6 Thoughts
1) Nine in a row for Miami, and 44 for the year, one more than last year with 4 to go. They played hard for about 8 minutes out of 48 tonight, but the Sixers are dreadful, so that's all it took. Stayed two games ahead of Charlotte to stay out of 7th place, the only thing Miami still has left to play for in the regular season. Let's go.
2) Tonight's starting matchup at power forward: The Corpse Purporting To Be Elton Brand vs. The Draft Pick Who Did Not Turn Out To Be Mike Beasley. Oh. My. God. Elton: 35 minutes, 2-9 shooting, 6 points, 3 rebounds, the worst drive-and-kick turnover of the season, and removed for Jason Smith - Jason Smith - for defensive purposes late in the game. Who is Jason Smith, you ask? Exactly...However, against all odds, the Sixers won the battle of starting power forwards. Mike Beasley: 16 minutes, 2-9, 4 points, 2 rebounds, a minus 20 while he was on the court, 2 incredibly bad turnovers, several blown defensive assignments, and 1 black eye giving a touch foul on a Samuel Dalembert dunk. Starting him right now is a joke. Playing him is a bit of a joke. He's in the tank. When he is in, Miami plays poorly - it's worse than 4 on 5, because he keeps shooting ridiculously bad shots. M.Minutos put it best: "Even when he shoots well, you never feel like he can help win a game." No - no, you don't. That is all.
3) Dorell Wright won the game. Dwyane Wade sleep-walked his way to a 22 point 8-18 "effort," and Jermaino O'Neal was all out of sync in his first game back from a tweaked knee. Every time they got down, Dorell banged a three. Ummm, maybe a bad choice of words - keep those trousers up when sending your photo on the internet, kid! 19 points on 4-6 threes for Dorell, 3 of them in the fourth. Dorell Wright won the game!
4) We like to complain when a big call goes against us here, so it is only fair to give one back. With less than a minute to go, and the Heat up 2, Sixers guard Jrue Holliday drove the lane, drew attention, and flipped an alley-oop up over his shoulder to Samuel Dalembert for a dunk to tie the game. Except - no, no, no, here came an official running in from the side to wave off the basket and call a foul on Holliday for running over Udonis Haslem, well after the pass, and when Haslem was clearly late, late, late with the help. Awful call. Not even a basketball play defensively, it was more like a classic Duke slide-and-flop. Brutal. Moments later, in transition, Louis Williams' layup attempt was dunked in by Dalembert as it was coming off the rim - basket again waved off, this time for goaltending. This one was goaltending, but it was tough for the Sixers to have to eat that call immediately after the bogus charge. Also, didn't hear Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino, who love to complain about Heat offensive goaltending calls when the ball is "mostly" off the rim, complain about the Dalembert whistle. We got a couple tonight - thanks, David Stern!
5) The Heat continues to put the hard sell on for season tickets during the broadcast. Seems more desperate than other years. Maybe it is the economy, maybe it is just me. Also seems like it would be incredibly difficult to get people to buy season tickets before the potentially tumultuous offseason plays itself out. Everyone is shilling hard during broadcasts: Jax, Eric Reid, Tony, Pat Riley, team owner Mickey Arison...Tonight's special guests on the job? Former Heat point guard Tim Hardaway, and the Heat cheerleaders, answering the phone lines (like a telethon), and giving out special team-autographed posters (I'd just cut out Quentin Richardson, frame him, and hang it). Tim is beautiful, he never changes, always smiling and laughing (when not making, and then apologizing for, homophobic slurs), and most of all, always answering your question by saying, "yeah," and then repeating your question. "Tim, it looked like a dogfight out there," "Yeah, it was a dogfight out there." Tim, you know how you and the Heat cheerleaders could convince me to buy season tickets? Trade Mike Beasley. "Yeah, we'll trade Mike Beasley."
6) "Hey, Tim...it's me, Tiger. I need to you to do me a favor...It's huge." "Yeah, I can do you a favor. Do you want to buy some, umm, some season tickets? We're trading Mike Beasley." "Umm, sort of...hey, could you put one of the Heat cheerleaders on the phone? That white one that was standing next to you before, the one with the kind of trashy blond dye job? That one?" "Yeah, I can put the one with the trashy blond dye job on the phone."
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Friday night. Not sure who we are playing. Maybe Detroit? I lost interest about 6 games ago when it was obvious we were going to make the playoffs, and just lose in the first round. The season is essentially over - we know the outcome - now we are just waiting to see what happens in free agency this summer. But we promise Friday will be really, really exciting! In fact, get your season tickets now!!!
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