Gameday: Heat @ Raptors, Apr. 3

The return of the Greatest Raptor of All Time. Kyle Lowry will grace the floor of Scotiabank Arena, for the first time in over 10 years, as an opposing player. The arena was the Air Canada Centre, Kyle Lowry was embroiled in a gridlock of personalities with Kevin McHale, and he posted a tidy 16 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. Some in the Raptors front office were pushing hard for the Raptors to pursue Lowry. They claimed he was a top-10 point guard waiting to happen. With the Raptors? He became top-5 at his position, the greatest player in franchise history, and a champion. This is a homecoming.

Aside from all the romance of Lowry’s return, (of which there will be many great pieces written) there’s a game to be won, and the Raptors are still chasing home court advantage in the playoffs. As unlikely as home court advantage may seem, so did the 5th seed. In February the Raptors were as far back as 9th, and the Bulls were as far forward as the #1 seed – things have changed. The Heat are now the #1 seed, and the Raptors are in hot pursuit of  their 6th win in a row.

On it’s face, this is a really strong matchup for the Raptors as far as punching up goes. The Heat rely on a lot of subtle screen work to generate their advantages, but the switchy Raptors are uniquely equipped to switch across a host of different looks without suffering the consequences that many other teams face. On the other side? The Heat go to great lengths rotating and guarding intelligently to cover for their weaker defenders, but there’s no doubt that Max Strus, Duncan Robinson, and Gabe Vincent are going to get picked on as often as possible. The question is: how often will Lowry?

One of Lowry’s claims to fame is his stout post defense at such a small size. However, between Siakam, Barnes, and OG, you’re looking at a combination of 3 players that are really tough to stop on mismatches. Who scores the first on the GROAT? How early in the game does it come? And, how many possessions does Lowry manage to win? VanVleet is also 3 made three pointers away from claiming the Raptors season record. A record currently held by Lowry. So, there’s a real chance that we get a passing the torch moment.

More than anything, we’re all tuning in to see Lowry embraced by the fans. We’re going to see some tears, and he might even say some meaningful words. It’s a chance to celebrate him, and the Raptors are going to try and win a game at the same time. Appointment viewing.