Toronto Raptors: Keys To Taking Control Of Series vs. Heat

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May 5, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) takes a shot past the outstretched arm of Miami Heat center Hassam Whiteside (21) in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors won 96-92. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

More Touches For Jonas Valanciunas

Despite building a 14-point lead, it appeared that the Raptors were heading towards another loss in the fourth quarter of Game 2. They trailed the Heat by seven points (77-70) with under seven minutes remaining. Their offense was all but non-existent as they continued to miss shot after shot.

But with their postseason on the line, Jonas Valanciunas emerged as the unlikely hero, scoring nine of his 15 points and grabbing seven of his 12 rebounds in the period. Thanks to their big man taking matters in his own hands, the Raptors improved to 4-0 in the postseason following a loss.

Although Valanciunas isn’t the Raptors’ leading scorer, he has been one of the team’s most consistent players during the postseason. He is averaging 14.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game on 55 percent shooting.

Furthermore, Valanciunas shot 3-for-4 on post-ups in Game 2 and he has converted eight of 18 post-up opportunities during the playoffs. Based on those percentages, The Raptors should seriously consider getting him more touches.

"“Yeah. That’s what we gotta do, man,” DeMarre Carroll said, via RaptorsRepublic.com. “We gotta try to get him the ball more ‘cause every time he gets it, he’s scoring.”"

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Obviously, you can’t completely eliminate Lowry and DeRozan from the equation simply because they helped the Raptors get to this point. However, being that a lot their possessions result in highly-contested shots, the Raptors must find easier ways to score, and Valanciunas has proven that he is capable of doing exactly that.

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