May 11, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots and scores a basket as Miami Heat guard Gerald Green (14) tries to defend in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Without Hassan Whiteside, who won’t be available for Game 6, the Heat will once again rely on its super-small lineup of five perimeter players. For starters, the injuries have really started to pile up for both the Heat and Raptors and it’s still unsure who will be in uniform. Who takes the court and how effective they are while playing hurt will play a big factor on whether or not Toronto makes its first Conference Finals in franchise history.
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After struggling to find his shot for the first eleven games of the 2016 National Basketball Association playoffs, DeMar DeRozan seemed to replicate his regular season form in Wednesday night’s Game 5 victory over the Miami Heat, putting up 34 points on 11/22 shooting from the field and 11/11 from the line.
As each went through shooting slumps, Raptors coach Dwane Casey stayed with them even as the criticism mounted.
This is already the longest postseason in Raptors’ history, with Friday marking their 13th game of these playoffs.
For better or worse, how Lowry and DeRozan start is often how they finish games, too. “He’s playing at a level that he’s pretty much played at his whole career”.
Lowry and that same group has continued its excellence in the playoffs, outscoring opponents by 20 points in 29 minutes. Miami has won 11 straight postseason games when scoring 100+ points.
The Raptors are in a different position this year, a rare one for them, in that they are still alive in the playoffs, and also have a potential top-10 pick via the Andrea Bargnani trade with NY. It’s not a one-game season for us.
“It’s going to come back, when, you hope it’s within the series”. DeMarre Carroll played with his left wrist taped – hidden under a wristband – after injuring it on Wednesday night.
And if the Heat are to get a chance to match up with former Miami star LeBron James in the East finals, they need to defy the odds. “Of course, I’m always going to take more on my shoulders”, Wade said. Despite the belief that DeRozan’s shot has been the problem, it is actually his shot selection that is doing the most damage as his shooting percentage from 16 feet or further has maintained his regular season average of 36%. Key injuries will also have a significant impact on Miami’s options entering Game 6. At home this series Wade is averaging 34 points 6 rebounds, 3 assists, shooting 53.1% from the floor and an uncharacteristic 50% from three. That’s not the case, so we’ll see if he can go, and how effective he can be.
The Raptors hung on 99-91 to take a 3-2 series lead.
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Miami was able to shake off elimination in the first round after falling down 3-2 in the series, beating Charlotte on the road and then finishing the job off at home.
