There are whispered concerns about the Raptors and their lack of proper late-game execution. In their defense, it’s the one thing they can’t practice or anticipate. It’s how Toronto ended up on the wrong end of an 11-0 run in Boston on Wednesday night. But a next day contest at home against the Phoenix Suns is surely not the same thing. Outside of a couple of high-talent youngsters, they’re barely an NBA team. Yet somehow, the situation was the same — a close game, a win on the line.
Maybe there’s something then to the (said in jest) theory that the Raptors are engineering these situations on purpose.