Toronto won a seven-game series for the first time by knocking off Indiana on Sunday. It didn’t come easy as the ghosts of postseasons past nearly caught up with them. But it’s off to the second-round for the Raptors and maybe now they can exhale before hosting the Heat in Game 1 of the East semifinal.
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LOOK AHEAD
The Raptors were reminded at every turn of their playoff misfortune, flaming out in the first round as a higher seed in each of the last two postseasons and not winning a series since 2001. Winning a franchise-best 56 games in the regular season and earning the No. 2 seed for the first time only intensified the pressure. Toronto exorcised those demons by knocking off Indiana in Game 7 of their first-round series on Sunday, moving to the second round for only the second time in team history.
Winning makes things easy. Winning means progress. Winning means one more series to determine if the biggest problems DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry are facing are the Pacers’ Paul George and George Hill. Draw a different matchup in the second round and maybe the script changes. Maybe the Raptors cornerstones look like all-stars again instead of just regular season wonders.
INJURIES
Forward Chris Bosh is out, despite his willingness to return from his blood clot experience to help the Heat in their first round matchup with Charlotte. Miami’s bench got a little deeper with the return of guard Tyler Johnson, who saw his first game action since December. Johnson played six minutes on Sunday in a mop-up role scoring five points.
KEY MATCHUP
DeMar DeRozan, who had struggled in the playoffs, took matters into his own hands on Sunday, leading the Raptors with 30 points in their decisive Game 7 win over Indiana. He made just 10 of 32 field goals on Sunday, but showed no hesitation running and supplying the offense. Another positive sign was his nine free throw attempts – he made them all – after not attempting a freebie in two other games during the series.
DeRozan is one Toronto player who gave the Heat trouble during the regular season. He averaged nearly 30 points per game – up almost six points from his season average – on 48.8 percent shooting in four games against Miami. A change of opponents and relieved of some pressure should allow DeRozan – and the entire team – to be a bit more relaxed on the floor.
QUICK PICK
Toronto finally got into the second round. After two disappointing first-round exits, the pressure to advance must have felt like a sack of bricks on the collective shoulders of the Raptors. Many of the current players experienced those past meltdowns so what a relief it was. Now, the team that won 56 regular season games and battled the Cavaliers for the top spot in the East the entire year, must prove that it is the second-best club.
We’re still waiting for the backcourt that led Toronto all season to make an appearance in these NBA playoffs. DeRozan and Lowry have an advantage over Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic and they should be able to exploit that, much the same way they did during the regular season.
NBA Odds: Toronto 98, Miami 94
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