How do the Miami Heat stack up against the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Playoffs? We get the Raptors perspective.
Looking ahead to Tuesday night’s tip of the Round 2 NBA Playoffs series between the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors, All U Can Heat reached out to Brian Boake, editor of FanSided’s Toronto Raptors site RaptorsRapture.com for a quick Q&A.
Q: After struggling in the first round series against the Pacers, do you think DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry bounce back against the Heat?
A: You have asked the question uppermost on every Raptors’ fan’s mind. The city and country have watched in dismay as our backcourt has shot the ball dreadfully.
There have been whispers since February that Lowry has been masking an injury. More correctly, that an injury to his right elbow is simply not healing because of the demands being place on it, and Lowry has been out of sorts as a result. Even free throws are painful to watch (and may be painful to attempt, though he hasn’t said so).
DeRozan has always been a volume shooter, but the woes of Lowry have placed even more responsibility on DeMar to score. Sadly enough, the opponents know that as well.
I’ll dodge answering, and offer this thought: if our All-Stars don’t get rolling, the Raptors won’t win.
Q: What do you see as the Raptors’ biggest advantage over the Heat this series?
A: The Raptors have enjoyed production from their second unit all year. The Raptors depth has been a revelation, and is a tribute to GM Masai Ujiri. He knew his starting five from last season was solid, and set about in the off-season to strengthen the bench. Cory Joseph’s return to Canada has been a success, and signing Bismack Biyombo for a song was brilliant. He’s been superb off the bench, spurring calls to trade our starting centre, Jonas Valanciunas. Norman Powell was selected #47 in June, and has earned more minutes than our first-round pick, Delon Wright (your man’s younger brother!).
Q: How has Patrick Patterson’s move into the starting lineup transformed this team?
A: Patterson is an unusual player in many ways. He’s very mobile for a big man, and spends a lot of time on the perimeter. That’s where he shoots his high number of long balls, of course, but also where he defends. He will give opposing point guards difficulty, because they aren’t used to someone so long and so mobile bothering the ball.
But he’s not comfortable starting, and has spent most of the season coming off the bench. He is in the starting lineup in the playoffs out of desperation, as Luis Scola shot dreadfully, and couldn’t keep up with the speedy Pacers.
Q: What worries you from a Raptors perspective about the Heat?
A: Dwyane Wade. I saw him as a rookie in his first game in Toronto and was blown away. He has the experience to make any defender look bad.
Hassan Whiteside’s presence in the paint will inhibit DeRozan’s ability to slash to the hoop. That capability is an important arrow in his offensive quiver, and without it, his struggles will continue.
I have a lot of respect for Luol Deng. The Raptors haven’t had a glue guy for years.
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Q: Dwane Casey’s done a heck of a job this season, but Erik Spoelstra has the playoff and championship experience. How do you see the coaching matchup impacting this series?
A: The consensus view of Dwane Casey is that he’s a sound game planner and an excellent defensive coach, but barely average as a tactician. The Raptors lost too many games late to shut up the grumblers, many of whom thought he’d be fired if the Raptors bombed against the Pacers.
Spoelstra has nothing to prove, as those rings on his fingers attest. I’ve always thought he suffers from Thibodeau-itis, so he burns out his top-line players, but I don’t see how you can argue with the results.