But that monster moment soon evaporated, as Miami proceeded to a 102-96 overtime win and a 1-0 series lead behind a 26-point night from Dragic and 24 from Dwyane Wade.
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Toronto Raptors’ Jonas Valanciunas defends as Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade (3) shoots during the second half in Game 1 of a second-round NBA basketball playoff series, Tuesday, May 3, 2016 in Toronto. Normally one of the Raptors’ most reliable players, Lowry entered Tuesday’s game having shot 31.6 percent on field goals in the playoffs.
Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry hits a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
During the regular season, Lowry averaged 21.2 points per game on 42.7 percent shooting, including a career-high 38.8 percent from 3-point range.
“Game 1, you’ve got to be on point”, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. Miamis trip to the second round was secured a bit more easily, as the Heat rolled past Charlotte by 33 points the fifth-largest margin in Game 7 history.
“We need his scoring, we need his shooting until Kyle gets his jump shot going again“, Casey said of Ross. “To get out of this next series, I have to shoot the ball better”. The Raptors turned it over 15 times, leading to 16 Miami points, while the Heat had 20 turnovers, leading to 22 Raptors points. With Lowry not looking for his shot, Toronto’s available options on the offensive end dwindle, especially in late-game situations.
Toronto will have to be mindful about controlling the boards against one of the league’s best rebounders in Hassan Whiteside.
Point guard Goran Dragic was the main contributor for his team that led Miami to advance to the next round. Terrence Ross came off the bench and poured in 19 and Cory Joseph was his usual steady hand with 10.
The Toronto Raptors are getting more attention from Canadian television viewers, but are still struggling to compete with hockey and baseball. It will be interesting to see if the Toronto’s advantage over the regular season holds true to form in the playoffs or if Miami’s superior postseason experience plays a factor.
There isn’t much to split the sides here, but Toronto had the goods during the season series, and with that first-round pressure off they should get the job done at home. Then Lowry launched the shot of the night to extend into five minutes of overtime. However, Johnson has found the fountain of youth since joining Miami and has taken his and their game to another level. Lowry looked passive, afraid to shoot and except for little Lowry plays here and there (fewer and farer between than against Indiana), he had nearly zero effect on the game.
It did not have a significant effect offensively, though, as Powell was bottled up and not left free for corner threes and Patterson was ineffective back with the second unit. We have to make sure we embrace it; we cherish it. We appreciate the fan interest, the media interest that is there.
“Toronto made every play they needed to make down the stretch”, said Heat coach Eric Spoelstra.
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“It’s kind of mind boggling right now”, Lowry said.
