Earlier than the Raptors of Toronto turned the NBA champions, that they had the fame of not being probably the most fly -firing playoff workforce within the league.
On a latest episode of Underground presentOrganized by the previous Raptors participant Lou Williams, the NBA famend temple, Paul Pierce, spent to debate his time enjoying towards Toronto, amongst a sequence of different topics.
Williams solely performed one season for Raptors in 2014-15, profitable the NBA Sixth Man of the 12 months Award within the course of.
However whereas the Raptors entered the playoffs with a report of 49 victories which was the primary within the Atlantic division and the fourth of the Jap Convention with Williams within the workforce, they have been brutally encountered by a workforce of Washington Wizards who ended up sweeping them into 4 video games.
One of many essential components of the Wizards workforce was Pierce, which had additionally knocked out the Raptors within the playoffs the earlier 12 months with the Nets Brooklyn.
“All our screening report was surrounded round you, since you have been the important thing to profitable them,” Discover revealed to Williams, noting how uncommon it was to focus so strongly on a bench. “We trapped [Williams].. Demar derozan was on common 28 [points per game]We have been like ‘superb, we’ll deal with him later … we’ve got to cease Suspicious [Williams]’Stated Pierce.
The dialog, which begins round 4:30 p.m. within the video beneath, highlights the way in which the Wittman wizards coach and its workers have been in a position to shut the raptors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9xxkdmqliu
Williams revealed that the Raptors discovered it irritating that the Wizards screening workers appeared to have nailed the screening report on Toronto, limiting them to lower than 100 of the 4 defeats that finally ended their season.
“There was an ISO on the left aspect … I do not know who he was retaining me, however I got here throughout, and he did not transfer; He stayed there. I went to the next man, [same thing].. DeMar Derozan went to the group and mentioned: “They know all of our S ***”, “recollects Williams, laughing.
However the two franchises lastly went to totally different instructions since Williams and Pierce confronted in 2015.
After the sequence, the Wizards fell into six video games on the Atlanta Hawks earlier than lacking the playoffs the next 12 months.
Pierce in reality selected his contract with Washington, going to the Los Angeles clippers for the remainder of his profession. Since he beat the raptors on this scan, the Wizards have received just one sequence of playoffs since, taking up the Hawks in 2017.
Williams additionally went to Los Angeles, signing with the Lakers, then ending up with the Clippers, Hawks and Houston Rockets earlier than retiring in 2023.
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