Reaction: Heat 93, Raptors 83 | Blake Murphy Sports Writing

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By Blake Murphy Basketball, Pre/Post-Game, Raptors Republic

Reaction: Heat 93, Raptors 83

Title: Reaction: Heat 93, Raptors 83
Date: March 31, 2014
Original Source: Raptors Republic
Synopsis: This Raptors post-game was a quick reaction to the Raptors’ 93-83 loss to the Heat on March 31.

Toronto Raptors

83

FinalRecap | Box Score

93

Miami Heat

	Amir Johnson, PF Shot Chart24 MIN \| 2-3 FG \| 0-2 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 1 TO \| 4 PTS \| -10I expected more, but Amir also appears to be banged up still. There just wasn’t a big impact from him in this one, though he remains the team’s most capable help defender by a long shot.	Low 8% Right 57% High 34% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Terrence Ross, SF Shot Chart24 MIN \| 1-6 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 6 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 0 TO \| 2 PTS \| -12He started out doing a fair job on LeBron James, but Casey quickly lost faith. On the other end, Ross was largely invisible.	Low 24% Right 51% High 24% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Jonas Valanciunas, C Shot Chart32 MIN \| 7-9 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 10 REB \| 0 AST \| 1 STL \| 0 BLK \| 2 TO \| 14 PTS \| -13JV was pretty damn impressive, continuing an on-and-off trend in March. He shot well, he did a good job getting position in the post, and with the exception of one traveling violation, he handled Miami’s soft-doubles well. He also made good use of “verticality” on a LeBron drive late, altering the shot.	Low 30% Right 61% High 7% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Kyle Lowry, PG Shot Chart26 MIN \| 4-11 FG \| 2-3 FT \| 1 REB \| 4 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 5 TO \| 11 PTS \| -19Kyle Lowry wasn’t playing particularly well before he got hurt (see below), and he was visibly frustrated with the officiating. Still, as he goes, we go, so cross your fingers, and then cross those crossed fingers over other crossed fingers, and weave those into a “Get Well Soon” pillow.	Low 28% Right 50% High 21% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	DeMar DeRozan, SG Shot Chart39 MIN \| 8-14 FG \| 0-1 FT \| 2 REB \| 7 AST \| 2 STL \| 0 BLK \| 2 TO \| 16 PTS \| -8DeRozan had an excellent first half, shooting 5-of-7 with four dimes. He went just 3-of-8 in the second half, though, and the lack of whistles early seemed to get to him, rendering him far less aggressive than he has been and should be.	Low 41% Right 18% High 39% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Patrick Patterson, PF Shot Chart8 MIN \| 1-4 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 0 TO \| 2 PTS \| -3He was rusty in his first game back and hardly played in the second half, whether due to soreness or ineffectiveness. He brought some nice energy early, at least, but it’ll be a few games before he’s “back.”	Low 11% Right 69% High 19% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Chuck Hayes, PF Shot Chart6 MIN \| 0-0 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 0 TO \| 0 PTS \| +3This is just not a team you use Chuck Hayes against. It’s not his fault, really, he just only has utility in very specific situations.	Low 4% Right 65% High 30% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	John Salmons, SF Shot Chart19 MIN \| 1-3 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 3 AST \| 1 STL \| 0 BLK \| 0 TO \| 2 PTS \| +6Go away and never come back.	Low 29% Right 24% High 45% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Landry Fields, SF Shot Chart2 MIN \| 0-0 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 0 TO \| 0 PTS \| -5Hey, he IS alive. This grade remains incomplete, but let’s see what he can do down the stretch here.	Low 43% Right 46% High 10% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Steve Novak, SF Shot Chart26 MIN \| 4-6 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 2 REB \| 0 AST \| 2 STL \| 0 BLK \| 0 TO \| 13 PTS \| +3For a while we got Novakaine instead of plain old Steve Novak. Like a few others tonight, he did what he does – hit threes and try not to be a disaster on defense. That’s a lot tougher when an opponent has an athletic four, though.	Low 60% Right 25% High 13% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Greivis Vasquez, PG Shot Chart23 MIN \| 6-11 FG \| 2-3 FT \| 0 REB \| 1 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 4 TO \| 17 PTS \| +6While his handle is still a little loose of late, Vasquez tried his best to step into the Kyle Lowry role in the fourth, scoring eight points with a lone turnover. One assist hurts, but take what you can get here – the backup had to step into a major role and he didn’t fall flat on his face.	Low 21% Right 32% High 45% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Nando de Colo, PG Shot Chart11 MIN \| 1-3 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 1 STL \| 1 BLK \| 0 TO \| 2 PTS \| +2Has anyone else noticed he looks like mini-JV on the floor? He did what he does, but it’d be nice if he started flashing that 3-point stroke.	Low 66% Right 25% High 8% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Tyler Hansbrough, PF Shot ChartDNP COACH’S DECISION MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| STL \| BLK \| TO \| PTS \|Not sure why Hansbrough is this deep in the doghouse, especially in a game where his foul-drawing ability would have been useful.	Low 33% Right 61% High 5% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High
	Dwane Casey There’s not a whole lot you can do against the Heat. Casey tried multiple looks on LeBron James, but my feeling is that he went away from Terrence Ross too early and, as has been driving me crazy, rode John Salmons far too much. At least he showed a willingness to try different things, even dusting off Landry Fields.	Low 8% Right 16% High 76% Rate the grade! Too Low Just Right Too High

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