The Raptors need to stop the skid – TODAY!
The 4 game road trip hardly turned out the way the team would have liked it to. With Hedo and Antoine Wright jumping in and out of the line up, the team dropped 3 of the 4 games. The lone win was hardly convincing as they clawed out of a 22 point hole to beat arguably one of the worst teams in the league. The game in Phoenix was the most complete game the Raptors have played all season. They did everything to give themselves a chance to win but alas the ball bounced the other way and they went on to Denver. The Denver game got ugly in a hurry, as it most often does and they pulled off a repeat performance in Utah showing inability to find that extra gear.
Back in Toronto for 3 games, this team needs to start establishing the home court advantage. Tonight’s opponent, the Miami Heat are trying to break a skid of their own. Stumbling in after back to back losses the Heat want to get back on track with how they opened the season. They began on a roll but that probably had more to do with a soft schedule rather than strong play. Wade is the only player who gets to the FT line more than Chris Bosh, yet both these guys have struggled to get to the line in their last 2 games. Miami is an athletic team that runs most of their plays through Wade. He is able to get dribble penetration and kick out for the open 3. The Raptors need to make sure to close out on the shooters. This has been an Achilles heel for this team for several seasons and this is as good time as any to start fixing that. Offensively the Raptors have enough fire power to score but this game will be won on the defensive end. If the Heat open up with a 60 point half, this may well be a very long night…
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