Five takeaways from Toronto Raptors amazing NBA Finals Game 1 win

Nurse goes with McCaw over Powell

Every series is different, and every matchup requires different skillsets, particularly from your role players. It’s not uncommon for a coach to swap out the end of their rotation heading into a new series.

However, the decision to roll with Patrick McCaw — a player who had not made a playoff field goal prior to this game — instead of Norman Powell in the second half, was perplexing.

At the very least, Powell was solid in the Eastern Conference Finals. He struggled some defensively and didn’t provide much, other than scoring, but he did average more than 12 points per game on very good efficiency while lighting it up from beyond the arc.

After struggling during the earlier parts of the postseason, Powell felt comfortably in the Raptors rotation.

Nick Nurse did not agree, electing to play Powell and McCaw together during the first half, and substitute Powell out altogether during the second.

McCaw has an undeniable negative impact on the Raptors offensively. He provides little spacing and isn’t great with the ball in his hands.

When McCaw was on the court, you could see the defense actively ignoring him, shifting their attention towards Leonard and other key options. McCaw also provides a cheat-spot for the Warriors defensively. At one point, they hid Jonas Jerebko on him.

Defensively, he gives the Raptors an excellent option to chase Curry through screens. Patrick McCaw is an A+ perimeter defender and giving him the Curry assignment makes sense on multiple levels. Instead, he guarded Shaun Livingston for the majority of his possessions in this game.

If Patrick McCaw isn’t guarding Curry there really isn’t a reason to have him out there. Toronto is better off with Norman Powell’s shooting and offensive presence, forfeiting whatever impact McCaw is having defensively on Livingston.