This was always going to be a tough battle.
The Wizards are very similar to the Raptors, growing steadily over the years to emerge as one of the tougher teams in the East. Culminating with a trip to the post-season last year, including a win over the Chicago Bulls, Washington has cut their teeth in a way the Raptors have yet to do. The addition of Paul Pierce added another veteran presence to help guide John Wall and Bradley Beal, and they bring a top notch defense every time they hit the floor.
But the Raptors shouldn’t be this close to extinction this early in the post-season.
The always loud ACC was the pride of the NBA last season, with thousands surrounding the jam-packed, just excited to see playoff basketball once again. This series has been no different, but Washington was able to walk in and take two straight without much of a fight.
Credit Paul Pierce for taking on all of the pressure, allowing his young counterparts to play their game.
The Raptors played right into his head games, with the likes of Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry looking to prove they have “it”, while the Wizards played team basketball to go up 2-0. Now on the road, the Raptors will have to play with more urgency, but also the desperate kind of ball necessary of a team looking to make it back home to see a game 5.
The most obvious cause for concern has been the Raptors efforts on the boards. Starting Tyler Hansbrough should have helped mitigate the Wizards size advantage of Marcin Gortat and Nene, but Hansbrough has yet to grab a rebound in the 1st two games. He has played 12 minutes in each, and while he plays with energy and grit, it looks like it’s time to make a switch.
Amir Johnson has been banged up forever, but if the Raps are going to continue to get bullied on the boards, they will need their ailing big man to set the tone. Same goes for Jonas Valanciunas, who needs to show the kind of toughness necessary of being pegged as the big man of the future. After giving up 29 (!) offensive rebounds through two games, Val needs to put his pride on the line and own the defensive boards.
Outside of rebounding, the Wizards have been playing a calmer, freer flowing game on offense. It helps to have John Wall running pick and rolls, with Pierce and Beal on the wings for kick-out 3’s. Kyle Lowry has had an awful time staying on the floor and in front of Wall, and Greivis Vasquez clearly will never match Wall’s speed.
That being said, the Wizards offense hasn’t been the Raptors downfall. It’s been their inability to run their offensive sets. Too often the ball gets stuck with one of their perimeter guards, be it DeRozan, Lowry, or Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, with everyone else just standing around. Ball movement needs to be encouraged against a strong D like Washington’s. Making Pierce and Beal expend more energy chasing the ball will help alleviate their impact on the offensive end.
What’s been the most surprising is how well the Raptors bigs have done in the paint. Valanciunas still looks for his shot the moment he touches the ball, but overall the Raptors should be able to exploit the aging Nene and Gortat down low. However, they rarely look to incorporate their bigs as the guards do most of the heavy lifting.
Finally, the biggest X factor going into the series was the Raptors bench. Patrick Patterson has done a good job being a stretch 4 off the bench, while Williams has been called upon more often than not to play defense due to Lowry’s foul trouble, when he should be in there to knock down shots. This will hopefully be a problem that solves itself if Lowry can tone down his physical play.
However, the Raptors have clearly overlooked Otto Porter Jr, who has had a coming out party. The former third overall pick played the 3rd most minutes on the Wizards in game two, and his length has allowed him to force the Raptors into difficult shots while allowing him to corral extra rebounds. The only Raptor who can match up with him is James Johnson, who was brought back to be the big wing defender the Raps lacked last season. He’s played sparingly, but clearly the Raptors will need his versatility if they want to extend their season.
The Raptors are far from extinct, but this may have been a worst case scenario to kick off their round one matchup. A strong start to the season set unrealistic expectations, and a drop off was expected.
But this team does have the ability to match up with, and take down a confident Wizards team. Every game they are gaining more playoff experience that will prove vital down the road. The energy has been there, but the Wizards have imposed a veteran physicality that the Dino’s have yet to match.
Playing spoiler in DC might just change that.
THE BASELINE JUMPER 