Five takeaways from Toronto Raptors commanding Game 4 win

Figure out the rotations

Nick Nurse has had a great Finals run as a coach so far. He’s been bold, unconventional, and made several heads-up schematic switches.

One area where he has not excelled is in finding a consistent rotation. After struggling in Games 1 and 3 (and being removed from the rotation in Game 2), it felt as if Patrick McCaw‘s time was finished this series. Instead, he oddly played two minutes in this game during a stretch with both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka on the court.

The Raptors rolled out a group of Kyle Lowry, McCaw, Leonard, Ibaka, and Gasol. Why? It’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals, now isn’t the time to experiment with quirky lineups who would be described as ones that “have a lot of character”.

Norman Powell played 10 minutes and provided absolutely nothing. His play this series has been up-and-down, although perhaps yanking his minutes around is part of the reason why.

VanVleet started the second-half for the second consecutive game. If the Raptors want him on the floor to match Curry defensively (good decision) just go ahead and start him. No reason to give Golden State an early advantage to keep Danny Green in the starting unit.

Assuming Fred is healthy moving forward, it’s probably best if the Raptors just cut the rotation to seven. They’re one win away from an NBA Championship. It’s time to stop throwing critical minutes to players who don’t seem to take advantage. Ride your guys, play each 40ish minutes if you have too. There’s a maximum of three games remaining, hopefully just one.