It is stunning to see how far this Miami Heat team has come in such a short period of time. Just days ago, it suffered two disappointing losses to the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies at home. After Miami’s 28-point loss to Memphis, the team called several meetings. Heat President Pat Riley even subtly called out franchise player Dwyane Wade for being out of shape.
Something must have clicked, because Miami looked very good Thursday night against the defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic. It out-played the Magic the entire game, cruising to a 104-86 victory. Wade looked very energetic and the other players contributed in the win.
The Heat led by 15 at intermission and took control of the third quarter to put this game to rest. At the six minute, 13 second mark of the quarter, J.J. Redick substituted Mickael Pietrus, leaving the former Duke standout to defend Wade. The 2006 NBA Finals MVP went right to posting up Redick, and converted a fall-away jumper on Miami’s next possession to make the score 77-54. About two minutes later, Wade found Udonis Haslem for a soft jumper. As the quarter approached the two-minute mark, the 6-foot-4 guard out of Marquette found Dorell Wright in the corner for a three-pointer. Wright’s triple made the game 82-60.
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Haslem stole the ball from Vince Carter on the Magic’s ensuing possession. Joel Anthony converted on a hook shot from a Wade pass shortly thereafter. Rashard Lewis missed a three-pointer on the other side of the court, and Wade snatched the rebound. He pushed the ball up the court and took a heat-checking three. It went in and put Miami ahead 87-60. Thirty-six seconds later, Anthony Johnson stole the ball from Haslem and threw an outlet pass to Redick, who was all alone. Like a trailblazing train, Wade ran behind and swatted Redick’s layup attempt, drawing cheers from the crowd in the quarter’s waning seconds.
Wade played very well, scoring 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting in just three quarters of work. He moved constantly without the ball and got involved in just about any way he could. Wade also dished out seven assists and blocked three shots. He went to his post game frequently, and it yielded positive results. Miami’s offensive schemes consisted of a lot of moving, and that neutralized Dwight Howard’s effectiveness when Wade set up from the top of the key. My only complaint was Wade’s four missed free-throws.
Michael Beasley was also very efficient. He added 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting for the Heat. He penetrated in the lane several times and made eight trips to the foul line. The former Kansas State product also grabbed eight rebounds. Beasley was the first starter sent to the bench; it appears the thinking with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is to have Beasley on the floor when Wade receives his rest at the start of the second quarter.
Miami’s two small forwards, Quentin Richardson and Dorell Wright, also played well. Richardson made two first-quarter triples, helping the Heat to build an early lead. Wright made a nice buzzer-beating jumper in transition to close the first quarter. He was very active on both sides of the court, grabbing eight rebounds. Both worked hard against Carter and contributed 11 points apiece.
Dwight Howard had his way with Jermaine O’Neal this time. O’Neal’s foul trouble limited him to just 18 minutes. It didn’t matter if it was O’Neal, Anthony or Jamaal Magloire guarding Howard. The Magic center always got great positioning. Last year’s Defensive Player of the Year had 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 14 rebounds. The problem was that Howard’s team shot just 43 percent from the field.
Haslem and Mario Chalmers combined for 16 points off the bench. It remains to be seen whether Chalmers will continue to come off the bench or not, but he is aggressive when prolific scorers like Wade, Beasley and O’Neal are not playing with him.
Miami simply needs to ride its wave of momentum. It plays against Portland and Utah to close out its six-game home-stand before it goes up to New York to visit the Knicks Christmas day.
Tags: Miami Heat, NBA
