Title: Raptor Recalibration, Game 2: Managing Leonard’s foul trouble, shooting regression, heavier switching and more
Date: April 17, 2019
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic, my new playoff day-after playoff column looked at a Raptors bounce-back win against the Magic in Game 2, some minor adjustments, managing minutes through foul trouble, and more.
It can be difficult to know how a blowout is going to change a playoff series.
On the one hand, it certainly suggests an imbalance of talent. There are exceptions, to be sure; a worse team can catch a better one on a bad night, an early outburst never normalizes, or a proverbial towel is thrown in. Other times, a blowout will stand as confirmation of a series imbalance, a reminder that while the playoffs are a different beast, talent will often win out.
When the Orlando Magic beat the Raptors in Game 1 on Saturday, it led to all sorts of questions about whether this Raptor team was different and how they’d respond to an early upset. On Tuesday, the Raptors answered all of those questions emphatically, beating the Magic 111-82. Between Kawhi Leonard going off and the Raptors’ defence reaching new heights, it was something close to an ideal performance.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 