Toronto Raptors vs. Miami Heat - Series Preview
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Rejoice Raptors fans. They made it. They finally made it to the second round. Sure they put us through hell in the 4th quarter to do it, but they did it in the end. The pressures of past first round exits are now gone, and the Raptors can now play without the worries of seasons past on their minds.
The Miami Heat however, destroyed the Charlotte Hornets in their game 7. Dwyane Wade looks great, Goran Dragic played an incredible game, and Hassan Whiteside dominated the paint defensively. They held the Hornets to 32% shooting including 3-15 shooting from Frank Kamisnky and 3-16 shooting from Kemba Walker.
Now the Heat go to the raucous Air Canada Centre and Jurassic Park to face the Toronto Raptors. The Heat have way more experience in the playoffs, Dwyane Wade has won 3 titles, guys like Joe Johnson and Goran Dragic have been there before as well, and they have probably the most underrated coach in the league Erik Spoelstra. The Heat should be the favorites going into the series because of that.
But, even with all of that experience, I still believe that Toronto is the better team. Although they didn't play like it, Toronto has two all-stars in DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, they have a better bench with Cory Joseph, Bismack Biyombo and the surprise rookie Norman Powell, and they have one of the best home court advantages in the NBA.
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Something that's even bigger than that though, is the monkey the Raptors just got off their back. There's no doubt that you could feel the pressures of the Raptors getting out of the first round just by watching it on TV. Everytime the Pacers made a run you felt, here they go again, here are the same old Raptors we've seen choke in the playoffs the last 2 years. You could see the Raptors were playing tight, and they were extremely nervous. Kyle Lowry had probably the worst 7 game stretch in his entire career, DeMar DeRozan scored 30+ points twice this series but shot under 40% from the series, but looking at the reports from around the club, it's a much lighter mood now that their season isn't considered a failure.
Matchups
Point Guard: Kyle Lowry vs. Goran Dragic
An extremely close matchup. Lowry has extremely underperformed this playoffs, but has had success against the Heat in the past. Dragic isn't the greatest defender so I think that Lowry will be able to get the paint on him and draw some nice drive and kick opportunities. Dragic can also do the same thing on Lowry and he's also one of the best point guards in the league at using screens to his advantage. Edge: Push
Shooting Guard: DeMar DeRozan vs. Dwyane Wade
No question that Wade is the more accomplished player. Wade is one of the best shooting guards in the history of the game, but if Wade was going to guard DeMar in this series, he could get back on track. What's going to help DeRozan in this series is the fact that there isn't anybody on the Heat that is close to being as good a defender as Paul George is. I expect him to be able to get to the line more frequently and be able to get easier shots. Wade I expect to be guarded by DeMarre Carroll, but if he ends up getting Carroll in foul trouble, Wade would be able to use is veteran prowess and possibly have his way with Norman Powell. Edge: Push
Small Forward: DeMarre Carroll vs. Joe Johnson
I would imagine that Carroll will be guarding Dwyane Wade but for the sake of lineups this is how it will shake out. Even though Paul George had a fantastic series scoring the ball, DeMarre Carroll did a pretty good job pestering him throughout the game and getting him frustrated, as you could tell with some of George's post-game comments. Joe Johnson has had previous playoff success against the Raptors back when he was with the Brooklyn Nets and if he plays like he did then, the Raps could be in some trouble. Edge: Push
Power Forward: Patrick Patterson vs. Luol Deng
The Raptors made the right decision making Patrick Patterson the full time starter over Luis Scola. Patterson can stretch the floor better and he can guard 3 different positions. Deng had a couple fantastic games shooting the ball, but you gotta admit that Deng isn't the same athlete as he was a few years ago. Patterson should be able to get some open looks and stay in front of Deng on the other end. Edge: Push
Center: Jonas Valanciunas vs. Hassan Whiteside
This matchup will be the key to the series. Hassan Whiteside was outstanding in the Hornets series dominating the paint and making the Hornets guards weary of driving the lane. Whiteside's greatest strength though, also leads to his greatest weakness. His constant need to block shots on the weak side can leave them vulnerable to dump off passes to Jonas and can also get him into foul trouble. Jonas has played his best basketball this season, but the Raptors still don't feed him the ball nearly enough. He had 0 post up possessions in game 7, and they need to give him a steady dose of touches too keep the team balanced. Edge: Heat
Bench: Cory Joseph, Bismack Biyombo, Norman Powell vs. Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Gerald Green
The Raptors bench is the reason why they ended up winning the series against the Pacers, and it's their one clear advantage in this series. Josh Richardson has been a real nice find for the Heat this year and should continue to produce in this series, and Winslow is a guy that can guard multiple positions and possibly fluster DeRozan if Spoelstra decides to attack him that way (I expect him to do so). However other than those two players, it's hard to see where the Heat will get their bench scoring from. Gerald Green is too inconsistent for my liking and he'll always be at a disadvantage on the defensive end. The Raptors bench needs to keep playing well if they want to win this series. Edge: Raptors
The Air Canada Centre and Jurassic Park will stay loud in this series.
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Who Wins The Series?
This series has 7 games written all over it. The key for the Heat will be the play of Hassan Whiteside. If he's the same intimidating presence he was in the Charlotte series, the Heat should win. The key for the Raptors is the play of their all-star backcourt. They can't expect to win this series if DeRozan and Lowry continue to shoot an abysmal percentage. There's no Paul George type defender in this series so DeMar should be able to get back on track, but I worry about Lowry and if his elbow is hurting him too much to be an effective force on offense. The Raptors also need to do what they can to get Hassan Whiteside in foul trouble. They can use their penetrating guards to draw Whiteside on the weak side, as he's always looking to block a shot. If they can get him out of position and force him to commit dumb fouls, the Raptors will have the edge.In the end, I see the Raptors backcourt getting back into form, and their defense will be able to control their outside shooters for the most part. I also see the Raptors bench staying productive, and exercising the clear advantage they have on that end. And if it gets to a game 7, the crowd of the Air Canada Centre will be able to push them through once again. Prediction: Raptors In 7
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