The 2015 NBA Playoffs kicks off Saturday at 12:30 p.m. with a bang.
In the left corner, sitting at 49-33 with an Atlantic Division title, your high-scoring Toronto Raptors seek a postseason series win for the first time since 2001. In the right corner, sitting at 46-36, the defensive Washington Wizards aim for a consecutive second round appearance. This should be one of the more entertaining series and features contrasting styles of play, twitter wars and bragging rights.
Both squads match up evenly and have minimal separation in terms of skill and talent, a typical viewer friendly fourth vs. fifth seed. The Wizards have two ace guards in All-Star John Wall and Bradley Beal. Wall plays the role of explosive playmaker while Beal punishes opponents with his smooth shooting. Toronto are no strangers in this department either and have one of the best backcourts in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan who finished second in league scoring behind Golden State’s Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Not bad company.
The Raptors’ high-octane offense, scoring at a 104.0 clip, was a top five outfit this year. The offense is dependent on guard play, isolation and shooting a barrage of threes. Good thing is that they convert them – hitting at an efficient .352%. Washington counters with stout defense, as evidenced by their ability to hold opponents to 97.8 PPG and horrendous field goal percentages at .433 – second best in the NBA. Coach Randy Wittman and his Wizards play a rugged and old-school brand of basketball and pride themselves on no easy baskets.
Only a few hours before tip-off. Here are Cage’s Keys to Game One.
1. Open Strong
What better way to hush the “it” factor of Washington than slamming them with an early deficit. As they have done all season, the Raptors need to jump to a big lead in the first quarter and get the crowd involved and energized. The Air Canada Center, a.k.a. Jurassic Park, is one of the best home venues and can be a huge factor in determining the winner of this series. Put the pedal to the metal – force early timeouts and inspire fear.
2. Protect the Paint
Limiting second chance scoring opportunities against Washington is a tall order. The Wizards are bruisers in the paint and are one of the better rebounding teams with 44.7 boards per game. On the flip side, Toronto is a bottom feeder in this category with a feeble 41.5 rebounds per game. Marcin Gortat, Kris Humphries, Nene Hilario and Kevin Seraphin are big-bodied and take up a lot of real estate in the post and have a definitive advantage over the more athletic and nimble frountcourt of Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson. Look for Tyler Hansborough to get more minutes today.
3. Save the Heroics
This is a team game. Don’t get too excited and force a contested shot early in the clock. The Raptors scored by association all season and there is no reason to deviate from this winning formula. DeRozan doesn’t need to go off for 40+ points today (although it would be fun to watch) en route to a victory. Keep the rotation constant and counter with the second unit if the starters are ineffective.It’s a marathon not a sprint.
X-Factor: Lou Williams
The sixth-man of the year award favourite has been on fire lately, averaging 18.5 points over the past five games. Williams is built for the playoffs and can be the difference in today’s contest with his three point shooting and instant offense.
