Back-to-back anomalies: Raptors and Magic win despite historic shooting struggles

When you think of coming away with a big time win, “dominance” is usually the word that gets thrown around in the NBA Playoffs. That was not the case here, in fact it was not even close.

The Toronto Raptors managed to take Game 4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers to even up the series at two a piece, but there was nothing clean or comfortable about it. In fact, it was one of the messiest offensive performances you will ever see from a winning team.

Toronto’s approach was scattered from the start. Eight players logged real minutes outside the hero in game three, Jamison Battle who totalled only nine minutes of action and AJ Lawson who hit the floor for less than a minute. What that did was spread the scoring around, but not in a particularly effective way.

Out of those eight players, only five players even reached double figures (Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, Brandon Ingram, Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett), and no one made more than eight shots.

The script did not follow the same suit as game three at all. This was not a case of the Raptors star players carrying the load, it was more like everyone chipping in just enough to survive.

And “survive” is the perfect word for the scenario that took place. The Raptors shot just 32 percent as a team from the field, a number that usually and if we are being honest should guarantee a loss, especially in the playoffs. Except, somehow, it did not. That mark is the worst field goal percentage in a playoff win since the NBA-ABA merger nearly 50 years ago.

What makes it even stranger is that Cleveland shooting was not much better either. The Cavaliers finished at 36.8 percent shooting, turning the game into a grind where missed shots piled up on both sides (luckily for the Raptors they thrive in grind it out games). It became less about execution and more about who could hold things together long enough to come out on top.

As bizarre as that performance was, it did not stand alone for long. Just a day later, the Orlando Magic pulled off a win of their own against the number one-seeded Detroit Pistons while shooting 32.6 percent from the field. Both games now sit among the worst shooting performances ever in postseason victories since the three-point line came into play in 1979 and it happened on back-to-bacl days after nearly 50 years of it not occurring.

Orlando’s win gave them a 3–1 series lead, firmly putting them in control. If they complete the upset, and Toronto manages to advance, it could set up an ideal matchup for the Raptors. Toronto has struggled against Detroit, winning just once in their last nine meetings. Against Orlando, however, it has been a different story.

This past season, the Raptors finished 2-1 against them and put up some memorable performances. During their first meeting, the Raps squeaked out a close 107-106 victory thanks to Barnes’ defence. Paolo Banchero had the chance to win at the buzzer, but Barnes contested well forcing a tough three that could not fall. That game also featured one of the best perfromances of the season by Jamal Shead who contributed a team-high 19 points to go with 5 assists 4 rebounds and 3 three pointers.

In their second meeting, it was Orlando that walked away with the 130-120 victory. In that outing, Desmond Bane had one of his best games of the season in a Magic jersey, contributing a team-high 32 points to go with 7 three pointers and 2 assists. Orlando shot well as a team, shooting 50 percent (17-34) from beyond the arc, a number that is not very sustainable, especially when Orlando ranked 27th in the league in three-point percentage at just over 34 percent.

In their most recent meeting back on Mar. 29th, the Raptors made history. Orlando led by as many as seven points but then the Raptors reeled off a 31-0 run, holding the Magic scoreless for a total of seven minutes and 48 seconds in a span that stretched from the first to the second quarter.

That 31-0 stretch was the largest unanswered scoring run by a team in the 30 seasons that the NBA has tracked play-by-play data. Toronto ended up winning that game 139-87. The 52 point differnce in the final score, was the Raps second-largest margin in franchise history.

In the end, Game 4 was not pretty but it was exactly what the Toronto Raptors needed. In a postseason where style points mean nothing, Toronto proved it can win when the going gets tough.

With the series now tied 2-2 giving Toronto a legitimate shot to pull off the upset reset and a potentially favorable matchup looming against the Orlando Magic in the second round, the Raptors have given themselves something invaluable: a chance. And if these playoff games have showed anything so far, it is that team do not need perfection to keep their season alive, just resilience.