Miami Heat look to get on track against Toronto Raptors - NBA Preview
On March 30, 2012, the Toronto Raptors will be hosting the Miami Heat at the Air Canada Centre as the two extreme poles of Eastern Conference look to confront each other for the 2nd time in this shortened season.
Heat and the Raps were at loggerheads on February 5, 2012 last time, and in a thrilling encounter, the Heat just managed to escape with a 95-89 win.
LeBron James had marshalled the Heat with 30 points and Dwyane Wade tallied 25 that night. The Heat will require the duo to erupt again on Friday night as the men from the South Beach look to bounce back from a recent lean stretch,
in which they lost two consecutive games to Indiana Pacers, 105-90 and then to Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-87.
They have already taken the first step in that direction, by routing their bitter rivals, Dallas Mavericks 106-85 tonight, earning their 15th consecutive home win in the process. James and Chris Bosh netted 19 point
and grabbed 9 rebounds each and Wade had 16 to sweep Mavs clean in the season series.
We can speculate a same outcome of Friday’s night match as well. With an impressive 36-13 record, Heat are the only team in the East, eyeballing the Chicago Bulls, ands are arguably the most formidable contender to take the NBA
title this year.
Raptors with 17-34 record, no doubt have a tough task at hand, but they have proven so far this season, that they can beat the very best in the business on a given night. DeMar DeRozan has simply been sensational this season and
with Andrea Bargnani slowly coming into his own after a long injury layoff, the Raps can certainly punch above their weight.
They have an efficient arsenal of long range shooters and Miami will have to be at their defensive best to curtail the threat Dwane Casey’s team poses from the perimeter.
The Raps can also be effective against Miami’s run and gun style of offense. The Heat are masters of converting defense into offense, but on Friday, they might find it tough to do so again as the Raps have improved by leaps on
bounds in ball handling and field goal percentage. And they will be coming into the game after a 105-96 win against the Denver Nuggets.
So, if they managed to stop the Heat from winning their 7th straight against them, do not be overly surprised.
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