Despite falling 0-2 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse believes that a victory in Game 3 could help change the outcome of the series.
The odds are stacked against the Raptors coming back from a two-to-nothing deficit, but Nurse said he doesn't care about the statistics and pointed out that they can still turn the tables.
Nurse was told that 93% of teams down 0-2 in a series go on to lose, joked: "That can't be right. Check the figures…"
"I don't really give a crap about that. I just want our team to play their ass off in Game 3, get a win and that changes the series."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 18, 2019
The Bucks earned a come-from-behind 108-100 win in Game 1 before dismantling the Raptors 125-103 in Game 2. At this point, Toronto is in a must-win situation and losing Game 3 could deal a severe, and perhaps fatal blow to their championship hopes.
Nurse hinted at potential lineup changes in Game 3 in order to strengthen their chances, though he also noted that he could stick with the guys that he ‘brought to the ball to dance with.'
The next two games of the series will be played in Toronto, which gives them an additional advantage. However, the Bucks have yet to lose on the road in these playoffs, which means that the Raptors have to bring their A-game if they want to make this a tightly contested series.
One of the Raptors' main problems in these playoffs has been consistency. Outside of Kawhi Leonard, none of their players have been able to produce on a nightly basis. Kyle Lowry struggled anew in Game 2 (15 points, 4-of-13 shooting) after delivering 30 points in Game 1, while Pascal Siakam has been a non-factor on both ends of the floor. In addition, Marc Gasol looked out of sync the past two games.
These three will need to step up if the Raptors are to bounce back in this series. Otherwise, the outcome will be the same and they can just kiss this season goodbye, as no team has been able to bounce back from a 0-3 deficit in the postseason.
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