Bosh hit the game-winning shot with 2. Toronto won for the first time in six games, rallying in the fourth quarter of a game that looked like it was Atlanta's for the taking. Matched up against Al Horford on the low block as the clock ticked down, Bosh elevated over him and hit a picture-perfect foot fadeaway to the delight of the 18, on hand at Air Canada Centre.
Jamal Crawford, who had a season-best 33 points off the bench, had a chance to win the game for Atlanta but his hurried three-pointer missed badly as time expired. Though the stat sheet was no friend to Bosh -- he went 6-for from the field, shot just two free throws and finished with five fouls -- he knew he was going to take the shot if it wound up in his hands on the final play.
Bosh said the decision to play the hero role was an easy one, even despite his struggles. He also reached a personal plateau, becoming the first player to score 10, points in a Raptor uniform.
The win came at a pivotal time for Toronto , which once sat comfortably in fifth place but is now scrambling to stay ahead of the ninth-place Chicago Bulls. The Hawks represent a potential first-round opponent for the Raptors, but head coach Jay Triano said that didn't make the win any more significant. Just for morale. Turkoglu nearly wore the goat horns after his missed free throw left Atlanta with a one-point lead in the final minute, but Toronto recovered the rebound, setting the stage for Bosh's heroics.
Horford had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawks, who had won four straight and 10 of their previous Mike Bibby added 17 points, while Maurice Evans chipped in Trailing by three at the half, Atlanta used back-to-back threes from Bibby and Evans -- along with some spotty Toronto shooting -- to help build an eight-point lead late in the third quarter.
Evans added another three in the final minute to put the Hawks up entering the fourth. A Bosh jumper cut the lead to five, but Evans buried a footer to end the Raptors' run. That kickstarted a run, restoring Atlanta's double-digit advantage. But the Raptors rallied again and Bargnani's three with remaining pulled them to within four at Toronto's Sonny Weems hit a long jumper to make it a two-point game, and the teams traded baskets before Josh Smith deflected a rebound out of bounds to give Toronto possession with Toronto overcame a sluggish start to enjoy a lead after one quarter.
A Bosh layup early in the second quarter sent him past the 10,point plateau, earning him a standing ovation from the crowd. They would finished the season with a franchise-record 66 wins and defeated the Spurs later in the NBA Finals to capture their second straight title.
We talked about coming in with Miami Heat pride. It doesn't matter who's in uniform or not, all of our guys have proven that it's the pride of the name on the jersey, on the front of the jersey. News SI. Home Miami Heat News. And then there were moments like March 31, By Shandel Richardson. By Corey Holmes.
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