Defending champions and runners-up in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors are among the teams that have seen their journey stop prematurely in the bubble. Against the Celtics they gave in in 7 games, not helped by a duo Pascal Siakam – Marc Gasol far from its level. If the break may have been beneficial for some teams, it was not necessarily the case for the Raptors.
“We were off to a great start when the pandemic arrived. We were kicking ass. And Miami was in trouble, it looked like they were about to tumble. But everything stopped and we must be able to start from zero. 3 of the top 4 seeds have been knocked out, so it looks like the Clippers, Raptors and Bucks have been the most affected by the season’s suspension. Looking at our guys, we weren’t at our usual level, especially Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam. ” Nick nurse
Siakam was unrecognizable from start to finish in the bubble. He shot just 17 points at 39.6% including a terrible 10/53 3-point, 7.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 38 minutes in 11 playoff games.
“There was something wrong. I think he had lost a bit of his jump. He didn’t look as athletic, powerful and quick as he usually did. In March he was in great physical condition, but the absence of a meeting for 3 or 4 months impacted him. He failed to find the rhythm, and he could never find the same physical condition. So this station wagon changed things. But the Lakers and Miami also have this station wagon, and they didn’t let that stop them. That’s why they’re still playing. ” Nick nurse
As for Marc Gasol, he was transparent: 6 points at 39.1% including 18.5% at 3-pts, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 20.7 minutes in the playoffs. Nick Nurse explains this by the distance from his family. ESPN reports he was hesitant to come to Orlando when Spain was in dire straits.
“It was complicated for him. He operates much better when his family is there, knowing they are doing well. He wasn’t comfortable, they were far away. ” Nick nurse
The Spaniard is one of the free agents and it is rumored that he could leave Canada. Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka are the two other free frames which should interest quite a few people.
“I liked what we had this year with our 7 best elements. It’s really too bad we couldn’t count on Patrick McCaw (injured, he left the bubble) because I know he would have helped us. Our guys are great together. All. We have Pascal, Kyle (Lowry) and OG (Anunoby) who are under contract, but after that, we’ll have to see how things will come together. ” Nick nurse
Via ESPN
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