It was a bar fight disguised as a basketball game.
And Kyle Lowry was at his shiny, grimy, get it done best.
Who knows what Game 7 will bring. Likely more of the same.
Advantage Lowry.
The fallout from the Toronto Raptors double-overtime win Wednesday over the Boston Celtis was still settling in the hours after Game 6.
There was a lot going on. The Celtics are mad at the Raptors coaching staff because they think that head coach Nick Nurse was too far away from the bench – he was standing in the corner late in regulation when Boston’s Jayson Tatum threw a pass five feet past teammate Daniel Theis that would have hit Nurse in the chest had the 2020 NBA coach of the year not moved out of the way.
And there were reports of heckling from the Raptors bench when Jaylen Brown was at the free throw line with 18.9 seconds left in the first overtime.
Then there was the dust-up after the final horn when the Celtics irritant-in-residence Marcus Smart flopped against a Marc Gasol screen in a desperate attempt to get a foul and one last possession. When it appeared Raptors guard Fred VanVleet called him on it, Smart jawed right back.
Lowry dismissed all of it. It’s just basketball to him, and the tougher, scrappier and more heated, the better.
A few years ago Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star asked Lowry if he’d ever been in a fight — in a basketball game or otherwise.
Lowry turned to him with his head tilted down and his eyebrows arched and said:
“What do you think?”
It was – in retrospect – a redundant question.
Lowry’s whole career has been a fight and most of the time he’s come out on top. He’s overcome the streets of a North Philadelphia and beaten back a reputation of being tough to coach, even though he can still have his moments, such as at the end of Game 6 when he was visibly upset with Raptors head coach Nick Nurse for calling a timeout when it was Raptors ball with 0.5 seconds to play.
He’s overcome an early reputation as someone who struggled in the post-season with Toronto and he’s lasted long enough and played a high level enough that he’s getting legitimate consideration as a possible Hall-of-Fame candidate: heady stuff for a husky, 6-foot point guard taken 24th in the draft who hasn’t dunked in an NBA game for 12 seasons and who didn’t make an all-star team until his eighth season.
And now, Lowry is painting his masterpiece — even if it means rolling around on the pallet and taking everyone down with him in a big, sweaty, gooey mess.
You want to get messy? You want to throw your body around, draw a charge, dive for a steal, box players that outweigh him by 40 pounds and somehow challenge for rebounds with men nearly a foot taller?
Now you’re in Lowry’s world, where every possession counts and there are no style points.
“He’s played well, obviously,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse of Lowry’s performance against Boston. “He’s played tough. It’s a tough series. I think there’s a number of guys on both sides that have risen to the occasion from different games and different times. That’s usually how these playoffs work, so he’s competed. It’s been super competitive. We’ve had to fight really hard to stay in these games and scratch and claw our way to some wins and it’s right up his alley.”
It’s easy to forget that even in Toronto where everyone is arguing about what pose Lowry’s statue should capture when it’s inevitably mounted outside Scotiabank Arena (my vote would be for palms up, with face showing a mix of shock and wonder at the refs somehow getting the call wrong, again) he initially came off the bench behind Jose Calderon and even when fully established as an all-star and cornerstone, was never offered a full five-year contract.
But now?
The secret is out of the bag. As Lowry has lifted the Raptors to greater heights the basketball world has finally realized that while there have been some talented teammates to share the load – never more than last season when Kawhi Leonard was the headline performer – Lowry has been the constant in seven years of unprecedented success.
Lowry got some attaboys when he burst out of the gates in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to score the Raptors first 11 points and make clear to all involved that Toronto was not leaving Oracle Arena without the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
But now that the Raptors put together a better season without Leonard and now that the Raptors embody his selfless toughness above all and now that he’s been the primary barrier between his team being sent home in the second round by a very good Celtics team and forcing a Game 7 it’s all very clear to anyone paying attention: the Raptors are Lowry’s team and he will take them further than they likely have a right to go.
Players know, and after Lowry put up 33 points on 16 shots while adding eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and a blocked show rebounds in Game 6, they took to social media to give praise.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has been trying to figure out a game plan to shut Lowry and the Raptors down and it hasn’t really worked. Seeing him up close and poring over game film has confirmed what Stevens already knew.
“He’s an All-Star, but he might be the most underrated player in the league,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “I just feel like he’s a terrific defender, he’s a terrific leader, a terrific effort player. Offensively, he puts you in a bind by getting fouled, making tough shots, and obviously, he does every little thing that helps teams win. Somehow he’s been underappreciated. The more people watch him in these settings, the more people appreciate him. He’s an amazing player, and certainly a big engine to them.”
It’s an engine that needs tuned up at times. Over his seven years leading the Raptors to the playoffs he’s had to adjust his offensive roles – from primary catalyst early on to more of a 1A alongside DeMar DeRozan to a role player orbiting around Leonard last season.
His defence, hustle and playmaking have never wavered, but this season he’s had to step up offensively with no DeRozan or Leonard to defer to and even more against the Celtics as a number of the members of the Raptors ‘by committee’ approach have been struggling.
He’s got the tools for that job too. You don’t deliver dagger turnaround jumpers or pull-up threes under the most intense pressure without some deft touch to go along with the sandpaper.
“He’s got a skill set of footwork and fadeaways and pull-ups,” says Nurse. “It’s his skills that enable him to do that. I think his skills have improved over time, too, for him. He adds a few things to the thing. He’s taking it to the rim pretty hard, bouncing (off) people and scoring. He’s got the turnaround. He’s got the pull-up. He’s got the pick-and-roll game. It’s just skills. That’s his skill set.”
Looking to score is not his first instinct and at times he’s had to have others in his ear to remind him that the Raptors need him to get buckets too. The 31 points he put up before his astonishing crosscourt pass to OG Anunoby that set up the third-year forward’s series-altering winner in Game 3 were prompted when an unknown friend (DeRozan is a popular theory) texted him to tell him to “quit waiting.”
On Wednesday night it was Fred VanVleet reminding him to look to score first sometimes.
“My role has changed so many times since I’ve been here, but it don’t matter,” Lowry said. “As long as we win games, I’m always going to ride with my teammates, whatever they need from me. At the moment, [VanVleet is] always pushing me to try to go and do more, so yeah.”
Yeah is right. And Lowry has delivered. Whatever happens in Game 7 Lowry has already put together a signature moment in a Raptors career that has already made him widely recognized as the best and most important player in franchise history.
But.
It should be a 48-minute fight. It all sets up perfectly for him.
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.
