Powell could be new Norm for the Raptors
Toronto’s go-to guy keeps coming up big in key moments in the NBA playoffs
MILWAUKEE—Norm Powell. Season saver.
All right, maybe it doesn’t have a lyrical ring to it and, no, it’s not technically correct. But until someone comes up with something better, it will have to do.
This is not the first time the Raptors swingman has played an integral role in turning an NBA playoff series around but it is by far the most important. And it’s hard to imagine Toronto being tied 2-2 with the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference final without him.
As part of a revitalized bench group that has finally found a series and an opponent it can dominate at times, Powell has been outstanding in two consecutive games:
Eighteen points in Game 4, after 19 in Game 3.
Thirteen field goals in 31 attempts.
Seven of 18 three-pointers converted, including 3-of-5 in Game 3.
Aggressive, consistent defence that has kept Milwaukee’s wings off balance.
Powell’s been tremendous but that should not really come as a surprise. In 2016, with the Raptors’ season hanging in the balance, Powell emerged as a force against the Indiana Pacers, inserted into the lineup by then coach Dwane Casey in a remarkably prescient move that allowed Toronto to win its first best-ofseven series and ultimately advance to the conference final against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This time around, it’s Nick Nurse who injected Powell into the series with the Bucks in a big way, bringing Powell off the bench first in both Games 3 and 4 as Toronto won twice at home to even the series.
It has worked wonders. “Particularly (Tuesday) in a game where they played so well as a group, their bench stands out,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said.
It’s impossible to explain, or figure out, precisely why Powell has this knack for coming up big at the biggest moments.
To his credit, he is unfailingly prepared whenever he’s called on but the regular season is just not his bag. He has a tendency to try to do too much on offence and to miss too many defensive assignments. He’s good but he can be frustratingly inconsistent.
The playoffs are different and maybe he is, too. There’s more consistent concentration, he does truly tend to let the game come to him rather than try to take it over. The higher the stakes are, the more locked in he is.
“I watch from the bench, talk to the guys, see how the game is being played,” Powell said after Tuesday’s series-tying game.
“I'm going out there and trying to impact the game where I see that I can. Just take what the defence is giving me and just stay confident in my reads. Just try to follow the game flow.”
It is not a coincidence that the resurgence of the Raptors bench, at least the three players Nurse uses each night, has helped Toronto get back into the series.
The Bucks are deep, going to nine, maybe 10 players most nights, and the Raptors needed something to combat that, and to take some of the immense load off Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol.
After being overmatched for much of the series with Philadelphia and struggling through most of the first two games of the conference final, Powell, Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet were the difference in Games 3 and 4.
For Powell, it was a return to previous post-season form; for Ibaka and VanVleet, it was a determination to turn around the story of the Raptors backups.
“We’re here for a reason.” Ibaka said. “It’s not by mistake we’re here, and we show during the season what the bench can do. And then when we have a couple games where we can’t really play our best basketball or we can’t really help our team, we take that personal, everybody.
“We come the next day, we watch film. We stay on the court. We take extra shots, just to try to come back and be better.”