Pacers at Raptors
The Toronto Raptors felt they were ready to take a step forward in last
season's playoffs but were instead swept in four games by the Washington
Wizards. Second-seeded Toronto again attempts to climb upward when it
opens the playoffs on Saturday against the seventh-seeded Indiana Pacers
after winning a club-record 56 regular-season games.
That horrid showing a season ago lingers over a franchise that hasn't won a playoff series since 2001. "That experience is huge, and I keep talking about that to you guys, that everybody talks about 'Oh you got swept, you got whupped last year in the playoffs,'" coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "Yeah we did, but the experience factor was huge. I always say you've got to go through something to get to where you want to go, and last year was our something." Toronto closed the regular season with five wins in six games and Indiana also was stellar down the stretch by winning six of its last seven. Pacers All-Star small forward Paul George struggled in four games against Toronto this season by shooting just 30.8 percent from the field while averaging 16.3 points, well below his season mark of 23.1.
TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Sportsnet One (Toronto)
ABOUT THE PACERS (45-37): Indiana needs to find some complimentary scoring if George again gets bottled up by the Raptors. Shooting guard Monta Ellis is no longer a bona fide scorer despite ranking second on the team in scoring (13.8) and the best frontcourt option is backup rookie power forward Myles Turner (10.3), who has cooled down recently after a strong six-week stretch that ended in late February. "There is such a thing as the rookie wall and I think he hit that," point guard George Hill told reporters. “Everybody hits that wall. That wall don't move. He just has to keep continuing to work on his craft, keep getting up shots, and it will take care of itself."
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (56-26): Toronto will be relying on the All-Star backcourt combo of shooting guard DeMar DeRozan (23.5) and point guard Kyle Lowry (21.2 points, 6.4 assists) to lead the way out of the opening round. The two standouts mesh well together and may receive a boost from small forward DeMarre Carroll, who recently returned after missing more than three months due to right knee surgery. Carroll is a solid defender when at his best but it remains to be seen how well he will fit in offensively after the long absence.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Raptors went 3-1 against the Pacers in the regular season, including a 111-98 home victory on April 8.
2. Backup Indiana swingman C.J. Miles (shoulder) will play after missing the final two games of the regular season.
3. Toronto set a franchise-record with 1,702 free-throw attempts while DeRozan set club marks for free throws made (555) and attempted (653).