After 15 years and two exasperating first round losses, the Toronto Raptors are headed to the second round with a 89-84 win against the Indiana Pacers in the must-have Game 7 on Sunday.
Pacers vs. Raptors 2016 final score: Toronto survives Indiana’s 4th-quarter comeback to advance past first round
The Raptors made things very tricky in the final 12 minutes, but their big lead was enough to survive and finally win in a first round series.
It wasn’t easy. The Raptors started the fourth quarter up 78-64 but watched their lead slowly leak away as the Pacers refused to die. A few minutes into the quarter, Toronto devolved into a clock-killing facade of the offense that had allowed them to build a double-digit lead. By wasting clock and not beginning their offense until the final stages of the shot clock, Toronto ended up with terrible looks that they had no chance of making.
The Pacers wouldn't die, either. Indiana went on a 17-4 run to draw within three points with just seconds left in the game, even after a potential three-point play with 3:50 left in the game from Paul George was questionably called an offensive foul. Down three with seconds left, George's errant pass trying to find Ian Mahinmi underneath the basket ended all reasonable chance for Indiana to come back, despite their efforts getting back in the game.
DeMar DeRozan gave Toronto the quick start they needed, scoring nine early points as both teams shook off the nerves that come along with every Game 7. The two teams bounced back and forth throughout the opening half, but the leads never advanced past a few points either way. By halftime, the Raptors led 50-44, but the game still felt very much in hand for either team.
But Toronto pulled away with what looked to be the decisive third quarter, watching DeRozan come alive in the quarter and seeing a couple huge shots from DeMarre Carroll go in, despite a scoreless first half. Although the Raptors' fourth quarter made things difficult, the fourth quarter was enough for Toronto to limp into the finish line and just barely skate home by with a series win.
Finally in the second round, Toronto's series will be played against the Miami Heat, who finished off Charlotte earlier Sunday.
1. DeMar DeRozan got the Raptors
Six years ago, DeMar DeRozan vowed to take care of the Raptors when Chris Bosh left for Miami. On Sunday, he did just that in Game 7 in the only way he knew how: shooting 32 times but scoring 30 points in a Raptors win.
DeRozan’s first round series was mostly awful, with his poor shooting and disappearances in the three games Toronto lost looming large. But even though Toronto’s success this season has come more from the depth of their team and collection of talent, DeRozan is still one of their two stars, and in Game 7, they needed him. Never mind his many, many shot attempts or the fact that he nearly traveled on the game’s final play before Indiana fouled him. He still went to the line and knocked down both free throws.
In every way, it was the quintessential DeRozan performance. On Sunday, that’s exactly what Toronto needed.
2. George’s burden was too much to carry
There’s only so much you can ask one man to do, and the Pacers finally reached Paul George’s limit. They had been pushing it virtually the entire series and several times he came through regardless. On Sunday, George was fantastic on the offensive end, scoring 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting. But Indiana just ran out of possessions as they were massively outrebounded and crushed with second chance points. George led the team with 12 rebounds, but no one else managed more than six.
George’s three fourth-quarter turnovers hurt Indiana, but two of the three were the right play with the wrong results (and no luck from the whistle). The one he’ll remember all summer is when he took his eyes off the ball and just lost it in out of bounds. It might not have made a difference, but either way, you know George won’t quickly forget that play. He was about the only thing going right for Indiana in this series and this game as a whole, but in Game 7, the Pacers needed him to be something even he could handle.
3. Toronto’s future rode on this game
What seemed clear before the series made itself very apparent headed into Game 7. Win, and the team would advance to the second round for the first time since 2001, a long-awaited achievement after two heart-breaking first round losses. Lose, and it would be very hard to envision the same roster and coaching staff returning in full next year, not after three straight exits despite home court advantage every time. But they didn’t, and finally, 15 years later, Toronto is a team in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
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