Give credit for the Toronto Raptors for clawing back (see what we did there?) on Thursday night and winning Game 2 of their best-of-seven series vs. the Miami Heat. It was a game that, based on the numbers at least, the team shouldn’t have had a chance in (for example: one assist in the second-half. One). Enter: Jonas Valanciunas, who bullied his way to 11 points and eight rebounds in the 4th quarter and OT alone, including some incredibly timely put-backs down the stretch to help send the game to overtime.
It was a dominant effort down the stretch, and today we’re reminded of just how bright the big man’s future could be. That’s because today is Valanciunas’ birthday. And he’s only 24. So without further ado, we present JV’s 24 top moments from the playoffs so far:
1. Valanciunas didn’t wait long to establish his level of play this post-season, posting a season-best 19 rebounds in Game 1 of the first round against Indiana. Valanciunas struggled from the floor that night, but most certainly made up for it on the glass.
2. Here’s JV from that same game showing off his range. He’s a comfortable mid-range shooter, which will become an even bigger part of his game as teams need to put a body on him outside of the paint, too. And sometimes even when they do, like with Myles Turner below, Valanciunas can get his jumper off seemingly whenever he wants.
3. Very solid post-dunk rim hang:
4. Valanciunas has been, um, pushing the boundaries of the NBA’s rules to the Raps’ benefit. Hey, it works so well for Draymond Green.
5. Here he is bullying Dwyane Wade with another “moving screen” (or, in this case, more of a fantastic, unsubtle shot on the Heat guard):
6. Count it— and the foul. Valanciunas is great at initiating and playing through contact. The result is he gets to the line a fair deal. The best part? Unlike many centres, JV is a very reliable free-throw shooter, as demonstrated in Game 5 against the Pacers:
7. Valanciunas sheds Hassan Whiteside (third in voting for this season’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year award) and throws down with authority:
8. JV finishes the alley-oop from Kyle Lowry:
9. This dominant Game 2 performance vs. the Pacers:
10. In the Heat series, Valanciunas has been handling Whiteside down low, exposing the Heat centre’s weakness playing man-to-man in the paint.
11. And his teammates know it:
12. Like in the Pacers series, JV made a point of establishing tone early. Here’s his first field goal vs. the Heat in Round 2:
13. Doing his best Clyde Drexler impersonation:
14. Lowry sings his praises:
15. Remember that range mentioned above (No. 2 on the list)? Here’s another example, in a far more crucial moment:
16. It practically won Game 2 against Miami, but JV was showing off his soft hands around the hoop with this tip-in in Game 1:
17. More impersonations, this time JV takes his try at being “Captain Obvious” during Friday’s media availability:
18. JV can’t be stopped:
19. You’ll see a number of clutch put-backs and tip-ins to close out this list. Valanciunas is averaging 4.6 offensive rebounds per game in the playoffs, up 1.5 from his regular-season average, and the most of any player still in the playoffs.
20, 21. Valanciunas plays hero with back-to-back clutch baskets late in the fourth of Thursday night’s game:
22. …And a couple possessions later:
23. And does it with the team “really not running any plays for him.”
24. Saying all the right things and thinking like a winner:
