Doug Smith: Nick Nurse, on conference call, downplays The Shoulder Rub Seen ‘Round The World “I didn’t even know I got the shoulder rub last night until somebody showed me a picture of it today. I didn’t even feel it. I was so locked into the game.”
Nick Nurse Rumors
He’s injured. He has to be. For two games Kawhi Leonard has dragged around his right leg like there was a nail hammered into it. The Raptors won’t admit there’s a problem. Nick Nurse says he’s fine. Leonard’s face says different. In the third quarter of Toronto’s 120-102 Game 4 win, Leonard elevated for dunk, colliding with Giannis Antetokounmpo in mid-air, that right leg refusing to bend when it hit the floor. He winced, looking down at the leg. For the stoic Leonard, it was the equivalent of a scream.
“He’s playing through pain,” Danny Green said to a handful of reporters, long after Leonard left the locker room. “He can’t even celebrate baskets because of how painful it is. You dunk on a guy like Giannis and you are worried about your knee, it shows you that he’s fighting. We’re going to need him to fight through the rest of this series. We need two more.”
Ryan Wolstat: Nurse on not going with double big combo/low Ibaka minutes: “I guess I just wasn’t feeling the big lineup.” Says Norm playing really well, VanVleet doing everything but hitting shots. Gasol and Siakam rolling too.
Josh Lewenberg: Danny Green said he was surprised when Nurse called a play for him in 2OT (the 3 he hit). He was 0-for-8 at the time. “For a coach to do that, have the confidence in me to hit the next one… it felt good, and hopefully that starts a rhythm for next game.”
Ryan Wolstat: Nick Nurse on Norman Powell: “He’s been very good at both ends.” Says again he’ll get more minutes.
Tim Bontemps: Nick Nurse says “you’ll see some different lineups today” in Game 3. Could be one or both of Serge Ibaka and Norm Powell entering the starting lineup for Marc Gasol and Danny Green.
