Kyle Lowry found his groove last night against the Bucks. The Raptors point guard must continue to produce, or his team won’t advance.
Kyle Lowry will have been aware of the criticism surrounding his game 1 performance. After struggling for the majority of last year’s playoffs, the 31-year old came out last Saturday with much to prove. Unfortunately, his 4 point performance only added to the narrative that the postseason is too big a stage for the point guard. Despite his regular season success, the inconsistency once the playoffs roll around is a concern, and Lowry knew Game 2 provided him a chance to answer back his critics.
Last night’s encounter with the Bucks was as huge for Lowry as it was for his ball club. It’s more than a playoff series for the Toronto Raptors, where elimination means sitting out the next two months of the basketball calendar. An early exit at this stage would show that Toronto are just not capable of making an impact in the postseason. Last year’s run to the Eastern Conference finals, where they pushed the eventual champions Cleveland to six games, would be viewed as irrelevant if they were to lose in the first round for the third time in four years. It would be the mocking name of the early exit Raptors, and not the fighting Eastern Conference contenders, that would become affiliated with the franchise. Regular season success counts for little when it comes to postseason failures.
Lose the series, lose big money
Lowry finds himself in a similar situation. With a big contract payday expected in the offseason, when he opts out of his $12m contract, another disastrous playoff showing would harm his worth. Would any team give him a hefty deal if they felt that once the postseason rolls around he won’t perform? It’s unlikely, and questions would certainly be raised inside the Raptors headquarters whether or not it’s worth sticking with him for another few years. Lowry is playing for his future, which was evidenced by last night’s performance. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better. And that gives hope that for the remainder of the series, the Raps can rely on their point guard to help guide them through to the next round.
Better numbers lead to victory
Lowry went from a 2-11 shooting night, to 6-12 and knocked down 2-5 3 pointers. During Game 1, he missed on all 6 of his attempts from downtown. Seeing just one of those 3PT field goals fall had to have been a relief. Lowry also attacked the rim aggressively, taking on contact and getting to the free throw line 9 times, as compared to 1 free throw the first game. That’s a huge improvement which displays the different level of energy that Lowry brought into Game 2. He also collected more rebounds, garnered more assists and had more steals than his previous match.
Kyle even tried taking a charge from Giannis Antetokounmpo later on. Though it wasn’t called, it showed how determined Lowry was to make up for his Game 1 outing. Overall, the game displayed a more complete performance from a player that the Raptors faithful have come to expect big things of.
It’s not that Toronto need postseason Kyle Lowry to be better than regular season Kyle Lowry. The expectations don’t increase, mostly due to Lowry’s solid performances throughout the 82-game campaign. The Raptors just need Lowry to be able to produce similar showings in the playoffs. A 22 point night is standard for him, and shouldn’t be celebrated. But considering what came before it, and what occurred last year, the performance last night was a relief. It contributed to the Raptors leveling the series.
More of the same is expected, & required, as they head to Milwaukee for Games 3 & 4, in what are sure to be tense contests.