1) Gut-check, meaningful win for Miami over Toronto. Miami is 40-34 with 8 games to play, are in sixth place in the East, and now hold a four game lead over eighth place Toronto with a split of the season series...
2) ...Minds were wrong for the better part of three quarters as Miami found itself down in a 17 point hole at home to a Toronto team that they always seem to have trouble stopping. And that's when the "subs" kicked in:
3) Sub # 1: as always, Udonis Haslem, continuing a run of outstanding basketball. If he and the power forward who starts ahead of him, Mike Beasley, were on an old school scale right now, Udonis' side would be all the way down to the bottom on the table, and Beasley would be up in the sky. Or, actually, would it be Udonis up in the sky, and Beasley on the table? Does good play weigh more than bad play? Irregardless...Udonis is playing great - had 11 fourth quarter points tonight, and 23 in the game on 10-11 shooting. Mike is playing great, also, if by "great" you mean that he is absolutely terrible. It didn't feel like it could get any worse than last game, but somehow it did in the first half when he shot 1-9. Then, that felt like the bottom...until he came out in the second half with a missed open 8 footer, and back-to-back horrific turnovers on careless passes. Got yakked with 7 minutes to go in the third quarter, and never returned. Look - God bless Mike, he's a dear, dear friend. But it is tough to put him out there right now. It's tough to imagine playing him in a playoff game, let alone starting him. Man, I don't know what to tell you...I wouldn't want to be Spo right now.
4) Sub # 2: Carlos Arroyo. He was third option all year at point guard. First he backed up Chalmers, then they brought in Rafer Alston, currently missing-in-action. Now Arroyo is the starter, and he is clearly the correct choice. He runs the offense efficiently without turning the ball over, makes the mid-range jumper, and tonight, with a minute to go in a tie game, hit a step back, top-of-the-key jumper with a hand in his face to win the game. Iced it with six straight free throws down the stretch. Tony Fiorentino and Eric Reid did all they could to jinx the free throws, by the way - after citing how strong his percentage from the line has been all season, Tony went "off the team," citing a game when Carlos was on Utah and made 10-10 from the line against Miami. M.Minutos was furious - don't tempt the jinx Gods, Tony...
5) Sub # 3: Joel Anthony. Jermaine O'Neal out with the sprained knee - not sure about the epaulets, didn't notice him on the bench. Joel, not normally the most efficient of offensive players, was one of the few guys who played well early, allowing Miami to hang around by shooting 6-6 in the first half for a career high 13 points. Hard to believe he hadn't scored 13 in a game before, actually. Quit while he was ahead and didn't take a shot in the second half, but his defense on Toronto star Chris Bosh was stellar throughout, hassling Bosh into an 8-20 shooting night, and just 19 points. Joel has carved out a nice little role for himself on this team, and it is always great to see hard work rewarded. He is light years ahead of where he was when he got to this team.
6) Top Five Black Guy Actors, right now:
5- Mekhi Phifer. Always great when he is sullen and brooding, but surprised everyone by being upbeat and likable in Eight Mile.
4- Denzel Washington. Predictably solid. Would like to see him get out of the big budget rut he is in, and do something unpredictable and interesting.
3- Michael Rappoport.
2- Richard T. Jones. You know, this guy:
Two thoughts on Jones. One, this photo is ironic, because what I was going to say before I even found it was that he is so good, he is like a black Brian Austin Green. Weird. Two, last night I was home alone with the boys, M.Minutos was out on the town (with, ironically, white people - she can't get enough of us), and I got sucked into watching, Two Can Get Married on tv, or something like that. You know, the Tyler Perry movie where he isn't dressed like a woman, he is playing a dude, although, honestly, not that well. Seemed a little uncomfortable and creepy. Actually, it occurs to me that I live with all black people - never looked at it like that before - if you are white, you might have no idea what this movie is. Basically, it is like The Big Chill, but with black dudes and gals. So, Richard T. Jones is playing this "playboy" kind of guy, who is married to Jill Scott (who is a chunky but cute popular jazzy R & B singer in real life for you whites out there). He is creeping with a woman in better shape - for some reason he brings his girlfriend to this retreat with his friends, which seems like a terrible idea if you are trying to keep it on the down low. Anyways, Jill Scott goes shopping with two other girls at one point of the movie, and the girls convince her to buy this lingerie because they tell her it will turn on Richard T. Jones. She is skeptical because she is very insecure about her weight, but they are like, No, no, he will really like it. By the way, Jill Scott is pretty; but, her girl friends (one played by Janet Jackson) are just the kind of girls to set you up on a date with someone and tell you, She has a really pretty face, and you are, like, Uh-oh. So, Jill Scott puts on the lingerie that night and comes into the bedroom where RTJ, as I like to call him, is reading on the bed. His eyes bug, not in a good way, and he is like, "What are you wearing," and she is like, "I thought you might like it," and he is like, "Why," and she is like, "My girlfriends told me you would like it," and he bursts out with a cruel, raucous laughter and goes, "HAHAHAHAHA - well, they lied! You look like you are wearing a damn tent!" It made me wonder if there was a take where he played it kind of like understated, and Tyler Perry, the director of the movie, was like, No, no, that is way too much like a real human being would act - I need less realistic. Wayyyy less. Anyways, the point is, he's a fantastic actor, and I give the movie a 10 out of 10.
1- Bunk.
-----
Off until Wednesday, see you then. Don't do drugs.
-----
