Rapid Reaction: Raptors 83, Pacers 101

Thank goodness that game is over. The Toronto Raptors were a tire fire.

The Toronto Raptors said they were going to treat this game as if it were Game 7. Well, if that’s how they treat Game 7s, I’m genuinely concerned.

More from Tip of the Tower

• Cam Phillips making his mark on Toronto Argonauts offence
• Toronto Argonauts: 4 storylines ahead of matchup against Redblacks
• Federico Bernardeschi ready for new challenge with Toronto FC
• Toronto Argonauts overcome Roughriders in entertaining Touchdown Atlantic
• Buffalo Bills: Von Miller drawing inspiration from Bruce Smith

Aside from leading by 12 points early in the first quarter, Game 6 was dominated by the Pacers. The Raptors had no energy, zero intensity, and looked completely disinterested at times. The entire team, from the coaching staff down to the last man on the bench, blew a great opportunity here.

But based off the way they’ve played in the playoffs over the past two seasons, I’d say Friday’s performance was par for the course.

I won’t dwell on that horrific display for too long, but here’s a few thoughts from the tire fire that was Game 6.

Player of the Game:

3 Takeaways:

Turnovers, Turnovers, Turnovers: It was more of the same for the Raptors in Game 6, as they turned the ball over 16 times. DeRozan almost had as many turnovers (4) as he did points (8), and while Lowry was dropping dimes in the first half, he never looked the same after being taken out by Paul George in the third quarter.

Back to DeRozan for a second, though. His awful performance this series has to be alarming to Masai Ujiri and the rest of the Raptors’ brain trust. I still think the Raptors work out a long-term deal with DeRozan, especially since replacing him would be difficult, but I think second thoughts about him are growing.

What Happened During Half time?

The Raptors went into half-time up 44-40 on the Pacers, but it was all downhill from there. Indiana exploded for 31-points in the third quarter and shot 67 percent from the field.

Toronto’s Achilles’ heel of defending the perimeter reared its ugly head again in the second half. After shooting 3-of-12 from beyond the arc in the first half, the Pacers went 5-for-10 from three in the second half.

How Healthy is Kyle Lowry?

It’s pretty clear something is wrong with Kyle Lowry. He doesn’t look like himself at all.

Although his shooting is off, which is likely thanks to his ailing elbow, he’s still a playmaker for the Raptors. His Jason Kidd impersonation — as Ryan Wolstat tweeted out during the game — helps the Raptors in a lot of ways, but let’s face it, we need more from Lowry.

We need the Lowry who has taken over games this season. The one who wreaked havoc on defences. The one who closed games out time and time again for the Raptors. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re going to see that this series, or in the next one if they advance. It’s a shame because Lowry was truly one the elite players in the Eastern Conference this year.

What’s Next:

Well, it’s do-or-die for the Raptors. They’ve been anything but predictable this postseason, so who knows which team will show up on Sunday. As for the start time, TSN‘s Josh Lewenberg tweeted out the details on Thursday:

I feel like we’ve said this about the last two games, but Sunday’s game will truly be one of the most important games in Raptors’ history. It’s gut check time for this core. Can they finally get the first round monkey off their back?

What are your thoughts on how the Raptors played in Game 6? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.