TORONTO — Darius GarlandTo get rid of the pesky Fred VanVleetHe was grateful. He finally succeeded after spending precious seconds trying. His reward? Scottie BarnesAll of him at 6 feet 7 inches, his arms extended out like he was going to give a bear hug. Garland was able to drive by that point. he couldn’t even get a shot off. The RaptorsWe were on the move.
That’s how the Raptors defence is supposed to work when one opposing player tries to take his team’s offence into his own hands. When the Raptors were at their best in Wednesday’s 108-105 opening-night win over ClevelandThis was a lot. In a lackluster defensive performance, the Raptors used all their trademark lengths to create painful possessions for a talented enemy.
Take O.G. Anunoby. Anunoby had an offensively poor first half and failed to make much progress as a creator. However, he was also a constant wrecker of plays at the other end, making it difficult for the Raptors to penetrate their defence. Some of the easier shots began to fall eventually.
