Title: Malachi Flynn’s late 3-point barrage can’t mask another tough night for Raptors
Date: April 13, 2021
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote about Malachi Flynn’s late-game 3-point outburst making a bad Raptors game feel closer than it was, which is kind of the intention right now despite how frustrating it can be.
Eight points, nine seconds. 13 points in 33 seconds. And now, almost, 15 points in 96 seconds. Had a final fading heave from the corner made it a fifth 3 in a row, Malachi Flynn could throw his name in with the likes of Reggie Miller and Tracy McGrady for heroic late-game outbursts.
Is the fatigue of the condensed season getting to me? Maybe a bit. Even if Flynn had rattled home one more, the leverage in the Raptors’ game against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday was minimal. Some fans might even tell you the miss was preferred, given the competing incentives at play with Toronto in standings purgatory between the play-in tournament and the higher portions of the draft lottery. And had Flynn connected on the baseline inbound pass from Gary Trent Jr., the Raptors still would have needed to make up one point with just 4.2 seconds and one timeout left.
We need to take the opportunities we can to have some fun down the stretch here. It’s a message Flynn certainly received in the final two minutes of the 108-103 loss.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 