Game 7 Post-Game Podcast: That All-Time High Feeling | Raptors Republic
Tim Chisholm joins the party as we celebrate the happiest moment in Raptors history, anoint a new GOAT Raptor, and talk about how Richard Jefferson about to be destroyed.
5 notes from Miami Heat’s Game 7 loss to Toronto Raptors | All U Can Heat
1. Rebounding
The Heat battled the Raptors on the boards pretty evenly in its Game 6 win, but couldn’t repeat the performance. The Raptors out-rebounded Miami 50-to-30. The Heat had no answer for Bismack Biyombo, who finished with 16 rebounds to go with 17 points.
It wasn’t as if Miami didn’t box out or crash the boards–they did–but Toronto was simply bigger.
It’s the risk you take when going with the super-small lineup, but it was also the only choice the Heat had.
Sweet vindication: Lowry, Raptors deliver clutch performance in Game 7 | The Defeated
You can still talk about the circumstances, you can point to Lowry and DeRozan’s inefficient shooting, you can gripe about ugly, backward basketball, you can harp on them needing seven games in both rounds, you can say the East sucks, you cite luck or injuries. That’s all fair.
But they’re one of four teams left standing. Say whatever you want, just remember that part. They made it to the conference finals. They did something right.
The worst part of seeing the Raptors struggle was the haunting feeling that this team, as constructed, wasn’t any good. The fear was that they lacked something — elite talent, mental fortitude, top-notch schematics — that made them incapable of elevating their game when it mattered most. And since everyone kept reminding us of their flaws (even after victories) there was no space to feel good about the Raptors.
They won, but that wasn’t changing what anybody thought of this team because of how it happened. The Raptors were a disappointment right until they ran away with Game 7 in the fourth quarter. They stomped on the Heat and asserted their dominance. They reminded everyone what the Raptors were capable of.
Finally, fans can feel happy without disclaimer, can feel proud without a caveat, can feel confidence without discouragement. They’ve finally shed the monkey off their back after winning two rounds.
The final-four Raptors prove they belong: Arthur | Toronto Star
“In training camp I told these guys, the objective is to get to the final four, and once you get there, you try to win the championship,” said longtime Raptors executive Wayne Embry, who has been with the organization since 2004. “You get to the final four you have a chance. Compete for a championship. The pressure’s off now. Go have fun.”
“I make a speech before every game, and this one was just all about our satisfaction,” said forward Patrick Patterson, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, seven offensive. “I had a question for everybody: Are we satisfied with what we’ve done individually and with what we’ve done collectively as a team, how far we’ve come? Do we want more, do we want to go any further, do we want to make history, do we want to keep playing or do we want to go home?”
Nobody will pick them to beat Cleveland: They probably wouldn’t even with Jonas Valanciunas healthy, and he is still limping around on that badly sprained ankle. On paper, it’s a mismatch. But Toronto has a chance to find out.
“I’m not a sentimental person but for this program, from where we started to where we are now, it’s very important,” said head coach Dwane Casey, blinking back tears because of a rogue contact lens. “I think we’ve done everything we set out to do.” He corrected himself, quickly.
“We’re not done yet,” Casey said. “I know what it’s like to win a championship — I’m not saying we can do that — but I think this group is hungry and never say never. I know one thing, our guys will compete.”
From a rousing speech to rebounds, Raptors’ role players bring A-game | Sportsnet.ca
Without Patterson’s game-high seven offensive rebounds, and without Biyombo’s 41 minutes of tenacious paint skirmishing, and without Carroll’s deadly efficient 14 points on five shots, the Raptors aren’t celebrating like they were Sunday evening. They’re on the wrong side of all those questions Patterson asked of them before tip-off.
After the game, talking a mile a minute in front of his locker, Patterson rattled off another series of rapid-fire statements about his team. This time, it was the things they did well; and a list of reasons he thinks they won.
“We came out and we did the things we needed to do in order to get a win: dominating offensively and defensively; talking; communication on the defensive side of the ball; finishing plays with rebounds; establishing our all-stars on the offensive end,” Patterson said. “Collectively putting up a solid effort. Transitions, isolations, pick and rolls, every aspect of the game. Just performing well and carrying out the scouting report.”
That scouting report said the Heat would likely field an uber small lineup again, much like they did in Game 6 when the Raptors weren’t able to exploit their considerable size advantage against that highly effective Miami rotation. It had to be tempting for Raptors head coach Dwane Casey to match Miami’s small group with one of his own. But he stuck with Patterson and Biyombo for almost the entire game, trusting his role players to not let the Heat run rampant in the paint for a second consecutive game.
“It was something I knew that we were going to stick with. And I thought the 20 offensive rebounds were the story tonight,” Casey said. “We didn’t play big in our last game. I thought tonight we played big. If we’re going to do that, you’ve got to make sure you plant your feet in the lane and do what you do. And I thought Bismack and Patrick did that. They won that battle. Tonight, our big guys made them pay.”
Kyle Lowry the star that shines in Game 7: Feschuk | Toronto Star
Sunday’s deliverance didn’t come down to one shot. It didn’t come down to a make-or-miss moment. But it did revert to an NBA truism: The best player on the floor won the game for his team. With Miami’s future Hall of Famer, Dwyane Wade, appearing out of gas at age 34, Lowry was by far the alpha male of the proceedings. Wade conjured just 16 points on an oddly passive 13 field-goal attempts.
And what of the reviews of Lowry’s performance?
“Oh my goodness,” said Wayne Embry, the 79-year-old Raptors senior executive, who, as an NBA champion and a Hall of Famer, has seen his share of elite basketball.
Said Miami point guard Goran Dragic: “Tonight, he was awesome.”
It was hardly a given Lowry had awesomeness, let alone goodness, in him. Back in the regular season, Lowry made 45% of his field-goal attempts in Toronto wins. Heading into Sunday, he’d shot 45% or better in precisely one of Toronto’s 13 playoff games. But on Sunday he shot a stellar 55% — a number that took the pressure off of everyone else on Toronto’s roster. Joseph’s 0-for-8 shooting performance didn’t matter because of it. Neither did the fact that Toronto’s bench, which had been vital to their survival earlier in the playoffs, managed a combined 11 points.
“(Lowry was) shooting the shots he is supposed to shoot,” said DeMarre Carroll, the starting forward who racked up 14 points on a remarkable five shots. “Before, 12 days ago, he wasn’t even looking at the goal. So I told him, if you miss those shots, it’s still a good shot.”
It wasn’t just about his shooting. He made the timely plays all afternoon. When Miami cut Toronto’s lead to six points early in the third quarter, Lowry was central to engineering a run that pushed it to 17 in a matter of a few minutes. He hit Biyombo for a dunk, found Carroll for a fast-break three, set up Biyombo for a layup and made one of his own. Miami got it as close as eight points early in the fourth, but the visitors couldn’t keep up. In a game in which the Raptors dominated the Heat in every aspect — they out-rebounded Maimi 50-30, and out-hustled them all over — Lowry out-all-starred them, too.
Raptors reach new heights, secure celebration 21 years in the making | Sportsnet.ca
In the meantime Lowry, DeRozan, the Raptors and every hardscrabble Raptors fan who dared to believe for the past 21 years are on a ride that’s not over yet.
The Raptors’ all-stars played like all-stars and it was scary for the Heat. The pair combined for 63 points and nearly as many defining plays. They were inspired or inspired all kinds of contributions, big and small, from the rest of head coach Dwane Casey’s decidedly shrunken rotation and results is something that is hard to type if you’ve been around this franchise long enough.
The Toronto Raptors are in the Eastern Conference Final. They will play LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night in Cleveland, which will present another level of problems, but good problems to have.
But for now? For 20,000 at the ACC and hundreds more in the freezing rain outside and a million plus watching at home?
Sunday afternoon was a celebration 21 years in the making and one all the deeper, richer, because it never – not even once – seemed like something that came with a guarantee.
But with four minutes left, Raptors nation, who have survived many cruel and indifferent regimes, allowed themselves to revel in the coming of their basketball spring.
And it was loud.
Little Kyle Lowry comes up big in Game 7 | Toronto Sun
What did Lowry do in Game 7?
Better question: What didn’t do. He scored. He played tough defence on Goram Dragic, who shot 6-for-17 from the field. He had seven rebounds, nine assists in the 41 minutes and 35 seconds he played, ending up with a game-high 35 points.
In those 41-plus minutes, the Raptors outscored the Heat by 31 points. That, by itself, is magnificent.
At the biggest and most important moments of the Raptors season, with the series and season on the line, Lowry was tough and physical and dominant, ending four weeks of performances ranging from spectacular to terrible:
All that time, Lowry kept his public emotions in check. Showed a new side of himself, a more mature side, an inner all-star side, and the little man carried his teammates along for this sensational and sometimes frustrating ride.
And now Cleveland. The mistake on the lake. A city Wayne and Shuster once mused about in one of their bits: “Will all those flying to Cleveland, please report to the desk to explain why.”
The Raptors don’t have to explain anything on Monday. They’re going to try to win a series no one believes they can win.
But they’re here and going there and for a franchise that has never known post-season success before, this is reason to rejoice and celebrate.
“At training camp I told them, ‘Get to the final four.’ That gives you a chance to win a championship,” said Wayne Embry, the senior Raptors advisor and Hall of Fame player and general manager. “If you don’t get to the final four, you can’t win.”
Lowry’s best game during the regular season came against the Cavs, putting on a a terrific mid-season show. That means nothing now except in his mind, he knows he has done it.
Raptors reach ECF for first time in franchise history. | Sports on Earth
In the end, it was Lowry, DeRozan and the Raptors who did just that. The evidence has been mounting throughout the playoffs that Toronto doesn’t have the backcourt to win when it matters. Now, the argument becomes tougher with the team advancing. DeRozan shot just 12-for-29 from the field in Game 7, but his 28 points helped complement Lowry’s performance. All five Raptors starters scored in double digits.
“It was great to hear our home crowd,” DeRozan said. “This organization deserves it. This country deserves it. To see them get to the next step, somewhere they haven’t been.” And then, the Raptors shooting guard cut himself off, and added, “We’re not done.”
“We never doubted Kyle and DeMar,” Dwane Casey said. “They’re our All-Stars and they played like it tonight. They stepped up at the right time, at the right game, at the right place. They carried us all year. You knew deep in your hearts, you believed those guys were going to come around.”
“We understood what was at stake,” DeRozan added. “Once you get into the postseason, it’s about learning. Nothing’s going to be easy. It gets tougher every game. I don’t look at it like we’re getting over the hump. It’s just about battling. Nothing’s going to be pretty, nothing’s going to go the way you want to go.”
Raptors rout Heat, advance to first East final | Toronto Star
It was a watershed moment for an organization that had never tasted success in a seven-game series before this spring. They’ve now beaten the Indiana Pacers in seven games and the Heat in seven, earning some big-time respect.
“When you play this game, once you get into the post-season, it’s about learning nothing is going to be easy, everybody fighting for one goal, it gets tougher every single game,” DeRozan said. “I don’t look at it like getting over a hump, just about battling. Nothing’s going to be pretty, nothing’s going to go the way you want it to go, you’ve just got to go out there and leave everything you’ve got and see what the end result is.”
The Raptors won easily because their best players were tremendous and widely outplayed the best of the Heat. But Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who combined for 63 points, had plenty of help in what seemed like an old-style regular season game for Toronto.
Biyombo had 17 points and 16 rebounds, DeMarre Carroll was efficient on offence and outstanding defensively, Terrence Ross made just enough shots to keep Miami honest and Patrick Patterson had 11 points.
Raptors beat Heat to qualify for the Eastern Conference Final | Toronto Sun
All series long, the Raptors had struggled to score against this Miami defence, never once breaking the 100-point barrier, this from a team that averaged 102.7 for the season.
But in a do-or-die Game 7, the Raptors found their collective stroke, led of course by their all-star point guard, Kyle Lowry, who seemed to be wherever his team needed him all afternoon in a thorough series-clinching win.
Lowry, with 35 points had his most efficient scoring night of the series, going 11-for-20 from the field and, when he wasn’t scoring, he was setting up his teammates with nine assists. He also chipped in with seven rebounds — an area the Raptors simply owned.
His backcourt mate, DeMar DeRozan, wasn’t far behind with a 28-point effort and eight rebounds.
For a pair of guys who struggled through almost all of the first 11 games of this playoff run, both have been mighty huge the past three games.
“I know it’s kind of cliché, but we never doubted Kyle and DeMar,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. “They are our guys, they’re all-stars and I thought they both played like it tonight. Kyle led us. He ended up in foul trouble the other night (in Game 6) and he was going to play 40-plus minutes. Tonight he did.”
Kelly: Things are looking up for the long-suffering Toronto Raptors | The Globe and Mail
New GM Masai Ujiri trimmed away the undermotivated (Andrea Bargnani) and the overpaid (Rudy Gay).
To everyone’s surprise – including Ujiri’s – what remained was a viable team. An honest-to-God, fully functional professional outfit, with stars and all. Maybe the first one in franchise history.
All of a sudden, being a Raptors fan wasn’t a form of civic penance. People wanted to watch this team. More and more of them. TV ratings have quintupled during this playoff run, putting basketball in Hockey Night in Canada territory.
Thousands of people, most of them kids, stood outside the Air Canada Centre on Sunday like penitents in a hailstorm. Just by being there, they made Charles Oakley and all the other sneerers sound foolish.
Even more unexpected than the influx of fans was that people suddenly wanted to play for this team. The moment Kyle Lowry – the overwhelming hero of Game 7 – decided to re-sign with Toronto when he could have gone elsewhere may be the quietest tectonic shift in local sports history.
It took 21 years, but the dream of ’95 has finally arrived. The Toronto Raptors belong amongst the very best in the NBA. They belong, full stop.
All those wrong turns and embarrassing misjudgments seem small right now. All the metaphoric bodies can be carried out of the cellar and buried. There’s no need to hang on to them any more.
Whatever happens from here on is a bonus. Other cities need basketball champions because they already know what that feels like. What the Raptors have provided is just as important to this browbeaten market – a counterpoint to history.
“LeBron is probably one of the best players in the league besides Steph” – Kyle Lowry pic.twitter.com/EE6QF99jJN
— Mayo Highlights (@MayoHighlights) May 16, 2016
Raptors have nothing to lose against Cavaliers | Toronto Sun
In James, the Raptors will get to battle true greatness, the biggest name the team has ever faced in any post-season matchup.
The fact that it arrives in an East final only adds to the allure.
No one gives the Raptors any chance to topple James, but Toronto will be carefree and loose, or at least it should be, with nothing to lose.
James led Cleveland to an NBA final appearance in 2007, getting swept by San Antonio in a one versus five matchup pitting James and an underwhelming group that included Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic, Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
He played in four successive finals in Miami, winning back-to-back championships and once again he led Cleveland back to the NBA’s showcase event last season.
What’s different about this post-season for James, who had to carry the Cavs last year without an injured Kevin Love, who hurt his shoulder in sweeping Boston in the opening round and losing Kyrie Irving in the final against Golden State, is that the Cavs are healthy and rolling.
Cleveland held a practice Sunday following Toronto’s win to prepare for Game 1.
The Cavs haven’t played since May 8.
Five moments from the Raptors’ Game 7 win over Miami | Toronto Star
Ross, Patterson do their part
When he checks into a game, you never really know what you might get from Terrence Ross. The Raptors’ shooting guard had one turnover upon arriving into the game late in the first quarter but made an impact in the second. He pulled up and hit a tough three to get the second quarter going, then stood his ground with Wade steamrolling his way toward him at the basket and came away from it with a steal. He then drove to the bucket for a nice finish for his fourth and fifth points of the game and stayed active on defence, deflecting passes. Patterson had five points and five rebounds as the Raptors held a six-point lead at the half.
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Heat did the most they could with what little was left | Toronto Star
“(The players) didn’t make excuses and feel sorry for themselves. They developed a real grit and toughness out of that. In those circumstances no one ever really put their head down and that allowed us to get to this point — not quite as far as we wanted to go but certainly the guys in that locker room should be proud of this season.”
Wade turned 34 this year, his 13th in the league. Being a win away from his first playoff meeting with good friend and former Heat teammate LeBron James, he is aware of what was left behind in losing.
“All you want is a chance,” he said, after scoring 16 points in Game 7.
“I wish we could have had a 100 per cent chance, a full chance to see what we could do, but with what we have, we fought tooth and nails to get to that goal, to get to the Eastern Conference final.
“For myself and for the guys on this team there’s not always another season so you want to take advantage of the opportunity, but we exhausted all possibilities. We did everything we possibly could to try to get there. Just (in Game 7) Toronto was greater.
“It takes nothing away from what we could accomplish. Hopefully going forward this organization isn’t snakebit like we were the last two years, losing key players.”
Game Rap: Raptors 116, Heat 89 | Toronto Raptors
IT WAS OVER WHEN
Kyle Lowry hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game to put the Raptors ahead by 25 with 3:24 remaining. Both teams pulled the majority of their starters shortly after as Toronto cruised to a 116-89 victory to take the series 4-3 and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It will be the first trip to the conference finals in franchise history.
Raptors crush the Heat in Game 7, 116-89; A nation rejoices in Kyle Lowry | Raptors HQ
It happened. The Raptors crushed the Heat today 116-89 to win Game 7 and launch themselves into the Eastern Conference Finals. There are only four teams left standing in these NBA playoffs and the Raptors, the frustrating, unbelievable, lovable (but frustrating) Raptors are one of them. We made it.
The hero of the game was, as any Torontonian still breathing can tell you, Kyle Lowry. For the game, Lowry finished with 35 points (on 11-of-20 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3), nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals. More than that however, was the timeliness of everything. Lowry made all his usual Lowry plays — the big time charge, the sneaky offensive rebound, the timely pick and roll passes, it was all there, bang on every time.
“The moment and what it means was huge for him,” said coach Dwane Casey. It was easy to see. When the Raptors needed a play, Lowry was on point. When he rested, the team listed until he could return and set things right. It came in flashes for Lowry for most of this post-season, a play or two there, a good quarter or half, a bit of brilliance to assure us the Lowry we know and love is still in there. Well, today, Lowry returned in full force. The Heat had no answer.
By @shellshockartwork #wethenorth #rtz
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Toronto Raptors move on to first conference finals in team history | Miami Herald
It was a bitterly contested series that saw three overtime games, and a slew of injuries to both teams. But the series finale was all Toronto, as the Raptors opened up a 17-point lead in the third quarter and were never really threatened late after leading just 53-47 at the half.
It was a watershed moment for the Raptors, who had never won a best-of-7 playoff series in their history before beating the Indiana Pacers in the opening round to advance to play Miami. Their lone playoff series win in 2001 was a first-round series win over the New York Knicks, but that was a best-of-5.
The Heat’s playoff success in recent years is well documented, so Raptors players were quick to acknowledge that beating the Heat to finally advance past the second round made the accomplishment that much more special.
“They have had a lot of success there,” Lowry said. “They know what it takes to win, so beating them was a big thing for us.
“Hard work, dedication, sticking to the process and just having fun with it — that’s what we did in this series and that was enough to beat a great team.”
Wade, who has been a part of all of Miami’s great moments in the postseason, gave full credit to the Raptors.
“Today, the better team won.” Wade said. “We use no excuses, just like I believe they would have made no excuses. Today, they were the better team.”
Miami Heat’s season ends with 116-89 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 | Hot Hot Hoops
The Heat were visibly frustrated with the officiating several times but the free throw disparity was mostly a by-product of Toronto’s aggressiveness and recognition of the almost-zero rim protection in the absence of Hassan Whiteside.
Though the bitter loss and the lost chance to face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals stings, there is no question that the Heat took a significant step forward by only falling short by one game to reach one of the final four spots in the entire league. All this despite the loss of Chris Bosh in the middle of the season for a second year in a row is an accomplishment in and of itself, but young players such as rookies Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson also soaked in valuable playoff experience.
Overall, the impressive finish to the season will only further boost Miami as a premiere free agent destination, with the promise to a key free agent that they can be the missing piece for the team to once again become a true title contender. Important questions remain such as the future of Whiteside in addition to Bosh and how much money Wade will command as he re-negotiates a new contract. For now, the Heat will need some time to absorb this heavy loss, but it will be right back to work very soon in a critical offseason for this franchise.
The 6ix’s son #heart #wethenorth #rtz
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Post-Game Report Card: Raptors beat the Heat, advance to East finals | Raptors Cage
Rebounding: A+
The Raptors outrebounded the Heat 50-30 on the afternoon doing exactly what everyone expected them to do. As soon as Hassan Whiteside went down the Miami Heat were in trouble as there was no one on their team who could consistently be a force on the glass. The Raptors on the other hand were well prepared as Biyombo stepped in with 16 boards as well as Patrick Patterson who had 11 himself.
Toronto Exorcised Their Ghosts And Demons | Hoops Addict
The heart of the team took some time to soak in all the adversity he and the team have gone through so far in the playoffs.
“The things we had been through this year and how hard we’ve worked,” Lowry told an inquisitive journalist after the game. “It was kind of an emotional time to be able to sit there, relax and kind of breathe. Enjoy not having to go to overtime. Miami had pushed us to the limit so it was a time to relax and think about the things that we’ve done and what we have to continue to do.”
It’s been easy for fans and some members of the media to rip on Lowry and DeRozan for their struggles in the postseason.
One person who has adamantly stood by the all-star backcourt is their head coach.
“Again, they are our guys,” Casey told me after the win tonight. “They carried us all season. There were some moments were I thought, ‘Golly, are they ever going to make a shot?’ But you knew deep in your heart and you believed that those guys would come around. You aren’t going to forget how to score. I’ve been in this thing a long, long time, and I’ve never seen a scorer forget how to score. They may have a bad couple of games or weeks, but it’s always going to come back around. It’s like riding a bike. They had two or three monster games to close out this series and hopefully they can keep it going offensively and don’t forget about the defensive end.”
Now that Toronto has advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, maybe it’s time to soak in what this franchise, coaching staff and players have done.
Game 7 point differential flow; Raptors play a full 48 and win convincingly #wethenorth #rtz
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HQ Overtime Post-Game Show: Let’s talk about franchise history | Raptors HQ
Behind one of the best games of Kyle Lowry’s career, the Raptors followed their leader to a decisive 116-89 win over the Heat in Game 7. I’m joined by Justin Rowan (@Cavsanada), writer for Fear the Sword and Hoops Habit, to discuss the moment for this franchise, Lowry’s impact in this series and the next, and do our best to set up the Eastern Conference Finals (!!)
Raptors finally showed what they’re capable of | TSN
They looked the part of a team that was digging deep, that wanted it more. A lot of things had to come together for the Raptors to get it done – DeRozan poured in 28 points, Biyombo and Patterson were spectacular, DeMarre Carroll stepped up on both ends and even Terrence Ross hit some big shots – but, in most cases, when Lowry is the best player on the court by as much as he was Sunday, they’re going to be the winning team.
A month ago the franchise and many of its current players had never won a best-of-seven playoff series, now they have two under their belt as they get set to face the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers, just four wins away from the NBA Finals.
Nobody believes they have a chance at getting there, and to be clear they probably don’t, but regardless of what happens from here we can say, unequivocally, this is the best Raptors season, and the best Raptors team ever. That’s no small feat.
“I’m not a sentimental person,” head coach Dwane Casey said following the win. “But for this program, from where we started to where we are now, it’s very important. I think we’ve done everything we set out to do.”
“We’re not done yet,” he continued, with some clarification. “I know what it’s like to win a championship – I’m not saying we can do that – but I think this group is hungry, and never say never. I know one thing, our guys will compete, that’s all you ask at this time of year, guys play hard, lay it on the line for 48 minutes no matter who is in the game.”
“Personally it’s rewarding to see but again, we have another series to go in the Eastern Conference.”
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Toronto takes Game 7 behind Kyle Lowry, moves to the East finals | Ball Don’t Lie
The Raptors just had all the answers. And, for once, that streak of confidence while working at home.
Dwyane Wade again surprised in making 2-4 from behind the three-point line (netting him 12 on the postseason … or, “12 more than he made from Dec. 16 until April 29”) but Toronto defender DeMarre Carroll stayed far away from the future Hall of Famer on the perimeter when Wade didn’t have the ball – clogging the lane should any Miami teammate attempt to drive, long enough to get back should someone kick out to the future Hall of Famer.
Miami may have gone smaller, but they certainly weren’t any faster to where they needed to be on both ends, and the Heat’s mix of young and old could just not balance things out. Meanwhile, Toronto’s group of in-prime veterans finally found the right source of inspiration – fear of an at-home embarrassment for the third straight postseason.
The good news is that Toronto will get to visit that home court crowd again on Saturday. The bad news between now and then is that they’ll have to play the Cleveland Cavaliers, heretofore undefeated in the postseason, twice in Games 1 and 2.
The best news, overall? The Toronto Raptors have made it to the Eastern finals. Finally.
With pressure on, Kyle Lowry carries Raptors to the conference finals | ESPN
Now, they’ve bested Dwyane Wade and the Heat as well.
It certainly has been a bumpy ride to get to this point. Just ask embattled coach Dwane Casey, GM Masai Ujiri, Lowry or DeRozan.
The scrutiny has come with the ups and downs, but somehow the Raptors have been able to go where they’ve never gone before.
Even better: For once, they made it easy on themselves, outscoring the Heat 30-11 in the fourth quarter and leading by as many as 28. The key stat was the rebounding column, which Toronto dominated by a margin of 20.
“It’s very important for our program,” Casey said. “I think we’ve done everything we’ve set out to do, but we’re not done yet. I know what it’s like to win a championship. I’m not saying we can do that, but I think this group is hungry and never say never. I know one thing: Our guys will compete.”
Lowry and DeRozan (28 points) closed the series by scoring 59 points combined in Game 5, 59 in Game 6 and a career postseason-high 63 in Game 7.
Raptors Cool The Heat In Big Game 7 Win | Today’s Fastbreak
IT’S NOT EASY BEING SMALL
To truly understand how this series turned without Heat center Hassan Whiteside and Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas, one must take a trip down memory lane, preferably back to early childhood days.
As Stephanie Pierre once wrote about Big Bird and Elmo, sometimes it’s not easy being big, and sometimes it’s not easy being small — but sometimes, it is.
While she described more trivial downfalls, like Elmo not being big enough to throw a football or Big Bird not being small enough to ride a tricycle — which, while we’re on it, is pretty darn stupid considering…you know what, never mind — those overall points are relatable to the last two games of this series.
For Miami in Game 6, it was fun being small, starting rookie Justise Winslow and Luol Deng up front instead of traditional bigs. Being small meant getting to run, push harder and switch more on the perimeter. It also meant taking a Toronto big a step or two away from the paint and making them a little uncomfortable.
In Game 7, however, it was difficult for Miami to be small and, conversely, easy for the Raptors to be big. Toronto was able to pound the ball inside, shield off the paint with their size and length, and control the glass on both ends of the floor. With those advantages, Toronto was able to control the pace and stifle Miami in the half court.
Without the Heat being able to run and get into their offense early, they had to grind. And if that didn’t work, that meant long misses and opportunities for Toronto to take advantage of. If the Raptors missed, it didn’t seem to matter much because their 20 offensive rebounds gave them plenty of mulligans.
So, while Winslow (14 points, eight rebounds, two steals, two blocks) played well overall, and Deng (12 points, three blocks) looked a little more like himself early on, they had no answer for Patrick Patterson (11 points, 11 rebounds) or Bismack Biyombo (17 points, 16 rebounds), who combined for 13 — 13! — offensive rebounds:
Raptors rout Heat, head to East finals | USA Today
Even though they struggled offensively in the playoffs, Casey never lost faith in his stars – both a little beat up – even when it was suggested he find more minutes for Cory Joseph and Terrence Ross.
“We never doubted Kyle and DeMar,” Casey said. “They’re our guys. They’re All-Stars, and I thought they both played like it tonight. They both stepped up and carried us.”
Casey lived with the adage: dance with who brought you to the party.
DeRozan had 11 points in the first quarter, Lowry 12 in the second, DeRozan with 11 and Lowry with 12 in the third. A DeRozan jumper followed by a Lowry three-pointer made it 111-86 with 3:24 left in the fourth quarter.
They scored 63 of Toronto’s points. The Raptors had too much for the Heat, who were without Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh and didn’t have enough offense after Dwyane Wade. Heat Erik Spoelstra explored creative lineups, searching for a combination that could scratch out a win. He found it three times.
He couldn’t find it for a fourth time in Game 7. Not with Lowry and DeRozan putting together All-Star performances.
Raptors 116 – Miami Heat 89: Movin’ on up! | Raptors Rapture
The Heat were one & done throughout the game, with Toronto dominating the defensive boards. Our team could survive Jonas Valanciunas’ ankle injury, but Miami never found anyone who could challenge our guys on the glass as the series progressed. Amar’e Stoudemire, years ago a dominant rebounder, lost his coach’s confidence several games ago, and never got off the bench in this one.
Patrick Patterson’s long-distance shooting slump continued, as he misfired on 4 attempts. But he more than compensated, attaining a double-double of 11 and 11. He made Miami pay for fouling him, draining all 7 tries.
Even Terrence Ross got into the act. He swished 2 of 4 from distance, and made a pair of clever steals.
Once the Raptors lead was unassailable, coach Dwane Casey emptied the bench, giving everyone but Luis Scola some run. This move also provided the fans a chance to express their appreciation to the starters, in particular Lowry, who received much love as he sat down.
Kyle Lowry Scored 35 Points In Game 7 As Raptors Beat Heat | Uproxx
The Raptors dominated the offensive boards 20-7, as they were finally able to exploit one of the main pitfalls of the Heat’s super-small lineup that featured Justise Winslow at the five. Despite having six players in double-digit scoring – led by Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic, who had 16 points apiece – the Heat weren’t able to get it done in Game 7.
Joe Johnson, who’s been in a cryogenic freeze for most of the postseason, finally thawed out a bit in the first half, scoring six straight points for the Heat at one point in the second quarter to help them take the lead. But that would prove to be short-lived as he was rendered mostly a nonentity down the stretch.
Things got chippy midway through the fourth quarter as Toronto started pulling away. Josh McRoberts and Biyombo got tangled up on a play that sent McRoberts to the floor, then McRoberts immediately retaliated on Biymobo with a hard foul at the rim that the refs eventually deemed a Flagrant 1. Cooler heads would prevail, however.
With the lead nearly pushed to 20 late in the fourth, the Heat turned to the Hack-a-Biyombo strategy, but it was ultimately too-little-too-late. The Raptors will now move on to a much-anticipated showdown with the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers, which will tip-off Tuesday on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Reports Of The Toronto Raptors’ Extinction Greatly Exaggerated | The Runner Sports
As a Toronto Raptors fan that lives in the United States, I don’t know how the sports news is up in Canada. I know that down here the team has never really got the coverage it deserves with the possible exception of the Vince Carter era. Just look at the coverage of this series against the Miami Heat as a prime example. They spent most of their time talking about Dwyane Wade and a possible matchup against LeBron James instead of talking about the team that was the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference this year. Many of the Raptors’ first-round games against the Indiana Pacers were pushed to NBATV instead of TNT or ESPN. Not to get all Rodney Dangerfield on everyone about how we’re not getting any respect, but this was obviously not the script that the networks were hoping the playoffs would follow.
Series Preview: Weary Raptors face challenge from rested Cavaliers | NBA.com
The Raptors will win if …
Lowry and DeRozan play like the All-Stars they were this season — and the ones who put the Heat away in Game 7. They combined for 63 of Toronto’s 116 points and 49 of its 85 field-goal attempts in the clincher and will have to play similarly outsized roles against the Cavs. They’re shooting a combined 36 percent, however, the source of their inconsistency through two rounds and the Raptors’ need for the maximum 14 games.
Bismack Biyombo was a revelation against Miami, a 5.5 points-per-game guy reaching double figures three times in the series, including his 17 points and 16 rebounds in the finale. But Cleveland won’t be as vulnerable in the middle as Miami was once Hassan Whiteside went down. In fact, the Cavs can throw multiple looks at Biyombo or any other Toronto bigs, starting with Thompson but continuing through Love, Frye, lumbering Timofey Mozgov or even James. Jonas Valunciunas was averaging 4.4 offensive rebounds before he sprained his right ankle. Biyombo is at 2.7 heading into this round. Those second and third opportunities will be vital the way the Raptors’ main gunners shoot.
Toronto has been in need of frontcourt scoring ever since Valunciunas went down. If Carroll is too busy chasing James, some offensive punch seems mandatory from Cory Joseph, Terrence Ross and/or Norman Powell. They combined for 24.0 points in the regular season compared to 20.3 in the playoffs, and all three are lugging negatives in plus/minus through the 14 games.
That puts Irving in the spotlight — an intriguing matchup between two of the best points guards in the East.
“It’s always great to go against another great point guard and All-Star in our league,” Irving said of Lowry. “He does a tremendous job of leading their team. I have to do a great job of keeping my body in front of him, making it difficult and forcing him into tough shots. He’s a great player so I’m looking forward to the matchup.”
Irving has been up to the challenge in the first two series. First, it was Detroit’s Reggie Jackson, who was frustrated by the Cavs’ defensive plan during the sweep. Then came Atlanta’s ultra-quick duo of Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder.
But Lowry is different, the best of the group, a bulldog who scraps on defense, plows into the paint and delivers daggers from the outside.
And even though the Cavs downplayed the significance, Lowry — a two-time All-Star — has dismantled them this season, averaging 31.0 points on 33-of-50 (66 percent) from the field, including 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) from three-point range to go with 8.3 assists in the three meetings.
In the most recent contest, the 30-year-old lead guard scored a career-high 43 points, including the game-winning jumper, to give the Raptors a 99-97 win.
That February night, Irving scored just 10 points on 4-of-11 from the field. He was left dizzy on defense.
“Just talk about taking the one on one challenge defensively,” Lue said of the approach against the Raptors. “I think DeRozan and Lowry are playing at a high level the last couple games and they really feel good, they’re feeling confident. We got to take the one on one challenge but knowing it’s going to be a team defensive plan.”
Do the Toronto Raptors Have a Prayer Against the Cleveland Cavaliers? | Bleacher Report
The Case for the Raptors
If the Raptors can somehow bottle up what they found in Sunday’s Game 7—the superstar version of Lowry, the aggressive DeRozan, the spacing around the stars, the turbo-charged Bismack Biyombo—and haul it to the next round, they could at least cause some uncomfortable moments in Cleveland.
This stage shouldn’t be an issue for Toronto. Yes, the Raptors entered the playoffs with the yips after back-to-back first-round exits. Their opening series was rarely pretty. But they showed this core can survive and advance.
“Going through the Indiana series helped them tremendously as far as getting through [the nerves],” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said prior to Game 7, per CBS Sports’ James Herbert. “Now, it’s about just playing basketball, getting it done on the court.”
Focus solely on basketball, and one thing becomes instantly clear—the Raptors are the second-best team on that side of the bracket. Among East teams, only Cleveland topped Toronto in wins (57 to 56) and net efficiency rating (plus-5.8 to plus-4.3).
In three head-to-head matchups, the Raptors actually emerged victorious twice.
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