The NBA’s play-in tournament started in 2020-21 as a way to incentivize parity in what has historically been the most predictable of the big four North American sports leagues. And it worked. Despite pushback from traditionalists like LeBron James, the 2022-23 season has had more parity than any in recent memory, with a growing middle class separated by just a few games and the final standings coming down to the very last day of the regular season.
But the play-in tournament is not a saviour. Just because it incentivizes parity and gives two more teams in each conference a shot at making the playoffs doesn’t mean it sets those teams up for success. After all, despite the middle class getting stronger, the league still runs through those at the top. And this year, it runs through the top of the Eastern Conference.
The ninth seeded Toronto Raptors are about to find that out, one way or another. After failing to secure a top-eight seed, the Raptors have put themselves in an almost impossible position, having to win two straight win-or-go-home games against the 10th seeded Chicago Bulls on Wednesday and then the loser of the Miami/Atlanta play-in game on Friday. And if they win both, they will play the No. 1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks in a best-of-seven series starting on Sunday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Toronto Raptors as they approach their first ever play-in tournament.
The Raptors have a tall task ahead as they prepare to host the Bulls at Scotiabank Arena in the play-in tournament on Wednesday. (Getty Images)
Play-in for what?
When Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri asked “Play-In for what?” during the season from hell in Tampa, Florida, he was being rhetorical. But given the structure, schedule, and potential pay-off of the play-in tournament, Ujiri’s question is valid.
For the Raptors to escape the play-in tournament, they will have to win two elimination games, one on the road versus a better-rested team with a higher seed. And even if they get through the play-in tournament, the Raptors will have just one day off (to practice and travel) before playing Milwaukee, the best team in the NBA, who will have had six days of rest in between the end of the regular season and the start of the first round on Sunday, and 10 days for the starters, who sat the final two games of the regular season.
“I think it seems like the regular season,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said about the schedule of the play-in tournament. “Game, travel, game, travel, game, and then you get to stay put for a little while if you can make it that far.”
The structure and grueling schedule of the play-in tournament puts teams in an impossible situation, especially the 9th and 10th seeds. It’s no wonder that only one ninth seed has made it out of the play-in tournament, and the furthest a play-in tournament team has gone is six games into the first round, never winning a series. Plus, the last time a No. 8 seed — which Toronto would technically be if they come out of the tournament — has beaten a No. 1 seed in a playoff series is all the way back in 2012.
The Raptors are doing everything in their control to prepare for every possibility, with advanced scout teams already preparing for both the No. 7 seed Miami Heat and No. 8 seed Atlanta Hawks should they win their game against Chicago and play one of them. “There’s a group of coaches working on Miami, there’s a group of coaches working on Atlanta,” Nurse said. “They’ll do a lot of the groundwork, legwork, prep work and then hand it back to one of our front of the bench guys.”
Meanwhile, the Bucks are doing the same thing with each of their potential opponents, which is why in a vacuum it’s possible the Raptors could put up a fight against the Bucks. But given that the Bucks will be significantly better rested, more prepared, and have home-court advantage against Toronto in a potential first-round series, the hole the Raptors have dug for themselves is likely too big to climb out of.
Playoff rotation
The fact that the Raptors will have such a short period to rest in between games could also affect their rotation. Unlike a typical win-or-go-home Game 7, where a team can lean on their starters knowing that they will get several days of rest in between rounds, the Raptors might opt to play the long game in hopes of preserving their best players’ already tired legs for at least the length of the tournament. After all, what’s the point of winning the first game at the cost of not having the energy to win the second?
That is what Nurse and the coaching staff will be managing as they choose a rotation for the play-in, determining how many players see the floor and for how long.
The five starters are sure to get a lot of run, as that group has been one of the best five-man units in the league since acquiring Poeltl, outscoring teams by 9.1 points per 100 possessions. After that, it’s likely that Gary Trent Jr. and Chris Boucher see time off the bench, as those have been the Raptors sixth and seventh best players.
“I think we got to consider that — shortening it down a little bit,” Nurse said of the rotation. “But I think it’s always a little bit how the game is going will affect that quite a bit as well. You never quite know how it is going to go and we certainly would like… to play your best guys as much as they can handle really.”
The Raptors could stop at seven or they could go a bit deeper on their bench, picking between Precious Achiuwa and Christian Koloko at the backup center — an important piece to matchup against Chicago’s rebounding machine, Andre Drummond. Will Barton could also see the floor if the Raptors are in desperate need of shooting.
Home court
If you look at betting odds around the NBA, the home team is heavily favoured in every play-in game. And with good reason.
Each of these teams have had 82 games to show us who they are, and the razor-thin margins in the standings tell us that they are in the same tier. Sure, individual matchups and stylistic advantages matter a lot over the course of a seven-game playoff series, but not nearly as much in a one-off, where any player could decide the game by getting hot and scoring 35 points. That’s why taking the team with home-court advantage is always going to be the safe pick.
“It should be crazy, man. It should be a really fun atmosphere,” Fred VanVleet said about what he expects from the Scotiabank Arena crowd versus the Bulls, where the Raptors are 27-14 this season. “This type of time of the year and these types of circumstances I think brings the best out of our crowd. And having that home court advantage has been one of the more special places to play in the NBA over the last decade, especially around this time of year.
“It’s just up to us to go out there and give them something to cheer about. And hopefully we can use that to our advantage.”
DeMar DeRozan is returning to Toronto after spending the first nine years of his career as a Raptor. He is very familiar with the Raptors’ home-court advantage, acknowledging that “the atmosphere is going to feel like it’s an Eastern Conference finals game in a play-in game. So it’s definitely going to be crazy. Driving to the arena, walking through the arena, you’re definitely going to feel it. That’s the beauty of that place, those fans. And any competitor would want to be a part of that.”
DeMar and the Bulls
Speaking of DeRozan, the Raptors icon will be returning to Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday evening hoping to put an end to the Raptors season.
Toronto has had the slight upper hand in their matchups this season, winning the season series 2-1. But these two teams are on eerily similar trajectories, especially since the All-Star break, with identical 12-9 records and similar struggles in close games. Stylistically, they both cause a lot of deflections and turnovers with their high-pressure defences while struggling to space out the floor on offence.
Expect Toronto to shade a lot of extra attention towards DeRozan and Zach Lavine, sending double-teams and traps at them in order to force the rest of the Bulls into making quick decisions and open shots. In fact, this game will likely come down to whether or not the Bulls’ role players make enough open threes.
“That’s Nick Nurse,” DeRozan said of the Raptors’ aggressive game plans against him. “I’m going to deal with it. I know how to deal with it now. But playing against Nick and playing against those guys, they try to do everything in their power to make sure I don’t beat them.”
Meanwhile, expect Poeltl to be a difference maker for the Raptors on offence, where he will have a lot of room to roll to the rim or make decisions in the short roll given the way the Bulls like to put two on the ball in the pick-and-roll. The Raptors love putting slower bigs like Nikola Vucevic in the pick-and-roll repeatedly, hammering the advantage. They should also have opportunities to take advantage of their overwhelming size in the post against mismatches and on the offensive boards.
“I think our coaching staff is one of the top in the league in terms of preparation and game planning and finding different things and having adjustments ready on the fly,” VanVleet said. “So you’ve gotta give them a ton of credit for that. It’s up to us to go out there and try to execute the best we can.”
“We enjoy trying to put game plans together as a staff and the challenge is… a little different now, right, because you gotta make sure your option A’s are ready to go and they’re the right ones and those kinds of things,” Nurse said about his gameplan.
“I guess we are where we are right now and what has happened doesn’t really matter much if we can win a couple,” Nurse said about the play-in games. But the truth is, where the Raptors are right now matters a whole lot. By failing to win key games down the stretch of the season and finishing ninth, the Raptors have put themselves in an impossible situation, and they would need to make history to salvage the season.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
