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| Photo Credit: wane.com |
The Toronto Raptors are coming off their best season in
franchise history, and they will look to carry that momentum into the playoffs.
Toronto won 56 games this season, which shattered their franchise record.
Toronto is the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and they will take on the
Indiana Pacers starting on Saturday.
The Pacers return to the playoffs after
missing out last year, because of the horrific injury to Paul George. With George
back and better than ever, Indiana has made its return to the postseason. The
Pacers have gotten to this point, because of the play of their stingy defense.
Indiana’s defense ranks eight in the league, as they allow 100.5 points per
game. Indiana has been relying on the small ball as of late, but they still
have an array of bigs to shove at you. George has led the Pacers this season,
averaging 23.1 points per game.
Indiana doesn’t have a very strong offense,
which is why they rely on their defense to wear the opponent down. They will look
to play at a very slow, deliberate pace. A problem for Indiana this season has
been consistency at the point guard spot.
After George Hill was in and out of
the lineup, they brought in Ty Lawson. Lawson failed to produce, so the Pacers don’t
have a true point guard to rely on. What has led Toronto to their 56 win
season, is their backcourt. Both DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry have been matchup
nightmares this season. DeRozan has averaged 23.5 points this season. Lowry has
averaged 21 points per game this season. After those two players, Toronto lacks
scoring consistency.
Toronto needs to hope the supporting cast can help out the
backcourt, or else we could have a series on our hands. The Raptors won the
season series, 3-1 this year. Indiana needs to hope someone can step up at
point guard, while Toronto needs some consistency from its bench.
Toronto has
been susceptible to early round exits, including getting swept by Washington in
the first round last year. It’s all dependent on Lowry and DeRozan, if Toronto
can avoid falling out of the playoffs again.
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