Miami Heat FA: Remember When Kyle Lowry Torched Them In The 2016 NBA Playoffs?
By Isiah Curry
Miami Heat FA: Kyle Lowry Absolutely Torched In The 2016 NBA Playoffs
After a brutal seven-game first round series against Indiana, the Raptors would advance to the semifinals to take on the Heat, a series which also resulted in as many games. Even though Toronto couldn’t come away victorious in Game 1, a ridiculous half-court buzzer-beater from Lowry capped off a valiant effort to send the game into the overtime period.
The Heat were up 90-87 with 3.3 seconds left in regulation, after Hassan Whiteside had split a pair of free-throws. After Whiteside made the second, Corey Joseph inbounded the ball to Lowry, who took four dribbles before throwing up a high-arcing prayer that went right over the then-rookie forward, Justise Winslow.
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While the Heat still managed to fend off the Raptors in overtime to steal home-court advantage in Game 1, Toronto would ride a sustainable amount of confidence throughout the series. They took advantage of Miami’s lack of depth, with Whiteside missing the final four games due to a sprained right MCL.
Every single time that it felt like they needed to make or have a big play, they made it. Though the cost ultimately was a Kawhi Leonard-DeMar DeRozan swap, you could see the beginnings of what eventually became a title-type core of guys with Kyle Lowry as the head.