“PSSST”, came the sound again, louder this time. The Pacers can only hope that Hill can be effective enough on the defensive end so that Lowry will not take over games by himself. “We gotta go!”, came the call. Because that’s all the negativity you’re going to get.
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“Obviously, that’s not true because you’re talking right now”, Lowry responded.
The NBA Playoffs begin with four series opening on Saturday: Defending NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, hosting the Houston Rockets; Toronto Raptors at home vs the Indiana Pacers; Oklahoma City Thunder visited by the Dallas Mavericks; and the very intriguing series between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks.
The one team that gave Toronto trouble was Chicago, who won all four games. Furthermore, DeRozan plays as more than just a threat to attack the rim, utilizing the midrange shot as another weapon. But Lowry had also just finished a media session of his own in which he was playful and loose.
Last postseason, they were swept (0-4) by the Washington Wizards. Nobody was saying on Friday, though Lowry let it slip that Powell would start, before saying he wasn’t sure.
When added to some consistently-solid team defense and a bench that includes the capable likes of Terrence Ross, Patrick Patterson, Corey Joseph, rookie Norman Powell, and even Bismack Biyombo, Toronto’s roster is also better than it’s been in each of its last two playoff appearances. “We knew we were playing like trash”. “That’s the counter.” Then a slight grin. “Kyle may deny this but he has gotten better as a player in his time here”.
Only two teams got to the line more frequently than Toronto this past season, as the Raptors took 26.7 free throw attempts per game. So we’ve got to get our hands out of there.
“It’s tough”, DeRozan said. Averaging 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game, put him in elite company. He knew he was going to work on his own game, too.
They have some very nice players and a terrific coach, but they lack two very important factors: an intimidating presence and a history of postseason success. “They set the tone”.
The sad part about all this of however, is if the Raptors lose to the Pacers in Round 1, all Casey’s great accomplishments this season will be forgotten. On Tuesday night, it was just there, in the rafters.
“The players continue to grow, our coaching staff has been excellent and our organization has supported us big-time, and someday it will equate to big-time winning, but we’re a growing team”, he said.
The win marked the beginning of a true explosion of basketball fandom in Toronto, with the Raptors heading to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Toronto did win the season series with IN 3-1, but all games were close, decided IN the fourth quarter or beyond.
In 333 minutes, the fivesome of Mahinmi, Allen, George, Ellis, and starting point guard George Hill has outscored opponents by 5.6 points per 48 minutes – much higher than the team’s regular season mark of 1.7. “You’re measured on your wins and you are who your record says you are”.
“Sometimes, you gotta fail to understand what you have to do”, he said. Colangelo, who replaced Sam Hinkie last week, had the same title with the Raptors from 2006 to 2013.
Casey says it’s a tricky approach where answers can only be provided on the court.
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They seem to have figured something out. James Harden has been terrific since the All-Star break and if it wasn’t for him, the Rockets would be thinking about lottery picks (maybe it would have been better for them). “Their confidence is higher”.
