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DeRozan’s thumb fine, Whiteside limited but playing, and other shootaround notes

Click for details on Hassan Whiteside's breakfast.

The Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat shot around at the Air Canada Centre ahead of Game 2, and they said very, very little. What’s to be said, really? Even with the quick turnaround between games, all of the storylines are well established: Kyle Lowry is struggling, Dwyane Wade is O.G., and the Raptors keep getting themselves in 1-0 holes.

Why, on the latter point?

“I don’t know. I think we just like drama for some reason,” DeMar DeRozan hypothesized.

Well, Ok then. I’m going to head out to create some off-court drama for the team so that it’s drama-free between the lines. Maybe I’ll talk to Bebe. Anyway, here are some notes and quotes.

DeRozan’s thumb is fine

It went mostly unnoticed at the time, but DeRozan’s thumb bent in a pretty uncomfortable looking way while fighting for a loose ball with Wade in Game 1.


“Oh, you seen that?” DeRozan said, surprised anyone noticed. “It’s alright. Fingers always getting jammed, hit, it happens. It’s all a part of the game. But it’s alright.”

DeRozan didn’t have the thumb wrapped or taped or anything like that after shootaround. This is probably nothing, just the usual nicks and scrapes of the grind.

PB&J for breakfast

Hassan Whiteside was limited at shootaround but assured us that his knee is game-ready for tonight. How? Did he jump, run, do anything?

“Breakfast, that’s about it,” he said. “Peanut butter and jelly bagel. Y’all should try it.”

Despite the shootaround limitations, he’s pretty adamant he’s playing.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said.

He also revealed he hasn’t been healthy since Game 3 of the Hornets series. He’s playing pretty well, considering.

SAVE.US.YTJ

DeRozan revealed after Game 1 that the team’s final play – the one on which DeRozan lost a crossover thanks to Wade – was designed for a Terrence Ross corner three. Down three and with Lowry not shooting well, Ross becomes the team’s best long-range weapon, having hit 38.6 percent of his threes this season and 37.7 percent for his career. Ross also seems unflappable, never getting too high or too low (for better or worse), and the chance to hit a huge game-tying shot didn’t faze him much.

“It’s good,” Ross said. “It just gives you more motivation to shoot. And it kind of puts a pep in your step to be ready, be professional, and just go out there and handle business.”

It’s an interesting turn for Ross, who appeared on the fringes of the rotation by the end of the first round, to be in that position. Norman Powell carved out a lot of backup wing minutes, but with Powell now in the starting lineup and Luis Scola out of the rotation, Ross is back in his normal spot as the first wing off the bench. Against a team that packs the paint like the Heat, Ross’ gravitational pull is a big asset – opponents respect the threat of Ross spotting up more than any other player on the roster, opening up space inside for Lowry and DeRozan and forcing the Heat into tough decisions off the ball.

“I feel like that’s just been my role throughout the year. Space the floor, create opportunities for DeMar and them,” Ross said. “And then take open opportunity threes. That’s just what I’ve been doing the entire year.”

Ross and Joans Valanciunas were the most effective Raptors at the offensive end in Game 1, and if Ross can bring it on defense, he stands to be a factor in this series.

Casey-Spoelstra matchup of two longest-tenured East coaches

The Indiana Pacers opted not to offer Frank Vogel a new contract, a nice way of saying he’s been let go. That’s a tough break for a coach I think is pretty solid, at least at the defensive end of the floor, and did mostly a good job against the Raptors in round one. His counterpart agrees.

“It’s unfortunate that that happened. That’s our business. It’s tough. I texted him yesterday, told him hang in there,” Casey said. “You hate to see another coach lose their profession, lose their job…That’s a crappy part of the thing. He’ll land on his feet. He’s a good coach, he’s an excellent coach.”

Vogel’s removal makes this matchup between Casey and Erik Spoelstra a battle between the two longest-tenured coaches in the East. Casey was given the job in June of 2011, while Spoelstra got the job in January of 2011 on an interim basis and in July of that year for good.

“Feel good? We’re playing against each other, so that’s good. We’re still playing, and it’s May, so that makes you feel good,” Casey said.


Rick Carlisle and Gregg Popovich are the only West coaches with more seniority than Casey.

Assorted

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