Sluggish Raptors Out of Sync Against Celtics
Eventually, the price had to be paid.
Going down 2-0 to start the series forced the Toronto Raptors into dire straights. It meant Raptors coach Nick Nurse was willing to do anything to crawl out of the hole. And without much help off the bench, Toronto was forced to play its starters long minutes.
On Monday, in a crucial Game 5 against the Boston Celtics, that bill came due. The Raptors came out sluggish, unable to score, and could never recover, falling 111-89 to give the Celtics a 3-2 series lead.
"I think the energy level of our guys, we kinda just weren’t with it tonight," Nurse said. "They looked faster, stronger and hungrier than we did"
There can be no questioning the Raptors' decision to play their starters heavy minutes in Game 3 and 4. If not for Kyle Lowry and OG Anunoby playing over 45 minutes in Game 3 and the Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam trio playing nearly 44 minutes each in Game 4, the Raptors might not have even made it to Game 5.
That's simply the cost of losing those first games.
"They were quicker to the ball, they were playing with more force and pace, and as a result you saw the start that they were able to get out to," VanVleet said.
That lack of energy was clear right from the start for Toronto. The Raptors opened the game shooting 1-for-10 from the field. It wasn't until the 3:06 mark of the first quarter that someone other than Anunoby scored a bucket. And while missed 3-pointers certainly cost Toronto early, it was the 1-for-7 start in the restricted zone that really showed just how out of sync the Raptors were offensively.
"It really felt like we were sitting out there wide open," Nurse said. "I thought that they were open as well, but I thought, we were flying at them, challenging them not unlike we would."
Despite an impressive defensive performance in the first quarter, Toronto's offensive struggle eventually seeped over onto the defensive side. The Raptors surrendered 37 points in the second quarter, heading into halftime down 62-35.
"They were comfortable," Lowry said. "We weren’t in our offence. We didn’t make shots. We weren’t aggressive enough. They were very comfortable from the jump."
The Raptors ended up outscoring the Celtics in the third quarter 28-25, but it was far too little after such a big halftime deficit.
"Every single game is a different game, games one, two, three, four, and five now have been different games," Lowry said. "It’s the playoffs, so you learn from it and make adjustments and continue to grow and figure it out."
Though it's hard to find positives on such an off night for the Raptors, Nurse was able to limit his starters' minutes in the blowout, holding Lowry and VanVleet to just over 34 minutes, Siakam to 28, and Anunoby to 25.
“We are really good at bouncing back man," Nurse said. "It’s strange to me that we have these kinds of games. It really is, but historically we have. And then historically we usually bounce back in a big way."
Down 3-2:
Now the Raptors are fighting for their playoff lives as an elimination Game 6 approaches. While it's the first true elimination game for the Raptors during these playoffs, Game 3 was almost a must-win game for the Raptors who were trailing 2-0 at the time.
"Kind of in the same spot again," VanVleet said. "Gotta get two, but we've gotta focus on one at a time. Put everything on the line, season's on the line."
NBA teams up 3-2 in a best-of-seven series have gone on to win the series 84.3% of the time.
Ibaka Leaves Early:
Serge Ibaka checked out of the game with 8:07 to go in the fourth quarter and immediately walked to the locker room.
"I think he's okay," Nurse said. "He might have a little, little knock or something that he had to get checked off, but they haven’t come to me and said there's anything wrong."
Up Next:
The Raptors will look to stave off elimination in Game 6 at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
