At this point in the season, the Raptors are out of the 2012 playoff picture, but they have been surprisingly good lately, securing back-to-back wins against the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. Luckily for the Heat, they've dominated the Raptors in their last eight encounters, and they shouldn't have any problems against them at the American Airlines Arena.
Dwyane Wade wasn't able to suit up in the Heat's last encounter against the Nets, currently nursing a sprained ankle. He probably won't see any action against the Raptors.
With a win against the Raptors, the Heat will clinch the second seed in the 2012 Eastern Conference playoffs. They'll also put some more pressure on the conference leading Chicago Bulls (the Heat are currently trailing by two and a half games). With the 2011/12 NBA season slowly coming to an end, capturing the top spot in the east certainly won't be easy. However, it's still mathematically possible; given the fact they'll face the Bulls one more time before the season is over. When one considers how dominant the Heat have been at home this season, it's pretty obvious home-court advantage will be beneficial come playoff time.
"We want to win every last game to close it out," LeBron told reporters about the Heat's upcoming game against the Raptors. "We don't want to lose again the rest of the season. Ultimately, we can continue to get better."
Miami's role players remain the team's biggest weakness heading into the postseason, and I expect coach Erik Spoelstra to perform more experiments with different lineups before the season comes to an end. If Miami's role players are ready to play serious basketball come playoff time, there isn't a team in the NBA that can compete with them.
David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Stats LLC, "Raptors-Heat Preview"
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