TORONTO — A shot went up by Raptors All-Star and leading scorer DeMar DeRozan. It missed. Again and again and again and…
Well, you get the idea.
“I just had a tough game today, I tried to make it up on the defensive end,” DeRozan said of his NBA playoffs debut. “I just missed shots.”
It was nothing the Nets did to him in their 94-87 Game 1 first-round playoff victory, DeRozan said. It was all on him. He took the stance used by every player since they nailed up a peach basket — which could have blended in perfectly Saturday at Air Canada Centre, what with the shot clock becoming a guy with a stopwatch and another with an airhorn.
But that’s another story. This one was about DeRozan missed shots — his first eight in fact. He finished 3-of-13 after making his first at 2:34 of the third quarter. He collected 14 points, including eight at the line but most of the days, if it weren’t a layup or free throw, chances are it was a miss. And while, yes, he misfired, credit the Nets’ defense that sent waves at him every time he touched the ball.
“They overplayed him,” point guard Kyle Lowry said. “They really denied him the ball. We’ve got to find ways to screen him and get him more looks, get him open a little bit sooner quicker and get him to his sweet spots.”
Yeah, that figures to be high on the Raptors’ to-do list for Game 2 in Toronto on Tuesday. You really don’t want a repeat performance from the guy who led your team in scoring (22.7) all season.
“You’ll see the adjustments Tuesday,” said Toronto coach Dwane Casey, who pointed out that some early foul trouble disrupted some young Raptors, including DeRozan. “They did a good job of double teaming him. [Kevin] Garnett was coming across mid-point into his areas. It was almost like a triple team. We have to free him up better.”
And yeah, DeRozan, bothered by Shaun Livingston much of the game, has to make shots. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was Nets defense. Maybe the shot-clock malfunction had him in a funk. Whatever, 0-of-8 is no way to start.
“We’re all glad to just get the first one out of the way and now understand the adjustments we have to make to go out and be successful,” DeRozan said.
“I just missed shots. I’m going to go out there and take the same shots. That’s about it. They didn’t do anything [unexpected]. I just missed shots.”
So we’ve heard.