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Toronto Raptors: What Must Be Done To Exorcise Playoff Demons

By Ben Gibson

Apr 16, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) holds onto the ball after being knocked down against the Indiana Pacers in game one of the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Indiana defeated Toronto 100-90. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) holds onto the ball after being knocked down against the Indiana Pacers in game one of the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Indiana defeated Toronto 100-90. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 16, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Indiana Pacers guard Ty Lawson (10) goes up to make a basket in between Toronto Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll (5) and forward Bismack Biyombo (8) in game one of the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Indiana defeated Toronto 100-90. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

1. 3-Point Turnaaround

There were plenty of times — especially in the second half — when Toronto was playing great defense but Indiana still found a way to score. The Pacers shot 52 percent from 3-point range in the game, well above their season average.

Three-point Shooting in Previous Toronto Raptors Game | PointAfter

Monta Ellis was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc (3 of 4), well above his season average of 30.9 percent. Several of his attempts were just good shots, but in what might be a microcosm of Toronto’s defense on Saturday was Ellis’ first made 3-pointer, one where he had a defender in his face and shot the ball because the shot clock was winding down.

Monta-3
Monta-3 /

Cory Joseph collapsed to stop George Hill and Myles Turner on the pick-and-roll and then closed out on Ellis quickly. He only gave Monta the option to shoot a contested 3-pointer, but it still went in. There were plenty of plays in Game 1 where the Raptors did everything right, but things didn’t go their way. Sometimes shots just fall.

According to the hustle stats from the NBA, 66 of the Pacers 79 shots were contested, which is defined as when a defensive player closes out and raises a hand to contest a shot prior to its release. That was only one less shot than the Pacers contested, but there was a big difference in the final stats as Toronto made only four of their 19 attempts, or 21.1 percent, from 3-point range.

In the regular season, the Raptors were ranked fourth in the NBA in 3-point shooting at 37 percent.  Indiana is one of the best 3-point defending teams, but that’s an exceptionally good performance even for them.

In Game 2, those numbers will likely come closer to their season averages. There more intensity and urgency in the playoffs, but that doesn’t explain away the Raptors struggles making and defending 3-pointers as much as they did in Game 1. Then again, the Raptors’ star backcourt didn’t exactly light it up:

That’s not to say the Pacers and their third-ranked defense didn’t play a big part in the Raptors struggles, but statistically speaking, the results in Game 1 were much better than expected for Indiana and much worse for Toronto.

Next: Free Throws