Storyline: Jonas Valanciunas reminds us that “traditional” centres are a dying breed in the NBA. He fights for position in the post, gets crazy on the boards, and has an NBA-high 34 rebounds in the Playoffs. JV is a big threat, like Shaq was years ago.
The NBA’s Toronto Raptors have played their best season in franchise history, going 56-26 on the year. Toronto is the #2 seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, right behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But, while this is the Raptors’ third consecutive playoff appearance, the team hasn’t made it past the First Round since the 2000-2001 season. And the Raptors had lost six straight playoff games since taking a 3-2 lead over Brooklyn in the opening round of the 2014 playoffs. Last season they were swept in the First Round by the Washington Wizards.
It was looking like the Raptors chant was going from “WeTheNorth” to “WeTheSwept.”
Courtesy: news.sportsinteraction.com
But this year is different: Toronto has Jonas Valanciounas to help make things play out differently.
JV is a force, standing 7’0” and 255 lbs. This month he put up 12 points and 19 rebounds in Game 1 of the First Round against the Indiana Pacers before fouling out late in the game. JV made his presence on the floor known … when he wasn’t taking careless fouls by reaching in or not keeping his hands up.
Fans saw the Raptors “they knew” during the first half of that game when the Pacers’ Paul George was held to just six points before breaking out in the second half and finishing with a game-high 33. What else happened in the second half? JV played only nine minutes and six seconds before fouling out. During that 24-minute stretch the Pacers scored 57 points, made 7 of 10 three-balls, and scored 13 points off 10 Toronto turnovers.
But Game 2 was different: Valanciunas dominated down low and on the glass as the Raptors defeated the Pacers to tie the series. And, in Game 3, the Raptors took the series lead, 2-1.
Valanciunas is a big reason. He’s averaging a league-leading 16 rebounds per game this postseason. It will be hard for the Pacers to win the series if Valanciunas remains a wrecking ball on the boards. Pacers All-Star, Paul George, acknowledged the impact JV has had on the series. “Valanciunas has stepped up. He’s the one that’s causing us problems right now and we have to figure it out.”
Courtesy: raptorsrepublic.com
Seeing such a dominant player with Jonas Valanciunas’ size reminds us that “traditional” centres are a dying breed in the NBA. When asked how he views today’s NBA teams (playing small-ball lineups and a more pace-and-space oriented game) ESPN’s Mike Mazzeo said he’ll try to make sure “they’re not going to forget about centers. I’ll keep reminding them. You’ve got a lot of guys that can shoot 3s and who are good rebounders. The league is full of guys that can do different things, but I think you still need a centre that can rebound the ball and score in the low post.”
JV fights for position in the post and gets crazy on the boards. He has an NBA-high 34 rebounds in the Playoffs. Valanciunas has become a threat, just like Shaq was years ago. After Game 3 in Indiana, Raptor fans at the Jurassic Park were chanting “MVP” for JV.
They know he has to keep his foot on the pedal for Toronto to win the first round. Everything will change if that happens.
The NBA and its fans will start paying a lot more attention to that lonesome team north of the border.
