DeMar DeRozan is no Allen Iverson. The infamous rant of practice will probably stay with Iverson his entire life, but DeRozan doesn’t subscribe to the idea that practice does not make you better.
He has been slumping in the 2016 playoffs and has not been as consistent as he would like to be. Once the series shifted to Toronto, DeRozan shifted gears as well. He scored 32 points in Game 3, and again in Game 4, doubling his Game 1 scoring output to help the Raptors get two home wins and even the series, but not without practice.
According to Cleveland.com, DeRozan spent the night before Game 4 working on his game, trying to perfect his jump shot. It must have worked because he scored those 32 points by shooting over 60-percent from the floor, and it took less shots than in the previous game to get there.
DeRozan reportedly spent two and a half hours working on putting up quick, efficient shots and training until about 1 a.m.
When asked about the extra practice time he put in, and how it attributed to his Game 4 success, he spoke modestly:
“It's nothing new for me. You can ask anybody in this organization. There's not a night that I don't come back in the gym and try to work on something and get better on something. It's nothing new.
It was just a rhythm thing. Listen, just because you know how to dance doesn't mean you can't learn a new move.”
What DeRozan expected was for LeBron James to guard him in Game 4, so it was prudent that he was well prepared for a long night.
What we got was him being one of the best players on the floor for the night, and another Toronto Raptors win to tie the series, when everyone doubted they could win another game in this series.
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