Toronto Raptors: 3 takeaways from Game 4 of 2019 NBA Finals

2. Hello, Serge I-blocka

If you were a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2009-16, you were all too familiar with Serge Ibaka’s electric play style at the beginning of his career. But as cruel as it may be, Father Time takes its toll on everyone, as it did for Ibaka.

In his athletic peak, Ibaka was a skywalker on both ends of the court, leading the NBA in blocks twice.

After an uneventful stint with the Orlando Magic, the power forward-turned-center has revamped his game into a floor-stretching big man.

With Serge Ibaka struggling to be a natural fit beside Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas, the newly crowned head coach Nick Nurse decided to revert the 3-time All-Defensive first team selection to the bench in favor of the uber-talented Pascal Siakam.

And it seems to have worked wonders for the big man’s career.

After looking all too restrained and limited within the starting lineup for the Toronto Raptors, Ibaka has been able to transition gracefully into the Raptors energizer off of the bench.

Relishing as the sixth man of the Eastern Conference Champions, Ibaka has dominated the Warriors frontcourt over the past two games.

After recording six blocks in Game 3, the big man from the Congo chipped in 20 points off of the bench and is an ongoing threat in the Raptors high screen and roll.

With Ibaka finding his legs in a pivotal Game 4, his defensive intensity may very well define the battle in the frontcourt for the duration of the NBA Finals.