“Wasn’t as Bad as it Looked”: Raptors Star Reacts to Serge Ibaka And Kyle Lowry’s Scuffle

After two consecutive wins with stunning performances, we did not expect the Raptors to be on the losing end of game 5. Boston Celtics proved that even after hitting a slump, they are not one to back down. The Raptors showed a lot of struggle on both ends of the court. It is no surprise that the players were going to get frustrated. What we didn’t expect was it to be on their own teammates which is what happened between Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka and their encounter went viral. Although Fred VanVleet has a different opinion on this matter altogether.

Fred VanVleet dismisses any bad blood between Lowry and Ibaka

Boston Celtics were off to a fiery start from the very beginning which rattled the defending champions. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s explosive performances were too much for the Raptors to handle. At a point where they needed Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam to maintain their momentum, they were in for a disappointment.

In the midst of all this, another decision by the refs added on to all the misfortune. The Raptors were put to the whistle all throughout the game and Lowry was not one to keep shut. By the third quarter, he became extremely vocal in voicing his disagreement towards the referee’s judgments which led to him getting technical. On the other hand, Ibaka had other concerns on the court. He wanted to express that this is not the time for Lowry to exhibit such behavior and said, “come on man, we’re losing!” whilst pointing towards the scoreboard.

Several people addressed the teammates’ exchange which went viral and showed concern over it. Although point guard Fred cleared it out and said, “Kyle had his moment with the refs, Serge had his moment with Kyle, and then we moved on, moved past it. It happens – brothers, there’s a lot at stake, a lot on the line. Those types of things are gonna happen, but it wasn’t as bad as it looked.”

What led to the Raptors’ woeful defeat?

Their defense was absolutely horrendous. The Boston Celtics were penetrating into the paint with ease and kept their defense even tighter. We usually see that after a 2-2 tie, the team that wins the fifth game is usually the one who ends up winning the remaining series of the playoffs. With that, all odds are against the Raptors. Do you think they can turn it around?