Heat at Raptors
THE STORY: The Miami Heat have already wrapped up the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round date with the Philadelphia 76ers. All that remains is to make it into the playoffs healthy. An intact roster is something the Toronto Raptors have been missing most of the season and is a big reason why they have been playing out the string for the better part of the last two months. The Heat will be looking to limit the minutes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh when they visit the Raptors in the regular season final on Wednesday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, SUN, SNET
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (22-59): Toronto has half a roster on the bench in suits nursing injuries while the season winds to a close, making it a little bit more difficult for the front office to evaluate which players they might keep around as the rebuilding effort continues into next season. One player who has emerged in spite of the mounting losses of both players and games is DeMar DeRozan. He has played in all 81 games this season while raising his averages across the board in his second season. DeRozan struggled to attain 17 points on 4-of-14 shooting on Monday in a 93-86 setback at Milwaukee. Jerryd Bayless led Toronto with 20 points and Ed Davis added 15 points and 11 rebounds while Joey Dorsey grabbed 20 boards and 10 points.
ABOUT THE HEAT (57-24): The Boston Celtics had a shot at the No. 2 spot had they managed to beat the Washington Wizards on Monday. Instead, they chose to rest many of their starters, essentially surrendering the spot. With nothing left to play for, it may be in Miami's best interest for coach Eric Spoelstra to follow Boston's example when the Heat face off against the Raptors on Wednesday. James, Wade and Bosh are already listed as doubtful, as they will likely be given the day to rest. It is also questionable if center Erick Dampier and forward Mike Miller will play on Wednesday due to injury. James made one last bid for the MVP award on Monday, collecting 34 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a 98-90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. In a crowded field for the award, James is one of the main challengers to Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki. Something that may hold James back is Dwyane Wade; after playing another strong season, Wade may also be a recipient of MVP votes.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Davis’ double-double was his sixth in the last 10 games for Toronto. Mike Bibby scored 10 points for the Heat on Monday, snapping a string of six straight games in single figures.
KEY STATISTIC: The Raptors have slumped to an average of 95.25 points over the last four games. One of the best defensive teams in the league, Miami is allowing only 90.8 points over its last five.
SEASON SERIES: The Heat have taken all three meetings this season by an average of 11.3 points. The Raptors came the closest to catching the Heat in the most recent matchup, suffering a 103-95 loss in Canada on Feb. 16, despite 38 points from Andrea Bargnani. James led Miami with 23 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists while Wade scored 28 and Bosh added 25 points. The Heat have taken four straight in the series overall.
KEY INJURIES: MIAMI: F LeBron James (rest); G Dwyane Wade (rest); F Chris Bosh (rest); F Mike Miller (thumb); F Udonis Haslem (foot); C Erick Dampier (knee). TORONTO: F Reggie Evans (finger); C Andrea Bargnani (ankle); G Jose Calderon (hamstring); G Leandro Barbosa (finger); F Amir Johnson (knee); G Sonny Weems (knee).
LAST WORD: James will end the season as the only player in the NBA averaging at least 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. It will be the fifth time in his career he has finished with those marks and he is the only player to do it since Michael Jordan accomplished the feat in the 1988-89 season.