DeMar DeRozan defends Paul George during game 1 of the Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers first round playoff match-up. (Photo : Getty Images/Tom Szczerbowski)
The Toronto Raptors find themselves in familiar territory as they once again, lose game one of their first round playoff match-up, this time against the Indiana Pacers.
The Raptors, after finishing the season strong by securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference, lose to the seventh seed Indiana Pacers, led by Paul George, 100-90. For Raptors head coach Dwayne Casey, he considers this game a fluke.
Their stars, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry did not have their best shooting night as DeRozan shot only 5-19 while Lowry made only three of his 13 attempts from the field. Moreover, they just shot 10 percent from three-point range which is one of their most lethal weapons all season long. Casey believes things will turn around next game.
''I don't think they're going to shoot like that again,'' Casey told Yahoo Sports in a post-game interview. The head coach added that center Jonas Valanciunas fouling out of the game was very crucial at the end of the game.
"Hopefully he won't get in foul trouble again," the head coach said, adding that most of those fouls were cheap fouls which the center should easily avoid in the next game.
Meanwhile, DeRozan is not getting himself stressed out with the loss as he believes he will play better in game two. ''We're not panicking,'' DeRozan said in the post-game conference. ''We understand we just played bad.''
He also said he expects backcourt mate, Lowry, to show up as his dedication from last season paid off and it would be a shame if they come up short once again.
"I think I was the only person who knew that he was going to lose weight," DeRozan told CBS Sports earlier this season, referring to his teammate Lowry, adding that the first-round defeat against the Washington Wizards made the point guard loose his appetite.
Meanwhile, on the Indiana Pacers side, fans could not be happier to see Paul George playing at such a high level again after missing all of last season due to a gruesome leg injury. He said that he is just glad to bring the Pacers back in the postseason as he felt really sad to see the team miss last year's playoffs.
Here are some highlights of the game between the Raptors and the Pacers.
