Raptors have big hopes for stretch drive
In a year when nothing has been easy and almost nothing has seemed normal, the Toronto Raptors head into the final 13 games of the season still somewhat of a mystery.
With most of their core back at full health — Chris Boucher’s strained knee was getting the MRI treatment Thursday night — the Raptors are squarely in the hunt for a spot in the play-in tournament if that is their goal.
Toronto is a half-game behind Washington for 10th, and 2½ games behind Indiana for ninth. Teams in those two spots will square off, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the game between the seventh and eighth place finishers for the final playoff spot in the East.
To date, Toronto has looked more like a team focused on improving their draft position than looking toward solidifying a spot in that play-in tournament based solely on the number and quality of players they are resting.
Though that may have changed Wednesday night when Kyle Lowry, Fred Vanvleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby all returned to the lineup and were plenty good enough to knock off an injury-ravaged Brooklyn Nets team for Toronto’s fourth consecutive win.
There is enough belief that the Raptors, if they remain healthy for the most part, can be a dangerous team if they can sneak into the post-season.
Swaying the go-for-it mode has been the combination of their recent play along with some newfound confidence at the centre position.
All season, the Raptors have struggled to find consistency from the 5-spot, whether that was an undersized Boucher or an ineffective Aron Baynes.
Now coach Nick Nurse has settled on two newcomers to the team in Canadian Khem Birch and G-league standout Freddie Gillespie to handle the 48 minutes at that position.
What Birch and Gillespie give up in offensive upside, they more than make up for on the defensive end where both are above-average rebounders and rim protectors. Offensively they still contribute as well as willing screeners and decent pick and roll options.
Adrian Griffin, Nurse’s assistant coach who took over media duties Thursday, is clearly excited about the arrival of and the faith his head coach is putting in Birch and Gillespie.
“It’s just fun to have bigs,” Griffin said. “The last time we really had bigs was when we had Marc (Gasol) and Serge (Ibaka), so having those two guys out there ... as a defensive minded coach, I’m licking my chops.”
With Birch starting and Gillespie coming off the bench, the days of the Raptors continually giving up additional possessions to their opposition because they couldn’t rebound the basketball are behind them.
A GIANT IN TORONTO BASKETBALL
If you played any type of basketball in the city of Toronto in the mid ’60s right into the late ’90s, chances are you came across Marv Pearl.
The longtime head basketball coach at Jarvis Collegiate and director of the Jarvis tournament for 31 years — which annually attracted the best basketball schools in the province — Pearl passed away earlier this week at the age of 82.
Pearl was a giant in basketball circles in the city, whether it was directing his own Jarvis team, hosting his prestigious tournament or directing the Metro Toronto Boys’ All-star game that pitted Toronto’s best against some of the best players from south of the border.
Donations are now being accepted to form the Marvin/mary Pearl Basketball Scholarship. To donate, go to www.benjaminsparkmemorialchapel.ca.