Down 0-1 in their best-of-seven series with Miami, the Toronto Raptors find themselves in the same situation as Round 1, facing a near must-win Game 2 at home.
After Tuesday’s nail-biter it seems like this could be another series that goes the distance, but some are already looking ahead to what lies in the next round. Like LeBron James, who was asked earlier about facing the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals:
“Throughout my whole career, I’ve always wanted to go against Wade in a playoff series. We’ve always talked about it even before we became teammates in ’10.”
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey met with the media on Wednesday, and was asked about LeBron’s comments and the insinuation that Toronto would lose the series.
“I said this before, nobody respects us,” Casey said. “They’ve written us off.” He added that his team should take the comment personally before adding that if his players wanted to they can “do something about it.” Check out the full quote in the video above.
In far more pressing issues, Kyle Lowry’s shooting slump— half-court buzzer beaters excepted— was a natural topic of conversation during Wednesday’s media availability. Lowry stayed on the Air Canada Centre Court alone and took shots into the wee hours of the morning as he looks for a remedy.
On Wednesday, teammate DeMarre Carroll said that Lowry simply needed to remember how good he is, and offered up a suggestion for how the Raptors All-Star can turn things around. Sportsnet has obtained exclusive video of the exchange:
Here’s what he actually said:
Sportsnet’s Michael Grange and Eric Smith weigh in and discuss Lowry’s late-night shooting session and how the rest of the series could shape up if his funk continues:
