Raptors Defy Laws Of Science

If you talk to any scientist, they will tell you that everything in the world is about energy. From the tiniest molecule to the ever-burning sun, its all about pure energy. Every animal, vegetable and mineral functions on energy.

In Wednesday's Game 5, the Toronto Raptors defied the laws of science. They had no energy.

"They had all the energy. They had a lot of things to be energetic about," Vince Carter said. "They were feeling it from start to finish. They had all the energy, all the momentum and hit all the shots."

Carter

That was primarily evident in the first quarter when Toronto coughed up a staggering 10 turnovers, shocking for a team that led the NBA during the regular season with an average of only 13.2 per game. Even more shocking for a pivotal Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Semifinal.

"Right there in the first five minutes, they set the tone and it was like we didn't show up," Toronto coach Lenny Wilkens said. "It was evident in our play. When you set the tone like that, their confidence is sky-high. We got in a hurry from the start. We did not play well. They were ready tonight and we weren't. We were awful."

Those turnovers came in all shapes and sizes, resultant of both mental and physical miscues. There were shot clock violations, careless passes, bad footing, bouncing balls, offensive fouls and anything else you could think of. Combined with the sharp shooting of the Sixers, Toronto found itself in an 11-0 hole to start the game, one which they never climbed out of. In fact, they never climbed high enough to even see the light.

"The turnovers were one thing. We didn't play any defence, we didn't shoot well. There were a lot of things wrong tonight," conceded Carter.

Perhaps all the energy was sucked out of the Raptors by an enthusiastic crowd who celebrated the MVP trophy presented to Allen Iverson prior to the game. The newly-crowned recipient proved worthy of every vote by finishing the game with 52 points, including 8-of-14 three-pointers. His second 50-point game in the series marked only the second time in NBA playoff history when a player reached that plateau twice in the same series (Michael Jordan, vs. Cleveland, 1989).

"I think that (crowd) was so important. It helped our young guys and I think it affected Toronto, to be honest," Sixers coach Larry Brown said.

Iverson

But it wasn't just Iverson who had it going for Philadelphia. Every single Sixer who came off the bench was effective in every combination. Jumaine Jones made his first start of the year and provided a great spark at both ends of the court. Rodney Buford came in and made baskets. Todd MacCulloch threw the ball up with his back to the basket and it went in effortlessly. Philly concluded the game with a 60.3 field goal percentage.

"I don't think we can count on our guys shooting that incredible percentage. It was an astounding performance," said Larry Brown,

At halftime, there was one spark of hope. The halftime deficit of 62-40 was nearly identical to the 60-44 halftime score on January 21 when the Raptors came back from 20 down to beat the 76ers in overtime in Philadelphia. However, Iverson quickly buried any thoughts with another explosive quarter.

"We talked about winning the first five minutes of the third quarter and we did that," Brown added.

With the outcome of Game 5 decided early, the Raptors now find themselves one game from playoff elimination. However, they can take some solace in the fact that one round ago, they were in a similar situation against the Knicks and came back to win.

"We know we're capable. We've done it before, but first things first. We just need to be ready to play," Carter said. Wilkens added, "We know that we can bounce back. It's not something we're incapable of."

In other words, the Raptors need to stop defying the laws of science and play with the requisite energy.

Notes: The 121 points scored by Philadelphia were the most given up the Raptors all season ... The previous largest margin of defeat in Toronto's first seven franchise postseason losses was eight points and each of those games was not decided until the final minutes of the contest.