Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal drives past Toronto Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas during Game 2. The Raptors have allowed the Wizards 37 second-chance opportunities through two games, which Washington converted into 32 points.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Down 0-2 in their first-round playoff series with the Washington Wizards, the Toronto Raptors must show they are the more desperate team. As the series shifts to Washington on Friday, perhaps the most important way to do that is by fixing their costly shortcomings on the glass.
In the postseason rebounding category, Toronto is second last among the 16 playoff teams, ahead of only the Eastern Conference No. 7 seed Boston Celtics. No. 4 seed Toronto has nabbed 76 boards through two games compared with No. 5 Washington's 106, giving the Wiz the second-best team total in the playoffs behind the Chicago Bulls.
Even when the Raptors bounced out to an energetic 23-19 lead in the first quarter of Game 1 in Toronto, Washington won the battle of the boards, 17-13.
The Raptors have only outrebounded the Wizards in a single quarter in this series. During the fourth quarter of Game 1, when Toronto staged a big comeback and outscored Washington 26-17, it's no coincidence that the Raptors held the advantage on the boards in that frame, 12-9. Yet, just minutes later in the overtime, that changed dramatically, as Washington grabbed nine boards to Toronto's three and dominated to the finish.
"The first thing I would talk to my team about is a collective energy and will to get a stop, just figure out how to stop them from scoring, and then gang rebound, and I mean gang rebound," said former Raptors general manager Isiah Thomas, now an analyst on NBA TV. "Right now, they're getting pummelled in rebounding."
The Raptors kept the nucleus of their roster from last year intact and stood pat at this season's trade deadline, too. They opted not to add a lockdown perimeter player or an elite rim protector, who might have helped the Raptors prevent the onslaught of offensive rebounds they are now allowing. The Wizards may have entered this series ranked No. 5 in defensive efficiency, but they also ranked 19th in offensive efficiency. Allowing the Wiz so many offensive rebounds has given Washington precious scoring chances.
The Raptors allowed the Wizards 37 second-chance opportunities through the two games, which Washington converted into 32 points. The Raptors got just 15 second-chance opportunities.
"Once the shot does go up, find the body," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said, noting an area he stressed with his team in film study this week.
Rebounding success is linked with the enhanced physicality a team must exhibit in the playoffs. Casey hasn't seen that level from his players through two games.
"We played with a level, but in the playoffs there's another level – I want to knock somebody on their butt, get up in somebody's chest, that's what we talk about in the locker room," Casey said. "It's not that they're not playing hard. We have to be focused enough to get into Paul Pierce's face when he's shooting a three. The physicality, you have to play through it. Nene is bear-hugging you and denying you at half court? Then get him off you and you might have to take a foul to get him off your body. Those are the things I relay to them in terms of the next level of intensity."
Washington is 7-1 in playoff road games over the past two seasons, and Randy Wittman is the first coach in NBA history to win seven of his first eight road playoff games. The Wizards are the only team in league history to win the first two road games in a playoff series in back-to-back seasons. Their performance is a strong reminder of one year ago, when Washington opened the postseason with two road wins in Chicago on the way to eliminating the Bulls, 4-1.
"I don't sense any give-in or give-up by anybody," Casey said.
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