‘Stage’ Kawhi places Raptors on cusp of first Finals
Tim BontempsESPN
MILWAUKEE — In a quiet second after the Toronto Raptors pulled off a 105-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Sport 5 of the Jap Convention finals to take a Three-2 lead on this best-of-seven collection and transfer inside one win of the franchise’s first journey to the NBA Finals, Raptors coach Nick Nurse was requested what allowed his crew to show this collection round from an preliminary 2-Zero deficit.
“This is not the attractive reply, however from the primary day of coaching camp we have been saying we will keep degree,” Nurse informed ESPN. “A s—ty preseason recreation is simply gonna get written off. An important win at Golden State, identical factor. A horrible recreation in San Antonio, ‘Let’s bounce again.’
“And we have performed all of it yr. We have saved it even-keeled. Kawhi [Leonard] has helped that. Kyle [Lowry] has been a lot much less emotional and a fantastic chief. Marc [Gasol], even Serge [Ibaka], these older guys, when issues have gone s—ty, it is not questioning guys, it is ‘Let’s determine it out.’ I believe it was the identical at present.”
It is onerous to argue with Nurse’s evaluation — particularly provided that, 5 minutes into the primary quarter, the Raptors discovered themselves down 18-Four at Fiserv Discussion board, with Giannis Antetokounmpo dunking in all places, and the roof of the constructing feeling as if it would come off.
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At that second, it felt as if the sport may rapidly flip into one other final result like Sport 2, when Milwaukee ran Toronto out of the constructing. As a substitute, the Raptors slowly started chipping away, and finally acquired themselves again into it.
As soon as the Raptors did, that gave Leonard the prospect to hold them residence. And, for the most recent time in these playoffs, Leonard did precisely that, scoring 15 of his game-high 35 factors within the closing quarter to push the Raptors excessive, and permit the street crew to win a recreation for the primary time on this collection.
“The sport he performed tonight,” Lowry stated of Leonard, who additionally had seven rebounds and 9 assists, “was a fairly good recreation.
“It is a fairly good recreation on the large stage, and on the street.
“Celebrity. Celebrity.”
It was Leonard’s back-to-back Three-pointers with eight:30 and seven:57 left within the fourth quarter that gave Toronto an 85-81 lead. These have been two of the 18 Three’s the Raptors made whereas trying 43 of them — usually the type of quantity the Bucks wish to shoot, and what wound up being two extra pictures than the Raptors tried contained in the arc all night time.
And, much more than his shotmaking, it was Leonard’s capacity to protect Antetokounmpo — to not point out his even-keeled demeanor — that has shifted the collection in Toronto’s favor.
“Now we have one of many least emotional guys in Kawhi Leonard, however he is emotional when he must be,” Lowry informed ESPN. “We have all type of simply … when our famous person is a man who stays [level] … he is our man, he is our famous person.
“He by no means will get too up, he by no means will get too down, he misses video games, he did not play video games. And when he did not play, we went about our enterprise. When he did play, we went about our enterprise. And we simply need to go on the market and play.”
A part of the rationale why Leonard was capable of carry the Raptors residence was as a result of Fred VanVleet, for a second straight recreation, stepped up. VanVleet, who had his second little one the day earlier than Sport Four, put up 21 factors off the bench, going 7-for-13 from the sphere — together with 7-for-9 from Three-point vary.
He now has gone from capturing 7-for-44 general and Three-for-25 from Three-point vary over a 10-game span from the beginning of the Jap Convention semifinals towards the Philadelphia 76ers by Sport Three of this collection to going 12-for-19 general and 10-for-12 from Three-point vary over the previous two video games.
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Kawhi Leonard explains why he steps up in vital conditions after serving to the Raptors take a Three-2 collection lead vs. the Bucks.
“I suppose,” VanVleet stated with a smile, when requested if having his little one had modified issues. “Zero sleep, have a whole lot of infants and go on the market and let free.
“[You] maintain simply trusting the work, and trusting your craft, and figuring out that, sooner or later, they will drop.”
That they began dropping now has been precisely what the Raptors wanted — although it additionally got here as no shock to Lowry, VanVleet’s shut buddy.
“We all the time say ‘subsequent man up,’ and it has been like that every one yr,” Lowry informed ESPN. “Guys have performed an unbelievable job preaching subsequent man up and tonight was Freddy’s night time.
“I by no means felt unhealthy for him. I anticipate nothing however one of the best from him, and I anticipate him to maintain doing that.”
A lot about this Toronto crew is new. Nurse is a first-year head coach; Leonard, Danny Inexperienced and Gasol all arrived with the Raptors by way of commerce throughout the previous 9 months. However the Raptors have a battle-tested group filled with gamers who’ve been in a majority of these moments earlier than.
It is that have that has helped Toronto keep even-keeled by a season spent with Lowry and Leonard shuttling out and in of the lineup, with trades and accidents holding Toronto from having its full roster greater than a handful of occasions.
“It actually helps, I believe,” Nurse informed ESPN. “I believe these guys have performed in these video games and it actually helps, however what I am noticing is in between video games. I believe the fellows are actually good about getting ready.
“Everyone is attempting to inform them they’re drained, and so they’re simply not shopping for it. They usually’re similar to, ‘OK, we’re successful. Now we have to go to work.’
“This can be a hell of a crew. Now we have to play our asses off to beat them.”
The Raptors have performed so three straight occasions — one thing that hadn’t occurred to the Bucks all season. If Toronto can do it a fourth straight time again residence Saturday night time, it will likely be within the NBA Finals.