Toronto Raptors: Serge Ibaka has been vital to Raptors success

The Toronto Raptors are just one win away from their first ever NBA Championship. Don’t expect them to crumble under the pressure though, not with Serge Ibaka providing successful bench minutes.

Such is the case all postseason long for the Toronto Raptors, a little bit of history was made on Friday night in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

First of all, the Raptors won, fortifying their lead to 3-1 against the Golden State Warriors, and now just one win away from the ultimate prize.

The better team throughout the majority of this series, the Raptors have won 13 of the 16 available quarters in the first four games of the Finals, metaphorically punching the Warriors in the mouth and taking them by surprise.

The Raptors success should be no surprise for anyone who has watched this team during the playoffs, they’ve made the most of their opportunities on offense while playing elite defense and stifling all in their path.

Victory is by no means assured in Game 5. The Raptors are still playing against the two-time defending champions and, in the eyes of many, the greatest dynasty the basketball world has ever seen.

That’s a clear pathway to it, though. We’ve seen that much in all four games so far. In fairness, the Raptors should have won Game 2, but c’est la vie. Here we are now.

If Toronto is to get the job done on Monday night, they’re going to need another big performance from the ultimate energy man, Serge Ibaka.

It was Ibaka who actually provided the moment of history in Game 4 on Friday night, scoring 20 points off the bench in less than 22 minutes of game time, only the second player to do that in NBA Finals history since 1970. The other player was Leon Powe for the Celtics in 2008.

It wasn’t Ibaka’s first taste of history in the NBA Finals. It was only one game prior that he became the first player in NBA Finals history to have six blocks off of the bench. His impact has been paramount to the success of the team so far, and it looks set to continue.

Ibaka has averaged 9.5, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game in the Finals, averaging just under 20 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 53-percent from the field and 50-percent from three, albeit on one attempt per game.

Taking advantage of a beleaguered DeMarcus Cousins and Andrew Bogut, Ibaka has been a driving force off of the bench for the Raptors. His commitment to crashing the boards is key for a Raptors team that is among the playoff average in rebounding percentage, posting the best rebounding percentage of his playoff career at 13-percent.

If he makes a concerted effort to keep attacking the rim in screen-and-roll situations, just like he did in Game 4, then Ibaka can continue to devastate the Warriors defense, and hopefully, put the sword in the reigning champions.

Ibaka rolling to the rim is like a locomotive, sometimes it can be ugly but it’s a thing of beauty at its best. The Warriors just don’t have the energy to keep up with him.

Golden State is on the brink of extinction, and if Ibaka continues to be the force that we’ve seen in the past few games, you can count on him hoisting up the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the next few days.