HoopDirt.com’s Starting Five Presented by FastModel Sports
By: Wes Kosel / HoopDirt.com Contributor
Here are five plays used by the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Raptors had their best season in franchise history finishing 2nd in the Eastern Conference with a 56-26 record and pushed the Cavaliers to 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Toronto Raptors – Horns Pinch Post
The Raptors used this play to get DeRozan and Scola in a two-man game using a pinch post ball-screen. This gives DeRozan a lot of space to create off the dribble and makes it difficult for the defense to help with Scola being a shooting threat on the pop.
Toronto Raptors – Double Drag Spread
They overload the right side and use a double drag ball-screen to start the play. With nothing on the initial screen, the corner man switches sides of the floor and Lowry hits the big man on the pop. Now the Raptors are in a spread formation opening up driving lanes.
Toronto Raptors – Corner Ram ISO
This play puts immediate pressure on the defense with a down-screen directly into a ball-screen. It looks like the Raptors get a little mixed up here, but Joseph makes up for it with a nice drive to the basket.
Toronto Raptors – Corner Overload PNP
Hard to tell if the Raptors meant to stick three guys in the corner, but it created space for DeRozan and Lowry to work. Consider using a stretch 4 to set the ball-screen. If you hit the 4 man on the pop, he has the entire left side of the floor to create a shot.
Toronto Raptors – Flex Floppy
The Raptors make it look like they are going into typical flex actions (cross screen/down screen), but instead flip the flex cutter into a staggered screen. DeRozan can then choose to use the staggered screen or use a single down screen for a shot.
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