Ahead of Game 2, Raptors' Wright, Lowry keeping things in perspective
TORONTO - For the majority of the past five Aprils, the weather has more or less been spring-like in Toronto when the Raptors have opened their playoffs. When team president Masai Ujiri yelled "F--- Brooklyn!" or opined that he didn't "give a s--t" about Paul Pierce, the words were met with thunderous cheers under a sunny sky in the Jurassic Park fan zone. Of course, the Raptors went on to lose the playoff openers that followed those utterances, as well as two more after them.
Now, it's bizarro spring in Toronto. The Raptors broke their Game 1 curse Saturday against the Washington Wizards, as Jurassic Park was forced to shut down due to January-like weather conditions. With an ice-created hole in the roof of the city's baseball stadium, and local infrastructure thrown into chaos by 2 inches of sleet and slush Sunday night, thousands lost power in their homes - including Raptors guard Delon Wright.
"I just went to (nearby sports bar) RealSports and charged up my phone," Wright said after Raps practice Monday.
Pardon the segue, but Wright was certainly "charged up" for the team in Game 1, scoring 18 points off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting. The third-year pro played great defense as well, helping hold the Wizards as a team to eight 3-pointers.
"It was just one of those game with Fred (VanVleet) being out, I knew I was going to have an opportunity to play more," Wright said. "I just tried to stay aggressive."
Backup point guard VanVleet went through most of the practice Monday after missing Game 1 with a bruised shoulder, and his status for Game 2 will be determined Tuesday.
Winning formulas are sensitive things sometimes, but Wright knows his usage shifts slightly if VanVleet returns in Game 2. The diminutive guard further spaces the bench unit with his perimeter shooting, meaning Wright may not take 10 shots again. That's fine, as he relishes the role of playmaking and giving Kyle Lowry periodic breaks from primary ballhandler duties.
"The last couple of months he's been shooting the ball extremely well, finishing well, playmaking ... very extremely well," Lowry said of Wright on Monday. "I just think he's getting confident and comfortable in his own skin."
It's why Lowry is fine with sharing the backcourt with Wright, like during closing time in Game 1.
"That was part of our 'culture reset,'" Lowry said, using air quotes. "Just kind of moving the ball side to side, being able to play multiple guards at the same time."
The Raptors could further venture into uncharted playoff waters with a win Tuesday night to put them up 2-0 in the series, but there does appear to be an level-headedness around the team right now.
"Don't get too high, don't get too low," Wright said.
Coach Dwane Casey is preaching the same thing, having been in Washington's shoes a few times before.
"(Game 2) is going to be one of the toughest we've played, just because of the fact we knew how we felt losing Game 1, how desperate we came out after," Casey said. "And (the Wizards) are going to be no different. They're not your typical 8-seed."
Lowry probably played his best defensive game all season on Sunday, and whether it comes from him or others, that sort of effort will need to be sustained against the Wizards' backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal.
"They're two different coverages," Lowry said about taking turns on both. "John's coming off a pick and roll at 100 miles an hour, but Brad you can't let him get an inch. You've got to stay on his body."
The playoffs can be a long haul, and the first challenge for any team is to operate on a consistent baseline throughout. Before Game 1, Lowry offered an assessment that sounded strange at the time, that the playoff opener for the Raptors was "our Game 7," given the team's past shortcomings. It may be too tough to sustain, but it sounds like this is the Raptors' mantra for the moment.
"Game 2 is another Game 7 for us," he said Monday. "The way we gotta play."