Moments that (kinda) Mattered: Griffin coaching, Boucher's energy, VanVleet finishing

Toronto Raptors coach Adrain Griffin got his first win, Chris Boucher showed high energy and Fred VanVleet's struggles finishing appear against 76ers.

As far as meaningless games go, the Toronto Raptors' 125-121 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday was actually a thoroughly entertaining game.

While it might not have had any impact on the actual standings, there were a few things to take away from the game.

1: Adrian Griffin gets 1st win as NBA coach

It's not just what the Raptors do on the court that makes them one of the NBA's best teams, it's what happens off the court, where the Raptors consistently show that they are among the league's very best franchises.

They showed it once again on Wednesday night when head coach Nick Nurse stepped aside to let assistant coach Adrian Griffin coach his first NBA game.

"I think Coach [Nurse] is an awesome human being," Griffin said prior to the game. "He knows my ambitions and he wants to see me grow as an individual on and off the court. Definitely just an awesome gesture by coach.

"You know, we have a first-class organization for a reason. You start from the top with Masai and Bobby and Coach Nurse. There's a reason why we've had success over the years."

You could tell what the win meant to Griffin after the game. He said it felt like a fairytale.

“You really can’t put it into words. It really touches me," Griffin said. "Honestly for one night, I felt like Cinderella. I had the glass slippers on and it was great. Tomorrow it’s back to reality but it was an awesome feeling.”

It won't be long before the Raptors lose Griffin to a head coaching opportunity elsewhere in the league and that will certainly negatively affect the Raptors, but when up-and-coming assistants are thinking about where to sign, it's gestures like these that make Toronto a top destination.

2: Chris Boucher Block Party

Chris Boucher is playing like he knows there's a roster spot up for grabs next season. 

Whether or not he's right will come down to the Raptors' offseason plans and if they can resign both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka when the season ends. If one of the two bigs departs, it would make a ton of sense for Toronto to bring back Boucher as the team's backup big next season.

On Wednesday, Boucher had a full block party against the 76ers. He came off the bench and provided the kind of energy that the Raptors will need from him if he sees the court in the playoffs.

Late in the third quarter, he tripped in a missed shot from Terence Davis II and then blocked a driving Shake Milton at the other end all within one minute of game time.

"That’s game-changing play, that’s momentum-swinging play," Raptors guard Norman Powell said. "Especially in an environment like this where you don’t have the crowd to feed off of and you only have your teammates and you have a guy like Chris that brings a lot of energy making two big plays like that back-to-back it can really fuel guys, get them going, get them a little more adrenaline, moving faster on the defensive end, making plays. We need those types of plays, especially in this environment, and I’m glad to see not only Chris but a lot of the guys to have an opportunity to play and make those winning plays and that’s what we need more of."

Boucher likely won't see very much if any meaningful action in the playoffs, but if he is called upon for a minute or two here and there, the Raptors are going to need him to be an energy spark with the kind of play he showed against Philadelphia.

3: Fred VanVleet finishing

If there's one thing we've learned in the Raptors' seeding games so far it's that Fred VanVleet is about to get paid this offseason. He's been the team's leading scorer in the bubble averaging 17.8 points per game on 44% shooting and when he hits unrestricted free agency this Autumn, someone is going to pay him a lot.

There is, however, a lingering concern with VanVleet. He's never been particularly good at finishing at the rim. He's shooting just 51.5% inside the restricted area this season, the second-worst mark in the NBA for players who attempt as many shots inside as VanVleet.

It becomes especially evident against bigger teams like Philadelphia. On Wednesday, VanVleet went 2-for-6 in the restricted area and had three of those shots blocked. For the season, he's shooting just 40% in the restricted area in four games against the 76ers.

Though the Raptors are unlikely to play the 76ers again this year, his inconsistent finishing ability could cause Toronto problems in a series against a bigger team like the Milwaukee Bucks.