It was a performance that turned back the clock. Before Wednesday’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final in Milwaukee, it had been three years since Kyle Lowry exploded with a 30-point performance in a playoff game.
He had five of them during that epic spring of 2016, including a 35-point Game 7 gem against the Miami Heat that will always be remembered as a watershed moment for Lowry and longtime running mate DeMar DeRozan. That game, which sent Lowry and DeRozan to their franchise’s first Eastern Conference final, momentarily lessened the baggage of their reputation for playoff underachievement, even if LeBron James would soon enough heap the duo with plenty more.