Five takeaways from Toronto Raptors critical Game 3 win vs Warriors

Nick Nurse’s rotations

At this point, it’s hard to have any type of read on the Toronto Raptors rotation. Nick Nurse has flipped and flopped more than a political candidate, and anyone who claims to know what’s coming next is either a liar or Nurse himself.

After not playing at all in Game 2, Patrick McCaw checked in as the Raptors first wing off the bench on Tuesday, ahead of Norman Powell. In just over two minutes of action, it went about how you would’ve guessed.

Golden State ignored McCaw completely, loading up to stop the other Raptors. Without touching the ball, he had an overwhelmingly negative impact on the game. Nurse pulled him at the end of the quarter and he never saw the court again.

Early in the second quarter, Nurse turned to Norman Powell instead. Powell, who’s been solid while actually on the court for the Raptors, played six minutes and did not record a box score statistic.

During the meaningful minutes of the second half, Nurse elected to sit both of them, cutting the rotation to just seven players. The Raptors opted for a dual-point guard lineup with size disadvantages rather than McCaw’s offensive problems or Powell’s defensive hiccups.

Perhaps more interestingly, Nurse elected to start Fred VanVleet over Danny Green to begin the second half. VanVleet has been the best defender on Curry so far this Finals, and with Steph going off for 25 in the first half, Nurse looked down his bench for alternative options.

Looking forward, it’s hard to have any read what Nurse will go with in Game 4. McCaw is likely finished for the series, but most people thought that after Game 2. Could FVV earn the start in Game 4? Green has started every game he’s been healthy for so far this season, but VanVleet is clearly the better matchup for this series.

Nobody knows what the rotation will look like for Game 4 and maybe that’s a good thing. If Nurse has shown anything, it’s that he’s not afraid to mix it up.