The Toronto Raptors aren't counting on James Johnson for offense. They brought him back to Canada this summer because they needed a big, tough, physical and versatile perimeter defender who could match up with the Joe Johnsons of the world after the Brooklyn Nets star victimized the Raps' reedy wings en route to a first-round playoff series victory. But the 6-foot-9, 250-pound swingman can bring his athleticism to bear on the offensive end ... and late in a Sunday rout of the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, Johnson brought it to bear all over the chest, head, face and essence of Sixers forward Brandon Davies:
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My goodness. That's a bit of ultraviolence befitting a man nicknamed "Bloodsport," and it joins James Ennis-on-Rasual Butler, James Harden-on-Aron Baynes, DeMar DeRozan-on-Kelly Olynyk and DeAndre Jordan-on-Rudy Gobert in the conversation for Dunk Of The Season So Far.
Johnson finished with eight points on 4-for-5 shooting to go with four rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 21 minutes of play on Sunday, continuing his strong start to his second stint in Toronto. His full-frontal throwdown drew a round of applause, plus some sympathy for Davies' plight, from this Raptors fan (via @cjzero):
... and quite a bit of excitement from this other Raptors fan/official ambassador:
... who looked awful familiar to at least a few folks watching the game:
Drake was clearly thrilled by Johnson's throwdown, which is good. I'd hate to see him depressed. No reason for Aubrey to get blue. (By the way, the countdown to the Raps' "Elder Statesman Drake Glasses" promotional giveaway has officially begun.)
Drizzy was far from the only Toronto backer thrilled beyond the pale by Sunday's light-work victory, a 120-88 blowout that, coupled with the Los Angeles Lakers' fast-breaking win over the Charlotte Hornets, left the 76ers as the league's last winless team. Raps fans far and wide celebrated the drubbing, which saw DeMar DeRozan lead six Raptors in double-figures with 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including this honey of a whirling-dervish, 360-degree layup deuce:
"Everybody got excited about the dunks and all that," head coach Dwane Casey said after the game, according to Ian Harrison of The Associated Press. "I was more excited about some of our execution, defensively and offensively. That's the most important thing, more so than the final score."
And when it comes to the important things, Casey's got plenty to be excited about these days. With the win, the Raptors improved to 6-1 on the season, giving them sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference for the first time in the franchise's 20-year history. Toronto ranks third in the NBA in offensive efficiency (scoring an average 109.4 points per 100 possessions) and seventh in defensive efficiency (allowing 99.9 points per 100 possessions); only the Houston Rockets (+12.5 points-per-100) and Golden State Warriors (+10.8-per-100) are outscoring the opposition by a larger margin, according to NBA.com's stat tool.
Such statistical measurements are notoriously noisy at this early stage of the season. But while per-possession rankings might fluctuate, Casey's counting on the Raptors' professional, workmanlike approach — do what you're supposed to do, don't let a depressing also-ran like Philly start thinking it can win, take care of your home court and keep pounding that boulder — to stay steady.
"The most important thing is developing a consistent personality," Casey said after the game.
It's an extension of the philosophy that guided the Raptors' offseason. Hold on to star point guard Kyle Lowry. Hold on to key frontcourt reserve Patrick Patterson. Hold on to top-flight backup point man Greivis Vasquez. Trust your coaching staff to coax more internal development out of the likes of Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross. Double-down on the chemistry and cohesion that led to an Atlantic Division title. Believe in what you've already built, and don't stop building.
The Raptors kept doing what they do, and after a summer that saw the East's power structure turned upside down, they're finding consistency (not chaos) to be their ladder to the top of the conference.
"We’ve been [trying] to put our foot on people’s necks when we get a lead and not give them any hope," DeRozan said after the game, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. "We didn’t let up, at no point."
A soul-crushing posterization delivered with a 39-point lead and 2:35 remaining seems like a pretty clear example of that, and a pretty clear sign thrown up to the rest of the East: The Raptors aren't going to stop themselves. You're going to have to do it. And if you're not up to the challenge, they're going to run straight through you.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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