Title: Fred VanVleet, Raptors bench reward faith amid struggles, help even series
Date: May 21, 2019
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote about the Raptors bench finally figuring things out and swinging a Game 4 victory more than anybody could have expected.
A banked-in 3 is normally the type of fortune reserved for slump-busting. Amid cold stretches, players will often look to a break going their way as a rallying point, a sign that whatever intangible factor has been suppressing performance has vanished. Variance is not controlled by a merciful god. It only sometimes feels that way.
On Tuesday, a bank was instead the cap on a turnaround it normally would have portended.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 