Bring on the Brooklyn Nets
Defending champs finish 7-1 mini-season with confidence
DOUG SMITH
The Raptors got much of what they wanted out of eight preparation games to set up the NBA playoffs, but not all — because all is too much to ask.
All a team wants, or a coach wants, will never be obtainable because perfection is impossible. But for the most part, things are good for the defending champions.
“I think we wanted to get in shape, get in some rhythm, get our defence playing,” Nick Nurse said before Toronto finished the Bubble Season with a 7-1 record and a 117-109 win over the Denver Nuggets.
“I think we’ve done most of that.” But? Oh yes, there’s a but. “That was a long break (after the league shut down on March 11). There’s still some uneven play and some things that’ll need to get smoothed out, but that’s probably going to go on all the way through the playoffs — and would in a normal situation, too,” Nurse said. “To answer your question, though, we’re extremely happy with how everything’s gone.”
The Raptors did come out of the Florida mini-season relatively unscathed, although both OG Anunoby and Serge Ibaka are dealing with some knee discomfort and missed games at the end.
Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet looked like they hasn’t missed a beat after a fourmonth hiatus caused by the pandemic. Pascal Siakam didn’t shoot from range particularly well, but that doesn’t seem to be a concern. And Toronto’s defence was on point: the most efficient measured by points per game of any team heading into the playoffs from these eight games.
The search for that “rhythm” Nurse seeks will go on forever, though.
“I would say that you probably go into every playoffs not completely in rhythm,” Nurse said. “You’re never going to sit here and say ‘Oh, man, everything’s perfect’ as we head into the playoffs. I just think it’s a rhythmic game that changes a lot.”
One of the most significant developments over the last couple of games has been a better showing offensively from Marc Gasol, whose versatility is significant for the Raptors. He made a couple of three-pointers in a Wednesday win over Philadelphia, and was force-fed the ball in the post a fair bit on Friday. Getting him going is vital.
“I think that he hit a couple of threes the other night, which is really important depending on who we’re playing,” Nurse said of the veteran centre. “I think that’s always kind of a safety valve or pressure release point for us. I thought he passed the ball awesome (today). Boy, he threw some really nice passes..”
But? Oh yes, there’s always a but.
“I’d like to see him score a little more down low, to be honest with you. I think we just need that settling presence every now and then inside.”
One thing it didn’t take long for the Raptors to remember after the long break was to play hard and always give themselves a chance. They won some games in the bubble with good offence, others with great defence, and consistent effort is always going to give them the opportunity to win.
“I like to look at it from the standpoint of, we’ve got to play hard. That’s one thing that’s kind of who we are, and if we can do that we feel that we’re hard to beat. A lot of things have to go wrong for us to lose a game,” Nurse said.
“Then when you kind of multiply that out over a series and four times, we hope that if we’re going to compete and play hard to the level we can, we should be in there with a chance in every series, really.”
The Raptors begin the playoffs with a best-of-seven series against the Brooklyn Nets, starting Monday afternoon. The Nets won’t be pushovers. Said Nurse: “They’ve got a lot of guys who are playing with a lot of energy and a lot of confidence right now.”
But in many ways, it’s not about Brooklyn. It’s about Toronto.
The Raptors exude confidence. They’ve just won seven of eight games near Orlando, and they have a wealth of championship experience to lean on. They won’t take anything for granted, but they will just go about their business.
“I think we’re trying to play in a mode and, OK, the mode has changed with what’s at stake, but we don’t really want our mindset to change,” Nurse said about playoff preparation.
“We don’t overprepare. We don’t spend longer hours. We just kind of do what we do, and try to make it comfortable and familiar. And when the ball goes up, we do our thing.”