TORONTO – If it feels like the Toronto Raptors have never, ever — not even one time — asserted themselves and taken control of a best-of-seven playoff series, well that’s understandable.
And not that those feelings are wrong. When the current edition of the team, built around Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, has been the higher seed in five of their past six playoffs series but has a 15-22 post-season record over that span, it might be hard to remember that the rollercoaster sometimes peaks, the teeter-totter isn’t always stuck at the bottom.
But the facts are more encouraging. Game 5 at the Air Canada Centre Monday night marked the fifth time Lowry and company were tied 2-2, and in their previous four the Raptors were 3-1 overall and 3-0 at the ACC.
It’s figuring out what to do from there that has been a massive issue. The Raptors are 0-4 in four tries in Game 6s.
They get that chance again on Thursday night in Milwaukee thanks to an impressive 118-93 win over the Bucks, a win so thorough the crowd was chanting "Raps in Six" by midway through the fourth quarter.
That will be the test, of course. With a 3-2 lead, what will the Raptors do with their winnings — invest wisely or blow it all on a wild night in Wisconsin?
That’s for later. But make no mistake, this felt like a massive moment. Before the game, Bucks coach Jason Kidd said Game 5s were “swing games” — the winners control the series.
Well Jason, the Raptors control the series after one of their most complete post-season efforts of the past four seasons as they shot 57.7 per cent from the floor and 12-of-27 from three, although they still allowed the Bucks to shoot 50 per cent from the floor and 10-of-22 from deep.
But it was an all-hands-on-deck kind of an affair, no hero-ball required. Unless you count Norm Powell’s audition for the first-round post-season all-star team as the second-year guard making his second straight start ripped off 25 points on 11 shots, including four straight threes — this on top of his 3-of-3 showing from deep in Game 4. His four assists were welcome, too.
"He’s a sparkplug," said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. "He’s the X-factor. So many times you’re so concerned about DeMar and Kyle, rightfully so, that next sparkplug, that next guy, the next instigator is the guy. In this series, he’s been the X-factor."
The Raptors were desperate for one. It seems the Raptors blowout loss in Game 3 was a turning point. Not only did it inspire Powell being inserted into the starting lineup for Game 4, a heated film session after Game 3, with raised voices and pointed fingers, seems to have been a galvanizing event.
"Heated film sessions can go one of two ways," said DeMarre Carroll. "Bad or good. We came together and we saw the problem. Then we kept building from it."
Said P.J. Tucker: "Loud voices. Nobody liked the way it was going. Since then we stepped up our effort, and I think that’s been the biggest thing in this series."
Said Lowry, about the film session: "I don’t remember."
Whatever the cause and effect, with many hands making light work it meant the crowd inside and outside the ACC could allow themselves to enjoy things, rather than spend the night breathing slowly into a brown paper bag.
The big boys ate — Lowry shook off a stiff back that has been bothering him since Game 3 to add 16 points along with nine assists, while DeRozan chipped in 18 points and six assists as he seemed more comfortable than usual letting his teammates help carry the load.
Despite their high success rate in Game 5s, their recent history has the Raptors’ habit of building up large reservoirs of goodwill in the regular season only to treat the playoffs like a lost weekend in Vegas.
Their experience from a year ago — running out of gas after pushing it to the limit in the first two rounds — supposedly a reminder that wasting too much time and effort in the opening rounds can come back to haunt you.
So it was welcome, from a Raptors point of view, that they came out in the early moments of a pivotal game and seemed determined to sidle up to the young Bucks, peer deep into their eyes and pee all over the visitors’ sneakers in the form of a 17-0 first-quarter run.
And even more welcome, from a Raptors point of view, that it was someone other than DeRozan and Lowry eager to set the tone. In particular, Serge Ibaka (19 points on 10 shots) looked like he wanted to make up for his 4-of-16 stinker in Game 4 during the first 12 minutes. He dunked over Giannis Antetokounmpo not once but twice, the second on a pretty passing play that saw Ibaka start with the ball and three other Raptors touch it before feeding it back so Ibaka could have the rare privilege of putting the super-limbed Greek on a poster.
But Ibaka had help. Carroll made like Lazarus and reeled off seven of his 12 points in the quarter, while Powell made it seem like starting in the playoffs and knocking down big shots is an everyday thing for him. By the end of the first quarter the Raptors led 31-23 with 25 points coming from the "Big Three" of Powell, Ibaka and Carroll, none from Lowry and only six from DeRozan.
Things kept rolling in the second quarter, and it briefly seemed like the Raptors would be putting a beating on the Bucks reminiscent of the one Milwaukee put on Toronto back in Game 3.
In a three-minute stretch during the second quarter, the Raptors went three-pointer (Cory Joseph), jumper (Lowry), three-pointer (Patrick Patterson), three-pointer (Lowry) and three-point play (Joseph) as part of a 15-5 run that gave the Raptors a 19-point lead and threatened to put the game out of reach early.
But the Raps didn’t close well. They coughed up turnovers and didn’t seem to have an answer for Antetokounmpo, who scored 13 of his game-high 30 in the period. What could have been an overwhelming advantage was whittled to nine by the half.
The third quarter may prove the defining 12 minutes of the series as the Raptors extended their lead, quashing the Bucks threat. They were up 17 to start the fourth in large part because Powell went for 12 points on three shots thanks to two triples and four free throws. Ibaka had five more, as did Carroll. Lowry and DeRozan had five and three of their assists, respectively.
"It’s gotta be a confidence builder in the fact that now guys, they know when they give the ball up that that player has an opportunity to score or has a good rhythm going," said Casey of having so many show up in the box score as the Raptors had a playoff-record 28 assists. "I thought guys make excellent decisions out of the double team, out of the trap, and everybody that caught it was ready to play, ready to either drive it, pass it, or shoot it."
[relatedlinks]
Now the young Bucks have to regroup.
"You can talk about it but you have to go out there and you gotta play and you gotta go through it and you gotta know how it feels to get your ass kicked, right?" said Kidd of his young club. "And that’s what happened tonight. … There are going to be swings emotionally through a series but who can keep their composure and keep their discipline, that’s who’s going to win."
The Raptors should take notes. They were saying after the win that they needed to treat Game 6 like it was Game 7. But this group has never shown that kind of mental discipline. They are always putting their hands on the stove to see exactly how hot it is.
Anything else would be new and kind of weird. But maybe it’s time.
As the game finally turned to a blowout, the crowd took up the chant: “Raps in Six, Raps in Six.”
What a concept.
They head to Milwaukee Thursday night with a chance win a best-of-seven series in less than the maximum and buy themselves a little bit of downtime in the process.
Will this be the time they can build on their Game 5 track record?
There is a first time for everything. But Game 7 is scheduled for Saturday, just so you know.
