The Heat are coming; they are starting to play some pretty good basketball.
Too bad we didn’t see it against the Celtics at the start of this homestand, but then again that is the Celtics who are the defending world champs. It is hard to argue against the Heat, however, making the playoffs and perhaps making a strong showing in the postseason.
Tonight, the Heat defeated the Hawks, another team in their division ranked ahead of them. In fact, it was the 2nd contest in as many nights as the Heat dispatched the Magic only a few nights previous, Dwight Howard finding an ejection in the closing minutes rife with frustration.
The Heat went with a different look tonight, launching Jamal Magloire to start at the center spot while bringing Mark Blount off the bench to help give the Heat a more dynamic offensive presence. For Blount, it has been a re-emergence of sorts after having not played in the previous 17 games. Spoelstra had in mind to use Blount’s range and athleticism to keep Dwight Howard honest and draw him outside the painted area. Against the Hawks, a kind of athletic “tweener” team, Blount’s services were again needed.
And for Magloire, it was an arrival – getting his first start in a Heat uniform. There was a resurrection expected (and talked about) at the start of the season for Magloire who was an all-star back in the ’04 season with the Hornets (then still in the Eastern conference). Tonight, he flashed some of that skill contributing 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in just under 17 minutes of play. One of those baskets came on a dunk, where Magloire put his hands over his eyes in a Dee Brown fit of imitation. “Just having fun”, Magloire said.
As were the Heat tonight. And it is hard not to embrace this young, brash team. They play with a quiet confidence that is best illustrated in a Daequan Cook three point shot in the clutch, or the way Mario Chalmers continues to lock down his opposition on the defensive end each night. This team is executing and with Dwyane Wade playing at such a tremendously high level right now – the kind of level we haven’t seen in these parts since July of 2006 – there is little to doubt about this team.
This team is still growing. Consider how good Michael Beasley could be in a month or two; how good James Jones is going to be in a month being back healthy.
And Miami is doing some surprising things without Shawn Marion on the floor. What if the Heat actually trade him and upgrade their roster? Where is the ceiling then?
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Coach Spo Knows
He does seem to know a lot, this first year coach with the easy going demeanor. His young face may not detail his knowledge of the game the lines, however, formed from a furled forehead deep in thought perfectly illustrate his coaching pedigree. Erik Spoelstra has been laboring in the shadows waiting for his chance; quite literally, working in the belly of the beast taping film together for his mentors Stan Van Gundy and Pat Riley. His father was an NBA executive in Portland.
And he knows – the true identity of this team is not offense, but defense.
Take tonight for example. The Heat beat the Wizards by 22 points, 93-71 against the Washington Wizards. Yet what is apparent is that the Wizards are not only injury plagued, but they are not going to be one of the stronger offenses on most nights – despite having two excellent bookends in Antawn Jamison and the ex-Heater Caron Butler. So, when the Heat were struggling in the first half it was not the offense, but the defense that Spoelstra was concerned with.
“We shot 39% tonight,” Spoelstra says in reference to the final score. They also shot only 31% from three point range but it was the threes made (10) and the free throws which made the difference (22 free throws attempted for Miami to the Wizards’ 13) on the offensive side. Spoelstra is right – even though the Heat blew out the Wizards, the difference in the game was the defense the Heat played versus the defense the Wizards propped up.
The Heat’s defense, Spoelstra cited, was supported by the bench tonight. It was the hustle plays and the effort that made the difference. If the Heat are going to make a difference in the playoff race – especially now as we start the 2nd half – it will be through their defense that any gain will be made.
As good as Dwyane Wade is, he can’t do it all by himself – but he is very darned close on some nights. Observers of the Heat would tell you that Daequan Cook, Mario Chalmers, and even Michael Beasley are raising their game to complement Wade’s. Much like fine tubes of oil that go into a Picasso, the swirling confusion that is churned out gets hailed as a masterpiece in the aftermath. The Heat are far from churning out anything worthy of hardware, but Wade is definitely the player to do it.
It all comes back to Spoelstra. As a coach, it is his job to properly evaluate his talent and the way they are playing together. Playing defense is the way for the Heat – and Spo knows.
Spo also knows that the Heat need Marion. They are on a 5 game win streak without him, but their rebounding and defense are not as good without him. Spo knows.