TORONTO — If the Toronto Raptors are panicking after getting bombed out by the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of their second-round series — putting them on the brink of elimination in a playoff series for the first time since Game 7 against the 76ers last year — they sure don’t sound like it.
“Honestly, it wasn’t as crazy as it felt,” said Raptors guard Fred VanVleet Tuesday afternoon. “When you watch the film it’s pretty simple, you know, we miss a couple layups, they make a couple layups, we miss a three, they make a three, we go in soft and they go down and dunk it. It’s pretty simple stuff that we can fix and correct.
“We give them credit for playing a good game, but I don’t think they played outstanding, they didn’t play, like, out of the world. We just played like crap and they played good. It was that simple.”
An honest assessment from VanVleet of how his team performed in Game 5 and, yes, though there was a lot that went wrong Monday, it’s not like Toronto can’t clean things up, just because Game 6 comes with higher stakes.
“I mean, listen, I don’t think any assessment of that game would be wrong,” said VanVleet. “Like, you could pick your poison. There were holes all over the place, there’s bad play everywhere, so you can pick whatever you want, whether it was shot-making, bad defence, no effort, soft, not physical, you name it, it was about as bad as it gets for us.
“The good thing about it is it only counts for one and we’ve got to turn it around and play better tomorrow.”
Again, VanVleet was stating the obvious Tuesday, but his point is well made: The Raptors poisoned themselves in many areas in Game 5, but coming into Wednesday’s do-or-die Game 6, they do have an antidote to at least some of their ills.
Perhaps more frustrating than anything to watch in Toronto’s Game 5 debacle was just how lifeless the Raptors appeared to be after its disastrous 11-point first quarter. It’s one thing for a team’s offence to dry up, but what was absolutely unacceptable was the drop-off defensively in the aftermath.
The Raptors looked to lose their fighting spirit in that second quarter and they can’t afford to let that happen again. To do that, they need to find the fickle, undefined spark more commonly just called “energy.”
A stupidly obvious-sounding solution, we know, but it’s also difficult to pinpoint what it is exactly.
Is energy shot-making? The Raptors could certainly use some of that as they’ve only shot 30.9 per cent from three-point range in this series with the Celtics and a not-much-better 34.5 per on three-point looks that NBA.com defines as “open” and “wide open.”
“I don’t care how much you cheer and scream and run and play hard, you’re not making, shots none of that stuff matters. So, the shot-making kind of builds the energy for you and we’ve got to continue to step up and be confident and take and make those open looks.”
What about rim protection? Energy could manifest itself there as well and the Raptors have appeared to lack it. They went from being among the best teams at protecting the rim this season to suddenly looking pretty bad at it, allowing Boston to shoot 63.7 per cent on defended field goals attempt from six feet or less away from the basket so far this season.
A matter made even more problematic by the fact that Raptors sixth man, and key backup centre, Serge Ibaka was spotted in a walking boot on his left foot Tuesday and was listed as questionable ahead of Game 6 with a sprained left ankle.
Should Ibaka not be available, the Raptors will be without not just one of their only relatively consistent sources of offence in this series — he’s averaging 11.8 points per game on 51.2 per cent shooting from the field and 50 per cent shooting from three-point range — but also the Raptors’ best interior defender, as he’s defended more shots from the Celtics in this series from six feet or less than any other Raptor (27) and has defended them the best (only allowing 51.9 per cent of those attempts to score).
A Game 6 without Ibaka is, overall, very bad news for the Raptors, and if they’re forced to play without him they’ll need to find a way to replace the “energy” he brings to the team — the most likely candidates, according to Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, being Chris Boucher or Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
And, in general, as a reserve player, Ibaka is often asked to bring more oomph into the game, the same as any other bench player, and it’s another area where the Raptors can look to find more energy for themselves heading into Game 6
In this series, the Raptors’ bench has only averaged 26.4 points per game — an advantage over Boston’s reserves, for sure, but when you consider the fact that Norman Powell, the team’s fourth-leading scorer in the regular season, is only averaging 8.6 points per game on 35.7-per cent shooting off the bench in this series, that’s a significant drop-off in production from a source Nurse was likely banking on.
All of these issues that have plagued the Raptors in this second-round series can, in some form or fashion, come down to a lack of energy, as evidenced by some of the competitive games we’ve seen in this series and past ugly Raptors playoff losses.
“I think a lot of this game, in general, has to do with — you always hear me talking about (it) — with energy and rhythm,” said Nurse on Tuesday. “It’s kind of hard to explain how we don’t have a little bit more energy last night, and it’s even probably harder to explain how we don’t have it in Game 1 of the series, either, or really hard to explain how we don’t have it in Game 2 in Milwaukee last year, and Game 4 in Philly.
“The energy has gotta be there. I think when we do bring the energy, we’re right there, we’re super competitive, for sure, and look great.”
Added VanVleet: “We know that we have a chance, we know that we’re good enough to win and advance, but we’ve got to go out there and play and perform and prove it. Can’t just rest on our laurels and feel like we’re a championship team, you’ve got to go out there and perform like one every night.”
If all that ails the Raptors really is just an energy thing, then they’re going to need to conjure as much of it as they possibly can and channel it into as many facets of the game as they’re able to. If they do anything less, they’ll be facing a rather disappointing conclusion to what has been a season so full of promise.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
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.
