Raptors’ Kyle Lowry makes triumpant return
After nine straight playoff games of inconsistent scoring, Toronto Raptors’ All Star Kyle Lowry reemerged to hang 33 points in Game 3 to lead his team to victory.
He has struggled… a lot! He has the dubious distinction of being the worst postseason scorer in the last 50 years, shooting a combined 41 of 133 shots, good enough for 30.8 percent from the field going into Game 3. Yet Kyle Lowry, being the competitor that he is, wasn’t about to let the naysayers and critics get him down as he erupted for 33 points off of 11 for 19 shooting, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
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Make no mistake, Kyle Lowry, known in Toronto as the Bay St. Bulldog, the same Lowry who is a two-time NBA All-Star, the same Lowry who was considered one of, if not the best point guards in the Eastern Conference all season, the same Lowry who nailed a game winner to cap off his career 43 point night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, is BACK!
No longer looking hesitant on drives and jump shots, every move Kyle Lowry made on Saturday night was done with purpose. Every shot he put up was taken because he was hunting for them. Every pass he made was intentional, not out of lack of confidence. We saw the Kyle Lowry that we’re used to seeing, the straw that stirs the drink, the engine that powers the car, the heart that pumps life into the Toronto Raptors.
He was the best player on the floor, aside from Dwyane Wade and Jonas Valanciunas, and for the Raptors, it comes at the perfect time. With teammate DeMar DeRozan still shooting ineffectively (and inefficiently), Toronto can once again lean on its best player. That has always been Kyle Lowry.
SIDE NOTES
Jonas Valanciunas has been ruled out for the rest of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals after suffering an ankle sprain in the 3rd quarter. He was originally listed as day-to-day. JV, averaging better than 15 points and 12 rebounds in the playoffs, has been the best player on the Raptors this entire postseason, so to lose him for any amount of time is devastating.
But nature abhors a vacuum, as we also learned that Heat big man Hassan Whiteside also suffered an injury, an MCL sprain. While listed as day-to-day, it’s not likely that Whiteside will play on Monday. And if the injury is anything like Stephen Curry’s, it’s more than likely we won’t see Whiteside for the rest of the series either.
Wade Disrespects Canadian Anthem
Apparently, Dwyane Wade thinks it’s ok to shoot around during the National Anthem. And when questioned about it, he didn’t seem apologetic about it, saying he’s not a disrespectful person, as per Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reports.
When I was a child, I was brought up to stop and show respect to the playing or singing of the National Anthem, Canadian, American or otherwise. So was every other kid that I know of. Anything less than that was disrespectful. So fail to see how Father Prime can justify his actions by simply saying it was because the time was off. That doesn’t fly, and it’s interesting the league hasn’t said anything regarding it yet.
I’d hate to think what the situation would be if it was a player not of Wade’s calibre or if someone dared to keep shooting during the American National Anthem. Ritual or not, it’s never right to disrespect a national anthem.
Next: Can The Raptors Play Without Valanciunas?
All stats are provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise stated. Matthew Allman is a staff writer for Raptors Rapture. For more coverage on the Toronto Raptors, follow Matthew on Twitter @ShadowRapsFan and also follow @RaptorsRapture for the latest in Raptors news.