You knew it had to arrive eventually, even if Games 1 and 2 made you doubt it ever would.
Remember the version of the Raptors that had a reputation among opponents as a nightmare to go against, the unit that deflected passes and dove for loose balls with a fervor that was hard to match, and in doing so turned pesky determination and undeniable savvy into a big part of the story of an overachieving regular season?
That’s the version of the Raptors that finally showed up for Game 3 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Fresh off mailing in a couple of subpar efforts in Philadelphia, down 2-0 and largely written off as pretenders, for a long while on Wednesday the Raptors looked completely re-energized to be playing a playoff game in front of their home crowd for the first time since 2019.
Head coach Nick Nurse had been speaking of the need for better defense in the days between games, and in the lead-up to Game 3 he was practically begging for it.
“We’ve got to get some Toronto Raptors, flying-around defense going out there,” Nurse said.
The good news is that the flying-around defense showed up, forcing 15 turnovers in the opening half as the Raptors led by as many as 17 points. The bad news, of course, is that the version of the Raptors that flies around ultimately didn’t have the requisite number of engines, let alone the fuel to burn, to sustain a proper 48-minute onslaught, never mind overtime. With the Raptors running on fumes, Joel Embiid’s three-pointer with eight-tenths of a second remaining in the extra period handed Toronto a disspiriting loss, 104-101. That’s a three-game hole for the home team, if you’re counting.
“That’s about as tough a loss as I can remember here for my time,” Nurse said in the post-game pall. “Obviously if we pull that thing out, you’ve got yourself a series. Instead, you’ve got a really, really big hole to dig out of.”
Speaking of holes, might as well chisel it on their tombstone: Depth, or a lack thereof, was the Raptors’ death knell. The time for reinforcements, sadly, won’t come until next season.
Even their allegedly healthy players didn’t all seem to be at their best. While Gary Trent Jr. shook off an illness to score a career playoff-high 24 points, point guard Fred VanVleet, nursing a bum knee and who knows what else for a long while now, simply did n’t have his usual pop from him . When VanVleet air-balled a three-pointer late in the third quarter, it was another in a line of bad signs. As dogged as VanVleet has come to be, the grind of the season has caught up with him in the post-season. And without their beating heart leading the charge — VanVleet finished with 12 points on 13 field-goal tries — the Raptors were doomed.
It wasn’t just about VanVleet. It’s tough to win a playoff game when your best player scores 12 points on 16 field-goal attempts. Such was Pascal Siakam’s underwhelming shooting line. It’s tough to win a playoff game when your half-court offense is a stagnant, plodding mess. And it’s tough to win a playoff game if you don’t make your free throws. The Raptors made just 12 of 18 from the charity stripe on the night, sub par. Precious Achiuwa’s pair of misses with 27 seconds left in regulation and the game tied at 95-95 were an opportunity lost, to be sure. And they marred an excellent performance from Achiuwa, who had 20 points off the bench and did a solid job taking a turn guarding Embiid.
“That’s the heartbreak of this game. That’s what makes it so great,” VanVleet said, speaking of Achiuwa’s missed free throws. “For a young guy to have a breakout performance like that… He’ll lose some sleep over the free throws, as we all do.”
Good beginning aside, Game 3 ended up being a weak prelude to what’s shaping up to be an unceremonious post-season exit. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit to advance in the playoffs. And while the Raptors have the memory of winning four straight games after losing their first two against Milwaukee in 2019 … well, that Toronto team had championship depth and star power that this one obviously lacks.
The Raptors looked to be getting it done in the early going. They certainly looked like they were getting to Philadelphia’s best player. Remember the version of Embiid that’s less scarily dominant than he is easily discombobulated? Not the regular-season scoring champion and MVP candidate, but the clumsy-looking seven-footer who falls down at lot? That’s the version of the Sixers center who showed up in Toronto, at least in the opening couple of quarters.
Fresh off handling the Raptors for two straight games in Philadelphia, Embiid was a wholly different player in Wednesday’s opening throes. Frustrated by Toronto’s quick double teams — and perhaps a little more apt to settle for jump shots, which suited the Raptors just fine — Embiid stumbled his way to a less-than-spectacular start. The unstoppable behemoth who shot 25 free throws in Philadelphia shot just two in the first half of Game 3.
Alas, Embiid showed why he’s the best player in the series down the stretch, scoring 28 points after the intermission, including the dagger from the right wing. His work guarding Siakam was a big reason why Toronto’s No. 1 offensive option didn’t get a bucket after halftime, going 0-for-5 from the field while essentially opting to move the ball to teammates as the defense closed in.
“Pascal’s doing his job,” VanVleet said. “He’s drawing a crowd. He’s going to get all the defensive attention … and (he’s) kicking it out.”
Kickouts are one thing. Toronto lacked enough offensive punch to turn them into kill shots, despite a handful of solid looks down the stretch of regulation.
One potential contributor, rookie Scottie Barnes, missed his second straight game nursing the sprained ankle he suffered in Game 1. And while Nurse said before the game that he was hopeful Barnes would be available for Saturday’s Game 4, it’s worth wondering if the club will think better of exposing Barnes to the risk of further injury with the probability of playoff advancement at nearly nil.
But it wasn’t simply about ailing health. This was about a lack of options for Nurse. It didn’t help that Toronto had the least productive bench in the league in the regular season.
“The more quality guys you have available, the better off you are,” Nurse said.
And it definitely didn’t help that Toronto’s signature playing style, which relied heavily on turning pesky defense into the opposing turnovers that lead to fast-break offense, only kicked into gear in Game 3, too little, too late, and not quite good enough.
“I thought we fought really hard, showed the compete level that it takes,” VanVleet said. “It only took us two games to get there.”
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)