6 Thoughts
1) Bad performance. Memphis has quietly played well after a dreadful start - they have won 4 straight and 5 of 6. There is talent there - it is no shame to lose to them in Memphis. But Miami played dreadfully. Dwyane Wade had his second subpar game of the weekend - he was awful, actually, 17 points on 5-16. No Udonis - out for a family funeral, and the unusual combinations on the floor didn't help a struggling young team. When you are as inexperienced as Miami, there are going to be ebbs and flows to the season. This is an ebb, right now. Milwaukee comes to town tomorrow night - maybe a good chance to get right back on the court.
2) Great to see OJ Mayo play. It was rumoured that Pat Riley preferred him to Beasley in the draft, but got talked out of it by everyone in the organization. Has been off to a great start, averaging 20 points a game on 47% from the floor, 40% on 3s. Still, he has been the subject of skepticism in the press. Amongst the criticisms of Mayo are that: 1) he is just posting numbers on a bad team 2) he doesn't get to the free throw line 3) he doesn't get others involved 4) he doesn't beat guys off the dribble. I thought he was terrific tonight, and I like him as a player. To some degree, I understand the criticisms after watching him play. His weakness are that his handle is a little shaky, and that he is not an elite athlete - he doesn't explode off the floor. However, for a 21 year old, he is an extremely polished offensive player - though he may be an average athlete, he creates shots with his savvy, and most importantly, the fact that he is a fantastic jump shooter, with deep range, and he must be crowded. Beautiful stroke, made 4-4 on 3s tonight on his way to 28 points. Mayo has always had a bad rap from the media, he was essentially a basketball nomad by the age of 17, traveling to different high schools in various states, going out to LA for a quick year of college, basically being famous before he had done anything, which the stodgy sportswriter clique hates - but none of that makes him a bad kid, and none of that means he can't play. He can play. It is nitpicking to find flaws in his game. Not only that, he outplayed Dwyane Wade head-to-head, and was still going hard with 3 minutes to go in a blowout. And they aren't awful: they are 9-15, after a 4-14 start. Loved his night. Would I prefer him over Beasley? I don't know. Beasley is a little more uniquely gifted, and probably has a higher ceiling. Plus, Mayo is not a point guard by any means, and it would be tough to play him and Wade together. But I could make the argument for Mayo, sure. I think Miami could not have gone wrong with either one - after Rose, from what I have seen, they were easily the two most talented guys available.
3) Shawn Marion reached - I hope - some kind of offensive nadir with a 3-12, all on shots within 6 feet. He played as hard as ever, and had 13 rebounds, but it was tough to watch him with the ball out there.
4) The Heat's best player on this night was Joel Anthony, who had 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks. For an undersized player who has never before played at this level, he tries his hardest every night. I felt good for him tonight - it was the best game he has played, and for a guy who was a minor factor in college, he had to be proud of himself. Still, it is important not to get caught up in thinking he is the answer up front for Miami - just because he is outperforming Joel Anthony from three weeks ago, doesn't mean he is going to outperform actual NBA big guys.
5) Nor is the answer upfront Jamal Magloire. Let's just say the Big Cat got ejected for headbutting Darko Milic with 3 minutes to go, the last blow in an ongoing dispute they had running for a couple of minutes. In fairness, even on replay it was tough to see a headbutt. On completely the opposite side of the fence vis-a-vis Darko was Mike Beasley, who returned from a one game flu absence to drop 20 points and grab 8 rebounds in only 24 minutes. He alone kept Miami in the game in the first half. Not only that, he actually shared several lighthearted conversations with Darko during dead balls and free throw situations which resulted in the first on court smiles of the year by Beasley. Hard to imagine what Darko may have said to the rookie, but it would be great if Darko, knowing it was too late to save himself, was trying to turn around the attitude of the youngster.
6) Old friend Antoine Walker was inactive for Memphis tonight as he has been all season. Heat play-by-play lifer Eric Reid said that Antoine told him before the game that he expects to have his contract bought out soon, and that "it may be a while before I sign with someone else" because he wants to make sure he gets on a good team that will play meaningful games down the stretch. Yes, it may be awhile...
