6 Thoughts
1) Jiminy Cricket - two straight blowout wins for the Heat, this one back in Miami. This one was never really close. Miami lead by 21 at half - Atlanta cut it to 11 late in the third quarter, then James Jones (!) hit a 25 foot triple with 1.5 seconds to go, to restore a 14 point lead after three. Miami quickly pushed it all the way to 26 in the fourth, and cruised in.
2) You know something? Them gals were right...it's all about the defense. Miami stifled Atlanta for the second straight game. Held them to 37% from the floor. Blocked twelve shots: Jermaine O'Neal had 3, Wade (!) 4, and Easy Beasley had 2 of his own. Also pounded The Atl on the boards, 48-35. Everybody rebounded: Haslem had 13, Jermaino 10, Wade 7, Little Chalmers 5, and Beasley ripped 6 in only 19 minutes. When your starting backcourt has 12 rebounds, everybody is rebounding.
3) Look, Jermaino can't bring it every night anymore, but he can bring it some nights. He followed up his best game on the Heat with an even better one: 22 points, 10 boards, 3 blocks, and he completely shut down the paint defensively. Completely. Totally. He probably doesn't get enough credit for his defensive play. Against the younger, more athletic Al Horford and Josh Smith, he uses positioning, good footwork, and anticipation to cut off angles to the basket and force difficult shots. He is a subtlety outstanding defensive player.
4) Again, smoking from the 3 point line: Wade 4-8, Emcee Chalmers 3-6, James Jones 3-3, Daequan Cook 2-6. No one else took one - that totals to 12-23, following the 15-27 performance in Game 2. A big chunk of that is good fortune. But some of it is also the fact that Atlanta is now double-teaming Jermaino on the dribble - combine that with the attention Wade draws, and there are a ton of open looks right now. Also a factor - Atlanta point guard Mike Bibby's general ambivalence towards perimeter defense.
5) Rookie Report: nice game for Emcee Chalmers, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and no turnovers. Did struggle early in the second quarter when he let the Hawks push him too far back with physical defense, causing him to initiate the offense 35 feet from the hoop, which is never a good idea. Beasley struggled mightily offensively, just 1-10 from the floor. One of those nights. But he is contributing in other areas - the aforementioned 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in 19 minutes. He is defending the rim right now, and it has to warm Coach Spo's heart. He is starting to show the instincts of a good defensive player - able to contest shots without fouling, and anticipate passing lanes - I am proud of him. It isn't easy to play hard when the shot isn't dropping and you are a boy playing against men - but he did...
6) "It is the American vice, the democratic disease which expresses its tyranny by reducing everything unique to the level of the herd." ~ Henry Miller, American author, 1947
Game 4 in Miami, Monday night
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