When poet Leonard chose to join the Los Angeles Clippers last summer, the Toronto Raptors’ championship window opened and closed soon after. When the Raptors, behind coach Nick Nurse and Pascal Siakam, Fred Wenwellet and Norman Powell’s significant improvement, ahead of the league’s Clippers and LeBron James – the second best winning percentage in the league – ended the regular season in the segment, he did little to be dissatisfied. Difficulties.
Sure, they’re a great regular-season team, the thinking goes, but who’s going to change the way every championship team wants a clutch bucket-winner now? Will it be Siakam? Maybe Wenwelite?
After his stunning performance in the Raptors’ 125-122 Game 6 double-overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, Kyle Lowry emphatically announced that he was looking for Toronto, and it was under our noses the whole time. With 33 points, eight rebounds, six assists and just one turnover in 53 (!) Minutes, Lori knocked out the Raptors in Game 7 in search of a live repeat for at least one more game.
Laurie had 15 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and he tied the game with a contouring fadway jumper to give the Rappers a four-point lead with just 12 seconds left to play the game.
In last year’s final, when Lori scored 21 runs in the first-half point in a series win against the Golden State Warriors – and it makes you wonder why Lori wasn’t pegged immediately? Fill Leonard’s clutch shoes.
Leading up to Game 6 you can hear the pundits screaming, “I have to move on to Siakam.” “Siakam needs to be the best player on the Raptors.” “They’re not winning the title playing Siakam this way.” It looks like Lori’s (mostly uncertain) reputation shrunk at the moment as the Raptors didn’t beat Ason for three consecutive posts at the hands of LB Bron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Lori’s playoff history is often linked to that of his former teammate and current best friend Demar DeRozen, but Lori’s stats from those posts were solid – 17.9 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 35 percent shooting 3 points. And just last week, facing a potential 3-0 loss to the Relters Celtics, Lori came in with 31 points, eight assists, six rebounds and threw OP Anunobi on the court to find out why he threw perhaps the most clutch pass in Raptor history. Game Winner 3-pointer.
What Lori has done, and what every clutch playmaker needs to do, shows a desire to adapt. In Game 3 he made up his mind to go early and often in the rim, essentially removing the horrors of Toronto out of the equation by shooting. Just look at the first possession of the game.
In Game 6, however, Lori took a different approach. The Celtics were loading paint on its drives, so Lori did it from the outside, knocking down 6-of-10 3-pointers and creating a huge array of mid-range jumpers.
In Game 3, Lori took 12 shots on her 31-point ray. In Game 6 on Wednesday, he took just three shots on the 33-way rim. Next, the shot charts tell the story.
This is a sign of a veteran player who will take what the defense offers rather than pushing the issue. Coach Nick Nurse and the Raptors worked tirelessly to turn Kambaker into Lori in Game 6, and he paid the price. The debate over whether Lori is a Hall of Fame has been raging throughout the series, but it’s hard to argue against what she’s done over the past two weeks.
The nurse said on Sunday of Lori’s play, “I’ve had the privilege of being there to see it, because it’s something to see and see. I never really understand it.” “Being able to play that hard is a great skill. It’s a skill that is not often talked about. … I’ve said this before and this is the highest compliment he can give me: I’ve never seen anyone play. Not hard. “
But the Raptors have learned that playing hard is not enough. Eventually you will need a closer look to finish things off and make clutch plays. The last postseason was that of the poet Leonard. This year it’s Kyle Lori. If Toronto is to move forward it needs to be bright under the stretch in Friday’s Game 7.
“We had to work hard to win,” Lori said after Game 6, “for us, personally we do the same thing – play hard. We go there and play every possession like it’s our last and find ways to get out. Wins. “
