This was the Toronto Raptors team everyone expected to show up for Game 2.
After all, the guys who took the floor in Game 1 bore only the faintest resemblance to their real selves, the team Raptors fans have fallen for even more deeply than the one that won a championship a year ago.
A team with a title in their pocket and chips on their shoulders.
The names on the jerseys were the same, but the passion, the hoops IQ, the determination that has made their NBA title defence one of the most enjoyable seasons in franchise history were all missing.
It might have been the mood after an intense few days, when it seemed like the NBA bubble might burst after the fallout from the Jacob Blake shooting descended on the league like a dark cloud, but the Boston Celtics were dealing with the same issues and they came out blazing.
Would the Raptors respond? That was the question.
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It got answered quickly. This time it was Toronto that came out with energy and set the tone for Game 2. When they sprinted out to a quick 15-9 lead, no one was calling ‘game,’ but there was a sigh of relief.
The Raptors were here to compete; to use their blend of smarts, heart and selflessness that makes their whole greater than the sum of their parts — or almost any other team’s parts.
When the Raptors went up 12 late in the third quarter on the strength of a signature 11-0 run that featured Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam making plays, Serge Ibaka knocking in threes and Kyle Lowry diving for steals and making assists before even getting to his feet, there was a sense that the universe was righting itself.
The real Raptors remained on campus at Walt Disney World Resort.
But for how much longer?
Because here’s the catch: it wasn’t good enough, and the Raptors might not be either.
Toronto did plenty of Toronto things, but against a Celtics team featuring a budding MVP-caliber star in Jayson Tatum and a point guard who can score when he wants in Kemba Walker — not to mention A+ role players in Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown — the Raptors got stuck in the mud down the stretch.
Sometimes they tripped over their own feet in the process — as Boston came back for a 102-99 win to earn a commanding 2-0 lead heading into Game 3 on Thursday.
This was always going to be the test for Toronto even as they sailed through the second half of the season, soared in the restart and breezed through their first-round series against a paper-thin Brooklyn Nets team.
What would happen when they ran up against a team with comparable or better talent that was equally well-prepared and equally willing to play a smart, selfless style?
It was hard to know because typically those teams don’t get thrown in your way until the second round of the playoffs and sometimes later.
Last year, the Raptors’ supporting cast could hand the ball to Kawhi Leonard when the game got slow, the refs swallowed their whistles and the three-point line seemed like it had been suddenly moved to 30 feet and the other team was playing with six defenders, not five.
Leonard lifted the Raptors to a championship and then left for the Los Angeles Clippers, and now Toronto is left trying to solve elite defences by committee.
In theory, Siakam was supposed to step into the closer’s role but he’s evidently not ready for it. That is the only fair takeaway after watching him struggle mightily against Boston and play below his standard since he joined the Raptors in Florida.
In Game 2 he showed some signs of breaking out early on against Boston but couldn’t sustain anything and came undone down the stretch.
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The game was hard-fought from the start, but just when the Raptors finally managed to separate themselves in the third quarter, the Celtics were gifted five straight threes — the last one a four-point play — by Smart in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, which wiped out a promising eight-point lead to start the period. The Celtics led 86-85 with just under eight minutes to play.
These things happen.
“I mean it sucks,” said Lowry. “He made five shots, you know, he’s a pro, you know you got five looks and got [an] and-one on one. He got hot and we didn’t cool him off.”
But it was what happened after which is cause for concern.
Toronto kept scrapping and clawing. They kept a lid on the Celtics for the most part, forced some turnovers and grabbed some offensive rebounds and were able to get to the free-throw line a few times, too.
But they struggled to create anything easy. They didn’t have Leonard bulling his way into the paint and pulling up for a fadeaway at the end of the clock. The Raptors shot 5-of-21 from the floor in the fourth and that might have been flattering.
At the key moment they had Siakam — who finished 6-of-16 from the floor and is now 16-of-37 (34 per cent) in his last three games against Boston — trying to score in isolation against the Celtics’ Smart, one of the toughest and most resourceful defenders in the NBA.
It didn’t go well.
Siakam drove left with 36 seconds left and Toronto trailing by three, only to have Smart strip the ball. The Raptors retained possession and ran a play to get Siakam an open look in the corner, but Siakam stepped out of bounds and the game was pretty much decided, save for a desperate game-tying effort from the three from VanVleet that fell short.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse defended Siakam, as he should and you would expect, when he was asked about the last two plays.
“I think Smart fouled the [expletive] out of him on the one,” Nurse said. “There’s one for you. Then we ran a good play there, and looked like it was open, for the corner three. It’s not one we use a lot, but you’re saving it for that kind of situation and it’s just unfortunate.
“That’s one thing that’s hard, too – the court has a different feel to it. There have been a lot of guys stepping on the sideline in the bubble, and that’s just probably unfortunate.”
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Siakam is in his fourth season and made tremendous progress as he earned the NBA’s Most Improved Player nod last season and his first All-Star spot this year. But being the focal point of quality NBA defence in a playoff series is a different level of responsibility and for the moment he’s falling short.
In fairness, he hasn’t had much help. The Raptors shot 11-of-40 from three and are 21-of-80 in the series. VanVleet and Lowry can’t seem to find the mark against a swarm of rangy Celtics defenders as they were 11-of-38 from the floor combined and 3-of-19 from three – echoing their performance in Game 1. Coming off a career year Normam Powell was supposed to provide clutch scoring to help fill the gaps but has been absent, going just 1-of-5 in the 13 minutes Nurse thought he deserved, a story in itself.
“I mean we’re pretty pissed right now we’re down 0-2,” said Lowry. “… This is not a situation we’d like to be in, but you know it’s not a normal situation in the playoffs where we lost two home games. We just lost two games. We got a chance to get enough to get one game. That’s all we gotta do is get one game and take [it] one day, one game at a time and know that the Celtics have been playing extremely well so we got to find a way to, you know, get ourselves going.”
The question is who is going to spark them? Who is going to carry them over the rough patches? Who is going to penetrate defences that seem impenetrable?
They had a guy like that, but he plays for the Clippers now, and the Raptors that remain will have to figure it out on their own.
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.
