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2018-2019 Toronto Raptors Thread: "In Kawhi (& Danny) We Trust!"

Raptors win Game 4 107-85 to take a commanding 3 games to 1 series lead.

Led by Kawhi Leonard, Toronto made good on it?s promise to keep the Magic below the 90 point mark.

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Game 5 is in Toronto on Tuesday.

GO RAPTORS GO!
 
V-i-c-t-o-r-i-o-u-s!

Raptors take series from the Magic winning 115-96.

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Ka-wow!    Toronto leads Conference Semi-Finals 1 game to 0.

That?s Kawhi Leonard and his 45 points that led the Raptors to a 108-95 win against the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night here in Toronto.

A fast-paced physical game that featured plenty of oohs and ahhs and never a dull moment as the Jimmy Butler-Joel Embiid-Ben Simmons-led Sixers proved no match for Leonard & his Raptors. 

Philly wasn?t necessarily chopped liver as they did have more balanced scoring through their starters, unlike Toronto that relied heavily on Leonard for the honours.  Pascal Siakam?s 29 points were also instrumental in pacing Toronto.  Good support in the form of rebounding, passing, & transitioning came from the likes of Lowry, Gasol, Green, Ibaka, VanVleet, and of course, Siakam.

Way to go Raptors!

Hi-lites:
https://www.nba.com/raptors/video/t...gm1digital[/url Game 2 is Monday in Toronto.
 
Not this time.  Conference Semi-Final tied 1-1.

The Philadelphia 76ers, namely Jimmy Butler, did some figuring out and came out 94-89 winners over the Raptors. 

Talk about game strategy.  The Sixers decided to double team Leonard as much as they could, to effectively keep the ball out of Kawhi?s hands.  While that worked in part (Leonard still ended up with 35 points, more than any of his teammates on the night), it was really more a case of Toronto?s bad shooting at the 3 field goal percentage and the bench which didn?t provide for it?s usual support.

Excellent rebounding on the part of Philadelphia (Butler led with 11) and good transitioning & aggressiveness in the paint by both Butler and Embiid cemented the Sixers advantage throughout, leaving the Raptors trailing every now and then.

Toronto?s defence again made good at keeping the opposition?s score under 100 but was painful to watch the too many fouls taken (once again placing the officiating in question), and all the missed shots.  Besides Leonard, Siakam had 21 points and Lowry 20.  Also the Raptors rebounding was next to non existent in this game, and...

...oh, Danny Green!  How could you??!!  Dang!

Game 3 goes Thursday in Philly.

https://www.nba.com/raptors/video/teams/raptors/2019/04/30/2587725/1556593506750-nba-web-190429-phivstor-gamehighlightsdigital
 
Deja vu.  Philadelphia leads Conference Semi-Final 2 games to 1.

That?s right.  Joel Embiid made a mockery and nearly whacked the Raptors out of extinction at the Wells Fargo Center last night,  in leading the Sixers to a resounding 116-95 victory over that lowly & confused Toronto team.

Talk about being disappointed, no, more like disgusted.  The Sixers, with legendary Philadelphian Allen Iverson in the stands, played like a team possessed led in large part by Embiid & Butler, but more so Embiid who finished the night with 33 points & 10 rebounds.  He also made the Raptors D ? namely Marc Gasol ? twitch and burn in the process.  A rather defining statement and one that may prove Toronto?s undoing unless coach Nick Nurse figures out this chess match.

Of course, not all was doom and gloom for the Raptors.  Leonard, who led the team in points with 33, and was easily Toronto?s best player along with the oft-fouled Siakam who had 20 pts.  Leonard kept the team close on the scoreboard until the Sixers dynamic duo of Butler & Embiid unleashed their venom.  Embiid?s monstrous dunk from in close was a source of embarrassment for a team that seemed to have just wilted.

When your Kyle Lowry and co., doesn?t give your star player any support, you know your team is in a heap of trouble trying to keep it?s chin above water, so to speak.

It?s up to the Raptors to get it right, make the necessary changes and go out there and win that pivotal Game 4, which goes Sunday in Philly.

GO RAPTORS!


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This is unacceptable:
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Ugh-ly!
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Highlights:
https://youtu.be/hyoQIpl-g6I
 
Much better!  Conference Semi-final tied at 2-2.

Led by Kawhi Leonard?s 39 points & 14 rebounds, the Raptors tamed the Sixers where they needed to and sharpened their three point shooting including PITP percentage (points in the paint), for a 101-96 win here in Game 4.

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Compared to Game 3 in which the Sixers practically ran away with the win over a lame Toronto squad, the Raptors not only limited Philly stars Butler & Embiid, but also combined for a much improved team effort in the rebounding & assists dept.

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Other Raptor contributors were Marc Gasol, who probably had one of his best game of the series, with 16 pts., 5 rebs., & 3 assists,  Kyle Lowry with 14 pts., & 7 assists, Serge Ibaka with 12 pts., 9 rebs., 3 blks., and Danny Green with 11 pts.

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Game 5 goes Tuesday in Toronto.

GO RAPTORS!

Highlights:
https://ca.nba.com/videos?_aeref=bookmark-dropdown&_ga=2.45682404.1387151302.1557094446-718325068.1557094446
 
Superb!  Toronto leads Conference Semi-final 3 games to 2.

The Raptors sure got it done with one heck of a total team effort as they trounced the Philadelphia 76ers 125-89 here in Game 5.  The score sets franchise a record for the highest ever margin of victory in a post season game.

Just about every single Raptor who played, yes that includes guys like Eric Moreland & Jeremy Lin, earned points.  The bulwark of the scoring was spread out between Siakam who had 25 points, 8 rebs., 3 assists & 2 stls., Leonard with 21 pts.,  13 rebs., 4 assists &  2 stls., Lowry with 19 pts., 6 rebs., & 1 blk., Danny Green with 17 pts., 5 rebs., 3 stls., Marc Gasol with 11 pts., & 5 rebs., and Serge Ibaka with 10 pts.

The real story was the way the Raptors owned this game and reduced the Sixers forwards to mere mortals.  Hear that Joel?  Aww.

Philly?s trio of Butler, Embiid, yes that Embiid the recipient of scorn from the Raptor faithful, and Ben Simmons couldn?t get much going with a Raptor in tow.  In fact, Embiid?s performance was a laugher ? did we hear he was actually playing sick? ? he threw the ball literally at nothing.  Oh my.  If he was indeed sick, then why play?

Toronto?s shooting percentage both in the paint and the perimeter was overwhelming sharp.  Those three pointers just kept coming.
Defensively, they did an excellent job preventing the Sixers from setting the tone and keeping them off balance by being aggressive, smart, and quick, which can also be said for the Raptors? transition game.

SUPER-Kawhi!
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Fast & sharp!
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Not much got by this guy!
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Congratulations, Kyle:
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Highlights:
https://www.nba.com/raptors/video/teams/raptors/2019/05/08/2598930/1557284493032-nba-web-190507-phi-tor-gamehighlightsdigital

Game 6 is set for Thursday in Philadelphia.

GO RAPTORS!
 
Back to Game 7!  Conference Semi-final tied at 3 apiece.

The Sixers? Butler, Simmons  & Embiid made sure of that as Philadelphia upped the Raptors 112-101 in a must-win Game 6 for Philly.

Leonard and Siakam paced Toronto but the Raptors found themselves always playing catch up and for the better part of the game, the Sixers out-rebounded Toronto  53-34.  Not only that but again as they had done in Game 5, Philadelphia was all over the Raptors forwards affording them little chance of moving far in the paint.  Making matters worse was a lack of total effort with little hope from the Raptors second & bench units, flunking out after showing plenty of chutzpah in Game 5.  Go figure.

As ?sluggish? as Toronto was, so Philadelphia showed plenty of energy in dominating the contest.

Time to refocus and get ready for the next one.

Game 7 goes Sunday in Toronto.

GO RAPTORS!

Highlights:
https://www.nba.com/raptors/video/teams/raptors/2019/05/08/2598930/1557284493032-nba-web-190507-phi-tor-gamehighlightsdigital
 
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Toronto wins Conference Semi-final 4 games to 3.  Final score:  Game 7 ? Toronto 92  Philadelphia 90.

Unbelievable is the only way to describe it!

Lowry was energy, while Kawhi was phenomenal.  And the rest is history in the making, 18 years to be exact.  Whew!

Fan-demonium!
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https://www.nba.com/raptors/video/teams/raptors/2019/05/13/2605247/1557712112902-nba-hil-190512-kawhi-series-winnerdigital

The Raptors will play the Milwaukee Bucks (a.k.a. Gianni?s team) in the Eastern Conference Final.  Game 1 goes Wednesday in Milwaukee.

GO RAPTOR
 
Some funny gifs:

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?It must have been the Philly?.  NOT!
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