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TORONTO — He's no one's idea of a go-to guy. Rasho Nesterovic might never have made anyone say "wow" on a basketball court. But the Toronto Raptors' centre has a way about him that can make his coaches and peers nod in appreciation.
In a game often defined by chaos and spontaneity, where minimizing mistakes is the best anyone can hope for, the veteran Slovenian centre is as reliable as the snow in Southern Ontario this winter. He's always there.
Nesterovic was a presence during the Raptors' 114-106 win over the visiting Seattle SuperSonics in front of a sellout crowd at the Air Canada Centre yesterday afternoon.
It was just the second win for the Raptors in their past six games and improved their record to 34-28. The youthful 'Sonics dropped to 16-47.
Toronto Raptors centre Primoz Brezec goes up for a shot against Seattle Supersonics forward Nick Collison during the first half of their game in Toronto on Sunday. (Mike Cassese/Reuters)
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- Seattle SuperSonics
- Toronto Raptors
- Andrea Bargnani
- Chris Bosh
- Kevin Durant
- T.J. Ford
- Kris Humphries
- Jason Kapono
- Rasho Nesterovic
- Anthony Parker
- Luke Ridnour
- Chris Wilcox
Nesterovic didn't lead the Raptors in scoring, though he did support Anthony Parker's team-leading 23 points with a season-most 17 of his own. Nesterovic didn't lead Toronto in rebounding, though he was one shy of Andrea Bargnani's seven.
Significantly, Nesterovic did lead the team in assists with a career-best six, underlining his adaptability and the faith put in him by Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell.
With opponents loading up to stop the Raptors' high screen-and-roll plays, the team put in some plays that start with the ball in the centre's hands and allow him to pass to open shooters on the perimeter.
It worked well enough that Nesterovic got five assists in the third quarter, a big reason the Raptors gained a 35-21 advantage and turned around the game. They trailed 31-24 after the first quarter and 58-54 at the half.
That the offence is running through Nesterovic, even for short stretches, says a lot about the Raptors' predicament with Chris Bosh injured and a lot about Nesterovic, too.
With Bosh bothered by a sore right knee and no prospect of his immediate return as Toronto sets out on a daunting five-game Western Conference trip, the Raptors have little choice but to go to a more egalitarian approach offensively.
Enter Nesterovic, whom Mitchell didn't even put on the floor in 11 games this season, but who has averaged 11.6 points and 8.2 rebounds a game on 53-per-cent shooting in the five games he's started in Bosh's absence.
"Rasho's been playing well right now since Chris went down," Mitchell said. "His leadership, he communicates on defence, his rebounding, he's stepped up big for us.
"Rasho is a pro," said Mitchell, who was Nesterovic's teammate in Minnesota and who considers "pro" one of the highest compliments he can give. "There were nights early in the season when he did not play, but he would go upstairs after the game to get his workout in. He never complains and is always ready to play. He's a great role model for our younger players."
Nesterovic says that staying ready just makes sense.
"You get paid for that, you know," he said. "It's not a bad job to get so much money for what you like to do. I don't think about if I'm going to play two or 20 or 30 minutes. I never know what's going to happen, who's going to get injured, when they're going to need you. You just try to give something to the team and stay in shape."
Another issue is the performance of the Raptors' second unit, now under the purview of point guard T.J. Ford, who has played unevenly since returning to the team after missing eight weeks with neck problems.
Mitchell praised Ford yesterday for helping spark the second unit when the Raptors were trailing 25-16 after eight minutes in the first quarter.
With Ford pushing the pace, there were some easy baskets for Jason Kapono and Carlos Delfino, while Kris Humphries — 6-for-6 from the floor on the afternoon — found room for offensive rebounds after Ford broke the defence down.
Ford mixed four turnovers with four assists, but Mitchell saw signs of progress.
"We're going to need T.J.," Mitchell said. "His defence was excellent, and when we were down in the first quarter and second quarter, him and [the rest of the second unit] brought us back on energy and moving the ball and defence and we need that from T.J."
