IN THE LANE

CASEY CONSTERNATION: For years, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has credited Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey for delaying the start of the Big Three championship era with the defenses Casey threw at the Heat during the 2011 NBA Finals as a Dallas Mavericks assistant coach. Now, amid his team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Casey has been credited for that 2011 defensive stand by LeBron James for helping him raise his game -- much to Casey’s consternation. “I wasn’t that good of a player in that series,” James said. “I wasn’t a complete basketball player. Dwane Casey drew up a game plan against me in that series in the Finals against Dallas to take away things I was very good at and to try to make me do things that I wasn’t very good at. He’s part of the reason why I am who I am today.” Among Casey’s twists in that series was springing zone defense on the Heat and daring LeBron to score in the post. “After my first year in Miami,” he said amid this Raptors series, “I started working on ways I could score in the post and be just very efficient. BOSH 2.0: LeBron against the Raptors also hearkened to his Heat tenure to draw a comparison to the reserved, soft-spoken approach of Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love and how, amid uneven times, it was similar to trying to get a read on Chris Bosh with the Heat. “We know what they’re capable of, Kev or CB, two predominant All-Stars, two of the best power forwards I’ve played with,” he told reporters. “It’s just the demeanor about ‘em. They show their emotions a little bit different than other guys. It’s kind of hard to read ‘em. But, at the same time, when they do give you that demand, just get it to him.” READING ’RIO: There does not appear to be a chapter on what to do when LeBron starts publicly eviscerating you during games, but former Heat guard Mario Chalmers has co-authored, along with his mother, a children’s book, due out July 1, titled, “Mario Chalmers’ ABC’s of Basketball, Dream Big. Think Big. Play Big.” According to the pre-order synopsis, “In The ABC s of Basketball, Mario Chalmers now showcases his skills as an author. This highly acclaimed children’s book was originally conceived by Chalmers when he was in middle school, and dreamed of one day reaching the pinnacles of the sport. It now serves as the foundation for his success, and will inspire young readers regardless of their skill level.” TRYOUT CIRCUIT: Former Heat guard Matt Williams, the former UCF 3-point specialist, finds himself back on the tryout treadmill, this time with an invitation to the G League Elite Mini Camp, a combine held in conjunction with the NBA’s Chicago pre-draft camp. Williams, who earned a two--way contract with the Heat off a strong summer-league showing last July, was cut by the Heat in December in favor of Derrick Jones Jr. and then finished the season with the Heat’s development-league affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Also selected for the tryout event to be held two days before the draft combine is Sioux Falls teammate Kadeem Jack. Former Florida State guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes also was among the 40 G League prospects selected to participate.