TORONTO – For the Toronto Raptors, Friday’s Game 3 felt a bit unusual, and it wasn’t just because they were able to take a stranglehold on their first-round series – an unusual feeling in and of itself.
The Raptors have had home-court advantage in 10 of their last 13 playoff series, and they would have had it in this one too, if not for the pandemic. Meaning that, in the days leading up to Game 3, they’re accustomed to travelling, getting settled in a different city, and preparing to play a crucial, momentum-shifting contest in front of a raucous road crowd.
However, in their new normal as residents of the NBA’s bubble, it was just another day.
“I think it feels a whole lot different [from past years],” head coach Nick Nurse admitted before the game. “It feels the same as Game 1 and 2.”
They changed locker rooms and switched benches. There were Nets logos and virtual Brooklyn fans on the screens surrounding the court. But they didn’t have to deal with airports or travel time. They didn’t have to pack or unpack a bag. The arena environment wasn’t hostile and, in this Game 3, there was no momentum shift.
With a 117-92 victory over Brooklyn on Friday – their second wire-to-wire win in three games – the Raptors took their first 3-0 playoff series lead in franchise history.
“It’s definitely different,” Fred VanVleet said afterwards. “To be honest, I can’t really tell because we’ve been here long enough that we’re adjusted to the situation we’re in. Comparing it to last year and the previous years I’ve been in the playoffs, it’s an extremely different environment. I can’t say if it’s better or worse. We’re 3-0 right now so obviously it’s going well for us.”
The Raptors arrived in the Disney bubble six weeks ago and have been in Florida, away from their friends and family, for almost two months – longer than any other club. If their strong showing in Round 1 is any indication, they should be there a while longer.
It hasn’t fazed them at all, though. They’ve gone 10-1 since the restart and can sweep their way through the first round – which would also be a first for the franchise – with another win on Sunday.
It’s the sense of urgency and the level of commitment from their best players that have allowed them to find success in these adverse conditions, and they proved that again on Friday.
With the Nets reeling following a demoralizing Game 2 loss – in which they led for all but nine minutes – and after losing sharpshooter Joe Harris, who had to leave the bubble due to a personal matter, Toronto showed them no mercy in Game 3. The Raptors took control right out of the gate, like they did in the series opener, and never let up.
Their defence was stifling, holding Brooklyn to 33 per cent shooting, and they were crisp offensively, recording a franchise playoff record 35 assists and hitting 18 of their 38 three-point attempts.
It was a win in more ways than one. Pascal Siakam, who had been quiet offensively, finally broke through with a 26-point performance – 14 of which came in the third quarter. After missing his first four shots, Serge Ibaka made his next eight and turned in his best game of the series, going for 20 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. Kyle Lowry attempted just seven shots but was brilliant defensively and posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with seven assists.
But, once again, it was VanVleet – the Raptors’ best player in the bubble – that was their driving force. The fourth-year point guard hit eight of his 13 shots and six of his 10 threes for 22 points. He’s averaging a team-leading 25.3 points and 8.7 assists and shooting 17-for-31 (55 per cent) from three-point range in the series.
He’s in one of those grooves right now – he even banked in a 60-foot heave to close the first half – but his impact extends beyond his hot shooting.
“In the halftime huddle as we were getting ready to go on the floor [VanVleet] grabbed the guys real quick and said, ‘Hey, they are coming out fast and hard and we got to come out faster [and harder]’,” said Nurse. “He’s coaching that part of the game a little bit. He wants to compete and he wants to keep everybody sharp and he wants to play to win at all times. The guy is a big-time winner, man.”
“I mean look, I’ve said it for four years now, and when I’m not shooting well it sounds like cliché garbage, and when I am it sounds like what I should be saying, but it’s the same confidence that I always have,” said the 26-year-old VanVleet. “The ball is just going in for me right now.”
“As long as I can [continue] to get looks off I feel good about the ball going in. So I don’t think about it from a standpoint [of] how you’re thinking about it, but I do know that I’m feeling good right now and obviously got to keep being consistent with that.”
With all due respect to the Nets, who are well-coached and have played hard in this series, despite coming in undermanned and overmatched from a talent standpoint, the degree of difficulty is about to go up significantly. The Celtics are also making quick work of their first-round series with Philadelphia, setting up an intriguing second-round matchup between Boston and Toronto.
The Raptors have gotten everything they’ve needed to from this series. They haven’t taken their opponent lightly or waited until late in games to flip the switch. From start to finish, they’ve been all business. They’ve executed on both ends of the floor and gotten standout performances from everybody in their rotation.
They’ve got Brooklyn on the ropes. Don’t expect them to pull any punches now.
“We play to win,” VanVleet said. “You play your big guns early and you try to get it over with. The purpose of going 3-0 is so you can go 4-0.”
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