For all the good that came from the Raptors‘ Game 4 win on Sunday, it’s hard to overlook some serious issues facing the team heading into Game 5. Tops among them? The subpar play of Toronto's bench so far. (DaveZarum)
‘ Game 4 win on Sunday — Kawhi Leonard’s brilliance and, you know, keeping their season alive — it’s hard to overlook some serious issues facing the team.
“I think the reason why we have to go with a shorter rotation now is that our guards are having a tough time getting free,” Danny Green told reporters on Monday afternoon at the team’s practice facility in Toronto ahead of Tuesday’s Game 5. “Fred, Norm, even K-Lo … Our smaller guards are having a tough time getting space, getting free and attacking in the paint.”
But the playoffs have told a different story and in this second-round series against Philadelphia the Raptors are shooting just 29.5 per cent from beyond the arc. The Raptors are the second-worst remaining team in the NBA’s post-season at 33.7 per cent from deep. The worst? Philly, at a virtually identical 33.6 per cent.
The Raptors’ lacklustre shooting and the increasing unreliability of VanVleet and Co., we’ve already seen some major changes. In Game 4, with VanVleet on the bench, Nurse elected to play both of his centres, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, together for long stretches.
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