TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors managed to overcome the Indiana Pacers despite the fact that Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan could not make shots.

It's hard to believe the Raptors will get past the Miami Heat if that trend continues.

The Raptors became just the second team in NBA history to win a playoff series while their top two scorers shot less than 33 percent, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Lowry shot just 31.6 percent against Indiana and DeRozan connected on 31.9 percent of his shots.

"George Hill and Paul George did a remarkable job on our two All-Stars," Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri told Rogers SportsNet 590 on Monday night, the eve of the series opener against Miami. "For [Kyle and DeMar] to get through this without playing their best basketball, I think there's good stuff to come.

"And it can't go on forever," Ujiri said of the cold shooting. "They're just too good for it to go on forever."

Lowry and DeRozan formed one of the NBA's most potent backcourt combinations during the regular season. Lowry, the point guard, averaged 21.2 points and shot 38.8 percent from 3-point range. DeRozan averaged 23.5 points while shooting 60.9 percent inside the restricted area and 38 percent from midrange.

But all of those gaudy statistics plummeted in the first round, with Lowry knocking down just seven of his 43 3-point attempts (16.3 percent) and DeRozan hitting 39.4 percent of his attempts inside the restricted area and 28.2 percent of his attempts from midrange.

Lowry has shot the ball poorly since having fluid drained from his right elbow in March. Still, his ability to impact the game in other areas -- he averaged 13.9 points, 7.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the first round -- has been vital to Toronto's success.

"The better Kyle plays, the better I play," DeRozan said. "It's as simple as that. If Kyle's making shots, it will be a lot easier on me."

Lowry will be facing Goran Dragic. The two played together in Houston, with Dragic eventually supplanting Lowry on the depth chart before the Rockets traded Lowry to Toronto.

"Goran's my guy," Lowry said Monday. "It's just one of those things where he went from not playing to playing, and I went from playing to not playing. We're cool, I say 'hey' to his family. It's just one of those things."

As for not having to see Paul George every possessions, DeRozan said, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter." Yet when George served as the primary defender on DeRozan, he shot 31.3 percent with 10 turnovers and averaged just 0.65 points per play, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The Heat are a solid defensive team, with Hassan Whiteside serving as their feared rim protector, but Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson and Luol Deng aren't George defensively, and Dragic isn't Hill defensively.

Ujiri has done a solid job of surrounding his core with talented role players. Yet in the postseason, you need your best players to play like your best players in order to make a deep run.

"I think [the Pacers] did a good job game planning, which I think Miami will also do -- game plan for me and DeMar. That's what good teams are going to do," Lowry said. "We have to find ways to get open shots, get looks and be effective."

Lowry and DeRozan finally have the first-round-and-out burden off their backs. "Now we don't have to hear the 15-year [playoff series win drought] anymore," DeRozan joked.

They need to put the Raptors on their backs and make shots if Toronto is going to beat Miami and advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

"I have a brand-new series, I have a whole new life, it's 0-0 on that stat sheet now," Lowry said. "For me, it doesn't matter. The confidence never left; it's just about me taking the shots and making them. I work on getting my shots up every day. I still get my rest in between. It's just me getting the ball in the hole."