Apr 25, 2017
‘Heated film session’ sparks Raptors turnaround
As you might expect, the Raptors are tight-lipped about what went down in the aftermath of last Thursday night's Game 3 loss, one of the worst in franchise history. But, as Josh Lewenberg writes, whatever was said or done appears to have worked wonders.
TORONTO - Somewhere on the wall of the visiting locker room in Milwaukee's BMO Harris Bradley Center there's a fly that has a story to tell.
As you might expect, the Raptors are tight-lipped about what went down in the aftermath of last Thursday night's Game 3 loss, one of the worst in franchise history. But whatever was said or done appears to have worked wonders.
In the two games since - particularly in Monday's decisive 118-93 win - they've looked like a completely different team, turning a 2-1 series deficit into a 3-2 lead with a chance to put the Bucks away on Thursday.
What a difference 40 hours make. That turnaround between Games 3 and 4 was the shortest of the series, but it probably felt like an eternity for Toronto's players and coaches. Kyle Lowry didn't get much sleep and the same could probably be said of Dwane Casey and DeMar DeRozan, who was held without a field goal in the 27-point blowout. It was an embarrassment that forced them all to think long and hard about where they were headed. An early summer? An off-season filled with questions, decisions and, perhaps, with changes?
The following day, the team reconvened at the arena for a practice that didn't involve much practising at all. Most of the afternoon went by before anyone stepped on the court or picked up a ball. Instead, they sat around a television screen and aired their grievances in a therapeutic film session that some credit for the way in which they've regrouped.
"It was just a heated film session," said DeMarre Carroll, following Monday's victory. "A session between coaches and players. Heated film sessions can go one of two ways – bad or good. We came together and we saw the problem. Then we kept building from it."
"We definitely had a heated meeting after the game," P.J. Tucker added. "Loud voices. Nobody liked the way it was going. Since then we stepped up our effort, and I think that's been the biggest thing in this series."
Like most people, the Raptors only watched the first half of that game. It was all but over by intermission anyway. More than X's and O's or breaking down specific plays, the discussion - led by the coaches with multiple players chiming in - was about something bigger.
Neither of their last two wins has been perfect, although the most recent was by far their most encouraging of the series. In Game 4, their defence clamped down and held Milwaukee to 76 points on 37 per cent shooting, despite having their own difficulties putting the ball through the rim.
On Monday, their offence heated up again, albeit at the expense of their defence as both teams shot at least 50 per cent. The commonality in the two wins was the Raptors’ compete level, evident early on in both. That, more than anything else, appears to have been the takeaway after Game 3: They can't take their foot off the gas, not even for a moment.
"I feel like that film session, a lot of guys were talking," said Carroll, who also had his own personal bounce-back performance in Game 5 with 12 points, the most he's scored in almost a month. "The good thing, a lot our guys were talking about the defence. It wasn’t really focused on the offence. Offence will come and go but we realized defensively, our effort helping each other out wasn’t there. That was the biggest key."
Casey is downplaying what occurred behind closed doors that afternoon, chalking it up as a run-of-the-mill film session following a bad loss. However, even he admitted they had a lot to talk about after that game. How could they not?
DeRozan, who has become the NBA's king of relatable metaphors and analogies, put it in perspective in a way most people can understand.
"I don’t want to get too personal, but do you have a significant other?" he asked.
"You all argue right? You argue? The next day, it’s like 'Baby, let me take you out to a nice dinner.' You have a great evening and a great day and you know the time after that it will be smooth until the next roller coaster. It happens. We are together [as a team] more than we are with our own families. Sometimes there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just part of the game. It’s something we build from and we respond from it. It’s never nothing too serious like you guys in the media may make it out to be. It’s just sometimes something that is needed within the team."
As you may recall, this is not the first time something like this has sparked the Raptors. Following a 21-point loss to Oklahoma City last month, the team held a players-only meeting. The message was similar and so was the result. From that point on, Toronto closed the regular season winning 12 of 14 games. These open forums can be beneficial for a team when adversity hits, provided everybody approaches and reacts to it the right way and - most importantly - they're not necessary very often.
"It was the same kind of thing," said Carroll, comparing the two meetings. "Same kind of vibe. Everyone collectively knew we didn’t play well when we went out there and got blown out. You bounce back. I always say it’s the first to four; you can’t worry about one game. We have to keep getting better and get some momentum going in this series."
And now it seems like they have. Not only did Monday's win put them back in the driver's seat, but it was the type of confidence-building effort they desperately needed. Their 28 assists were the most they've recorded in a playoff game under Casey and more than they had totalled in the previous two contests combined (27).
Six players scored in double figures, including all five starters. DeRozan was masterful in passing out of traps and setting up his teammates, resulting in good looks for guys like Carroll and Serge Ibaka. Norman Powell had a career night, scoring a team-high 25 points and making Casey's adjustment to start him look like a stroke of genius. Lowry, battling noticeable pain from a sore back, delivered a gutsy performance and was the best player on the floor.
Although they clearly have some defensive issues to clean up, the Raptors can be pleased with the way they're playing heading into the possible clincher later this week. That said, they know better than to think this series is in the bag, or at least they should.
"Treat Game 6 like it's a Game 7," was the catchphrase just about every player was spouting off on Tuesday. It's a nice sentiment, but one we also heard going into a Game 6 twice last year. They lost them both by a combined 30 points. Not only will they face a desperate Bucks team that has already proven itself capable of an upset or two in this series, but they're up against their own demons. If they've truly turned a corner, now would be the time to prove it.
"It’s human nature," Casey said. "Our M.O. has been to relax. We have great fans, we get all excited after a win in the playoffs and we let our guards down after. Our job as a coaching staff and the leaders of the team’s job is to not allow human nature to take effect, to understand we have to play with a chip on our shoulder. We’re better when we do that because they’re going to come out the way they did in the first game there. We have to understand that, we have to expect that. We can’t be surprised by the speed of the game, the intensity of the game, the intensity of the crowd. We gotta go in there with a mindset that we’re going into a battle.
"We weren’t ready for that in Game 3 and we should take that as a lesson and not have another film session," he said, tongue-in-cheek