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Raptors at Miami Heat: Game 4 Preview & 3 Keys to victory

By Matthew Allman

May 7, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Gerald Green (14) is pressured by Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) and Toronto Raptors forward Patrick Patterson (54) during the third quarter in game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Gerald Green (14) is pressured by Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) and Toronto Raptors forward Patrick Patterson (54) during the third quarter in game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Kyle Lowry’s awakening, the Toronto Raptors took Game 3 in Miami. Now without Jonas Valanciunas for the series, can the they win again in South Beach?

We have good news and bad news concerning the Toronto Raptors. The good news: Kyle Lowry is back to his All Star self, helping the Toronto Raptors win on Saturday night 95-91 over the Miami Heat. The bad news: Jonas Valanciunas, the Raptors’ best player this postseason and particularly in this series, is out with an ankle sprain and will miss the rest of the Eastern Conference Semis.

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On the up side, Miami also lost centre Hassan Whiteside to an MCL related injury, so the playing field is somewhat even. Even still, the Raptors will need a collective effort to make up what JV brings to the table.

For the second time this postseason, Toronto has a chance to return to Toronto up 3 games to 1. The last time they had that opportunity, they grossly underperformed against the upstart Indiana Pacers who routed them 100-83.  In order to avoid a similar situation, the Raptors must:

  1. Keep Isolation Plays To A Minimum. This one falls on DeMar DeRozan. He has once again gotten away from what makes him effective, and that’s being decisive with the basketball. Over dribbling the ball and taking contested fadeaway jumpers will not work in the playoffs, and the Raptors won’t have JV to bail them out for the remainder of the series. When the Raptors move the ball, good things happen.
  2. Make Dwyane Wade Work. With Raptor killer Joe Johnson struggling, the Raptors must lockdown everyone else and make D Wade work on both offense and defense. He might be a great player, but he’s also an old player. Toronto should play those odds in their favour.
  3. Limit Foolish Turnovers. The Raptors have been good so far taking care of the basketball in this series. However, there are moments where they’ll commit live ball turnovers, leading to what I refer to as the inevitable Miami Heat run. Miami WILL make their run regardless. Toronto CANNOT fuel their run with careless turnovers.
May 5, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) dribbles the ball past Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) and forward Luol Deng (9) in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors won 96-92. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
May 5, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) dribbles the ball past Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) and forward Luol Deng (9) in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors won 96-92. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Prediction:
It’ll be interesting to see which team feels the effects of their starting center more. Toronto has fared well without JV in the lineup for 17 games during the regular season, while Whiteside missed all of nine games this season. Valanciunas is a more dominant offensive player, while Miami’s defense is set up to guide the offensive player into the waiting Whiteside to erase the shot attempt. Advantage Raptors, as this now frees up the lane for their wings to score in the lane with minimal resistance. Expect Kyle Lowry to take full advantage of this and get players like Bismack Biyombo involved.
Projected Score: Toronto wins 98-91

Next: Kyle Lowry Is BACK!

All stats are provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise stated. Matthew Allman is a staff writer for Raptors Rapture. For more coverage on the Toronto Raptors, follow Matthew on Twitter @ShadowRapsFan and also follow @RaptorsRapture for the latest in Raptors news.

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