Raptors Davis A Rebel With A Cause

Perhaps it will be lost in the shuffle, overlooked by all except those who peruse and NBA box scores with fine-toothed combs, but Terence Davis had himself a night for the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of their NBA first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets.

As Toronto walloped Brooklyn 134-110 in the opener of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final series, Davis came off the bench to score 11 points. He did so while spending just 12 minutes on the floor. 

Davis was 3-for-4 from the field, including 2-for-2 beyond the arc. He drained all three of his free throws, grabbed four defensive rebounds and was plus-7 while he was in the game.

Not bad for a rookie shooting guard from Ole Miss who was making his NBA playoff debut.

Davis, currently the only Ole Miss alumni active as an NBA player, is a Rebel with a cause. Suiting up for the defending NBA champion Raptors, if Toronto can repeat and win the title of the Association for the second year running, Davis would be the second Ole Miss player to earn the right to hold the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Playing A Hunch

Despite a solid season that saw them enter the playoffs as No. 2 seed in the East – just as they were when they won it all in 2018-19 – when it comes to the leading NBA online betting sites, the Raptors aren’t getting a lot of love. 

At +600, Toronto is the fourth betting choice to repeat as NBA champions.

Without a true superstar player following the departure of Kawhi Leonard following last year’s title win, Raptors coach Nick Nurse often takes a committee approach when it comes to winning games. He often coaches by feel, using his intuition regarding when to insert players and when to sit them down.

In Game 1, as Norman Powell struggled to find his shooting range, Nurse didn’t hesitate to bench his veteran of last year’s championship team in favor of a first-year kid from Southaven, Mississippi with absolute zero in terms of NBA playoff chops – as same as the number he wears on his Raptors jersey.

Tuesday, with Powell rolling, Davis sat on the bench the entire night. 

Clark Was Superman

Like Davis, Carlos Clark was a 6-foot-4 shooting guard. As with Davis this season, Clark was a rookie for the mighty 1983-84 Boston Celtics. With Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge ahead of him on the depth chart, Clark knew he wouldn’t see much of the floor.

The first-year player from Ole Miss scored just 1.7 points per game. He appeared in 31 regular-season games, averaging 4.1 minutes of floor time per game. Clark also got into eight playoff games during Boston’s title run. He averaged 1.1 ppg and 2.5 minutes per game.

Part of a squad that included Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, Clark would savor an NBA title as a seldom-used rookie fourth-round draft choice who no one had expected would make this powerhouse team.

At the time, Celtics coach K.J. Jones indicated that it was the defensive intensity that he brought to the floor that earned Clark his roster spot.

“It was great playing in those games right out of college,” Clark told the Naples Daily News. “Before that, I could only watch those guys on television but then, there I was, on the court with them.”

In another twist of coincidence, Clark’s final year of pro ball in North America was spent in Canada with the Calgary 88’s of the World Basketball League. 

Davis Delivers When Called Upon

His solid Game 1 performance was just another example of Davis being ready to go when called upon by the Raptors. 

In a 113-97 win over the Orlando Magic on Nov. 20th, Davis scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Making his first NBA career start on Jan. 8th against the Charlotte Hornets, Davis netted 23 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out five assists as Toronto posted a 112-110 overtime decision.

On Feb. 2nd Davis scored a career-high 31 points against the Chicago Bulls.