When the Brooklyn Nets got going offensively on Monday night, it was too late to save Game 1, but maybe not the rest of the series.
“We just got used to how they were playing,” said Tyler Johnson. “I thought they started out with a lot of energy, and we were a little bit flat. We were kind of letting the ball stick, and that’s not how we’ve been playing throughout this entire bubble. I think we just got back to what we were doing, started getting some stops and understanding the personnel a little bit better. Obviously, that’s not the start you want to get off to, but we definitely found some things that we can exploit going forward.”
The Nets shot 8-for-22 with five turnovers in the first quarter, and mixed in with the Raptors making 11 of their first 20 3-pointers, fell into a 68-35 hole. That’s when Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer, quickly followed by another from Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, that turned out to be the start of a 16-5 run to close the first half and, eventually, a 44-20 surge that carried into the final minutes of the third quarter as the Nets cut that 33-point deficit to eight.
Over the second and third quarters, the Nets shot 55.3 percent (26-for-47).
“We know the type of game we have to play,” said Caris LeVert. “We didn't like our shot selection in the first quarter. We felt like we were just taking the first shot where we could see the rim and not making them play defense at all. And we saw how that worked out for us. So I know the rest of the games when we come in we know the type of mentality that we have to play with on offense. And defensively, play with more force because they'll kind of turn their backs a bit and think about what they were doing. The first quarter they were just coming off freebies making shots, feel like they were just warm up practice shots. So we can't play that way.”
After averaging 25.0 points in the seeding round, LeVert was the target of the switching, trap-heavy Toronto defense that was No. 2 in the NBA this season, and No. 1 through the eight seeding round games. But LeVert also averaged 9.6 assists over his final three games after moving to the point, and against the Raptors he had 15 of Brooklyn’s 33 assists.“Guys are going to have to make plays; that’s how it’s probably going to be for a majority of the series,” said Joe Harris. “Caris is our best offensive player, and teams are just going to try to get the ball out of his hands. So the rest of us are going to be able to make plays. But we also have to try to get him out in transition get those stops an allow him to get out in open space and be able to attack downhill.”
TLC KEEPS ROLLING
For the second time since the Nets arrived in Orlando, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot put up a career-high 26 points when Brooklyn faced Toronto in Game 1. It was his fourth 20-point game in nine games since the Nets began play on the NBA Campus on July 30.
Luwawu-Cabarrot finished the eight-game seeding round averaging 14.8 points and shooting 50.6 percent overall and 45.1 percent from 3-point range. Against Toronto in Game 1, he shot 6-of-9 from 3-point range and 9-of-13 overall with seven rebounds.
“We know what TLC is capable of,” said Caris LeVert. “We know he’s a great shooter and slasher, as well. I think his IQ is growing each and every game defensively, and I think he’s just being more consistent. He’s very confident out there. We’re telling him to continue shooting the basketball regardless of makes or misses. We trust in him. It’s great to see him be consistent over the course of these games, and we’re gonna need it for the rest of these playoffs.”
After beginning the season, his fourth in the NBA, on a two-way contract, Luwawu-Cabarrot has continued to progress. He got an opportunity in Brooklyn in mid-December after spending most of the first six weeks in the G League with Long Island, and in February the Nets signed him to a full roster spot with a multi-year contract. Opportunity dawned again with the Nets missing several players for the restart, and Luwawu-Cabarrot has emerged as a key figure.
“Nobody knows how much I’ve worked, how much I’ve come through, how I got waived, signed a two-way, had to fight my way back into the league,” said Luwawu-Cabarrot. “It’s just all the work I’ve put in during quarantine and during the past two years and all the confidence (I got) throughout these workouts. I like the team and my teammates, so, this is big-time.”
“I think now he just has more of an opportunity to play and show what he can do,” said Harris. “And this is what happens. This is the nature of the NBA. There are tons of guys that given the opportunity, the right circumstances, the right situation, are able to come in, contribute in big ways and show what they can do.”
NOT COACH CRAWFORD, YET
Veteran guard Jamal Crawford has been limited to a one-game, six-minute stint with the Nets after straining a hamstring against Milwaukee. But he’s continued to have an impact with the guidance he provides.
“The dude made a whole scouting report on his own,” said Tyler Johnson about Crawford’s input before Game 1 against the Raptors. “He’s really locked in, and the fact his voice is so important – we wish he was playing, but he’s like another coach. He’s a guy who sees things from a player’s perspective all the time. He’s definitely a guy that is important for our locker room to have.”
Crawford has been ruled out for Game 2 against Toronto as well, but while Vaughn sees the qualities of a future coach, he’s still hoping to have Crawford contribute as a player.
“Well hopefully he's going to be back on the floor,” said Vaughn. “I think that's the first thing a player wants to be is a player. You don't want to be a coach until you have to be a coach. So I think that's the first thing. I think Jamal overall, his communication has been great. Whether we're talking about what he sees on the floor going into the series, what he sees in timeouts, what he sees at halftime. So hopefully that dialogue has been consistent with the coaching staff and with his fellow teammates.”
HELLO RONDAE
As an Atlantic Division opponent whom the Nets face four times each year, the Raptors are a relatively familiar playoff opponent. Then there’s forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the former Net who spent four seasons in Brooklyn before signing with Toronto as a free agent last summer.
Hollis-Jefferson, who said he keeps in touch with Caris LeVert a bit, averaged 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game for the Raptors this season.
“I really wasn’t sure when we got him where he would fit in, right? He’s kind of a utility type player,” said Toronto coach Nick Nurse before Game 1. “He’s not really a perimeter shooter. We like to put most guys out there in a situation that they can shoot the three, and he’s not really that. But he’s just done a great job of kinda maximizing that utility role. Sometimes we have him guard center, sometimes we have him guard point guard and everything in-between. Certainly a hustle guy, makes a lot of hustle plays, gets a lot of extra possessions for us, and he can score. Just ‘cause he can’t shoot doesn’t mean he can’t score. He’s actually got a nice game around the basket, he’s got a little low post game, he can pass out of there, too. So he’s actually — he’s had some ups and downs with us — but he’s come a long way, and he’s a factor. He’s in the rotation and we’re gonna need him because he does bring a defensive element to his matchup, so we’re happy with the progress he’s made and where he’s at with our team.”
ABOUT THE RAPTORS
So, two things jumped out from Toronto’s offensive showing on Monday night. The Raptors got to the line for 33 free throws and made 32, a 97 percent rate. Toronto was sixth in the league with a 79.6 free throw percentage this season, so the Raptors are solid from the line, but not near-perfect.
Then there was the 50 percent 3-point shooting powered largely by Fred VanVleet’s 8-for-10 on the way to 30 points.
“That was the first thing that was revealing was taking a look at those shots and seeing how deep they were,” said Jacque Vaughn of the open looks VanVleet got himself by pulling up well beyond the line. “And so we might can be in to the ball a little bit more to give him a little bit better feel coming off of pick-and-roll, but overall, we do have to balance those guys turning the corner and getting into our paint and creating foul opportunities. So, those are the things we still have to be aware of, but we will give them different looks hopefully so that open three, even from deep, doesn’t look as open.”