You’re hot then you’re cold, you’re yes then you’re no, you’re in then you’re out, you’re up then you’re down: Raptors can’t cool the Heat

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March 17, 2013 by amiracle15

The Heat have been promoted to the status of God-team now, what with their 21 straight wins. The first of those 21 was against the Raps, so let’s finish what we started boys!!!

Kyle Lowry can’t take the fast-paced nature of the game; gets winded setting up the half-court offense.

Offensive game early, Rudy Gay has come to play which is huge news. He has 7 of the first 9 points and 95% of the swagger. However, the turnovers are beginning to pile up like a slow day at the bakery and Chris Bosh is saucing threes. 19-17 Miami.

So apparently it’s St. Patrick’s Day…

Listening to Jack Armstrong will probably be the entirety of my Irish experience, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Jack makes an assertion that the court should be wider and I’m genuinely in huge support of this. Out of bounds turnovers happen too much in my opinion, and what’s the point? You could even just get rid of the whole rule–it’s not as if players will cheat by camping beyond the lines, because you’re further from the basket.

Anyway. T-Sauce is in the house and hits a lil 13-foot jimmy (I’m been screaming for this forever!!!). 7 turnovers at the end of the quarter though and it’s 27-19.

Rudy Gay gets subbed off with two fouls and Anderson comes in to miss a three. Sebastian TelBryanColangeloToRetradeThisChump goes 0 for 3 although Landry Fields does hit 2 straight shots. Aaaand he bobbles a basic perimeter pass, 40-27.

DeMar DeRozan’s having another really disappointing game, and to be honest I’m a little sick of his lacklustre play. 1 of 5 with 2 turnovers for D’s.

Make that 1 of 6 as he rims another jumper, while on the other end Wade lays in an easy 2. The contrast is illuminating.

Some more systematic annihilation from the Heat and they’re up 14, and to be honest they’re getting pretty much anything they want on offense. That’ll have to change in the 2nd half or this game’ll turn ugly.

But hey! Terrence Ross gets a nice follow-up on a DeRozan miss (surprise) and then dunks off a nifty bouncer from Rudy Gay. Aaaand then he gives Wade an and-1 jumpshot. Tough for a rookie to stay down on those plays.

The half ends on a Lebron James 3 (damn it, he’s good) which makes it 55-43, and I was really hoping the lead would stay under 10. Oh well, onwards and upwards!

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The 3rd starts out as literally Rudy Gay vs. the Heat, as he bombs in 8 points in 2 minutes. Lowry then misses a three and somehow lets his check (Wade) get past him for a dunk. He fouls Wade too, and it’s a three-point play. 64-53 Heat.

Big. Time. Move by Rudy in the paint over Lebron James. On the other end, someone swishes a jumper for the Heat. I don’t know who it was; they’re all shooting 80% or something silly.

But the Raptors won’t go extinct. Valanciunas clangs in a tough hook shot and DeRozan slashes to the hole, and we have a 7-point game on our hands.

I tell you what: Amir, Jonas and Rudy are playing like straight-up champs. I’m very happy to see this. They’re 22 of 32 with 47 points, 20 rebounds and 7 assists midway through the third. Meanwhile, DeRozan and Lowry are 2 of 18; tis a tale of two teams. 74-61.

More Rudy Gay as he pots 2, and Amir Johnson is gobbling up every damn defensive rebound in the area code. This man is laying his heart on the court, doing admirable work and if we come out on top in this game, do not overlook his impact. He has 14 rebounds already to go with 16 points. Huge!

Stuff by Amir Johnson on Shane Battier! M-V-P! M-V-P!

2 more from Gay, he has 25 on 11 of 15 shooting, monstrous.

DeRozan and-1!

Amir Johnson with the great hustle play!!!

DeRozan with 2 straight jumpers to end the quarter! 76-73!

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Wow that was a massive end to the quarter, and Rudy Gay’s three was literally millimetres from going in.

Back on the floor, T-Sauce shows off his passing prowess as he dishes to Amir for the dunk. On the other end, Rudy Gay knocks the ball off Chris Andersen but the refs botch the call and call a jump ball. Amir Johnson then, in true warrior fashion, out-jumps high-flyer Chris Andersen.

Wtf, why is Alan Anderson in the game and Jonas is on the bench?? Friggin’ Dwane Casey, forgetting about Jonas every. Damn. Game. Especially against the Heat, who are penetrable down low.

Aaaand the momentum has swung back to the Heat, punctuated by a Ray Allen three. Speaking of threes, the Raptors are 2 of 16, the 2 makes both coming from Rudy Gay. Hopefully the Law of Averages will kick in soon.

Oh boy, the wheels are coming off, Birdman and-1. 87-77.

17-2 run for the Heat, and the third Ray Allen three makes it 97-81. Oh dear.

Another miss from three-point land.

Allen sticks another three in garbage time, and that’s a wrap. Wade leads the way for the Heat with 24 points and 9 assists.

Team Bench: Amir Johnson, who gave 110% from start to finish, only to be sidelined with an injury in the fourth. Obvious honorable mention for Rudy Gay, who had 26 super-efficient points after 3 quarters. These two absolutely carried the team to a 77-77 tie in the fourth. The utter collapse after that, it should be said, was neither Gay or Johnson’s fault.

Team Toad: Terrence Ross was actually useful in high-pressure situations, contributing 12 efficient points in the sixth-man role. Not bad.

Team Goat: Oh god–the point guards. 0 for 13, no points, no nothing. Honorable mention to Dwane Casey for leaving Jonas Valanciunas on the bench as the Raptors lost the game. I’m sorry, but that’s inexcusable. JV finished 6 of 7 for 16 points, i.e. unstoppable. Oh and DeMar DeRozan was pretty bad too.

But how about that third quarter!

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