6 Thoughts
1) That wasn't good; but it was tough. Miami never found any offensive flow; shot only 20 free throws - 4 at the end on stop-the-clock fouls - compared to 34 for Charlotte; made only 36% from the floor; got only 14 points from Dwyane Wade; would have been blown off the court early on if not for Quentin Richardson's six - six - first half threes; and couldn't pull away from a team that made only six - six - second half baskets. How did they win? 29.2%. That's what they held Charlotte to from the floor. Miami also won the rebounding battle by 7 boards, forced 15 turnovers, and blocked 13 - 13 - shots, including 5 by DWade. Moved a half game in front of Charlotte for 6th - that's where they need to be. And they have to beat Charlotte outright - can't finish in a tie - because even with this win, they lost the season series to the Bobcats 3-1.
2) What do Heat center Jermaine O'Neal and new Bobcats owner Michael Jordan have in common? They are all-time NBA greats? Okay, not exactly. They both date Cuban "models" from Kendall who are half their age? I hope not, because Jermaino is only 31. They are both prematurely balding black men? Ahh, yes - but's not what we are going for. Oh snap, I know! They both love to wear military garb! Jermaino out with a sprained ankle, and in with the epaulets! As always! M.Minutos can't figure out if it is the same coat every time, or if he just has a lot of coats with epaulets. He is making 20+ million dollars this year - I hope it is multiple coats. And Michael Jordan - resplendent in a puke-colored yellow pullover, slacks, and Federalista cap! Looking a little over-chunky, and somewhat slurry and milky-eyed. Still, somewhat youthful for a guy in his late 50s, though. Wait, what? He's only 47? Oh...yikes.
3) Jermaino out, Joel-o in. Joel Anthony was really, really good, with 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He generally ranged around the paint, deterring drives. Geez, the other team shot 29%, the center has to get some love. Also, cooked oxtail at halftime with Jax. Seemed like he knew a little about cooking, but with his hands, I suggest staying away with the knives. M.Minutos doesn't call him a "natural butterfingers" for nothing.
4) Best play of the game: with 3 seconds to go in the first half, Bobcats center Tyson Chandler cut down the lane, received a pass in stride from a guard, and went up to dunk with authority...Oh snap!-Here comes Dwyane Wade, all 6'3" of him, from the side, flyyyying, to reject the ball with force, leaving Chandler slightly wide-eyed in amazement. Every year Wade leads the league in shots blocked by a guard - add Tyson Chandler to the highlight reel. There will be others.
5) As they do almost every game, Heat announcers Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino praised the in-game work of their buddy, stat guy Steve LeBeau, who feeds them numbers during the game to aid the broadcast. Showed him on camera, and gave the viewers a new piece of information: Lebeau runs a camp in the summer. Wait - you mean like a stat camp? Oh snap! "Guys - when a guy gets to five, say, free throws, the first four I write with lines in a row, but on the fifth one I like to put a diagonal line through the first four, and then repeat the process again. When I look back at that stat, I know: the row with the diagonal line, that's five, and I can add up those numbers very quickly...let's all try that..."
6) Health Care/Entitlement Debate, point # 622:
So I am at a new library on Lantana Boulevard today, researching Nazis, or, more specifically, the British government's policy towards Jewish refugees during World War II (in brief: it wasn't generous). The library is a year or two old, built by the county in a lower-middle class neighborhood. It is a really beautiful place: small, but bright, and airy, lots of natural light, great ergonomically correct seating, free wifi - so excellent to see something so well-done in a community that needs quality amenities. I take a break out in front of the library from Eleanor Rathbone's hectoring of the British Home Office and there is a sweet redneck-y couple sitting out on the front bench. The neighborhood is probably mostly Hispanic, part black, with some rednecks thrown in. This couple, they were rednecks - just to be clear - that's not meant to be pejorative, some people are white dudes, and some people are black dudes, and these two were kind of white, but, you know...So the dude, he is like 40, has a mullet, and bad ink, but not, like, jailhouse bad ink like Richard Jefferson; and his wife, well, I'm sure you can imagine her. So the guy leans across to this black woman sitting on the bench across from them - clearly he had been discussing something with his wife which I hadn't heard, and now he was going outside the marriage for advice. He says to her, "how many movies can you check out here at one time," and the woman says, "ten." How she knew that, I don't know. But the guy immediately shakes his head in displeasure and grumbles, "Ten? At the other library you can check out twenty..." This redneck dude needs twenty movies at a time? Really? Twenty? Oh snap, I knew this was going to happen!...Freakin' Obama...Where is Joe The Plumber when you need him?!!
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On a serious note - very serious - tonight's game makes 104 straight games that I have watched in entirety. But this is the end of the line. Monday I will be going to a Wilco concert in Miami with Dos Minutos' favorite reader, Thor, and there is a 99% chance I will be too sticky on something to watch the game afterwards. I could take PEDs to continue the streak - like Cal Ripken did when he 'broke' Lou Gehrig's record - but I have too much respect for the game to do that. It has been an honor representing you - we'll be back on Thursday for the Bulls on TNT - let's hope the Clapping Man hasn't disposed of Doug Collins by then - and for a review of the Wilco show. Until then, Godspeed, and see if you can watch twenty movies in one day...
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