2016 NBA Playoffs: Miami Heat Defeat Toronto Raptors in Overtime [Game 4]
Dwyane Wade scored 30 points on Monday night, as he once again led the Miami Heat to victory against the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. As LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers get a week off to rest and prepare for the winners of the Heat-Raptors series, Toronto and Miami continue to wear each other out, sending Game 4 into overtime before a decision was declared. As the Heat have tied things up, their series with the Raptors is now guaranteed to go until at least Game 6.
Like fellow No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs, the Raptors find themselves even with their Round 2 opponents after four games in the 2016 NBA Playoffs. Will they be able to pull ahead of the Heat as they return home for Game 5?
The Raptors want to prove to the rest of the NBA that they can compete in the NBA post-season. Dwyane Wade knows this could be his last legitimate run at the NBA Finals. Which team will survive the series and move on to battle the Cavs in Round 3?
Dwyane Wade
Nothing says “clutch” like overtime in the NBA Playoffs, and Dwyane Wade is proving it’s a label he deserves to wear. Aside from scoring more points (30) on his own Monday night than any two Raptors combined, he also had the layup that sent the game into OT. At the end of overtime, Wade finished things off with a steal and a dunk.
Recently, LeBron James let it slip that he had always wanted to play against Dwyane Wade in the NBA Playoffs, even before they became friends in Miami. If D-Wade and the Heat can win two of their next three games, it will be LeBron and Dwyane going head-to-head in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Heat vs. Raptors: Tied 2-2
Miami won the first game in the series in Toronto, which sparked the aforementioned daydreams about a James/Wade post-season duel. Unfortunately for the Heat, the Raptors would win the next two. The overtime victory on their own court put the Miami Heat even with the Toronto Raptors again as the series moves on to Game 5.
Wade County! @DwyaneWade leads the way with 30 points.
Heat top the Raptors in OT, 94-87. Series is tied 2-2. pic.twitter.com/CGfVrzUyMo
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) May 10, 2016
While the Heat and Raptors have at least two more games in the series, the Cleveland Cavaliers will try to balance a serious period of rest with the need to stay loose for the Eastern Conference Finals.
Where To Watch
Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals featuring Miami Heat vs. Toronto Raptors will be Wednesday, May 11, at the Air Canada Centre in Ontario. As of Monday evening, almost zero tickets were available for purchase directly through the venue to see the Heat vs. Raptors live in Toronto for Game 5. The Raptors-Heat game will air on TNT with the game scheduled to begin at 8:00 EST.
What a game!
Heat hold off the Raptors in OT, beating Toronto 94-87 and tie the series 2-2. pic.twitter.com/Eq56CTSmgL
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 10, 2016
The winners of the Heat-Raptors series will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. Depending on the length of the series between Miami and Toronto, the Conference Finals against the Cavs will begin either Sunday, May 15 or Tuesday, May 17. Whether it’s the Miami Heat or the Toronto Raptors that advance, the first two games of the next series will be at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
[Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images]
