Saturday, April 29, 2017
The Other Playoff Picture 2017
Of course I
realize that you are most concerned about the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
There is, however, another set of playoffs that are of great concern
to many Torontonians. Now that the Leafs have exited the playoff
picture, you may now focus on the Toronto Basketball Team.
The Toronto
Raptors have begun their playoff round against the Milwaukee Bucks.
There have been two games played in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre.
Just outside the west doors of the Centre is an intriguing square,
affectionately known as Jurassic Park during the basketball season.
Fans gather there in the hundreds to watch the game on a big screen.
They will even gather there in the cold weather when the games are in
the opposition's building. Serious supporters.
The Raptors
have enjoyed a successful season. They finished higher than the
Bucks, and earned the right to host the first two games. In
basketball, having the home court advantage is critical. Basketball
teams win home games with a greater percentage than do teams from the
other major sports. There is a significant amount of “hype”
generated by the fans to inspire the players.
Unfortunately,
that was not the case for the Raps. They dropped their first game at
home against the Bucks, digging themselves a considerable hole.
Most
basketball teams rely on one or two players to lead the troops. The
Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, have already moved on to
the second round of the payoffs, primarily because of LeBron's play.
The Golden State Warriors rely on Steph Curry to provide the straw to
stir their drink.
The Raptors
have two key personnel to lead them: Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry.
Lowry has spent significant time in the sick bay this year, but
appears to be ready for these post season games. In their third game
of this series, Derozan had a terrible game. The ball would not go in
the hoop. He ended the game with less than 10 points.
The Bucks
returned to the court for the fourth full of enthusiasm. At half
time, teams were even at 41. Demar had regained his touch, and
outscored the rest of his teammates, combined. At the end of the
game, he had 33 points, and 9 rebounds. Lowry added 18 points. After
the game, trying to explain his dramatic improvement, Derozan
added, simply, “Won't happen twice. Never happen twice”.
The Raptors
also got a dozen points from Jonas Valanciunas, the same from Norman
Powell. Serge Ibaka added ten, with 8 rebounds.
Most of the
attention in this series is focused on a young Milwaukee player,
Giannis Antetokoumpo. He was born in Nigeria, but raised in Greece.
He is referred to as “The Greek Freak”. He was a first team all
star, and is a dominant player. He had 14 points and 9 rebounds in
the loss, clearly not his best game. Toronto's defensive tactics
clearly held him in check.
Game five is
on Monday night, in Milwaukee. Bucks coach, Jason Kidd will spend
some time on game films before the tip. Ditto for Dwane Casey of the
Raps. Momentum is vital in all NBA games. The winner of this series
gets to play the Cavaliers!
One of the
Memphis Grizzlies made 3 three point shots on Saturday night. First
time ever accomplished by a 40 year old. Vince Carter. You remember
the name.
UPDATE:
April 29, 2017
The Raptors
took care of business, almost letting a 25 point lead slip away.
|Thye now face the Cavaliers in a 7 game series. Needless to say,
they have their work cut out for them.
James Hurst
April 24,
2017
# posted by James Hurst @ 9:59 AM 
