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The Toronto Raptors have finally made it out of the first round, but things won’t get any easier when they take on Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Join The Roar for live scores of Game 1 from 10am (AEST).
After two seasons of first-round heartbreak for Toronto, it looked like they were going to be in trouble again against the Indiana Pacers.
The Raptors struggled to develop any real consistency during the series, and as a result – after finishing second in the regular season – it went all the way to seven games.
Paul George terrorised Toronto each game, but they eventually got the job done, advancing to the semi-finals.
It will be intriguing to see how they play now that they don’t have the ‘first-round chokers’ tag hanging over their head. That, of course, came about after they surrendered a 3-2 lead in 2013-14 against the Brooklyn Nets, and were bundled out in straight sets against the Washington Wizards last year.
Miami, on the other hand, finished the regular season one spot behind the Raptors, based on a countback – the Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets all finished with an equal record, blocking out the middle of the playoffs in the east.
Charlotte finished sixth and hit the road to Miami, where they also forced a seven-game series, playing solid basketball. In the end, the class and skill of Wade allowed Miami to advance to the semi-finals.
Clearly the Heat hold a massive edge over the Raptors in the paint, but also with Wade and the outside men knowing when to feed the ball in. Hassan Whiteside is the key man Toronto must shut down, with his ability to roam inside, block shots and shooting at over 60 per cent for the season.
For their part, the Raptors will try keep the game outside the paint, with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. If they can get the better of Wade and make him take long-range jump shots, instead of being able to drive into the bucket or throw accurate passes, it will go a long way to winning.
Prediction
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.
Raptors by 8.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of this match from 10am (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
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