6 Thoughts
1) Tough game to watch for much of the nights- realistically Miami can't play at that pace and win, but without Marion it is tough for them to speed the game up defensively. As bad as he is offensively, he is equally proficient on the defensive end, and that was evident tonight.
2) The Chairman went bananas. 5-6 on 3s, and two other long jumpers where his foot was on the line. He has a nice stroke, but he had never made more than two threes in a game before. I'm just saying...
3) Vince Carter was the best player in the game for three and a half quarters. He controlled the ball in the middle of the court, created angles, and then reversed the ball to spaced shooters, who also did a good job of making the extra pass, leading to a ton of open threes. He struggled late, though - he really looks like he has lost quite a bit of lift around the rim, and he had one unfortunate defensive possession with a minute to go where he got caught looking over at the bench as Dwyane Wade drove by him into the paint and created a foul.
4) Daequan Cook had his first real NBA game, his first game where his athletic potential leaked into actual production at a meaningful moments. He hit a couple of threes, as he often will, but it was his aggressive drive to the rim to tie the game at 86 and his defense in space against Vince Carter down the stretch that made me happy for him.
5) The young fellas: Beasley and Lopez. Beasley got loose in the first half and kept Miami in the game while everyone else endured a brutal twenty-four minutes. He scored 15, and I thought they should have force fed him more - it was clear Yi did not have the quickness to handle him in the post. Sort of got caught standing around in the second half, but still, another step in the learning process. Brook Lopez never got untracked. Traveled instantly upon entering the game, then followed it with another shortly thereafter. Committed a push in the back foul on a rebound he probably could have outsized Joel Anthony on. Hit a "cutting" Dwyane Wade for a turnover. Looked awkward in general. Still, though, his size is impressive, and I have no doubt he can compete in the league. I don't think he is athletic enough to be a star, but he is certainly going to figure out what his strengths and weaknesses are, and be in the league a long time. He is reported to be a good face up shooter - didn't have any opportunities to do that tonight.
6) Would like to say something about old friend Keyon Dooling, but spot #6 has to be reserved for Dwyane Wade. A brutal three and a half quarters, a scintillating finish. Again, it can't be said often enough: there is a qualitative difference between the very best perimeter guys in the league - Wade, LeBron, Kobe - and everybody else. These guys win games that other guys can't win, and it isn't always Game 6 of the Finals, or Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, or huge playoff games against Detroit. Sometimes it is a crappy Monday in November against a bad team, in a low energy game that they slog through for two hours before coming alive for 19 points in the 4th quarter. I mean he was awful - awful - for three quarters. And then he hit three threes in the fourth quarter - he hadn't made one all year. Only guys like him do things like that. It is a pleasure to see him healthy again, and able to seize a game like this. Let's hope he stays that way.
