Patrick Patterson Needs to Start Game 5
Will Casey start Patterson over Luis Scola in game 5?
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Raptors fans, we've heard it all before, but welcome to another must win game. Tonight the Raptors face the Indiana Pacers at the Air Canada Centre in a pivotal game 5 to take control of the series. The Pacers have made their key adjustment in the series by starting rookie forward Myles Turner in game 4. In that game the Raptors were out-rebounded 43-40, out-scored in the paint 50-26, and marginal center Ian Mahinmi had a career game scoring 23 points and 12 rebounds.
The weak link in the Raptors rotation has been obvious to Raptors fans and reporters for months. And that is veteran power forward Luis Scola. Although he's been great for the team during the season with his veteran presence and his much improved 3 point shooting (40% for the season), he's become a liability on the court in this series. In game 4 he was 0-5 from the field, 0-4 from 3 and had a +/- of -5. Luis Scola is a great player to have on your roster, he's a very smart player. He knows where he has to be on the court at all times, he's a very good passer, but it's obvious that he lacks athleticism, and that's not a winning formula when you have to match him up against a 20 year old Myles Turner.
Patrick Patterson this season has been one of the unsung heroes of the Raptors. While his traditional stats have taken a dip compared to last season, he's become a much better all around player. The Raptors were 9 points better with him on the floor, he was top 10 in terms of +/- off the bench, he's better driving the basketball, expanding his game so he's not just a spot up stretch 4. He's also earned the trust of Dwane Casey to guard even star small forwards throughout the season such as Paul George and Carmelo Anthony.
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Patterson starting would also take much needed pressure off Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. The fact is that while Scola has had a career year in his 3 point shooting, teams still don't respect him from the outside. Patterson always draws a defender with run outs on the pick and roll, and his improved driving ability would force defenders to crash inside, which would eventually draw open looks for Lowry, DeRozan, and DeMarre Carroll.
In the end, this all just makes too much sense for head coach Dwane Casey, which his why he might not end up doing it. Patrick Patterson has earned the right to start in this series, and I also think that Luis Scola (at least for this series) should be taken out of the rotation entirely. I would love to see Patterson in the starting lineup, while rookie sensation Norman Powell takes Scola's spot. The small ball lineup of Lowry/Joseph, Powell, DeRozan, Carroll, and Valanciunas/Patterson was a great look for their short stretch, and would be the key in a game 5 that might be the biggest game in the Raptors franchise history (until game 6).
Twitter: @thomas_mooney1, @AFewGoodMics
