On Day 10 of 2017 NBA Playoffs Roundup, the Warriors look like they could go 16-0, the Raptors got the Powell and the Trail Blazers’ season ends.
The 2017 NBA Playoffs are in full swing and even as we hurtle toward the Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers Finals showdown everyone’s been expecting since last summer, would anyone be disappointed as long as the playoffs remain this exciting?
Though the Dubs and Cavs both emerged with first round playoff sweeps, almost every game of the postseason — even the blowouts by the last two defending NBA champions — has been entertaining.
As we advance through the postseason, we’ll be taking a look at what stood out from each day of playoff action. Here’s what we took away from the Raptors taking Game 5 at home over the Bucks, the Hawks getting a Calderon flashback to tie their series with the Wizards, and the Warriors’ routine dominance ending the Trail Blazers’ season.
THEY’VE GOT THE POWELL!
Aside from the unforgettable superstar performances, the best part of the NBA playoffs every year is watching unheralded role players earn the limelight with a breakout game when their team needs it the most and expects it the least.
This shouldn’t be a surprise given what we saw from Norman Powell last season, but since he’s been out of Dwane Casey’s rotation for the better part of the 2016-17 campaign, his emergence as the X-factor for the Toronto Raptors has been a very welcome turn of events for this worried fan base.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/856683539131232256
In his second season, Powell averaged just 18.0 minutes per game. Through the first three games of this series, he had logged a grand total of 21 minutes. Then, with the Bucks holding a 2-1 series lead and the Raptors facing a backs-against-the-wall Game 4 on the road, Casey moved Powell into the starting lineup. Everything’s changed ever since.
“Norm’s here,” Kyle Lowry told reporters after Game 5.
Yeah, no kidding.
https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/856685946514886659
In his 34 minutes in Game 4, Powell only shot 3-for-7, but he made all three of his attempts from long range for 12 points. Playing Serge Ibaka at the 5 also allowed Toronto to capitalize on its small-ball advantage in an 11-point win.
The result was pretty much the same in Game 5, only this time, Powell fed off the home crowd en route to a team- and career-high 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including a perfect 4-for-4 from deep. He also tallied four assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block with a +23 plus/minus.
Norm Powell has 21 points, is chirping the Bucks bench after every bucket and has again made Khris Middleton disappear. World peace is next
— Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) April 25, 2017
Will Powell continue to shoot 100 percent from downtown? Probably not. Are the Bucks down and out given what we know about the Playoff Raptors? Probably not. But if you’re looking for the reason Toronto has turned this series around, it’s because THEY’VE GOT THE POWELL!