Toronto has seen the Raptors choke too many times in the playoffs. With a 25 point lead disappearing, Toronto fans assumed the worst. This time, though, a 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter helped secure the win and sent the Raptors into the second round. DeMar DeRozan came up big with 32 points on 12 of 24 shooting. DeRozan picked a good night to explode offensively, with the next highest scorer being Kyle Lowry with just 13 points.
Bucks' youth
Although the Bucks are going home, heads should be held high in that organization. This team was arguably the youngest in the playoffs.
Their future is so bright and it's only going to get better from here. There were a lot of positives to take away from this series. They took a Raptors team to the wire and a lot of people thought they could even win this series before it started. Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to grow almost nightly. If the Bucks trust the process and give Giannis, Khris Middleton, and Malcolm Brogdon a couple of years together, we might see something special.
The biggest issue with the Bucks tonight was their free throws. They missed 10 free throws in a game they lost by 3. Losses like that are tough to swallow, but, the fact that, as a young team, they were even that close, speaks volumes.
Raptors finally did it
They finally pulled it out. The question marks surrounding this team are still there. They have games where it looks like they are a really good team, while in other games it looks like they don't deserve to be in the playoffs. For now, the Raptors are still alive, though, they are set to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the next round.
Raptors vs. Cavs
The Cleveland Cavaliers are waiting at home for Toronto to come through. One thing that was interesting in the Cavs' series against the Pacers, was that even if you play them close, you never seem to take games. As close as that series was in individual games, the Cavs still swept them.
This series has that same kind of tone.
If the Raptors play like they did against Milwaukee, they will get crushed by a rested Cleveland. The Raptors have to figure out their offensive issues. Too often they come up empty on multiple possessions in a row. They are going to have to figure that out, as well as shoot and hit more threes. Against the Bucks, they shot 40 percent from beyond the arc, but they only took 22 threes. You won't beat the Cavs by only shooting 22 threes. The Cavs will shoot that many threes in the first half of a single game.
All in all, it's one step forward for the Raptors. They got the series win they needed, and now have a much tougher challenge ahead.
