Toronto Raptors haven't won a playoff game in six years. They have a sneaky great basketball fanbase there, and their pop culture profile has grown with the addition of Drake as an ambassador plus Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in attendance. Raptors dropped Game 1 with a tough fourth quarter and needed to bounce back to avoid going down 2-0 before heading to Brooklyn. Toronto took control of Game 2 and held on in the fourth quarter notching their first playoff win since George W. Bush's final days in office winning 100-95 with a great effort from DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas plus should make a big deal about Paul Pierce's postgame comments?
In Game 1, it appeared DeRozan played tight. He did not play like the player we have seen this season only having 14 points. He was not a real factor to the game. Sometimes all it takes is one game to get the nerves out because DeRozan returned to form on Tuesday night and then some. He had 30 points, shooting 45 percent and getting to the free throw line 14 times. DeRozan used his slashing aggressive nature to become a problem for the Nets. Both Kyle Lowry and him appear to be a real problem for an older Brooklyn team as they have to deal with the continuous push of the basketball. Brooklyn looked pretty tired when DeRozan kept attacking him.
One of the great things about the playoffs is we can see some young players shine and then it propelled them to have a great season the following year. Jonas Valanciunas made his presence felt on Tuesday with 15 points and 14 rebounds with an efficient game. He played great inside adding a different element to Toronto's game versus just the reliance on the guards. This is a key thing for Toronto as they need a third scorer from somewhere. It doesn't matter if he comes off the bench or if it is Valanciunas dominating in the paint. Mason Plumlee and others have to be better about protecting the paint or we could see a breakout April for Jonas.
With Valanciunas strong post performance, it paved the way for Toronto's domination on the glass against Brooklyn. They outrebounded the Nets, 53-30, with 19 offensive rebounds, eight more than Brooklyn. While turnovers were an issue for T Dot, they made up for it with a strong rebounding night. Add what the guards do on the outside and if the big men plus others can clean up the messes, we are looking at a pretty strong team. Maybe a stronger one than we were giving them credit for to begin the playoffs. Brooklyn will need to adjust what they are doing in the paint to avoid the rebound discrepancy in the following games.
Paul Pierce seems to agree with me as he lamented after the game about the offensive rebounds and the fact, Toronto got 50 points in the paint. Pierce threw around the 'soft' label which is a bigger s word than shit in NBA circles. I think it is a clear tactic to fire Pierce up who did not have a great game going 2/11 and also the few young Nets players on the roster. If you add Kevin Garnett's comments about an angry Brooklyn crowd, Pierce obviously wants to add an edge to the team he believes is missing right now. The Truth knows exactly what he's doing.
I thought this series had a chance to be the best in the Eastern Conference. Add in the 'F Brooklyn' stuff plus two close games, we are seeing a budding rivalry build before our eyes. Game three comes to us Friday, and I for one, cannot wait.
Charlie.
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