DeMar DeRozan Says Benching Sucks, 'Never Want to Have a S---ty Game Like I Had'
Toronto Raptors star DeMar DeRozan was benched for the final 14 minutes in Game 3 of the team's 105-103 Eastern Conference Semifinals loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday after a 3-of-12 shooting night.
In his absence, the Raptors erased a 16-point deficit only to lose on a LeBron James buzzer-beater. After the game, DeRozan spoke about watching the game's conclusion from the bench.
"It's extremely hard, extremely hard," he said, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. "I just want to be out there helping my team, way more than anything. It definitely sucks to be watching...we've got to give credit to those guys. We fought hard and gave ourselves a chance to win.
"In the moment, it definitely sucks, especially on top of us losing. You never want to have a s---ty game like I had. I've got another game, got another opportunity. That's all that matters."
DeRozan finished with just eight points, as the Cavaliers consistently double-teamed him and took him out of the offense. That prompted Raptors head coach Dwane Casey to roll with with CJ Miles and OG Anunoby down the stretch.
"Even when you are not shooting well you can defend and do things to help us win, but those nights are going to happen," Casey said. "He had a tough night. He wasn't the reason we lost. We are professionals, he's a pro. He has had tough games before; he'll bounce back. But we have one more game. Our pride is on the line—basically our season is on the line—but I think he'll bounce back."
Kyle Lowry said after the game that he understood the decision.
"We had a group going in the fourth, and Coach rode with it," he told reporters. "I'm not worried about it. A tough shooting night. DeMar was up cheering with everybody else. He's a great teammate. He was't pouting or anything."
The Raptors now face a 3-0 deficit in the series, and no team in NBA history facing a 3-0 hole has ever come back to win that playoff series.
The Raptors haven't been able to beat the Cavaliers recently in the postseason, adding another layer of difficulty. They've now lost nine straight games to Cleveland in the playoffs and were previously eliminated by the team in the 2015-16 conference finals and the 2016-17 conference semifinals.
The ghosts of postseasons past are haunting the Raptors again, and players like DeRozan have to be special if the team is going to fight its way back into this series. He was solid in the first two contests, averaging 23 points, but Cleveland's ability to take him out of the flow of the offense was one of the decisive factors in Game 3.
