Playoff Series Review

(1)  Detroit Pistons vs (8) Toronto Raptors

 

After securing a playoff berth, by winning 2 play-in games the 8^th Toronto Raptors were faced with the tall task of taking on the 1^st seed Detroit Pistons who won an astonishing 69 games this season.  This was no ordinary 1v8 matchup though, the Raptors were always going to be the underdog in this series however, they had finally found health at the right time lead by their fearless leader Paul George, and in contrast the Pistons lost their #1 star in Kyrie Irving for the first half of the series.

 

The Pistons were a dominant force heading into the season with their big 3 of Kyrie Irving, Bam Adebayo and Rudy Gobert, but this wasn�t enough for GM Sheed.  Sheed wanted a 4^th wheel for this monster he had built out east, insert Kyle Lowry.  Lowry was a great addition to this team; he brought a champions mindset to the team as well as some above average playmaking and defence in the back court, not to mention he went on to have a 50/40/90 season while in Detroit.  Detroit was set to make a run at the title around this 4 headed terror Gm Sheed had created. 

 

On the other side of the bracket, we had the Toronto Raptors.  Toronto had got healthy at the absolute perfect time with the return of big man Mitchell Robinson.  Robinson returning was such a huge bonus for the Raps as it allowed them to match the jumbo-sized front court Detroit were running all season long.  Toronto was extremely unlucky this season as they were ravaged with injuries all season long, they were finally healthy and primed to take on the juggernaut pistons team.

Game 1

Toronto 129 at Detroit 111

 

Game one really set the tone for the rest of this series, Gm Jesse opted to run Robinson at the PF position and have Brogdon as a 6^th man.  This line-up change was a brilliant move from Jesse, both guys succeed in their roles at a high level.  Paul George and Malcom Brogdon combined for a huge 76 points in the contest.  Interestingly though Toronto only won, one quarter in the game (Q2), the pistons managed to win (Q1 & Q3) while the 4^th quarter was a draw at 31 a piece.  In the absence of franchise star Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry put the team on his back, good for 37 points on 16/30 shooting, while also chipping in a handy 10 assists and 4 steals.

 

Toronto takes a 1-0 lead

 

Game 2

Toronto 109 at Detroit 102

 

Position less basketball was the headline of this series, game 2 saw Gm Sheed slot Bam Adebayo at the PG position, where he proved to be a very viable option for the position, the debut of Point Bam saw him contribute a handy 18/11/7 line on 7/11 shooting from the floor, while Lowry continued his form with another 44-point game.  Playoff P was great again in the second go around with a 44/7/5 line.  The difference in starting units in this match-up was only 1 point, the difference was the bench units where Toronto outscored the Pistons by 10 points.

 

Toronto takes a commanding 2-0 lead away from home.

 

Game 3

Detroit 132 at Toronto 111

 

If I were to tell you that Paul George scored 72 points in a game and the Raptors lost, you�d probably call me crazy, but here we are.  The Pistons weathered the offensive onslaught of PG to win the contest by 21.  Kyle Lowry�s consistency through the series to date has been outstanding, posting another 40 + point and 10+ assist game in the series.  Carmelo showed up when needed chipping in a handy 22 points to help the Pistons secure their first W of the series.

 

Toronto leads 2-1

 

Game 4

Detroit 122 at Toronto 105

 

This is arguably the game that shifted the series in Detroit�s favour, this was the re-sim game.  Toronto were up 23 points from memory early in the second half and were in poll position to take a commanding 3-1 lead, however this was not the case.  Detroit wins the Re-sim in relatively convincing fashion, Mr. consistent Kyle Lowry turned up for another 45-point effort.   Paul George had his quietest game to date with 32 points.

 

Detroit ties the series at 2-2

 

Game 5

Toronto 118 at Detroit 116

The best game of the series sees Detroit win in dramatic fashion with a PG draining at 3pt field goal as time expires.  Playoff P puts his team on his back to put them within 1 win of a round 1 upset.  Gm Sheed, must have filled Lowry�s bottle with some of that secret stuff as he contributes another 43-point game while dropping 12 dimes in the process, just another night for the veteran guard. 

 

Toronto leads the series 3-2

 

Game 6

Detroit 144 at Toronto 129

Game 6 saw the return of Kyrie Irving to the Pistons; they finally get their #1 guy.  Unlike real life, there is no �rust� on players when they return from injury and Kyrie proved that right here with a 40/5/9 night.  We also saw the first game this series where Lowry didn�t drop 40+ points, instead he posted an insane 20 assists with an insane 10-1 assist to turnover ratio.  PG and Brogdon combined for a respectable 70 points between them, but it was not enough to stop a Pistons team at full health. 

The home team is yet to win a game so far in the series.

 

Series tied at 3-3

 

 

Game 7

The two greatest words in modern day sports.

Toronto 132 at Detroit 140

 

If the Re-sim wasn�t enough to drive GM Jesse mad in this series, how about having a 22-point lead in a close out game, only to be blown out in spectacular fashion in the second half being outscored by 30 points.  Paul George and Malcom Brogdon did their best to force the upset combining for a valiant 80-point performance, but the full-strength Pistons proved too much and behind a 41-point performance from Kyrie Irving.

 

 

 

This series proved to be the match-up of the round, between two great GM�s.  We had brilliant shot making, adjustments and individual performances all throughout the series.  Although the Pistons won the series, Jesse should hold his head high with how his team played and how close they came to moving on to the next round.

 

Player of the Series

Kyle Lowry

37.4ppg, 2.1rpg, 10.9apg and 2.9spg.

 

This man was on the trade block for quite a while in Utah and Sheed did a great job acquiring him for Dragic, Barton and a DET 23 first. He proved to be the best player in this series, and he was acquired for a relatively cheap price in comparison to his production.  Well done Sheed.

 

The Pistons are at full health and have secured a second-round match-up with the Indiana Pacers who made light work of the Wizards in a 4-0 sweep.

 

Well done Sheed