Heat guard Mike James can now say he has officially played in the NBA.

James, cut by the Heat in the preseason and signed as a free agent Tuesday, made his NBA debut against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. He played the final five minutes of a game already won by Toronto.

"I've been prepared since the first quarter every time I've stepped on the court," James said. "I was just excited and ready to do whatever the coach wanted me to do. He put me in the last five minutes and I said OK, now it's time to work."

James played college ball at Duquesne and spent time in Europe before the Heat first signed him in July as a free agent. After a short stint in the CBA, he was back. James finished with five points and three assists. He made his first career basket, a 3-pointer from 23 feet, with 2:58 to play.

Coach Pat Riley thinks a contribution from James is in the future.

"I think Mike can help us," Riley said. "I'll give him some time in the next couple of weeks."

James said, "The butterflies and the nervousness happened in the preseason. Now it's time to play. I can play this game. I know they have seen something in me [and] that's why they brought me back. Now it's a matter of time whether the coach starts putting some confidence in me where he can put me in the game when the game is close.

"My goal was not to just make it in the NBA, my goal was to play in the NBA."

Arroyo is grateful

Carlos Arroyo, a graduate of FIU, played in his second straight game after coming off the injured reserve list with an injury to his right Achilles' tendon.

He played nine minutes, scoring two points in a reserve role.

Arroyo thinks the opportunity is nothing to take for granted.

"There hardest part is to get to the league and once you're in the league, you need to work hard to stay in it," Arroyo said. "I worked so hard to get here and have been through so much and now that I'm here I thank God every day. I take nothing for granted."

Hope springs eternal

In the believe-it-or-not category, Riley is actually looking at the Heat's chances for the playoffs.

"I was actually enlightened when the first time I looked at the standings in over a month, we're only five and half games out of a playoff spot," Riley said. "When you think about it, the basketball gods, for some reason, have not let the pack run away from us. We have to start retooling our thinking as to where we're going and where we are heading."

That was before the loss to Toronto.

House takes hit

Heat guard Eddie House took an elbow above the right eye from the Raptors' Morris Peterson early in the fourth quarter and didn't return. House, who finished with four points in seven minutes, needed five stitches. ... Toronto center Hakeem Olajuwon didn't play because of a swollen toe on his left foot. ... Toronto assistant coach Stan Albeck, 70, had a stroke about 30 minutes before Sunday's game and was taken to St. Michael's hospital in Toronto for tests. Albeck was conscious when he was taken from the Raptors' locker room on a stretcher.