Coach Dwane Casey says the Toronto Raptors will "ride or die" with star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.
Both have had a rough time against the Indiana Pacers in a first-round NBA playoff series all tied up going into Game 5 Tuesday at the Air Canada Centre (6 p.m. ET).
But Casey offered a spirited defence of his two marquee men when asked Monday about the discrepancy between their playoff and regular-season numbers, saying: "They're our guys."
"They're like your kids," he said. "You get upset with your kids sometimes, you argue with your kids, you go back and forth [with them]. But at the end of the day, they're your kids, your guys. And they're our guys.
"We're going to ride or die with DeMar and Kyle. They haven't shot the ball great but again it's still basketball. So we're going to go with them. They're our star players. They're all-stars for a reason and, as a coach and as a staff, we're trying to put them in the best position to be successful."
DeRozan is averaging 13.3 points a game while shooting 29.6 per cent in the playoffs, well off his regular-season average of 23.5 points and 44.6 per cent shooting. Lowry is averaging 15.5 points so far in the post-season, down from 21.2 in the regular-season, while shooting at 32.2 per cent, down from 42.7.
"I know our fans are still embracing them and [are] not down on them," Casey said. "There's a lot written about the numbers and all that. But at the end of the day it's a 2-2 series. No one, I don't think, expected this series to be a shutout or for us to sweep Indiana.
"It's going to be hard. Everything you do in this league is hard. But at the end of the day, DeMar and Kyle are our guys. I don't care what their numbers say. They're still, to me, two of the best guards in the NBA."
'We've got to be the hungry team'
Perhaps nobody expected the second-seeded Raptors to sweep No. 7 Indiana. But equally few would have predicted the see-saw results in the series to date.
The Pacers won Game 1 (100-90) at the Air Canada Centre and Game 4 (100-83) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Toronto won Game 2 (98-87) at home and Game 3 (101-85) in Indiana.
Toronto led by as many as 19 in Game 2 and trailed by as many as 25 in Game 4.
"One thing about playoff basketball, every game is different," Lowry said. "You've just got to go in there with the expectation it's going to be a new game. That's the way I think this series has been, every game has been a new game."
DeRozan did not speak to reporters Monday.
"Again for us, it's goes back to our energy level, our intensity, our sense of desperation," Casey said. "And I've been saying this all year, we've got to be the hungry team. If we're not the hungry team or if our backs are not against the wall, [if] we don't feel like we've been attacked, we lose that edge little bit.
"We've been preaching it and I don't know if it's human nature but we didn't come out with that same edge."
Carroll vs. George heating up
DeMarre Carroll has shown some bite, pushing away Paul George after the Pacers star got in the face of Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas late in Game 4.
"When I see my teammate in a fight, I'm going to go help him," Carroll said. "I don't care where you're at. If you're in an alley, I'm going to go help him."
It doesn't matter who gets in the way, it seems. Carroll and George used to share an agent, have practised together in the off-season and know each other well.
"When I'm on the court I'm nobody's friend except the guys in the locker-room," said Carroll. "I don't care who you are. You could be my Pops, I don't care."
Tuesday's game is at the unusual tip-off time of 6 p.m. ET.
"No excuses made, we have to play better," Lowry said by way of summary.
"It hasn't been pretty," he added. "We've got two wins and that's a positive. But we still have to play better in general for our team to go further on."
Injury update
Indiana Pacers starting center Ian Mahinmi was limited to non-contact drills at practice Monday because of a lingering lower back injury.
Mahinmi has been listed as questionable for most of the playoff series against Toronto but has started all four games, with the series tied 2-2. On Saturday, Mahinmi scored a career-high 20 points and had 10 rebounds and five assists, which were both playoff career highs.
After practice, Mahinmi told reporters that he was feeling better and has been getting treatment on the back since the end of Game 4. Mahinmi also said he is getting accustomed to playing with the injury.
Casey wins Rudy Tomjanovich Award
Casey has won the Rudy Tomjanovich Award, given by the Professional Basketball Writers Association to an NBA coach who combines co-operation with the media and fans with excellence on the court.
Casey beat out Charlotte's Steve Clifford, the Clippers' Doc Rivers, Boston's Brad Stevens and Detroit's Stan Van Gundy in voting Monday.
The award is named for former NBA coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who led the Rockets to consecutive titles in 1994 and 1995. Golden State's Steve Kerr won last year.
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