6 Thoughts
1) Second tough peer group road loss in a row for Miami as they slip back to only 3 games over .500 at 26-23, now just a game in front of the Sixers for 6th in the East. Wade seemed not himself and the Sixers defended him well, keeping him, for the most part, on the perimeter, and limiting him to 21 points on 8-19 shooting.
2) Also for the second game in a row, Miami had a tough time with the officiating. The Sixers, down 6 entering the fourth quarter, shot 8 free throws in the first 80 seconds of the quarter, and Miami had to play the last ten and a half minutes knowing any foul they committed was two shots. With the building rocking in a fairly important game, Miami got frustrated when their own drives to the baskets were not rewarded with free throws - they never got in to the bonus at all in the fourth quarter, and that was a huge factor in the game. That happens, though, on the road - you have to find a way to overcome that. Miami couldn't tonight. When Wade is having an off night night, they really don't have a second veteran scorer who can make plays in a hostile environment - Mike Beasley tried with 8 fourth quarter points, but it wasn't quite enough.
3) Trade deadline rolls around in about two weeks. The most serious rumor seems to be Shawn Marion and his expiring contract, along with Marcus Banks' interminable contract, for aging Raptors big man Jermaine O'Neal. Look, Shawn Marion is expendable - his hybrid forward spot is the one position Miami has depth at. And Jermaine O'Neal is a defensive presence in the middle, and could give them an occasional relief hoop in the basket area, something Miami rarely gets. It just seems like the team has good chemistry, and deserves to play it out. Marion has always played hard even if he is awkward offensively. If he leaves for nothing in the offseason, Miami will have his cap room to facilitate trades or sign free agents who might be of more help than Jermaine O'Neal. Plus, M. Minutos has long despised Jermaine O'Neal. I am voting against this trade, although it is far from an easy decision. It is going to go right down to the deadline, I would imagine. Miami has to hold Marion's contract just in case someone else shakes free: Amare Stoudamire, or, far less likely, Chris Bosh.
4) Early in the broadcast Heat announcer Eric Reid noted that Sixer center Samuel Dalembert, of Haitian decent, loves Miami, and has a lot of family there. "The Haitian community in South Florida embraces Samuel Dalembert," Eric informed us. Dalembert was effective tonight with 10 rebounds and 3 blocks in 22 minutes, but took just one shot and scored a mere 2 points. Everywhere I go in South Florida, Haitians are complaining to me that Samuel Dalembert isn't a bigger part of the Sixers' offensive game plan. Just this morning, a guy on the massage table next to mine, who seemed kind of Haitian, asked me why the Sixers don't pound it in to Dalembert more often. "I don't know, sir," I told the guy.
5) Ster-Rod.
6) Four, five hundred times, I could see...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090205/od_afp/skoreamotoringoffbeat_20090205024852
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