RAPTORS LOOKING TO BUCK HISTORY

in Washington

Games 6 in a series hasn’t exactly produced a bountiful harvest for the Toronto Raptors in their recent playoff history.

In the Dwane Casey era, the Raptors have been to a Game 6 five times and come out on top just once, that one time being last spring in Milwaukee.

Three of the other four times they had a chance to close out the series and failed. On two of those occasions they went on to win the series in Game 7. The loss in a Game 7 came in Casey’s first playoff run with this team against the Brooklyn Nets.

They looked to close out their East Conference quarter-final against the Washington Wizards Friday night in Washington.

Toronto’s lone win in a Game 6 last April in Milwaukee did not come easy.

The Raptors, who had a 25-point lead at one point in the third quarter, took a 12-point lead into the final frame and then went 5:44 without scoring, allowing Milwaukee to re-take the lead by two with just under three minutes to go.

The Raptors though, proved to be the more composed team over the final three minutes, eking out a 92-89 victory.

It being only one year ago you would think there would be plenty who could draw from that experience but surprisingly there are only six left who actually played in that game — DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Jonas Valanciunas (who did not start), Serge Ibaka, Norm Powell and Delon Wright.

Jakob Poeltl and Lucas Nogueira were on the bench and dressed but did not play. Fred VanVleet, who has been upgraded to questionable for Game 6, and to close it out, I think we are at a point now where we really understand the importance of it, and not want to go home. This is a great opportunity for us to get it out of the way and move on.”

But what about that headache?

“It’s in between if you continue playing or if you go home the next day and plan your whole summer out,” DeRozan said. “Nobody wants to have that on their mind. time on the road.

DeRozan believes that is more about a lack of experience than any particular role a guy plays.

“But you kind have got to get into a comfortable zone and be comfortable with yourself to take the approach both ways,” he said. “It’s a learning experience. We all have to go through it. It doesn’t just happen overnight.

“I think we know more about us, and what we need to do, and what we need not to do, to be able to pull out a win,” he said.

“As long as we understand what not to do, we should be all right.”

And right at the top of that list is don’t turn the ball over.

The Raptors, as Casey pointed out, got better in that regard when they returned home for Game 5. Toronto turned it over just 10 times compared to the average of 18 in Games 3 and 4 in Washington.

DeRozan agreed the key is to not give away possessions in the playoffs.

If not, there’s always that headache of a Game 7 waiting for them back in Toronto on Sunday.