Miami Heat at Raptors: Preview & 3 keys to victory
By Brian Boake
The Miami Heat are in Toronto to face the surging Raptors. Can the visitors pull out of their recent funk?
When forecasting a team’s record prior to the start of a new season, I do so on the assumption that all their players will be healthy. An injury-free season for all teams is impossible, of course, but so is trying to guess who is going to be hurt. In the case of the 2015-16 Toronto Raptors, they have been sideswiped by injury but not crippled. By contrast, the Miami Heat, tonight’s opponent at the Air Canada Centre, have been decimated by injuries and their recent record reflects their difficulties.
As of last night, the Heat had two players (Josh McRoberts and Chris Anderson) listed as “Out”, and no fewer than five as “Questionable”. We aren’t talking D-League call-ups here: Dwyane Wade has a shoulder issue, Luol Deng took a thumb in the eye his last game, Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic and Beno Udrih all are suffering from significant muscular issues (that reads like severe fatigue to me). One has to wonder if coach Erik Spoelstra wouldn’t be wise to sit the entire bunch, accept a loss, and pray for better weather. As he well knows, injuries spawn more injuries. Miami has lost 7 of its last 10 matches, including 3 in a row, and has a taxing schedule. Only eight of Miami’s 23 wins have come on the road, yet that’s where they will be spending the bulk of the next 6 weeks.
Under these circumstances, my self-appointed task of suggesting what to look for in this game becomes well-nigh impossible. Here’s a few of my best guesses…Chris Bosh plays a lot of minutes if the Heat is hanging around; otherwise Spoelstra tells him to take a seat…Gerald Green, a talented if wildly erratic swingman, gets angry about a foul call (8 teams in 8+ seasons for this hothead) and gets T’ed up…Justise Winslow, the Heat’s prize rookie, enjoys a solid game…Amar’e Stoudamire tries to gut out another game in his lengthy and injury-riddled career, and almost succeeds.
The Raptors should be able to beat this team even if the Heat are at full strength. Since they are not, the Raptors can almost guarantee a win if they…:
- …run all night. Let’s suppose every one of the intrepid pain-racked Heat-men decide they want to play. All the trainer’s tape, analgesic cream and massages on the planet can’t carry them for 48 minutes. If Jonas Valanciunas can dominate the boards again (Whiteside’s absence would be of enormous benefit) and kick-start the Raptors’ fast break – run, Terrence, run! – Miami will be on fumes at crunch time.
- …tell James Johnson he’s got one job, and that’s to make Bosh’s life miserable. Luis Scola is a wily fellow, but he’s no match for CB4. JJ might be. I doubt he can deny Bosh the ball, but he can certainly body him, and refuse to back down when Bosh turns his back and attempts to penetrate the paint. If Bosh can hit contested jumpers, bully for him.
- …receive meaningful production from the bench once again. I haven’t run the numbers yet, but I’ll wager on those nights when both Patrick Patterson and Terrence Ross score in double figures, the Raptors haven’t lost. Cory Joseph needs to remember he’s got Ross on the floor; CoJo tends to forget about him.
Time to have some fun. Toronto 114 – Miami 88.