Where do the Raptors go after being humbled in Milwaukee?

It was a simple question with the intonation of a deeper meaning, but it was responded to in typical Kawhi Leonard fashion.

“Where do you go from here, Kawhi?” a reporter asked.

“I’m going to Toronto for Game 3,” Leonard replied.

The reporter was likely referring to the strategies that the Raptors as a collective will turn to in order to get back into this series, but that’s as simple as the Raptors need to keep it. Win the next game.

An 0-2 deficit is undoubtedly daunting, especially against a Bucks team that seems to have no off-switch. Entering this post-season, only 20 teams in NBA history have come back from a 0-2 deficit to win the series. But, 13 of those comebacks have happened in the last 15 years (that’s almost one every year!) and the Cleveland Cavaliers were the most recent team to do so, last year against the Boston Celtics in, you guessed it, the Eastern Conference Finals.

The key is ensuring the deficit doesn’t get to three by Sunday’s end, as no team has ever come back to win after trailing a series 0-3, and no team has forced a Game 7 after losing the first three games of a best-of-seven since 2003 when the Portland Trail Blazers found a way against the Dallas Mavericks.

Here are five reasons why the Raptors should believe they can get themselves back into this series.

Stop the bleeding

Look back just as recently as the Philadelphia series, and it will tell you that the Raptors don’t take kindly to being blown out. It happened in Game 3 of that series, and they came back and won a thriller in Game 4. After the 76ers showed their resolve to force a Game 7 in dominant fashion, it was the Raptors who closed the series out with Leonard’s historic buzzer-beater.

Going back to the regular season, the Raptors lost by double-digits on nine occasions and came back to win the following game eight times. The opponents they beat coming off an emphatic loss included the 76ers, Bucks, Clippers and Celtics, while the only loss came at the buzzer in Dwane Casey’s return to Toronto.

Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is an X-factor as well in all of this — while he’s shown some struggles through his first NBA post-season as a head coach, he has found his best self when backed into a corner. There was Game 2 against Orlando where the Raptors came out playing much harder and executed an excellent defensive game plan against Game 1 hero D.J. Augustin. There was Game 4 against Philly when Nurse found a solution in playing both Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol together and then backed his best six guys to essentially play the entire second half.

There was also Game 7 against Philly when Nurse turned to Ibaka against Ben Simmons, tethered Gasol to Joel Embiid, and was finally rewarded for maintaining faith in Fred VanVleet when many would have given up on the young guard.

Respect the deer, a lot

Yes, the Raptors got the full Milwaukee Bucks experience in Game 2 from Giannis Antetokounmpo imposing his will from the very first minute, and his teammates following that lead with aggressive play on both ends of the floor. The Bucks threw enough haymakers early on to ensue they could keep the Raptors at arm’s length the rest of the way.

But, Game 2 also proves that if there were any doubts over just how good the Bucks really are, they’re truly out the window at this point. Milwaukee is hungry, deep, and lethal on both ends of the floor, making the margin for error against this team razor-thin.

When Nick Nurse tried to rally the troops early on in Game 2, he told them that it was the exact same scenario the Bucks faced in Game 1 and it was their turn to show the same resolve. They didn’t, and it speaks to Milwaukee’s trust in one another and the belief they hold in their system to keep playing the same way.

After the Game 2 loss, Danny Green spoke of how the Raptors got out of their offence a bit in the face of adversity, and that can’t happen again. No team wins a title without facing some kind of adversity, and the Raptors have to respect not only the level of compete the Bucks are bringing to the table, but their desire to win it all as well.

Veterans, they are aplenty

In these moments of adversity, you need players who have been there, done that before. Gasol was atrocious in Game 2 and while there is plenty to criticize, it was healthy to see him own the impact that his poor start had on the team and the manner in which it “set the tone” for the game. That’s the mentality you want from your best players.

Furthermore, he’s had four occasions where he’s faced an 0-2 series deficit as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, pushing the series back to 2-2 twice but also getting swept twice by the San Antonio Spurs. There will surely be lessons he can take from those experiences to carry forward into Game 3.

Lowry, Leonard and Green all stressed the importance of recognizing that the Bucks have done what they needed to in protecting home court and, for now, all the Raptors have to do is focus on returning the favour.

Bench players are showing signs of life

Norman Powell found a great rhythm in Game 2 and Nurse made it sound quite likely that the former UCLA guard will have a big role to play going forward.

“I think he fits in this series a little bit more with his speed and strength and athleticism, his ability to take it off the bounce, we’re gonna need that,” Nurse said after the game. “So, it was good to get him going and I would imagine going forward he’ll be a critical part of the series for our rotation.”

Fred VanVleet came to play for the first half of Game 1 and the second half of Game 2. He seemed comfortable when the Raptors went small with Pascal Siakam at the five and Leonard at the four, and that gives Nurse something to work with.

There are multiple lineups now where it seems that Ibaka is a better option than Gasol and the Raptors need to lean in to what has been a strength for them all season. Nurse, for most of the year, had a time-share at the centre position and turned one way or the other depending on who seemed to have the better matchup.

Toronto is 6-0 this post-season when Ibaka hits double-digits in the scoring department, and if he’s the one who’s rolling, that’s the way Nurse has got to lean. Having him check into games earlier may even be a boon to the bench if Gasol can provide the playmaking that VanVleet has generally struggled with this season.

As scary as Antetokounmpo has been through two games, it’s the Bucks’ ability to win the minutes he’s been on the bench that has been a back-breaker for the Raptors. Rotating players better and leveraging the good minutes you are getting from the bench is critical.

Kawhi Leonard can be used more effectively

Look at the box score and one would think Leonard was highly influential with his 31 points and no one else really came to the party. The truth in watching, though, was that no one showed up for the Raptors early on. The Bucks were off to a 14-3 start early with Antetokounmpo all over the highlight reel, but Leonard was yet to attempt a shot. Some of that was the Raptors trying to find a rhythm for their other guys early, but when one of the league’s MVP finalists is trying to throw knockout punches in the first quarter, you’ve got to make sure you can throw back some haymakers of your own.

To that effect, put Leonard in position to do so. The Bucks do a great job of forcing players into their uncomfortable zones, and Khris Middleton has been instrumental in forcing the Raptors superstar to his left as much as possible.

Leonard loves to go to his right, and the Bucks are not only leveraging the fact that he’s uncomfortable shooting the ball from the left side of the floor, but also his lack of elite playmaking that has allowed them to stop the ball and recover with their tremendous length.

The Raptors need to get back to putting Leonard in position to dictate the terms, and this will require some creativity from Nurse, whether it be getting away from pick-and-roll action and having Leonard operate more out of the post with plenty of shooting around him, or even some more dribble hand-off opportunities that allow him to be a bit more downhill and get to his spot.

He has 62 points through two games, but it’s how Leonard’s getting them that could help the Raptors dictate the tempo of the game and the series from here.

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