Rapid Reaction: Raptors Struggle to Find Offence in Game 4

The Toronto Raptors lost a close game on Monday night and will head back to Toronto tied 2-2 with the Miami Heat.

Up by nine midway through the fourth quarter, everything was going well for the Toronto Raptors. But thanks to a combination of foul trouble and poor coaching decisions, the Miami Heat managed to come back and defeat the Raptors by seven.

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In just under 12 minutes of play, including overtime, the Raptors suffered a 16 point swing.

Kyle Lowry fouling out certainly didn’t help matters, but neither did a lot of things, such as DeMar DeRozan subbing in for Bismack Biyombo with less than a minute to play.

Aside from the result, the most discouraging sight for Raptors’ fans was when Cory Joseph and Lowry got into an argument during a timeout whiteboard session before the team’s final possession.

This heated discussion just about sums up the Raptors’ remedial offensive execution. Ride or die with iso-ball, I suppose.

Unfortunately, it’s been the same old theme for the Raptors this postseason: poor execution, mental mistakes and a bevy of missed opportunities.

More on all that later, though. Here are a couple of thoughts from Game 4:

Player of the Game:

3 Takeaways:

Team effort:

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The Raptors shot 39.4 percent from the field on Monday night, which should tell you everything you need to know about the offence. The only positive takeaway with the offence, however, was how five players managed to reach double figures.

DeMarre Carroll and Bismack Biymobo were the two most efficient players, combining to shoot 10-of-17 from the field. Terrence Ross played well during the second half, but he did have another bad turnover during overtime.

Kyle Lowry and Cory Joseph also finished in double figures. Neither player really thrived in iso situations, they just scored off sheer volume, combining to attempt 28 shots.

Raptors vs. Wade

Dwyane Wade has been a one-man wrecking crew. He finished the game with 30 points and has now scored 68 of the Heat’s last 185 points, which accounts for 37 percent of their points.

To put in perspective just how good Wade has been, at one point he almost scored half of Miami’s last 100 points.

The Raptors won’t stop him, but they need to find a way to at least slow him down and force somebody else to make a shot down the stretch.

Questionable decisions by Casey

The thought of Bebe Nogueira and Josh McRoberts on the floor together seemed like a lot of fun before the game started, but after two minutes of play it was visibly apparent that Bebe isn’t ready for this type of basketball.

Kudos to Dwane Casey for having the cojones to try it out, but I really hope he doesn’t go back to it.

There were a couple of situations that stuck out in Game 4, but none more glaring than the decision to take out Biyombo for DeRozan with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter.

Up until that point DeRozan was terrible. Offensively he couldn’t buy a bucket, and defensively he was doing a poor job of closing out on shooters. Again, an all-around train wreck. For whatever reason though, Casey decided to go back to him.

With Biyombo out of the game the Heat attacked the rim at will and continued to do so in overtime.

I’ll give Casey credit for stapling DeRozan to the bench for most of the fourth quarter, but why he decided to bring him back in is beyond me.

If the Heat playing small is his reasoning, Biyombo fits in well defensively given his skill set and I doubt he’d struggle to matchup with Justice Winslow. Although Biz can’t create his own shot like DeRozan can, his ability to protect the rim and crash the offensive glass is something the Raptors missed down the stretch.

What’s Next:

Despite the brutal stretches of play, the series shifts back to Toronto all tied up at two. Neither team has been impressive, so whoever decides to consistently execute first should gain the upper-hand.

If you’re the Raptors, the biggest concern has to be DeRozan. His confidence looks shot and he has turned into a liability anytime the game gets tight. If the Raptors are going to win this series, they need DeRozan to at least be serviceable.

Next: Raptors: Don't Put Your Hopes on DeRozan

The next 24 hours should be interesting in Toronto. The scrutiny leading up to Game 5 on Wednesday night will be fierce, but given the way they’ve played, it’s deserving.

How do you think the Raptors played in Game 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.