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Over the course of his career back when he was with the Toronto Raptors, DeMar Derozan has had a reputation of fizzing out in the playoffs. Now, as part of the San Antonio Spurs, Derozan once again was not able to put his team over the top.
With their season on the line and knock off the number-two seed Denver Nuggets in Game 7 on the road, the 6-foot-7 swingman endured a pretty rough stretch over the final four minutes of their season-ending 90-86 defeat in Game 7.
Derozan's stats over that stretch: one point, one assist, 0-of-3 from the field and 1-of-2 from the line.
After making a layup at the 4:13 mark in the fourth to cut Denver's lead to four, he missed his next couple of baskets in the lane, with the Spurs trying to cut further into the deficit.
With over a minute left and the Spurs down by five, Derozan was fouled on a drive but failed to convert on the basket
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This could have definitely helped San Antonio trim the lead down to a single possession. But no worries, Derozan, an 83 percent foul shooter this season, can surely make up for that with a couple of freethrows with no time running, right?
Unfortunately, Derozan went 1-of-2 on that trip and Denver still had a two possession lead.
After a stop and an easy transition basket for San Antonio, Denver guard Jamal Murray then nailed a clutch bucket to give Denver a four point cushion with 30 seconds to go. With San Antonio down four, Derozan made a final pitch to save the Spurs' season. However, he was denied at the cup Torrey Craig.
Failing to lead his team over the top has been a recurring theme in Derozan's 11-year career. One has to wonder if Derozan can ever bounce back from repeated shortcomings in the postseason.
