Worth waiting for
NCAA basketball powerhouses (including stars on Raptors’ radar) set for Final Four in New Orleans,
It’s one thing to play hard but unless you play good and smart as well, “hard” doesn’t matter a lick.
If there was any true good feeling to come out of the Raptors’ 113-101 loss to the Miami Heat on Friday night, things like a great comeback from a sluggish start, great offensive nights from their two most potent weapons, they were lost amid the only salient fact that really matters: Toronto lost the game. “It’s not good enough for me, I’m not here to be close,” coach Dwane Casey said after his team melted down in the final few minutes of a close game — again.
“I’m here to get us over the hump, to learn and it’s been a year of that. We’ve had too many learning experiences in those tight situations and it’s on everyone. It’s on me, it’s on everyone, I’m not here to play close.”
So any kind of moral victory can probably be thrown out the window.
What’s most to be taken away from a highly entertaining game in front of an Air Canada Centre sellout crowd of 19,883 was the fact the Raptors and Heat were tied 89-89 with nine minutes to go when the roof caved in.
Led by their Big Three — Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Lebron James had 23 of Miami’s final 24 points in the deciding run — the Heat took control as the Raptors faded.
“We battle, we battle, we battle, we battle and when it comes that time of game when real mental toughness comes in, that’s when we have those turnovers, those missed assignments, those missed screens, lack of defence,” said Casey. “We battled, battled, but until we can sustain that, that’s been our story the whole year. You look at all of our losses, we’ve played some competitive basketball but those stretches kick us in the butt.” Now, the Heat had something to do with the final run, their efficiency decided the outcome far more significantly than Toronto’s failings probably did.bosh and Wade each had 30 points, James had 26 and Miami turned16 Toronto turnovers into 21 lightning-quick points. “They’re one of the best teams in the league as far as turning turnovers into points, they attack and they’re just so fast, you have no chance to catch up and that’s why executing an offensive game is the most important thing,” said Casey. “Down the stretch was important and we coughed it up and they turned on the jets. I can’t emphasize enough how important is to have that mental toughness in those area.” Demar Derozan had 28 points for the Raptors — including a perfect 10-for-10 night at the free throw line — and Andrea Bargnani had 27. Amir Johnson had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebound and Jose Calderon dished out 16 assists. But thanks to a defence that Casey termed “porous” those numbers ultimately meant nothing. “You look at our numbers, Andrea gets his and Demar gets his and you look at the other side and you’ve got James, 26; Bosh, 30, and Wade, 30,” said Casey. “You give it right back and until we maintain a defensive constitution, we won’t give ourselves a chance, especially against a talented team like this.”