NBA 2017 Lookback: Top 10 Games
After the Golden State Warriors added inarguably one of the top 3 players in the league, it was pretty much decided as to who was going to reach the 2017 Finals and who they were going to face.This decision was derided by many as it was expected to take away all the thrill from the regular season as well as the Playoffs.
While that still might have proved to be true, the fans were treated to plenty of exciting games this year that didn't include the Warriors and the Cavs playing each other.
Let us look at the top 10 games of the calendar year 2017 -
#10 Toronto Raptors Vs Chicago Bulls - March 21, 2017
Over the past three seasons, the Toronto Raptors have revived themselves from being a joke of a franchise to being a permanent playoff team and had already been to one Eastern Conference Finals (2016). But even after achieving Playoff success, they still had a black mark - 11 straight losses to the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls were on their way to make it 12 straight as they had a 15-point lead at the end of three quarters with Rondo playing like his old Celtics self. To add to the Raptor’s problems, Serge Ibaka and Robin Lopez both got ejected after exchanging blows.
With Kyle Lowry out, DeMar DeRozan took it upon himself to end the losing streak. DeRozan scored clutch bucket one after another, all the while being guarded by an elite defender in Jimmy Butler. Dwayne Casey went deep into his bench and introduced Pattrick Patterson and P.J. Tucker for defensive purposes who locked down Butler and the Bulls' offense.
After the fight (between Ibaka and Lopez), the Raptors went on a 50-32 run to close out the game and secure a dramatic comeback win to end the streak.