Closing out games
Great teams are separated from good and mediocre ones by how they close out games. Considering the Toronto Raptors were second in the Eastern Conference and Boston was third, both teams are quite capable of closing out games.
Closing simply requires making the right plays when the game is on the line and eliminating mistakes. One reason these two teams are proficient in late-game situations is that they both employ two point guards. The Raptors when healthy rely on Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet and Boston rely on Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker.
A double point guard system can be beneficial in close late-game situations. In today’s NBA, point guards are great shooters but the job also requires great ball-handling skills and good passing instincts. Ball security becomes extremely important. Lowry and VanVleet in the four playoff games against the Nets have averaged 12.6 assists per game whereas Smart/Walker is averaging just 6.3 per playoff game.
If Kyle Lowry can play, the Raptors guard combo is better in multiple ways. First, Lowry and VanVleet score more. Combined they have averaged 37.1 points per game this regular season. In the 2020 playoffs, that number has dropped to 31.8 per game with Lowry playing just nine minutes and only scoring two points dropping their average Sunday night. Boston’s Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker combined for 33.3 points a game during the season and have averaged 36.3 points a game in the playoffs.
The playoff plus/minus difference of Lowry/VanVleet (+60) vs Smart/Walker (+30) as it relates to the difference in their offensive and defensive rating per 100 possessions favors the Raptors duo so far in the playoffs. The Raptors guard combo is executing the right plays often. This disparity could also relate to the quality of opponent as the Raptors dispatched the Nets in four games and Boston faced the Philadelphia 76ers.
Even if Lowry cannot play and despite the killer instincts of Kemba Walker, executing down the stretch of games is something the Raptors entire roster has become quite adept at doing. One example is the Raptors trailing the Brooklyn Nets in game two by six points heading into the fourth quarter and winning the game by five points. Norman Powell secured that victory with a steal and an emphatic dunk with just over eight seconds to play and the Raptors only winning by three.
With Game 2 in the rearview, let's talk about what went down. Listen to @ThatsARapPod here: https://t.co/bP4o7n8iN2
— Raptors HQ (@RaptorsHQ) August 20, 2020
The Raptors get clutch plays from many players whereas most teams rely on one or two players to make the pressure play at either end of the court. Had Norman Powell tried to run out the clock or allowed himself to be fouled and made free throws on this play, it’s the steal that secured the win taking away a final three-point attempt by the Nets.
In the Raptors’ first game of the season restart against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Raptors held LeBron James to 20 points and Anthony Davis to 14. It was OG Anunoby that night breaking out with 23 points in support of Kyle Lowry’s 33 to claim a 107-92 victory. The Toronto Raptors style of play makes it extremely difficult for opponents to lock up and contain one player and expect to win.
With Pascal Siakam struggling, shooting just 41 percent from the field, in the playoffs and averaging 20.8 points per game, the trust and faith the Raptors’ roster have in Nick Nurse’s system and each other allows them to just play the game unafraid of the moment or the opponent.