There was at least one moment in Monday night’s Raptors playoff win when Kyle Lowry got visibly upset.
Toronto’s NBAers had just run an offensive set that didn’t meet Lowry’s satisfaction, so the point guard barked a complaint in the direction of Jonas Valanciunas.
The way Valanciunas reacted was memorable. Lowry, Toronto’s best player, is a two-time all-star, 30 years old, and occasionally cranky. Valanciunas, by contrast, is just four years into his NBA career and won’t turn 24 until next month. And yet, even with the pressure-addled Raptors already down a game in their best-of-seven series with the Indiana Pacers and clinging to a six-point lead, and even with Lowry momentarily perturbed, Valanciunas appeared far from rattled.