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TORONTO – Fred VanVleet left some blood on the court at Arena Arena on Friday and, no, it's not a hokey metaphor for the intensity and passion of the Toronto Guards when the Raptors win in the Final 4th in Match 4 at Golden State.
VanVleet literally poured blood under one of the baskets after taking a wandering elbow from Shaun Livington of the Warriors, who opened a nick around VanVleet's right eye. The shot dropped the Raptors' reserve guard on the ground and left him with a chipped tooth and an early exit from the game that left Toronto 3-1 in this NBA final.
"If we had lost, it would be much worse, "VanVleet told reporters Sunday at the Scotiabank Arena.
A number of Raptors followed one another to win the victories that took them to the edge of the first franchise NBA championship in 24 years. No one better embodies their toughness than VanVleet, a vigorous, sturdy six-foot guard that can most often be carried in high arc shots from the perimeter of the Raptors.
At the other end, however, VanVleet travels regularly where other under-sized guards are afraid to walk, sticking his beak in the paint, where his face and head are at the most vulnerable height.
"You will not be stunned in this way if you do not put your nose in there from time to time," VanVleet said. "It happens, it's basketball. If you do not have your eyes cut off and you do not get hit repeatedly in basketball, it's because you play badly. "
Although VanVleet's full name – Fredderick Edmund VanVleet – may make him feel like a banker or venture capitalist, no drop of this bloodshed in Oakland was blue.
He has a debut as humble as everyone else in The Finals: raised in a tough neighborhood of Rockford, IL, VanVleet spent four years at Wichita State without fanfare (10.2 points per game, 4.5 points per game), then was not written in 2016. He signed with Toronto and spent his rookie season on a yo-yo at / from the G League before making a small playoff noise in a cameo against Milwaukee and Cleveland.
In 2017-18, VanVleet was the replacement of former coach Dwane Casey, averaging 20 minutes and 8.6 points on the bench behind Kyle Lowry, while scoring 41.4% of his 3 shots. This season Nick Nurse, Casey's replacement, started 28 times with VanVleet and increased his minutes to 27.5.
So far in the playoffs, the more VanVleet has played, the better it went for Toronto. In the first 14 games of the Raptors against Orlando, Philadelphia and Milwaukee, VanVleet scored 19.3 minutes, 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds on average, while representing only 21.2% of its 3 points. Team record: 8-6.
Starting in the third game against Milwaukee, Toronto is 8-1 with VanVleet averaging 32.6 minutes, 12.8 points and 3.4 assists. He fired 47.9% from the bow.
One of the angles of VanVleet's resurgence – that he would have somehow channeled the birth of his son Fred Jr. during the Bucks series on an improvement on the ground – was shot down almost immediately by dad.
"I would like to be able to go back in time and tell no one that I have a child, "he told The Athletic. "So that I can get all the glory of having returned my performance."
The nurse frankly does not care He was not even fully aware of the recovery, or at least of his statistics.
"MMore than anything else, we always use the term "Keep playing", is not it? Said the Raptors coach before the fourth game. I think that he started playing well after a [1-for-11] game, and I remember that I did not even know that it was 1-in-11]. It's the match that Kyle missed with six goals to go, doubling the extra time [Game 3 in the East finals]and I thought he was playing so well, I was there singing his praises at the press conference.
"And someone said:" You know, he was 1-11 years old, "and I answered" No, I did not know. " that he was running hard and playing games and i think that we have to keep playing.Some evenings, the balloon is some nights, this is not the case.but influence the game as you can , not just with your shot or your score. "
The nurse has been looking for VanVleet's pace and confidence in the last two games against Golden State, alongside Kyle Lowry as the second leader after half-time in games 3 and 4. The results would not have been best.
VanVleet does not think it's a coincidence that he's one of three players from his homeland in this final. Veteran warriors Andre Iguodala (Springfield) and Shaun Livingston (Peoria) were also born and raised in Illinois.
"That says a lot about the pedigree of Illinois basketball and areas outside of Chicago that do not receive as much recognition, but still produce a high level of talent," he said. VanVleet.
Only one of them, however, will play against the pitch of the fifth match with a new spokesperson and stitches, after having passed the concussion protocol over the weekend, while letting the blurred vision on a right eye watering at random. VanVleet became an indispensable member of the finals rotation in Toronto.
"I know how important I am to this team, to this franchise, and I know what I bring to the table," he said on Sunday. "This is never in question, never in doubt. [I] just try to maximize my potential each night and give my team the best chance of winning. We have to go and do it again.
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Steve Aschburner has written on the NBA since 1980. You can send him an e-mail. here, find his archives here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
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