Hardwood Highlight of the Night: Greivis Vasquez and Amir Johnson work the 2-man game
The Toronto Raptors got shredded to bits by the Golden State Warriors in a matchup of conference-leading teams (though the loss dropped the Raptors behind the Atlanta Hawks in the East) on Friday night, but for one breathless spell in the second quarter, it looked like things might turn out differently.
Powered by backup point guard Greivis Vasquez - who had his best game of the season by any measure - the Raps embarked on a 21-5 run to briefly steal the lead for the only time of the night.
When he wasn't draining 3s or scoring on serpentine drives into the middle, Vasquez was making plays for his teammates, and on the play that tied the game for the Raptors for the first time since 0-0, he ran the pick-and-roll with Amir Johnson to perfection.
The play starts out a bit broken. After a Lou Williams isolation on the right wing went nowhere, Vasquez ends up with the ball above the break with no breathing room, as Harrison Barnes applies pressure. Johnson recognizes that Vasquez is in trouble and comes up to give him a screen.
Amir Johnson is good at setting screens. He wipes Barnes out of the play and opens up a ton of space for Vasquez near the top of the circle. The Raptors have the floor spaced with dangerous shooters, as Williams remains on the right wing, Kyle Lowry stands in the right corner, and Terrence Ross chills in the left. The Warriors have to be wary of bringing help from any of those spots.
Vasquez pulls up at the free-throw line for what appears to be a jump shot. Marreese Speights is the lone man in Vasquez's airspace, and he comes up to challenge the attempt. The Raptors' shooters all hold their ground, but the Warriors' defenders slowly start to collapse, while Johnson trails the play.
But look! Vasquez's jump-shot attempt isn't a jump-shot attempt at all! He fakes Speights into leaving his feet, then slips a perfect bounce pass to the trailing Johnson, who's managed to beat Barnes into the lane after the Warriors switched on the screen.
Draymond Green finally leaves Ross in the corner to come help, but he's a hair too late, and Johnson drops in the layup to knot the game at 55.
Here's the play in full:
(Courtesy: CSN)