Raptors focus on finish
At the tail-end of an NBA season where resting star players has been one of the more divisive issues, the Toronto Raptors don’t have to worry about feeling the wrath of the league any time soon.
That’s because the Raptors aren’t resting anyone in advance of what they hope is a lengthy playoff run.
At least they haven’t been able to up to this point, and with just one game left in their regular season, that being against the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday in Cleveland, it doesn’t appear they will.
Yes, the wannabe strategists among you may believe the Raptors will try to orchestrate a favourable first- round matchup by intentionally losing that final game to the Cavs.
But everything they’ve done to date and everything they’re saying points to trying to finish off a winning note.
The Raptors will be gunning for their 51st victory of the season against a Cleveland team that’s been more up and down than your average United Airlines passenger on an overbooked flight. Entering the final week, the Raptors are still playing for position and possible home- court advantage as the playoffs evolve.
They also learned their lesson from two seasons ago about focusing on a more desirable first-round playoff opponent, then after getting their wish, losing in four straight games to that desired opponent — the Washington Wizards that year.
As for resting players as a means of keeping them fresh for the playoffs, the Raptors have pretty much had all of their rest forced on them through injury. Last year, the Raptors rested their top guns heading into the post-season, and got off to a sluggish start.
This year, they’re not about to repeat that mistake.
“It has to be,” star guard DeMar DeRozan says of this year’s all- out- to- the- end approach. “What is this, Kyle’s ( Lowry) third game back with the new guys? This time around we’re completely locked in and understanding we have to learn as quick as possible implementing the new guys with Kyle being back healthy.”
As for DeRozan, whom some might suggest could use a rest having shouldering a heavy load when Lowry was out for six weeks after wrist surgery, he says he doesn’t need one.
“I got rest when I went out with the ankle,” DeRozan said of a sprain in late January and early February that cost him seven games.
“I missed a few games and that helped me get back on my feet where I wanted to be. You can’t really think about rest right now. It’s all about the real deal right now.”
And for DeRozan, the real deal is a playoff run at least as long as it was a year ago when the Raptors lost to Cleveland in the East Conference final.
The Raptors had their last full day off Monday before embarking on the final preparations for that playoff run.
They still don’t know who the opponent will be in the first round, let alone a potential second or third, and quite frankly don’t seem to care much either way.
Head coach Dwane Casey knows what needs to be done in terms of getting this team best prepared for what lies ahead. “We’ve got to play for rhythm,” he said. “We’ve got new guys, we got Kyle coming back after being off a month, we’ve got a lot of things to work on. That game Wednesday night is going to be big for us, win or lose, because we need to play together as a team.”