Raptors coach Dwane Casey gets slammed a lot for his decisions. People attack him for sitting James Johnson, others deride the Raptors’ perimeter-shooting offence.
One of the most common refrains this season was to question why Jonas Valanciunas, the young seven-foot centre from Lithuania, would often ride the bench during clutch minutes in the fourth quarter.
But now, with the epic superstar-on-superstar action of the NBA final on display, it’s clear Casey is in good company in that respect. Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors have made the same decision with their big men — taking the increasingly popular “play small” logic even to a deeper conclusion.