Coming into game 1 of the 2nd round, the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors were looking to both bounce back after both struggling to finish off the Lower seed team in the 1st round. In the 1st half, the Raptors were the aggressors, shooting over 50% and getting the Miami Heat in foul trouble throughout the 1st quarter. In the 1st, the defense was tight, leading to an 18-18 end score. Despite the up-tempo pace and energy of the game, the defense allowed for both teams to capitalize only on the good shots they took. In the 2nd quarter, the Raptors celebrated their largest lead at 6, but that was short-lived, and finished off the half leading 43-41. The Heat struggled to score the ball, shooting only 38%, but their defensive effort and 8 offensive rebounds helped them stay in the game in the 1st half.
The Heat started off the 2nd half a lot stronger than they did in the 1st, outscoring the raptors 27-20 in the 3rd. Dwyane Wade passed Elgin Baylor all time in blocks in the Playoffs, in the 3rd and it looked like all Miami throughout. The heat struggled to shoot it in the first half but they started to catch fire, improving their shooting percentage to 47%. The Heat had their biggest lead of the game at 11 at the start of the 4th, which kept them comfortable for the most part. Then the Raptors started their far too typical 4th quarter run, cutting it down to 4 with 4 minutes left.
With just 1 minute in the game, Corey Joseph hit a lay up to bring the game within 2 points, but with 40 seconds left Goran Dragic hit a dagger 3-point shot and put them up 5. Despite this, we’ve learned to never count the Toronto Raptors out of a close game. With 30 seconds left the Raptors were down 6, Terrence Ross hit a 3, and the next possession was fouled on a shot. After making 1 of 2 the lead was cut to 2 with 6 seconds left, with Hassan Whiteside on the line shooting free throws. Whiteside made 1 of 2, and then the prayers of the Raptors was answered, with a Kyle Lowry half court shot to tie the game and head to over-time tied 90-90.
Despite carrying momentum and the crowds energy into overtime, the Raptors went scoreless throughout the first 3 minutes and 45 seconds, and the Heat secured a 6 point lead early. Dragic led all scorers with 26 points, and Dwyane Wade added 21 to push the Heat backcourt passed the Raptors in game 1. Jonas Valenciunas and DeMar DeRozan both added 24 and 22 points respectively, and Terrence Ross chipped in 19 off the bench, but it was just not enough. The Raptors struggled from the 3-point line, which has saved them throughout the regular season, shooting 24% and only hitting 5 3-pointers throughout the game. The Miami Heat now lead the series 1-0 after a 102-96 win in Toronto.
The Raptors will try to make a quick turn around because Game 2 is on Thursday in Toronto, and they need to capitalize on the home court advantage that they’ve earned throughout the regular season. Miami will try to continue to capitalize on the strong play of their backcourt to try and take a 2-0 series lead.
