On December 11th, 2018 the Toronto Raptors began a their second 4 game Western Conference road trip which this time, included stops at the Clippers, Warriors, Portland and Denver. The Raptors went into the trip with only Norm Brown on the injury shelf.
Hoping to replicate their previous 4-0 record from the first trip, the Raptors began with a victory over the hot LA Clippers on the 11th, with a convincing 123-99 score posted without the services of Kawhi Leonard. With no Leonard, it was Kyle Lowry, the little engine that could, who led the team to victory with crisp play making and by breaking out of his recent scoring slump and making timely buckets.
Back to back victories didn’t seem likely however, as Kawhi was again out with an injury and the powerful Golden State Warriors were at relative full strength and with something to prove after Toronto had narrowly nipped the Warriors in OT two weeks earlier up in the frozen north. RIght from the beginning of the game, however, Toronto, once again led by a focused Lowry, took the game to Golden State and came with a satisfying 113-93 win. Satisfying for Raptor fans, that is.
After that victory, it felt magical. The Raptors hadn’t beaten the Warriors in Oracle Arena since Kevin Garnett won the MVP award in 2004. Maybe this time things would be different.
In face of this joy, however, a little darkness lingered in the corner. Coincidence or more – Lowry breaks out of his scoring slump as soon as Leonard is out with an injury? Then plays even better the next night? Sure, he stepped up. Well it’s too bad he didn’t step up when even a little bit of Lowry would have prevented the recent losses in Denver, Brooklyn and Milwaukee by 3, 1 and 5 points respectively. Close shaves. Also, the Raptors lost Jonas Valanciunas mid-game to a hand injury which could see him gone for more than a month.
Moving on.
Portland, after a rest day and now Kawhi is back and…Lowry is out. HMMMM. Nonetheless, the starters crush it, but the promotion of VanVleet to the starting lineup hamstrings the bench and they combine to provide a paltry 26 points. They are no match for Portlands bench who provide 58 in a 128-122 Raptor loss.
Putting that behind them they enter Denver, still with Kawhi but now with a rash of injuries. Lowry Brown and Valanciunas remain out and are joined by Pascal and Fred. The depleted Raptors are savaged by the depleted Nuggets 95-86.
WIth this game they completed what is arguably their most difficult trip 2-2 and remain atop the NBA standings at 23-9. Which is what I expected, although not accomplished in the manner I suspected. I expected a loss to GSW and a second loss to a hot team or a cold shooting night.
Tomorrow night, the Raptors meet the Pacers who have been red hot since Oladipo returned from injury – winners of 7 wins in a row. Toronto will have the home court advantage and will enjoy every advantage it brings in attempting to tame the Pacers. At this time, I do not know who will be available for the Raptors, but here’s hoping they can field with as full a starting lineup as possible.
What I continue to see is a team that can be very good when they sync and their leader – Kyle Lowry – and play with his force. They stumble when they slow down and put greater emphasis on ISO ball and they need to be aware of it. I have heard many players and people associated with the team describe how they feel like they believe they can be better, that they are surprised to be having so much success when they feel like they haven’t been playing to their potential yet. I look at it a different way. I’m concerned that what they feel is a lack of cohesiveness, a lack of team, of identity.
In my opinion, this is an issue which could go either way. Optimistically, they could find a way or share an experience which helps them to gel, they become a team and they achieve to the potential of this team. Pessimistically, this lack of identity could wear on them as the season progresses and the team doesn’t come together. Instead, the locker room becomes littered with eggshells in deference to a quiet and withdrawn Kawhi and a rudderless Lowry. The fun of winning isn’t celebrated like comrades in arms, it’s dispensed in a calm, business like manner. After a game, it will be difficult to tell from the locker room whether it was a win or a loss, not because of a quiet confidence but rather because the major players have no real stake. Look at the Wizards for a comparison of what happens when the main actors don’t care enough about being a team. If this happens to the Raptors, losses will pile up as winning doesn’t matter in the same way to a collection of individuals as it does to a team. By the end of the season the Raptors could fall into mid play-off pack levels and what could have been an historic season could be flushed in the first round like so many before them.
What’s going to happen? It’s on the players, specifically Lowry and Leonard to decide what their relationship will be and as a result, how special this team will be. Time will tell. We’ll learn more tomorrow night against Indiana.