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Heat Blast Lakers; Control Kobe
January 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Two great wins in a row for the Miami Heat as they came home after a long road trip to face the Spurs and now the Los Angeles Lakers. The scoreboard blazed 98-87 but the game was not nearly as close as the score would indicate.
The Heat got 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists from Lebron James – who was scratched from the pregame shootaround due to flu symptoms. Didn’t seem to matter tonight as James relished the opportunity to take on Kobe Bryant, a player, he admits, he admired “back in high school”. Seems kind of odd to think that James is either that young or that Kobe is now that old.
Bryant was held to 6 points on 1-7 shooting in the first half by a melange of Shane Battier and Mike Miller. Bryant ended up with 24 points trying to stuff the basket when the game was pretty much determined, but for the most part was kept under control for the Heat defense.
Some other positive developments for the Heat – Eddy Curry makes his debut on the game after Mike Miller made his. Although not as immediately impactful as Mike Miller’s entrance, Curry flashed abilities on the offensive side of the ball depositing 6 points in 6 minutes. He did, however, leave Pau Gasol open to drain a three and it was Curry’s defensive rotation that still needs work. He obviously has come a long way just to get onto the floor, but the next goal for him will be to solidify himself into game shape and get after it on both ends of the floor. Curry has always been a gifted, offensive big man and his defense is mostly relegated to patrolling the paint and using his size. He was a factor, when he did play, on Andrew Bynum, matching him size for size.
Lebron James also showed more poise and comfort running the team and setting up his teammates. James, ultimately, will leave a legacy as a facilitator in his uncanny ability to make plays and set up teammates and this is where he will need to focus to become more successful for the Heat. One sequence tells all – after hitting a three and things were getting chippy with Kobe, who wanted to play through his frustration and chose to defend James tightly all of a sudden, James didn’t force up a jumper but instead threaded a pass on the wing to a waiting Battier who drained the three. If James can stay ultra competitive but focused on the task at hand, that shows tremendous growth.
Crash Bandicoot or Mike Miller: Miller Time Debuts
January 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
It’s Miller time, again.
Mike Miller is a loved man here in Miami. He says he has only received two ovations in his NBA career – his debut with Miami last year after overcoming some early injuries and, yep, the same this year.
What did Miller do? Tie a franchise record of 6 three pointer makes in 6 attempts. He brought some energy to the team that was in desperate need of it.
And in typical Mike Miller fashion, he got banged up in the gig.
This guy needs a new nickname. Heck, a nickname for that matter. We can skip over the obvious MM or eminem references, plus his #13 being unlucky or anything like that (can’t wear #33 because that is Zo’s number). Since the guy is always getting banged up, hustling and taking charges, why not “Crash”?
Crash Miller. Mike Crash Miller. He crashes threes, crashes the boards, crashes the floors. Not since Dan Majerle has a Heat shooter looked so good when he looks so bad. He should be getting a purple heart every time he’s on the floor – he practically looks like a guy falling on grenades. Seemingly for fun.
His quote after last night’s game: “Fun!”
Miller is an admitted gym rat. He’s a gamer. He’s going to play through whatever ache or pain he has – good or bad. He shoots unconsciously and won’t hesitate. What’s really good is that he seems to have his thumbs back. I’ve mentioned this before – it took James Jones a year to come back from his thumb injury. All he did was win the NBA three point shooting crown last year. Mike Miller is at that same point and we all know this guy can score and shoot. That is why he was brought in here. Could he possibly make a run at challenging James Jones for his three point crown?
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Besides, we still have to work on that All Star Center nomination thing for Joel Anthony. But it sure feels good to add Miller to the mix again and with Jones and Shane Battier the Heat have serious options to shoot and play tough defense. Welcome back, Crash.
Heat Mount Historic Comeback Against Spurs
January 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The numbers 17 and 22 might only be separated by 5, but the disparity shown by the Heat last night is as deep as the emerging difference between the Spurs and the Heat as franchises.
The Spurs have been a long running NBA flagship franchise. For the 15 seasons that Tim Duncan has been in San Antonio, the Spurs have been a contending team. It started with the Admiral, David Robinson, who was able to team up with Duncan and along the way the Carribean kid picked up new pals like Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker to make more runs.
But Duncan is getting up there in age and his skills and game are not what they used to be. Sure, he can still play at a high level, but he needs more help these days to mount a sustainable attack.
That didn’t seem to be the case last night as the Spurs dropped 35 in the opening quarter against the Heat, shooting 67% from the field. Then staying productive on 57% shooting in the first half to keep a mount a 14 point lead.
At one point, the Heat were down as many as 17 points. Then the 3rd quarter commenced and everything changed.
We could say the Heat played with more energy, played better defense, and made shots and, well, that would make a difference. But not this dramatic of a difference. The Heat ended up winning the game 120-98 – a 22 point differential – in a game that seemed like the Heat were, at best, going to mount a fight to the finish. Certainly this game did not have the word “blowout” written on it at all. Not without Dwyane Wade in the game and with a sick Lebron James.
In fact, it was the play of Lebron James (33 points) that helped turn this game around as he hit three of four three pointers at one stretch in the 3rd to really push the Heat over the top. Still, it was the debut of Mike Miller, dropping 6-6 threes, that stole this game away from the Spurs and turned this into a laugher.
Greg Popovich, the much bally-hooed coach of the Spurs put his spin on it:
“…I felt we folded. They physically killed us.”
With the win, the Heat moved on to 9-4 and the Spurs are still looking for their first road win of the season at 0-5. It was also the first time the Heat were able to practice back to back since the start of the season. Good things may be on the horizon despite Wade’s temporary set back.
Things, for the Spurs, are changing. Their big pieces are aging and looking like their time is short in front of them. Much like the Boston Celtics, it will be intriguing to see how this team meets the challenge of rebuilding without having to suffer any long time lapse.
Wade Will Get Some Rest For His 30th Birthday
January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Dwyane Wade turns 30 this Tuesday, but so does his right ankle which was badly sprained in a loss to Denver Friday night.
No timetable is slated as of yet, but things won’t be rushed:
“He’s up walking around … but we’re not going to put a timetable on when he’ll come back,” Spoelstra said. “Thankfully, he’s not in a cast or a boot. So we’ll see how he responds each day, and we’ll go from there.”
Add this to the pile of things wrong with Wade. A bruised left foot, strained calf, and now the ankle, are all the things “old man” Wade is dealing with.
In all honesty, the best policy for the Heat right now would be to give Wade the time he needs to get fully healed and return to action at his own pace. Israel Gutierrez agrees. This team is playoff bound on talent alone and although seeding is always important, in such a short season just getting in is crucial. Right now the Heat are in a dead heat with the Hawks and the Magic, but realistically which of those teams are better than the Heat?
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