Playoff demons have lurked around every corner for the Raptors this spring. Toronto narrowly escaped their first-round series with the underdog Indiana Pacers after a heated seven-game series. It was the first time they’d advanced in the postseason, which would normally be cause for celebration. However, Raptors co-stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan struggled mightily with their shooting throughout the course of the series.
DeRozan has of course corrected somewhat, but Lowry still hasn’t found the stroke that makes his burly game so brilliant. After another poor shooting performance in Game 1, Raptors forward Luis Scola told Bruce Arthur of The Toronto Star why he still has utmost confidence in Lowry.
“His shot looks right, everything looks right,” Scola said. “The only thing that looks bad to me is his body language. He is beaten. And he shouldn’t be. There’s only two players as to why we’re here, and it’s him and DeMar (DeRozan). He’s the soul of our team. He’s everything to us. I don’t care if he misses every shot from now on. I’m OK with that. I’ll lose with him. I have no problem with that. I’ll lose with him because he took me all the way to here.”
The cause behind Lowry’s shooting struggles may lie in an elbow injury he suffered in March. If he can’t right the ship during their second round matchup, the Raptors stand a slim chance at their first ever Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
