Raptors 95, Heat 91 | Quick Reaction | Boxscore | Preview
First off, a playoff series doesn’t necessarily have to win any awards in the category of aesthetics to provide entertainment. Though after Saturday night, something tells me a few of those mainstream critics who created the “boring” bandwagon are now singing a different tune. What Game 3 lacked in ball movement and execution was made up for with numerous moments of compelling drama.
I get where the narrative stems from, though, as seemingly limitless highs mixed with inexcusable lows have been a continuously frustrating experience throughout the season and into the playoffs. It’s the reason I felt the opening round would go the distance — not to mention feeling unsatisfied with this club finally making the leap into the second round.
That’s not to say you wouldn’t have found me celebrating the Raptors’ Game 7 accomplishment — anybody else call in sick the day after? — but the fact that they didn’t exactly pass the test with flying colors left mixed emotions behind. Particularly when you combine the level of expectations surrounding this team with the concern over what Miami brings to the table. So much so that Round 2 has arguably become the new litmus test on whether or not this season will ultimately be deemed a success.
Would we be better off reminding ourselves that the Raps’ inconsistencies won’t come to an end anytime soon and simply enjoy the ride? WITH THE CONFERENCE FINALS JUST TWO WINS AWAY!, that’s probably the best course of action.
But as always, players and coaches that deserve to be called out should always be held accountable. Luckily, the amount of overall positives (for the most part) to discuss from Game 3 give us a much needed break from harping on the contrary.
Battle of the “Dominant Bigs”
Many were irked by DeRozan stating Jonas Valanciunas has been the most dominant big so far in this series. Personally, I found it refreshing. And that’s not just me searching for something favourable to say about DeMar to cover up yet another one of his discouraging performances — I’ll get to that disappointment in a bit. But much like DeMarre Carroll suggesting Kyle Lowry needed to look himself in the mirror for motivation, don’t we all want candidness? Besides, a club that’s worthy of graduating to the next level shouldn’t be worried about “Poking the bear.”
At times it’s been difficult, but I’ve always tried to stick to my JV-defender guns, even when a substantial portion of this fan base made him their whipping boy. I must admit, however, the notion of Hassan Whiteside patrolling the paint did strike a tremendous amount of fear in what I thought the Raps’ chances of survival would be. Even though I was all-in on the confidence boost, this matchup promised to be a far cry from JV taking advantage of Indiana’s inferior front line.
Well, does that section of the fan base even exist anymore? Valanciunas has not only answered his critics, he’s told them where to shove it. And one could only imagine how much more of statement could have been made if JV hadn’t rolled his ankle in the third quarter attempting to defend a Dwayne Wade drive to the rim. Thankfully, the game-ending injury was met with negative x-rays.
It’s a damn shame considering Whiteside left the game after re-aggrevating his sprained knee a quarter earlier. A record-setting night was likely upon us. My initial reaction (along with countless others I’m sure) to Whiteside’s injury was: THIS SERIES IS OVER IN FIVE! … Though when you see his counterpart go down shortly after, you realize the same could be said from Miami’s standpoint.
The purist in me wants Whiteside on the floor. And the basketball gods are seemingly making sure a fair fight ensues. But the greedy part of me is foaming at the mouth over what the rest of this series could look like if Whiteside had an extended absence and JV was able to bounce right back. Especially what it would mean for the Raps’ perimeter defense. Less attention on Hassan would help bring an end to the Raps’ constant over-helping which leaves too many open looks with too much time to spare.
Strides on closeouts were made last night with Miami shooting a woeful 22 percent from long range but trust in that continuing is few and far between. The overall defensive effort has been a major factor in back-to-back wins (Thank you, William Lou), but with the Cavs posting 20-plus threes in each of their last two games, any opportunity to work on weak links is more than welcome.
It’s no secret that the Raps wouldn’t even be in this this position if it wasn’t for the supporting cast coming to the rescue multiple times over — with JV leading the charge. A chunk of his production has happened organically. Whether it be a second-chance opportunities or simply because of his outrageous effort level. But the tide is shifting in terms of this team involving him much more frequently. Not to mention the quality of his outside shot skyrocketing to a level we’ve never seen before.
And while the praise surrounding the supporting cast remains true entering Game 4, it now needs to be tweaked considering Valanciunas is changing the landscape of who’s who right before our eyes. He’s been the rock holding the mixed bag together.
Which leads to a few notables that can’t be left out:
The Great, The Bad and The Ugly
- Is K-Low Back?! Well, Saturday was sure as hell a step in the right direction. Take your pick: Body language, shooting motion, aggressive drives to the rim, defensive intensity, chilling late-game heroics and A FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE THAT ACTUALLY ENDED UP ABOVE 35 PERCENT! (58). Plenty of his resurgence came with Whiteside sidelined so questions remain as to whether he’ll revert back to being skittish in the lane but this is where that “poking the bear” reference becomes much more applicable. Lowry runs on confidence, so the chances of something resembling a repeat performance on Monday night are promising. Is his late 4th-quarter jumper over Wade still giving you chills? You’re not alone.
- DeMarre Carroll is right on schedule. And making a huge impact in the process. His boxscores may be up and down but, just like Norman Powell you don’t have to put up regular numbers to make regular noise. His clutch spot-up threes made another appearance, his court awareness and pass promotion were present (as usual), and though Joe Johnson got the best of him early on, Carroll’s ability to turn on his defensive switch when the team needs it the most (Game 2’s end of regulation over-help notwithstanding) remains one of this squad’s saving graces.
- Ross’s production off the bench has been a thorn in Miami’s side. And he picked up right where he left off with his new-and-improved aptitude for driving to the rim. Problem is, he’s not returning the favor in the decision-making department — highlighted by two egregious turnovers, both of the carless passing variety. One resulted in a Gerald Green And-1 while the other was saved at the last minute with a crafty defensive play by Lowry on Dragic from behind. With both occurring immediately after a hustle play made by Ross himself, TJ needs to keep his nerves in check.
- As expected, there came a time in the opening round where the need for DeRozan to snap out of his funk was an absolute must. He did deliver — somewhat — kinda sorta — in small doses — but sporadic scoring isn’t going to cut it if Whiteside makes a quick recovery. One of the more discouraging takeaways from Game 3 were the wasted opportunities at attacking the rim when the Heat had no intimidating rim protector to speak of. And at the forefront of the Raps returning to their bad habit of neglecting an obvious advantage was DeMar. At this point, his penchant for midrange fadeaways won’t all of sudden take a drastic turn into something more efficient, but when they take place early in the shot clock with no set rebounders in sight, it creates an illusion of panic that the rest of this team feeds off of.
Last but not least, the takeaway that should start your Sunday morning off right: Whether it’s networks looking for ratings, sports talk radio looking for hours of filler, or simply the mainstream basketball world, all parties involved are praying for a Cavs-Heat matchup (or should I say LeBron vs. Wade). Let’s crash the party, Raps, you got two more to go.
And to every Mom out there, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! Here’s to all your sacrifices and unconditional love being shown the proper gratitude. Today and everyday.
