6 Thoughts
1) Goodness gracious, another overtime game, the third in the last five games - this one thankfully only went one extra session. Dwyane Wade missed his first game of the season with assorted ailments, but primarily a hip flexor. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen both missed the game for Boston - in the words of immortal former Heat point guard Tim Hardway: "Sides was even." Wade is expected back Friday for the Nets, or Sunday for Detroit.
2) Got down 16 early, but climbed back to lead by 5 at halftime behind Beasley's 11 second quarter points. The Heat led much of the second half before fading late. If there was any frustration -and there shouldn't be without Wade - it was that Mike Beasley didn't touch the ball more down the stretch. It didn't look like anyone on Boston could stop him. As it was, The Beas scored 21 on 10-18 shooting, but without Wade it was a night where maybe he could have been turned loose for 25 shots. It would have been interesting - still would love to see that one night. He scores more easily than 95% of the players in the league.
3) Young O. Minutos' favorite player, Paul Pierce, got off early with 12 points in the first five minutes of the game, took a nap until the fourth quarter, and exploded for 21 more in the fourth and overtime. Made four or five contested jumpers down the stretch, fallaways, hand in the face. Did the obligatory scratchy-voiced interview after the game. Love Paul Pierce - big time player.
4) The Celtics praying mantis-like big man Mikki Moore fouled out in only 17 minutes. A week ago, in the Heat's win in Boston, he somehow amassed four fouls in the first quarter. He has an absolute passion for fouling, and for ridiculous hairdos: http://redsarmy.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/mikkimoore.jpg. Like a low rent Busta Rhymes...Rooaar, rooaar, like a dungeon dragon, Mikki!
5) Okay, playoff reset. Miami is 36-31, 15 games left to play, but 9 are on the road, and 9 are also against playoffs teams. That's a tough finish. They sit in 5th place. They probably can't catch the Hawks, 3.5 games ahead of them. Philadephia is a game behind Miami, and Detroit 2.5 games behind - the Heat play Detroit Sunday. Finish in 5th and you play Atlanta - that's a winnable series with DWade. Finish in 6th or 7th, play Boston or Orlando - can't win either of those series, unless the Celtics remain banged up. In 8th is Chicago, 5 games behind the Heat. Fall to 8th, and get pummeled by league best Cleveland and LeBron James in the first round. Milwaukee and Charlotte are 9th, 6.5 games behind. Only the top 8 make it. For Miami, a team that won only 15 games last year, any spot in the playoffs is an achievement and a worthwhile experience, especially for a team as young as they are. 38 wins - 2 more out of 15 - might get in. 39 wins probably gets in. 40 wins almost positively gets in. Miami just needs to grind out a couple more, somewhere, somehow. Let's get that DWade back on the court...
6) Speaking of Milwaukee...Uh-oh. Former University of Connecticut and current Milwaukee Bucks power forward extraordinaire Charlie Villanueva has run afoul of his uber-intense coach Scott Skiles for posting to his Twitter feed from the locker room during halftime of a recent game during the Celtics: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3990853.
Look, one, he was posting positive stuff: "I gotta step up." That good, right? Two, the kid has alopecia: http://thetimetube.com/wp-content/uploads/Ugliest%20People/charlie_villanueva.jpg. I mean, come on - let's cut him some slack. Three, the Bucks won the game, and Charlie scored 19 points. I like to think of the whole incident as Charlie trying to find a way to use a little down time productively. Free Charlie V and his Twitter!
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