same routines and demeanors before every contest, but it takes a couple trips up and down the court before Casey can recognize the level of play. Obviously game 4 and 5 were pretty soft on the meter, luckily the odd-man lineup in the fourth quarter found the right mentality to steal a win from the Pacers. They need that mentality to start out the game and step on the Pacers’ throats from the get-go.
What works
Adding knick-knacks to the offense
DeRozan’s 34 points was the biggest story of the boxscore. Although those points didn’t translate into the win directly in the 4th, he single handedly kept the Raptors within striking distance throughout the game. How did he do it? DeMar claims he was due, which is true, but the Raptors offense was well-tailored to freeing him up against the defense. The Raptors were able to get DeRozan the ball off of screens above the break, getting him momentum downhill to the rim without a defender in front of him. They were able to do this with double screens from the bigs at the top and it proved to be the antidote. The next best thing for DeMar was also playing him when Paul George did not. The early second and fourth quarters were primetime DeRozan, where he scored a quick 8 points in the second and keep his team in the game.
Small-ball lineups
The Lowry, Terrence Ross/DeRozan, Norman Powell, Cory Joseph, and Bismack Biyombo lineup caught lightning in a bottle and it started with the defense. Having three ball hawks in Lowry, Joseph, and Powell, while the ‘bigs’ of Ross/DeRozan and Biyombo were flat out outworking the Pacers for most of the fourth quarter. On the offensive end, the ball was swinging side to side, and with multiple ball handlers they were able to attack and make timely shots en route to the big victory.
Next: Raptors offense needs to surge to clinch
Bigs crashing the offensive glass
In game 5, Jonas Valanciunas and Biyombo combined for 7 offensive boards. That is 7 extra possessions that was just enough to squeak out the W. Game 2? 7. Game 3? 7. Looks like 7 is the magic number for offensive rebounds from our centre-pieces. Our centres are stronger, more skilled (total), and there’s two of them for staggering throughout the whole game, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to get 7 O-boards per game. The rebounding attack will be in full force in game 6, and it will be interesting to see which centre comes and dominates the brunt of the minutes.