Heat 94, Raptors 87: Opportunity Wasted
The Toronto Raptors had a chance to win in regulation, but Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat come away with the win in OT.
For the second time in the 2016 NBA Playoffs, the Toronto Raptors throw away an opportunity to go up 3-1 in a playoff series. For the umpteenth time, DeMar DeRozan was ineffective on the court. And without Jonas Valanciunas in the lineup, the Raptors couldn’t find a suitable backup for Bismack Biyombo down low.
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It wasn’t a terribly bad performance for the Raptors in totality. The Miami Heat struck first and led 25-21 after the first quarter and 44-35 at halftime, with Dwyane Wade leading the charge with 15 first half points. DeRozan and Kyle Lowry did not have a good shooting night (again, but more on that later), but the Raptors as a group would storm back in the 3rd quarter to take a 2 point lead into the 4th quarter, led by a strong defensive effort by Cory Joseph, DeMarre Carroll, and Biyombo.
However, Lowry would foul out late in the game, leaving the ball handling duties to Joseph and scoring duties to DeRozan, who had been sitting since the 3:04 mark in the 3rd due to his ineffective play. The Heat would capitalize and tie the game on a Wade layup, sending the game into overtime. Biyombo, who was having a great game, wouldn’t see more than 10 second in overtime. And in a mirror image of Game 1, Toronto would seal their fate off of two turnovers from DeRozan and Terrence Ross.
For more insight, let’s take a look at the keys to the game:
- Keep Isolation Plays To A Minimum. Where do I begin with this one? The Miami Heat have no shot blocking presence with Hassan Whiteside injured. So it really boggles my mind why the Raptors would settle for jump shots. Particularly DeMar DeRozan, who shot 4 of 17 for only 9 points. That CANNOT happen, especially if he’s not going to effect the game in other ways. DeRozan also had 3 rebounds, one free throw made out of 4, 0 assists and 3 turnovers.
There’s a reason why DeRozan sat for over 12 minutes in crunch time: he SUCKED! There’s no use sugar coating it, or making excuses for it. Yes, he is playing with a thumb injury, but if he cannot produce, he should not play, pure and simple. Dwane Casey’s decision to go with DeMar late and sit Biyombo with Kyle Lowry disqualified from play was the main reason the Raptors lost. There has been zero ball movement with DeRozan on the court for most of the this series, and most of the playoffs for that matter. That MUST change and fast! This was an epic fail. - Make Dwyane Wade Work. 30 points off 24 shots, only one foul. Long and the short of it, there isn’t anyone on the Raptors who can slow down Wade right now. So this was a fail.
- Limit Foolish Turnovers. The Raptors only had 14 turnovers, isn’t too bad. But when they’re live turnovers, like the ones from DeRozan and Ross in overtime, they will cost you the game, every single time. Fail supreme.
Once again, the Raptors face a best of 3 with home court back in their favour. Toronto has yet to lose back-to-back games in the postseason and look to continue that trend on Wednesday. I expect Lowry to play well at home. He had a poor shooting night but was able to get 9 assists and play solid defense before fouling out. DeRozan needs to follow suit.
Game 5 tips off on Wednesday, May 11 at 8pm EST at the Air Canada Centre. I’m pulling for a Raptors win.
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.