Pacers present Raptors with fitting first-round test

Josh Lewenberg

TSN Raptors Reporter

Follow| Archive

TORONTO - In many ways, this is the type of playoff series the Toronto Raptors started preparing for just days after the last one ended.

Taking some time to evaluate what went wrong following last season's disheartening first-round elimination, a process that included re-committing to Dwane Casey as head coach, Masai Ujiri came to one overarching conclusion: his team needed to get tougher, something that's fuelled just about every decision he and Casey have made ever since

It was a quality they targeted over the summer, bringing in the likes of DeMarre Carroll, Bismack Biyombo, Cory Joseph and Luis Scola, and drafting Norman Powell. Finally, perhaps for the first time in his five-year Raptors tenure, Casey would go into training camp with a roster that fit his ideal style of play, a style of play he's preached all season long. The mandate was and continues to be to defend at a high level, match the physicality of their most physical opponents and win ugly, if need be.

Falling just short of its goal to rank inside the top-10 on both ends of the floor, Toronto placed fifth offensively and 11th in defence, a notable improvement from a year ago, when the team was 23^rd in defence.

The model for this Raptors' organization, particularly Casey, has long been the Indiana Pacers, a team that's made the playoffs five of the last six seasons and the conference finals in two of the previous three, almost exclusively with a defensive focus.

Even after an off-season transformation saw them move on from their more traditional frontcourt of Roy Hibbert and David West to go smaller, the Pacers closed out the campaign as the NBA's third-best defensive club — the fifth straight year they've ranked inside the top 10 under head coach Frank Vogel.

"This will be an excellent test in that they’re a lot like us," Casey said. "Similar personnel, similar skill sets, similar offensive philosophy, similar defensive philosophy, a multiple pick-and-roll team, dynamic wing players, as we have, and dynamic guards. When we look in the mirror, we see the Indiana Pacers, so it’s a good matchup for us."

If the season series - one in which the Raptors won 3-1 - is any indication, nothing about this matchup will be pretty, not that Casey has a problem with that. You always have to take the season series with a grain of salt, but all four meetings were decided on the defensive end and on the boards.

Led by a 21-point, 15-rebound performance from Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto knocked off the Pacers on opening night, holding them to 37 per cent shooting. Both teams would shoot under 39 per cent in the Raptors' overtime victory on Mar. 17, the game Biyombo set a franchise record with 25 boards. Although Indiana was the better rebounding team on the season, ranked 11th, Toronto bested them on the glass in all four games, 188-165 overall. The lone defeat was one of their strangest of the season, with the Raptors taking a quick 21-point lead only to cough up it up minutes later en route to a blowout loss in which they shot just 37 per cent from the field.

Like taking a year-end exam that incorporates the syllabus from their prior semesters, this series will test whether their teachings holdup under pressure. Both the Raptors and Pacers have evolved, each of them valuing lineup versatility more than ever before — something of a necessity in today's NBA. Whichever team is able to stay true to its identity and overpower the other should be the last one standing.

"They’re a very physical team, a defensive team" Casey said. "They kind of got caught between being a small lineup/big lineup this year. Both have been effective. When they were small, they were effective. When they were big, they’ve been effective. So we’re looking in the mirror at ourselves against this team. It’ll be an excellent, excellent series and we’re excited about it."

The Backcourts

Starters: Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan vs George Hill and Monta Ellis
Key reserves: Cory Joseph and Terrence Ross vs. Ty Lawson and Rodney Stuckey

The Raptors' all-star backcourt duo will undoubtedly be featured in Indiana's scouting report. Both guards are coming off career seasons for Toronto, and unlike last year, when Lowry hobbled his way into the playoffs, they seem to be more physically and mentally prepared for what lies ahead.

"He was nicked up last year," Casey said of Lowry. "He had calf strains, he was nicked up. He had missed all that time trying to get well, get his body physically well, getting through nicks. This year, he hasn't had that, so totally different approach. He's at a different place right now. His confidence level is a lot higher."

Lowry was seventh in the league in minutes and battled a late-season elbow ailment that impacted his shooting mechanics, but after seeing reduced playing time down the stretch and resting in three of the final seven games, the Raptors are optimistic he'll be at his best, and they'll need him to be.

He and DeRozan appeared in three of the four meetings with Indiana this year, both scoring at least 20 points in each of the games. They combined for nearly half of Toronto's points (40 of 90) in the December loss and were especially crucial in the overtime win, totalling 29 of the team's 38 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

It's safe to assume the Pacers have watched tape from last year's series, hoping to emulate the success Washington had against Toronto's guards. The goal will be to keep them out of the lane and off the free-throw line — where the Raptors averaged 12.8 more attempts than Indiana in the regular season meetings — and force the ball out of their hands. The Pacers' perimeter defence is certainly capable of making their jobs difficult. Hill, a strong defender at the point guard position, will likely draw the Lowry assignment. Before Raptors fans get excited at the thought of Ellis defending DeRozan, that responsibility should fall almost exclusively on George, one of the league's premier two-way players. How Lowry and DeRozan adjust to that defensive pressure and what could be less forgiving whistle will go a long way in determining their team's fate.

If the Pacers are able to successfully take them out of the game, or at least neutralize their impact, do they have enough trust in their teammates to defer, and can the other guys step up? Joseph and Ross should both factor into that equation, for different reasons. Ross has struggled in each of his first two postseason experiences, but - like Patrick Patterson, another X-factor - if his shot is falling, the Pacers may have to think twice about loading up on Lowry and DeRozan. Meanwhile, Joseph's ability to handle the ball, allowing Lowry to play off it, and defend the other team's best guard, in this case Ellis, make him a likely candidate to close games out. The Raptors outscored opponents by 12.7 points per 100 possessions with Joseph and Lowry on the floor together this season, the team's second-most productive pairing (minimum 500 minutes). Expect to see plenty of two-point guard lineups.

Ellis, the 11-year vet in his first season with Indiana, isn't the player he used to be. He averaged 13.8 points, lowest since his rookie campaign, but outside of George he's the guy you most worry about going off. Assuming Powell continues to start, he would guard Ellis out of the gate with Joseph seeing time on him later in games. Hill, the former San Antonio Spur, has appeared in more playoff games (68) than anyone else in this series. After shooting 41 per cent from three-point range this season, among the league's best, the Raptors will want to make sure they keep an eye on him as well.

The Wings

Starters: Norman Powell vs. Paul George
Key reserves: DeMarre Carroll vs. C.J. Miles

As good as Lowry and DeRozan have become, you could argue George is the best player in this series. The Pacers' all-star forward is one of the league's finest feel-good stories, coming back from a gruesome leg injury and lost season to play 81 games and average a career-best 23.1 points this year. George can do it all, a true all-around talent. He'll carry the load offensively, shooting threes, getting to the rim and to the line, making plays for his teammates, while also spending most of the series battling with DeRozan on the defensive end. The key to stopping Indiana will be containing its best player, something that's obviously easier said than done.

"We’ve prepared a lot of different things to give him different looks," Casey said. "Different personnel looks, different schematic looks as far as double-teaming, because you’re not going to stop a guy like Paul George or a guy like Monta Ellis, guys like that, from scoring."

For what it's worth, few teams defended George as well as the Raptors did this season, holding him to 16.3 points — his second-lowest scoring average against Eastern Conference teams — on just 31 per cent from the field and 27 per cent from long distance. It was, as Casey says, a collaborative effort rather than one guy who carried the load in all four meetings. Carroll defended him in the opener and James Johnson, who is unlikely to get into this series, shouldered the responsibility when these teams faced off last week. It should also be noted that DeRozan had one of his best defensive games of the campaign, and perhaps even his career, guarding George in the overtime win last month.

For the Raptors, one of the most compelling story lines going into the series is the small forward position, where all of a sudden Casey has a number of viable options to work with, a pretty good problem to have at this time of year. Carroll is back after knee surgery cost him three months of the season and, as the team's best bet against George, you can be sure they'll want to give him as many minutes as he can handle. He logged just under 21 in his final playoff tune-up last week, after playing 14 and 17 in his first two games back. He's hoping to have his minute restriction lifted once the first round begins. His knee as well as the team's highly regarded medical staff will ultimately determine how big of a role he's able to play. He's a relentless competitor and this is the type of matchup Toronto had in mind when they brought him in over the summer, so it won't be easy for anyone to hold him back, but they will continue to be cautious with his long-term health in mind.

"He’s coming off of injuries. That’s an issue, but his job is still, No.1 to take the top offensive player on the other team," Casey said. "He’s one of the best [perimeter defenders] in the league and that’s why we signed him, so our expectations haven’t change as far as his job responsibility or description."

Rest assured, if Carroll holds up he will spend the bulk of the series on George and certainly close games on him, perhaps at the power forward position. Still, Powell has more than earned a spot in the playoff rotation with his strong late-season play. Casey hasn't committed to a starter at the position yet, and has no reason to until just before Game 1 on Saturday afternoon, but he won't rule out the possibility of sticking with the emerging rookie and monitoring Carroll's minutes off the bench. If that's the case, DeRozan will start the game on George with Powell defending Ellis. Patterson, who has had some recent success guarding bigger threes, could also see some time on him.

Miles has been nursing a shoulder injury but is expected to be ready to go for Game 1. He's a player that has burnt Toronto in the past. Like Hill, he's a legitimate threat from three-point range.

The Frountcourts

Starters: Luis Scola and Jonas Valanciunas vs. Lavoy Allen and Ian Mahinmi
Key reserves: Patrick Patterson and Bismack Biyombo vs Myles Turner, Solomon Hill and Jordan Hill

This is where the Raptors could have their biggest advantage, provided they utilize it. Valanciunas missed two of the Indiana games with a hand injury and sat out most of the second half against them to rest last week. In the game and a half he has played, he's been dominant. Although the Pacers remain a top defensive team even after deciding to go smaller, the one thing they've sacrificed is the intimidating interior resistance they had become known for. At 29, Mahinmi is having a career season and has been a pleasant surprise on both ends of the floor, but he's not Hibbert (even Hibbert is barely Hibbert these days). Valanciunas will have the size and strength advantage against anyone Indiana throws at him, so the Raptors would be wise to exploit that as often as they can, particularly when the Pacers key in on their guards.

"We’ve been working all year long for him to handle the ball against pressure, against blitzes, corrals or whatever you want to call ‘em," Casey said. "We’re prepared for that. He’s prepared for that all year. The challenge for him is if they go ultra-small with the smaller lineup, and he’s done a much better job of guarding smaller centers, three-point shooting centers."

Biyombo will spell Valanciunas and like Mahinmi on the other side, he can mix it up and make sure his team doesn't get pushed around, evident in his 25-rebound performance. Toronto's one-two punch at the centre position, among the league's best, has been a luxury for Casey and his staff all season and should continue to pay dividends in the playoffs. Casey's trust in Valanciunas has grown, resulting in more fourth-quarter playoff time, but look for the Raptors' head coach to go offence/defence, alternating his two bigs based on matchups and game situation in crunch time.

Scola will continue to start and while his veteran savvy and improved shooting could be beneficial against his former team, don't expect him to play much outside of the first six or seven minutes of the first and third quarters. Patterson, one of their most versatile players and defenders, should carry most of the workload at the power forward position, Carroll could also play there some when they go small.

Like the Raptors, power forward has been Indiana's most unstable position throughout the campaign. Emerging rookie Turner and the two Hills, Jordan and Solomon, have all started games but Vogel seems to have settled on the veteran Allen, at least for now. Regardless of who starts, the guy to look out for here is Turner, Indiana's 20-year-old, 11th overall pick. Turner, like most young big men, has struggled with consistency in his first season but shows flashes of the dynamic player he can become.

The Raptors win if... they can stay calm and learn from playoff failures of the past to make necessary adjustments and match Indiana's defensive toughness.

The Pacers win if... they throw the first punch and take Game 1 in Toronto, using their trademark physicality to get in the Raptors' heads from there.