head coach Nick Nurse and his staff put a lot of time and effort into preparation, as basketball coaches do. They game plan and scheme. They study habits, tendencies. They watch past possessions over and over. They package together clips from previous games and present them to their players purposefully, thinking about how best to communicate their message and ensure it resonates. They do it every day.
"The rest of it is: Are we going to sprint back? Are we going to communicate great? Are we going to get physical? Are we going to get into bodies? Are we going to block out with some toughness? I can keep going on and on," Nurse said. "I think for our team, it’s that way.
The Raptors have needed to compete that hard. They’ve had no choice. Because among the 16 teams in these NBA playoffs, the Raptors rank in the bottom half in terms of field-goal percentage, offensive efficiency, assist rate, rebounding and points per game.Do you know what they rank first in? Deflections, loose balls recovered, screen assists, contested shots, charges drawn, box outs — all the hustle and grit categories on the margins of the boxscore, which is where the Raptors won their games.
It’s the way Leonard fought through this aggressive double team and still made the right pass, then turned on a dime to pull down another offensive board over everyone: If not for a handful of inspired defensive possessions, Fred VanVleet’s continued unconscious shooting from three and Lowry’s typically effortful play, things could have been completely out of hand by halftime. But at some point, the Raptors found the piss and vinegar that’s been a trademark of their play throughout the post-season. At some point, they decided they just wanted it more.
Green is in an epic shooting slump, averaging 31.4 per cent from distance in these playoffs after converting at a 45.5 per cent rate during the regular season. Siakam’s shooting has similarly dropped off, just not to such a drastic extent. Gasol’s and Ibaka’s, too. Nurse spent large swaths of each series talking about how he was just waiting for his players to convert more of the open looks they were generating.
ArdenZwelling Dubs in 5
ArdenZwelling warriors in 5 tops
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