National Post (National Edition)
Raps’ Ibaka points way on defence
There aren’t many players in the NBA who can be the best player on the floor without scoring a single point. I can’t remember a Toronto Raptor doing it before, though maybe Doug Christie or a young Tracy McGrady accomplished the feat back in the day.
Serge Ibaka sank Dallas Monday despite not scoring for just the third time since the 2011-12 season (the year he emerged as a key piece on an Oklahoma City team that reached the NBA Finals).
Ibaka tied DeMar DeRozan at a game-high plus-18, with DeRozan putting on an offensive clinic (while also playing some good defence).
But DeRozan gets most of the headlines (and again, he played a great game), so Ibaka should get a chance to shine. He changes so many shots and gives the Raptors an even more dangerous last line of protection than Bismack Biyombo was (as popular as Biyombo remains here, he isn’t as good a player at either end as Ibaka, a three-time NBA shot-block leader and multiple allleague defensive first-team member).
The Mavs shot only 2-for10 from right outside of the paint (the Raptors went 7-for-12 from the same spots against a Dallas team lacking an inside deterrent) and Ibaka was a big reason why.
The Mavs were held to only 36.5 per cent shooting on the night and Toronto allowed a season-low 78 points.
It’s not a coincidence that the defence has surged upward since Ibaka and P.J. Tucker joined the lineup. Usual defensive rock Patrick Patterson had not been himself until Monday’s game and Ibaka and Tucker had helped make up for that.
Before the trades, the Raptors ranked No. 16 in defensive efficiency (106 points allowed per 100 possessions). Since, Toronto has ranked No. 8 defensively and over the past five contests, as the new cast grew accustomed to each other, only New Orleans has been better with the Raptors surrendering only 100.5 points per 100 possessions. With the offence cratering over those past five games (only Chicago and New Orleans have been less efficient on the attack), the defence has stepped up in a major way. Credit Ibaka for the bulk of that.
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey was quite impressed with his big man.
“I saw his rebounding, his toughness, his attention to detail in the pick-and-roll coverage. I know he didn’t score tonight, but he set the tone for us defensively. I probably should have left him in to get that 10th rebound, but he did an excellent job of guarding (Harrison) Barnes and (Dirk) Nowitzki, two tough covers,” Casey said.
“I thought he did an excellent job covering, talking, helping (Jonas Valanciunas) ... I thought Serge really set the tone talking, being the radar back there (as the last line of defence).”
And remember, this is minus top player Kyle Lowry, who in the past has been top five in steals per game and charges taken and can be a defensive force,
“We can’t be happy just doing it one game,” said DeRozan about the improved defence.
“We’ve got to try to make it a consistent thing and continue to get better and take advantage whenever we play at home and carry that energy over to the road as well.”