Miami Heat beat the Toronto Raptors 103-95 (Part – 2)
Leading by only four points at the break, the Miami Heat led by Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, brought an all together different intensity to the game in the second half.
The Heat started the third quarter with a probing 13-4 run, capped by a three-point play from Wade that put them ahead by 13. The Toronto Raptors tried hard to get back into the game, but every time they inched close, the Miami offence always seemed prepared with a counter punch.
The relentless offensive onslaught sparked Miami to an 80-72 advantage by the end of the third quarter.
After slipping a bit in the third quarter, Toronto produced a strong display against the Heat in the final period of play. Andrea Bargnani opened the frame with a long-range effort to pull the Raps within five early. However, Wade again stood in Toronto’s way. The charismatic Miami sharp-shooting prodigy scored seven points in an 8-4 stretch to give the Heat an eleven-point advantage.
Bargnani though, was at the top of his game, as he continued to neutralise Miami's advantage time and time again. While Bosh and Wade were firing on all cylinders, it was a brilliant show from LeBron James down the stretch that actually did Toronto in.
The two-time reigning MVP didn't have a fantastic shooting night from the floor, yet the maverick forward remained productive with his brisk play making.
Guarded closely by the Toronto defence, James lured his opponents into committing fouls by showcasing an assortment of fakes. In the final frame, James got to the charity stripe eight times, making six free throws on his way to scoring 10 of his 23 total points in the quarter. His free throw shooting ensured that the Heat entered the last two minutes of the game leading by 97-90.
Andrea Bargnani however, upped the ante at that point, drilling a huge three pointer to make it a four-point game. In the preceding seconds, LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan traded layups to maintain the lull. Although James missed a driving layup in his very next possession, he redeemed himself by snatching an offensive rebound and tipping the ball in with just under a minute to play.
The Raptors completely ran out of the steam down the stretch and missed a number of opportunities as Bosh fittingly put his former club away with two shots from the free throw line.
Bargnani finished the fourth quarter after scoring 17 of his team’s 23 points to finish the night with 38 points; the second-highest total of his career.
Toronto Raptors’ Coach Jay Triano praised Bargnani's efforts post-match but appeared to be more worried about the rest of his offensive line up, which misfired despite his tactical switches.
He said, "We tried different guys in there, even tried going big to see if we could get one more scorer in there, or at least get rebounds if we weren't going to get that scorer."
The Raptors kept the Heat in check throughout the night, matching them in almost all facets of the game. The thing which ultimately proved to be their undoing though was their free throw shooting and personal fouls.
The Raptors combined for 24 personal fouls; 10 more than Miami’s 14. To add to their woes they were unable to capitalise when the opportunities presented themselves. The Heat shot 78 percent from the line - hitting 29 of their 37 attempts - while the Raptors attempted just 20 free throws, making 17 which ultimately played a major part in their single digit loss.
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