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[author image=”https://www.the3pointconversion.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/pic-copy.jpg” ]Raphael Haynes, Atlanta, GA @mrcontroversy21[/author]
Game 4 Review
It was another thriller that ended in overtime. The Toronto Raptors blew a 77-68 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Kyle Lowry fouled out late in the fourth quarter while DeMar DeRozan was sitting right beside him in result of having a miserable shooting night going 4-17. Meanwhile, Wade is resting at the fountain of youth as he continues to carry the Miami Heat for a spectacular ride. Wade scored 30 points as the Heat won in a heated battle in overtime.
Keys To The Game
The Heat will more than likely be without Hassan Whiteside so the paint is kind of vulnerable when it comes to defense. The defensive rotation worked to a certain extent but horrible shooting from the two All-Stars Lowry and DeRozan helped out. It is a necessity to provoke more jump shots from the struggling shooting Raptors. On the offensive end, The Heat has to get more production from everyone else and not have Wade shoulder the load. The Raptors defensively did what they wanted to do most through the first three quarters. The main problem has been consistent scoring. The only consistent scorer for Toronto in this series has been Jonas Valanciunas and he’s out for the remainder of the series. They definitely have to feed off of the crowd to get in some type of rhythm and not fold in the fourth quarter.
The X-Factor
The X-Factor for the Heat is Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire has a golden opportunity to make a big contribution to help his team win game 5. Hitting that 12-15 ft jumper and being able to get put backs should be enough to compensate for Whiteside. If he can give them 15 points, 9 rebounds and a block, then that can help spark the Heat and his career.
The X-Factor for the Raptors is DeMar DeRozan. I usually don’t use stars as X-Factors but he’s been playing like a third option off the bench. DeRozan has to overcome his slump and focus on helping the team anyway he can. He’s the best on his team at driving to the rim scoring and creating contact to draw the foul. He needs to let the game come to him since he can’t seem to find his game.. If he can get back to his regular season from, then that can revert the team back to regular form when it dominated the Eastern Conference.
Prediction: The Raptors need both of their two stars Lowry and DeRozan to have a big game tonight to take charge of this series but unfortunately it’s highly unlikely that will happen based on the history of the duo. I have the Heat winning in another nail biting overtime game. 106-101
