Lowry’s long wait is finally paying off
Kyle Lowry’s franchise-record 68th playoff appearance with the Toronto Raptors was different than the others before it.
This, as hard as it was to believe, was the NBA Finals. In Lowry’s adopted city, one he has spent more than a fifth of his life in, giving his all on the court like a gritty blue-collar worker. Only Lowry is no role player, he’s a five-time all-star who has been the engine, “the heartbeat” of the Raptors for years now, in the words of so many of his teammates, coaches and team executives.
DeMar DeRozan is gone. Dwane Casey and Jonas Valanciunas, too. But Lowry was still standing, still on the scene as the Raptors finally made history Thursday by hosting the Golden State Warriors.
And he hadn’t just been an innocent bystander watching Kawhi Leonard devastate all of Toronto’s opponents, either.
Lowry’s been rock solid in the playoffs, doing a bit of everything when needed.
“He’s definitely the most scrappy guy I’ve ever seen doing the little things, things that don’t show up in the stat sheet,” said teammate Danny Green.
“He does take the charges (including a painful one against Draymond Green). He goes after loose balls. He boxes out. Just every little thing possible. He’s helped our team a ton. That’s helped us get over a lot or win a series or beat some opponents in certain games.”
Lowry had a quiet offensive night, but did just about everything else well.
The point guard had been angry when the Raptors traded his best friend DeRozan in the summer and was a bit cantankerous early in the season.
But a midseason sit-down with president Masai Ujiri helped him get back on board with what the franchise was doing.
“(It was to) just kind of get on the same page, understanding that what they wanted, what he wanted from me, what he expected from me,” Lowry said earlier this week.
“It wasn’t anything negative. It was just, ‘Let’s get on the same page so we can make this run.’
Because he believed in what we could do as a team.”
Ujiri is happy he hung on to Lowry.
“There’s something about that guy that I believe in, it’s incredible,” Ujiri said Wednesday.
“He’s been hit upside the head from every different angle in the world, whether it’s personal, everything, and he survives it. Every day he comes, he comes to win. Doesn’t matter what mood he’s in, he comes to win.”
And before Lowry started playing Thursday on this most anticipated night of his career, it was the voice of Ujiri that rang out as the pre-game video ended.
“We will win in Toronto,” shouted Ujiri in his oft-repeated refrain.
Toronto has never been closer to fulfilling those words.
WELCOME TO THE BIG TOP
Hundreds of media members, endless requests, a bit of nonsense from the entertainers in town, fans going berserk, Mounties on the scene — there isn’t much like the NBA Finals.
Toronto had some veterans who had seen it all before, but more players that had not.
“It’s surprising at first, but I think they’re ready for it,” Green said.
“We’ve had all year to prepare for it. It’s been 100 games with pre-season and the playoffs. We have some experience, we have some veterans.”
Green previously went to two finals with San Antonio. Did he enjoy the overall experiences?
“Yes, my first time, for sure. My second time, we were so focused and locked in on winning and getting back there and beating that team that beat us before. I had kind of forgotten, blocked out all noise and went through it and did it as if it was just part of the job,” Green said.
This time around, Green said he was enjoying it.
AROUND THE RIM
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said they can’t have fans touching players or coaches (referring to Drake). Toronto’s global ambassador arrived early in a great outfit choice: a throwback Dell Curry Raptors jersey, circa 2001. That got a good reaction from Curry, the father of Warriors star Stephen. Curry was welcomed back between the first and second quarter along with other former Raptors including Tracy McGrady, Damon Stoudamire, Morris Peterson, Charles Oakley, Chris Bosh, Muggsy Bogues, Jerome Williams and Isiah Thomas, the team’s first general manager … According to ESPN, Golden State was 8-10 when trailing by double digits at halftime in the playoffs under head coach Steve Kerr.