Pressure mounts for Kyle Lowry with Toronto's title hopes and future looking bleak

Much has been made about Toronto Raptors' All Star point guard Kyle Lowry, and his ineffectiveness in this year's playoffs.

After a posting zero points in the first round opener, a home game loss to the underdog Orlando Magic, Lowry's erratic play has been under a microscope....and deservedly so.

The intensity magnified after Toronto's latest loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, a game in which Lowry himself acknowledged that he needs to play better.

Down 2-1 and without home court advantage, Toronto received more bad news. Potential Most Improved Player, Pascal Siakham, is doubtful for game 4 with a calf injury. He is the only consistent offensive contributor besides Kawhi Leonard, a free agent at the end of the season.

With no Siakham, and a potential 3-1 deficit awaiting them tomorrow afternoon, there is more pressure than ever for Lowry to step up and play to his All Star level. 

If not, then the Raptors would not only face the fact that they failed to reach the finals after firing their coach last season (who won Coach of the Year), and traded away a franchise favorite in return for Leonard...who has no obligation to stay beyond this season.

Translation....Toronto could be left with just Lowry this summer, the one who could be potentially responsible for running Leonard back to the US.

The irony, huh?

The time is now for Lowry....no more excuses.

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NBA: Five point guards facing the most playoff pressure

The NBA playoffs are officially underway. A time when no-names become household ones, stars become superstars, and superstars become legends.

The playoffs can also be a detriment if said star or superstar fails to deliver, so today we highlight five All Star point guards facing the biggest pressure to deliver this year.

5. Damian Lillard - Portland

The perennial All Star has not only been the face of the Portland Trailblazers since being drafted in 2012, but he is also the face of the entire northwestern region of the country.

With Lillard at the helm, the Portland Trailblazers have enjoyed plenty of regular season success, reaching the playoffs in each of the past five seasons. But not only have they failed to reach the Conference Finals, but they have been swept out of the first round the last two seasons.

This season the Trailblazers draw a tough first round match up with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and a third straight first round exit could spell the end for Portland as we know it. Seeing the window closing with Lillard, and their inability to attract a top-notch free agent during his tenure there, Portland could be forced to rebuild with Lillard being the bargaining chip.

4. Ben Simmons - Philadelphia

Simmons entered the league with as much fanfare as one could hope for, drawing early comparisons to Magic Johnson with his size and ability to distribute the basketball. His propensity for triple doubles has even drawn comparisons to LeBron James.

Last year's Rookie of the Year and current All Star, Simmons has been a key cog in the Sixers' turnaround from process to playoffs.

But in last year's playoffs, Simmons' Achilles Heel, his ineffectiveness shooting from long range, was exposed by the Boston Celtics. Teams are now daring Simmons to shoot from deep, and remarkably enough, he is not making them pay to the tune of zero three point makes in his career.

That's ZERO, y'all.

Even with the addition of sharp shooters Tabias Harris and Jimmy Butler, it will still be imperative for Simmons to make teams play him honest, or the Sixers' quest for a spot in the NBA Finals will come up short, again.

In today's opening round match up against the underdog Brooklyn Nets, Simmons was dreadful. So much so that Philly had to move him to the post, just so Brooklyn would have to guard him. That, in turn, moved big Joel Embiid to the perimiter, where he was 0-for from behind the arc. Butler dropped a playoff career-high 36 points, and the Sixers still lost.

3. Kyrie Irving - Boston

Irving forced his way out of Cleveland last season to be the main guy on a young Celtics team last season, but an injury late in the regular season caused him to miss the entire postseason.

Irving sat idly by and watched his young and inexperienced team reach game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals without him.

Boston was predicted to run through the Eastern Conference this season with Kyrie back in the fold, but the team actually had a better record when he didn't play this season.

Couple that with Irving's icy relationship with his teammates throughout the season, and you have a pressure-packed road ahead for Uncle Drew and Company.

2. James Harden - Houston

The Beard has been the league's most unstoppable offensive force the last three NBA seasons, but the postseason has been a different story.

Last year's MVP and current front runner for this year's coveted award, Harden has dazzled NBA fans with his eye-popping shooting, averaging 36 points per game in this year's regular season.

But after a couple of high-profile meltdown the last few postseasons, none of that matters when his playoff push starts Sunday.

Behind Harden, CP3, and a scrappy group of wing defenders, the Rockets had Golden State on the ropes last season before squandering a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Finals. Chris Paul's absence in game 7 gave The Beard a mulligan.

But in order to have his name mentioned with the pantheon greats of this game, Harden MUST get to the Finals this season, with or without Chris Paul.

1. Russell Westbrook - OKC

You know you have something to prove when you averaged a triple double the last three seasons, earned league MVP honors, and was still voted the most overrated player by your peers this season.

Such is the life of Russell Westbrook.

While his mannerisms and style of play may be a turnoff to his colleagues and casual fans, there's no denying the elephant in the room....his lack of playoff success post Kevin Durant.

Last season the OKC Thunder were eliminated in the first round by a less-talented Utah Jazz team, leaving many of his detractors with plenty of ammo that you can not win with Westbrook's stat-padding style of play.

And if the Thunder fail to advance past the first round with a favorable match up with the Portland Trailblazers this season, then you can expect more of the same criticism of Russ's game next year....fourth straight triple double season or not.

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Grizzlies: Coach Fizdale finds home in Memphis

Few sports franchises embody the city they represent like the Memphis Grizzlies. Their no-nonsense, blue collar grit and grind style of play struck a cord with a fan base that has to roll up their sleeves and work for everything they get.

Like the Grizzlies, the city of Memphis is not flashy. There are no downtown sky scrapers, and aside from Graceland, there are no world renowned tourist attractions.

In a state that has few major cities, Memphis is still overlooked, creating an us against the world mentality among the locals.

And as a result, outsiders are often welcomed with a long-handled spoon.

That was the case for first year head coach David Fizdale, until an epic rant turned the tide in his favor...and turned a potential sweep into a playoff series.

A few days ago the Grizzlies were on the wrong end of yet another blowout playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Down 0-2 and appearing lifeless as the series headed to Memphis, coach Fizdale sat at the post game podium Monday night and went ballistic on the referees.

He called the refs unprofessional as he pointed to the huge disparity in foul calls. He said their actions were unacceptable. He acknowledged that, as a rookie coach of a team with no championships under their belt, he understood that the perennial playoff powerhouse Spurs earned the benefit of the doubt on most occasions.

Then he rebutted with..."But y'all ain't gonna rook us!"

He praised point guard Mike Conley for being mild-mannered and professional for far too long, and applauded his team for showing the grit and fight that Memphians had grown fond of.

Most importantly, he stood up for a team and city that no one stands up for. And the gesture was not lost on the fan base.

As he emerged from the locker room to take the floor last night, coach Fizdale was met with a standing ovation from the sold out crowd, something I have never witnessed in my 30 plus years of watching the NBA.

Fans made t shirts and signs with his "Take that for data" closing remark from Monday's press conference, and they were full throat the entire evening...creating an electric playoff atmosphere for the players.

And speaking of the players, Conley acknowledged sending coach Fiz a text at four in the morning following the press conference, thanking him for having the team's back. As a whole, the Grizzlies' roster pledged to pay the $30,000 fine levied by the NBA for his tirade.

When they finally took the court, the Grizzlies played their most complete game in weeks, let alone in this year's playoffs. The Grind House was rocking, and the team was flying around and making plays.

So much so that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich waived the white towel early in the second half as the Grizzlies' lead ballooned to as much as 20 points. His starters mostly watched from the bench from that point..

To put things into perspective, former Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger broke down and was reduced to tears at a post game press conference in last year's playoffs.

Tears? There's no crying in Memphis!

He was fired shortly after the Grizzlies were eliminated last season. I guess the We Don't Bluff city don't play that....

But I digress....

Yes, Memphis will and should be underdogs in game 4. And yes, the Spurs are still the prohibitive favorites to win the series, but what happened on Monday night was bigger than the end result.

On Monday night, Grizzlies fans let down their guard in appreciation for being fought for. On Monday night, Fizdale found a home in Memphis.

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Grizzlies vs Spurs: The series that changed both teams

The seventh seed Memphis Grizzlies will take on the second seed San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs. It's their fourth time meeting in the post season, and the Spurs hold a 3-1 lead.

And while San Antonio has pretty much had their way with Memphis in the playoffs, it was the one that got away that changed both teams forever.

The Spurs were the number one seed in the Western Conference heading into the 2011 playoffs. The Grizzlies were the eighth seed. Not only was San Antonio prohibitive favorites to win the series, they were favored to sweep a young Memphis team that had not won a playoff game in three prior trips to the post season (0-12 from 2004-2006).

That's right...three appearances...swept all three times. Once by the Spurs in their first playoff appearance in 2004.

The Grizzlies ruffled some feathers in San Antonio heading into that 2011 playoff match up, when it appeared they purposely sat players late in the regular season to drop to the eighth seed.

Spurs swing man Manu Ginobili saw it as a sign of disrespect, saying..."They wanted us...now they got us".

Memphis shocked the sports world when they came away victorious, in San Antonio, in game one of that series. It was their first playoff win in franchise history...

But it wouldn't be their last.

The Grizzlies went on to upset the Spurs in six games in what became the coming out party for newly acquired journeyman power forward Zach Randolph. The Spurs had no answer for Z-Bo and the Grizzlies' aggressive style of play on defense.

The first series win in playoff history not only put Memphis on the national radar, but it also ushered in the "Grit and Grind" era that you see today. The core four of that magical run (Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Tony Allen) remained in tact over the years, and as a result the Grizzlies are one of just three teams in the league to reach the playoffs each of the last seven years.

That series also ushered in the "Believe Memphis" mantra, which can still be seen in the Grind House at every Grizzlies home game. Memphis saw their confidence soar through the roof, and while they haven't earned a trip to the Finals, they haven't missed the playoffs since. They have also been a consistent playoff thorn in the sides of Western Conference opponents since then.

Before that series the Grizzlies had zero playoffs wins under their belt. Since then they have 24, and a Western Conference Finals appearance.

As for the Spurs, the natural overreaction was talk of their demise. But the playoff loss was a blessing in disguise for them, too.

A couple of months later San Antonio made a draft day trade with the Indiana Pacers for the rights to Kawhi Leonard. A versatile forward that could get his own shot while shutting down the most potent scorer for the opposition.

This move was important because the lack of a player with his set of skills ultimately cost the Spurs that series. Memphis clamped down on San Antonio bigs Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess, forcing their perimeter players to beat them off the dribble...something Ginobili and point guard Tony Parker were unable to do.

With Leonard transitioning into the focal point of the team the Spurs rebounded by making back to back Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014, narrowly losing the title in seven games before dominating the LeBron James led Miami Heat to win it all the following year.

Coincidentally enough, Kawhi was the Finals MVP that season.

Today, Leonard is not only the best two-way player in the league, but he is now considered a top five player overall. All Star appearances, first team All NBA, first team All Defense, multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, and MVP candidate this year. Kawhi does it all.

And here we are again, the Spurs are once again the heavy favorite to knock off the Grizzlies. Can Memphis find lightning in a bottle one more time? We will start to find out Saturday night at 7:00.

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