ROUND THREE VS. BUCKS
A series that nearly went down the drain in Game 3 ... and then Kawhi Leonard came to the rescue in a double-overtime win
It was totally fitting that the two best teams in the Eastern Conference should meet in the final.
With all due respect to the Boston Celtics, a dysfunctional group if there ever was one that bowed out meekly in the second round, or the Philadelphia 76ers, who were far more sizzle than steak, the Raptors and Bucks were simply better.
Toronto entered the series off an incredibly emotional high following the seven-game win over Philadelphia; the Bucks had barely been tested in the playoffs, going 8-1 in series against Detroit and Boston. The Bucks, with a 60-win season, were the best team in the league by record; the 58-win Raptors were right there.
It could have been epic but it wasn’t. Even after two road losses, the Raptors felt confident, good and ready to roll and it turned into an extended Gentleman’s Sweep, and going six games instead of five seemed inevitable to the Raptors.
“One of the times I felt really good in this playoff run was Game 1 at Milwaukee, which we lost,” coach Nick Nurse said. “We just hit that dramatic buzzer-beater (against the 76ers) to advance. We got on the plane the next day and had to play less than 48 hours after that. I thought we came out and played unbelievably tough. The ball didn’t bounce our way.
“We didn’t get any breaks. But I thought we outplayed them for the course of the game. And then when we went down two to them, our guys were like, ‘We’re OK. Let’s just get back home and get one and we’ll get this thing turned around.’ ”
They did.
GAME 1, MAY 15 Bucks 108, Raptors 100
The Raptors were always concerned about what Giannis Antetokounmpo might do to them but no one saw Brook Lopez coming.
Lopez scored 29 points, more than he’d scored in any playoff game in his career, as the Bucks took the opener.
It definitely took the shine away from the seven threepointers Kyle Lowry made.
GAME 2, MAY 17 Bucks 125, Raptors 103
In each of their first two series, the Raptors played one bad game. It didn’t take long for them to make it three series in a row.
A rather abysmal performance got them in a 2-0 hole as Antetokoumpo dunked on the first possession of the game to set the tone. The Bucks led 9-0 after about two minutes and the game was effectively over.
“I think everybody fed off of Giannis and how he started the game,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. “How he finished, too.”
GAME 3, MAY 19 Raptors 118, Bucks 112 (2OT)
Season essentially on the line, Lowry fouls out with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Norm Powell fouls out shortly after, Pascal Siakam misses two game-sealing free throws in the final 10 seconds and it was as bleak as it’s ever been in the post-season.
But Kawhi Leonard to the rescue. He had 36 points, went 12-for-13 from the free-throw line, played a career-high 52 minutes and pretty much saved the season for the Raptors.
“It’s playoff basketball,” was what Leonard said after the dramatic game. “I want to win … We’re still here. Nobody wants to go home. We’re going to keep striving to reach that goal. That’s what I pride myself on, both ends of the floor.”
GAME 4, MAY 21 Raptors 120, Bucks 102
It’s time for the team aspect of the Raptors to shine through and shine through it did.
Run down the list: Lowry had 25 points, Serge Ibaka had 17 and 13 boards, Powell showed up with 18 points and Marc Gasol had 17.
Leonard? He had 19, which isn’t bad but isn’t Leonard.
“This was one of the nights that we knew Kawhi was a little bit limited and we had to come out and be aggressive for him,” Lowry said.
Nice guys, those Raptors, looking out for one another.
GAME 5, MAY 23 Raptors 105, Bucks 99
No one saw Fred VanVleet at the morning shootaround because he wasn’t there. He was a couple of hours away by car, spending time with his family after his wife gave birth to the couple’s second child two days earlier. Priorities, right? Everyone saw him once the game started, though. He made seven three-pointers and was his usual dervish-like self on defence as the Raptors won yet another big road game.
GAME 6, MAY 25 Raptors 100, Bucks 94
The Shot. And now, The Dunk.
Leonard just seems to have this sense and ability to do the thing everyone talks about, right?
A left-handed dunk down the lane over Antetokounmpo, powerful and emphatic and a bold statement that had jaws dropping, will be the moment to remember from this series.
“It was kind of a momentum capper,” Lowry said. “We were on a run, and why not feed the big dog? Let the big dog eat.” The big dog ate well. And the Raptors were off to their first NBA Finals.