TORONTO -- It was one of the biggest games in Toronto Raptors history, probably the most important in more than a decade. Their first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets was tied 2-2, and they were not interested in facing elimination on the road.
Raptors win wild, pivotal Game 5 despite disastrous fourth
The playoffs have been defined by tight series and wild finishes, and Toronto and Brooklyn again did their part on Wednesday.
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Before Wednesday's Game 5 at the Air Canada Centre, Raptors big man Amir Johnson agreed with Toronto general manager Masai Ujiri's recent assertion that the pressure was on the Nets. While Brooklyn spent $190 million to assemble its roster and its window to win a title is closing quickly, Toronto's cast of still-developing characters is experiencing surprising success. The Raptors can build on this in the coming years, regardless of the result.
They didn’t underestimate the magnitude of the moment, though.
“I feel like it’s a must-win,” Johnson said.
Toronto ended up earning a victory, but just barely. Point guard Kyle Lowry played like a superstar en route to 36 points, and the Raptors led by as many as 26 in the third quarter. That lead was down to 11 with about eight minutes left in the game and it was tied with less than four minutes to go. The game went down to the last possession.
The final score was 115-113, and Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said his team needed to figure out how to embrace pressure and withstand prosperity. He didn't at all sound like a man one win away from taking Toronto to the semifinals for the first time since 2001. He looked more agitated than relieved.
“My emotions?” Casey said. “You wouldn’t want to hear it.”
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The Raptors were the league’s best fourth-quarter team in the regular season, ranking first in fourth-quarter point differential, efficiency differential, defensive efficiency, offensive rebounding percentage and defensive rebounding percentage. In this fourth quarter, they gave up 44 points on 13-for-21 shooting from the field. They coughed up the ball, they left shooters open and they surrendered easy baskets on the inside.
“Every mistake that you can think about, we made in the fourth quarter,” Casey said.
Raptor Revival
The final frame started with Johnson fouling Brooklyn's Mirza Teletovic on a made three-pointer. Deron Williams had a steal and a dunk shortly thereafter. Then, Alan Anderson made a corner three, drew a foul and converted the four-point play. The Nets tied it with 3:19 remaining in the game, and again with 1:23 left, both on high-quality looks from behind the arc.
With just 10 seconds left on the clock, Anderson was once again fouled on a three in the corner. The shot dropped, and he hit the free throw to make it a one-point game.
"We were kind of just stalling, trying to waste time," Raptors big man Chuck Hayes said. "We stopped being aggressive."
Clutch plays by Lowry and free throws from DeMar DeRozan saved Toronto, but it still could have easily gone the other way. With four seconds left and Toronto up by two, Blatche missed a free throw. Guard Shaun Livingston streaked in from the three-point line and tapped the ball in Blatche's direction. The big man grabbed it and fired a pass to the perimeter, but it went over Williams' head. Williams collected the ball from behind halfcourt and heaved the ball toward the basket. Raptors big man Jonas Valanciunas redirected it before it hit the rim, and, with the noise from the sold-out crowd, it was hard to hear the whistle. A backcourt violation was called, but some thought it was goaltending.
In the locker room, reserve forward Steve Novak scolded the sophomore for scaring everyone. Valanciunas declined to reveal how many four-letter words Casey used when addressing the team.
“Trust me, we understand [Casey’s] disappointment,” Hayes said. “We’re just as disappointed. But man, we’re kind of wiping our forehead with this one, like, ‘whew.’ We for sure built up the suspense.”
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Drama has been the norm for these two teams. Back in November, the Nets had a similar win on the same floor, coming close to squandering a 15-point lead in the final few minutes. In January, the Raptors’ Patrick Patterson made a steal and a jumper in the closing seconds to escape Barclays Center with a win. Through five playoff games, Toronto has outscored Brooklyn by a whopping four points, and the Raptors had their own failed fourth-quarter comeback in Game 3.
All year, Toronto had a habit of keeping things interesting. It won only four of its franchise-record 48 wins by 20 points or more. It never lost by more than 16.
“To be honest with you, we’ve been through so many of these,” Hayes said. “Both ways. We were saying, like, if we’re down 20 we’ll come back; if we’re up 20, they’ll find a way to come back. I can’t remember the last comfortable win we’ve had.”
The Raptors won by two points in a game where Hayes hit the first 18-foot runner of his nine-year career to beat the shot clock buzzer in the second quarter and where Lowry banked in a 31-footer as halftime hit. They know they shouldn’t have relaxed down the stretch. They know they can’t expect to get away with it again.
“We gotta crack the whip and learn from it,” Casey said. “And this is a hell of a time to start learning, going into Game 6 in the playoffs.”
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