One – The Raptors have reached the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons. The Hot Hawks stood in their way, winning five in a row while averaging almost 130 points per game during this period, but the Raptors came out victorious with a convincing performance where they dominated the color and kept Trae Young in control. Elsewhere in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers capitulated to the Orlando Magic tanks, eliminating the possibility of them taking back their place in the top six from Toronto, and as a bonus, the Chicago Bulls were blown up by the Milwaukee Bucks. the Raptors in fifth. Two – Pascal Shiakam dominated this game at all levels. Shiakam scored 31 points while splitting the Hawks defense. Atlanta opened the game with full coverage and no real lockdown wing to control Shiakam, so they went straight to work. Shiakam had all the tricks between spinning, float, spinning jumper and grip, allowing him to reach any point he wanted on the floor patiently before getting up for the shot. It was at such a pace that at one point, Shiakam skied to cut a pass intended for his teammate, settling into his attack in the middle of the floor, before scoring in color for two of his 13 points in the third. quarter, which put the Raptors ahead. Three – Shiakam also gave the pass that made the victory. Atlanta eventually conceded and switched to a double or triple team mission to Shiakam, which eventually put an end to his scoring, but again won them by a pass. Shiakam had a couple of passes with kicks to open shots that did not fall, but did not change his approach and in a game where he chased hard in the color, hung in the air as three defenders sandwiched, Shiakam was able to find Fred VanVleet in perimeter for a three-pointer that raised the Raptors five points with one minute left. Shiakam made 23 shots, attempted eight fouls and collected six assists in 40 minutes without a single spin. His game is much more mature than it was in his last season in the All-NBA. Four – No matter how hard it is, VanVleet is always good for at least one clutch shot. VanVleet had a miserable play on the offensive end, shooting just 4-for-21s off the pitch, including a miserable 1-for-11 from deep in front of his clutch trio to seal it, and while being overly keen on some efforts, most of his eyes were open. VanVleet’s cold night was the main reason this game was closed, as he missed a pair of open three-pointers where he even had room to dribble before the shot started, and yet he could not make it fall. . . However, his defense of Young was flawless, and in addition to the slow three-pointer, he also went on a mini run to start the fourth where he drove and kicked Chris Boutcher for a pair of three-pointers, found Scotty Barnes in the post and finished a difficult lay from where he changed his hands in the air to avoid the block. Five – VanVleet can take time to heal his bad knee. VanVleet said after the game that he managed to overcome the injury during a major stretch in the program as the Raptors pushed into the playoffs, and now that the job is done, the team can give him over a whole week to rest before the start of the race. first round. Nick Nurse said of VanVleet after the win: “We’re going to get him off his feet here for a few days.” Six – Containing Young was the main target of the Raptors game. The Raptors had to be very careful with him, knowing that he was always menacing to shoot and that he is a slippery player who can use his speed and excellent grip to reach all points to bend the defense, but the The Raptors were mostly up to the task. VanVleet was always there to constantly push Young into the ball and dictate to him how he could lead, then the Raptors’ greats were on time to help challenge Young to the basket, while also watching the lob pass. It’s a true testament to Young’s talent that a good defensive performance against him looks like 26 points and 15 assists, but given that most of Atlanta’s attack runs through him, it was a good showing from the Raptors. It took 23 shots to get his 26 points and Yang reached the foul line only four times, two of which came in a generous call to Malachi Flynn, who stood on his own only as Young broke the ball for to make contact. Seven – The Raptors have once again won the battle for possession. Toronto doubled Atlanta in offensive rebounds 20-10 and were co-20 in color points as a result. Khem Birch was consistent in the beginning, but the Raptors’ energy really went up when Boucher, Thad Young and Precious Achiuwa checked in from the bench. The eleven of these three strikers with Shiakam and Gary Trent Jr. allowed the Raptors to climb the lead again against the Hawks bench, and to a large extent was the dominance in the glass. Later, it was Barnes who continued the charge with six of his own and these extra chances were key on a night where the team shot 9-to-35 from deep. Eight – Bauser climbed 18 points off the bench. The Raptors do not have a traditional bench scorer, but they have three big potentials in Boucher, Achiuwa and Young who can all give a fist for the second unit. Boucher did it today, hitting three three-pointers, two blocks and two transition dunk, but either is capable. The trick is to get rid of at least one of them, otherwise, it costs the starters to complete the offense, but in general the Raptors’ bench is much more stable after acquiring Young, who was a calming and selfless presence. Nine – Barnes came up when he needed to. He was quiet to start with Shiakam dominating, but scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. It started with a post-up, sealing a guard on his back before he finished through the contact. He then hit a corner three from VanVleet in a wild corner to put the Raptors back at 10, after the Hawks had just nailed a three-pointer to secure the momentum, and then repelled Bogdan Bogdanovic to secure an airball from Achiuwa. in the corner for a back to put Toronto twice, then closed the game with a flick of the finger over Clint Capella to beat a push across the court and scored two free throws at the end. He finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds in the ongoing search for the Rookie of the Year award. Ten – Raptors fans are truly blessed. Ever since Masai Ujiri took over in 2013, the Raptors have suffered just one missed season, which came during a global pandemic that forced the team to relocate, as the only exception to an eight-game playoff series. During this event, Ujiri was able to rebuild a former champion into a new group with a new identity, using two key pieces of the title along with a new crew of young and athletic prospects who have shown great growth when given the chance. Trent Jr. was acquired last year, Barnes was considered the boldest choice in the draft and Atsiova was the scorer in the graceful exit of Kyle Lowry. Meanwhile, VanVleet made his All-Star debut, Siakam is on his way to a second nod in the All-NBA and Nurse is both sharp and regular. Ujiri himself said on the opening night that this would be a development year and what appears to be a career year for many franchises, with the Raptors sitting comfortably with 46 wins and a core that is completely under the control of the team at least The following year. . Enjoy this moment, not because it’s new, but because Ujiri and his staff have made it a routine.
