DeMar DeRozan hits clutch gamewinner in Madison Square Garden (Video)

DeMar DeRozan stepped up on the biggest stage to win it for the Toronto Raptors in Madison Square Garden Monday night.

DeMar DeRozan found out today he had become the Toronto Raptors’ most important player. Kyle Lowry will be out for an indefinite period of time with a wrist injury, leaving DeRozan to step up as the second star. He’s doing pretty well with it so far after a huge game in Madison Square Garden.

It’s almost a rite of passage at this point that stars have big moments against the New York Knicks in New York. MSG is one of the iconic arenas in the NBA and when stars have big moments there, they just mean a little more.

Why that is, when the Knicks have been a dysfunctional mess the last decade plus, has been lost to time.

Luckily, traditions need no rhyme or reason to them and DeRozan just took part in that tradition with this huge fade away game-winner.

DeRozan got the switch on the inbounds play and was left with a smaller Derrick Rose on him. His eyes probably lit up seeing a poor defender guarding him so DeRozan used his superior height to post Rose up immediately.

This was a smart move, because the Knicks had a foul to give and DeRozan was essentially forcing them to use it here. Once the clock reached a certain point he was able to shoot without concern of being fouled before the shot.

DeRozan made great use of his size and the clock to get the shot he wanted. A turnaround fadeaway might be difficult for most NBA players, but for DeRozan that’s just another shot in his arsenal that he can bring out when needed.

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These are the types of shots stars go to when time is winding down and they need a bucket. Lowry might be out until the playoffs, but Raptors fans can rest easy knowing they have DeRozan.