Toronto Raptors win in spite of themselves
Thursday’s playoff game between the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat leads to the question: How often does it happen that one team shoots at least 49 percent from the field, its opponent shoots no better than 42 percent from the field, and the team with the worse field-goal percentage wins?
Not often. The numbers are a bit of a cherry-pick, but they fit the game of the moment, the Raptors’ overtime win on Thursday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Dating back to 1998, there have been 194 such postseason games. The Raptors are only the second team to win when shooting the lower percentage. The other is the Warriors, who did it last season against the Pelicans.
Let’s take it one further. The Raptors shot 41.9 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from the free throw line.
They’re only the second team in the last 30 postseasons to shoot that poorly in both areas and win. The other is the 2012 Bulls, who defeated the 76ers 77-69 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Teams to shoot that poorly are 2-36 in that span.
The Raptors did shoot free throws well when it counted, though, making 6-of-8 to finish the game.
