Is This as Good as It Gets for the Toronto Raptors?

You know it’s been an unusual night for the Toronto Raptors when Bismack Biyombo is the BMOC—the Big Man On the Court.

Thrust once again into Dwane Casey’s starting lineup in place of the injured Jonas Valanciunas, Biyombo came through with 26 rebounds—a franchise record and career high—to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 99-84 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

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Toronto’s second-string center was all over the floor at the Air Canada Centre.

After watching his teammates struggle to keep LeBron James and company out of the lane, Biyombo helped hold the East’s reigning king to nine shots at the rim and the Cavaliers, as a whole, to 20 points in the paint. His rim protection emboldened Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll and the rest of the Raptors’ perimeter defenders to harass Kyrie Irving—who scored 53 points on 59 percent shooting between Games 1 and 2—into a 3-of-19 shooting night.

Of all the stars on hand, it was Biyombo who defended like Dennis Rodman, grabbed boards like Dwight Howard and Hakeem Olajuwon…

Raptors’ Bismack Biyombo ties Rockets’ Dwight Howard (2015) & Hakeem Olajuwon (1988) for most rebounds (26) in a playoff game since 1984.

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 22, 2016

…and wagged his finger like Dikembe Mutombo.

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“It’s big,” DeRozan told ESPN’s Doris Burke of Biyombo’s performance on the broadcast after the game. “He’s a monster down there. He gets us going. He gives us the opportunity to get out in transition and take advantage of it.”

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