6 Thoughts
1) There are a few games every year that are absolute torture to watch - this was the first one of this year. On the third game in four nights, out west, after blowing the first two in overtime because we couldn't make a free throw, at altitude in a building where we haven't won in a decade or so, it was apparent about three minutes into the game that the Heat had no legs, weren't feeling it, and were going to get killed. From that point, the game became a grueling endurance contest of trying to stay awake past 1:30am for the third time in four nights, while being assaulted by extra-long tv timeouts, since the game was also on ESPN. But, at least Dwyane Wade got hurt. Let's speed through this and get to bed!
2) I'm not even sure why Dwyane has been playing the past two or three games. He clearly hasn't felt well enough to move fluidly on his bruised foot, and has looked slow, been a turnover machine, and settled for a lot of bad jumpers. He limped around all night again in this game, before rolling his ankle at some point in the second half. Not sure what quarter - at a certain point I lost focus, watched Beverly Hills Cop during a timeout, and then started wondering why I never thought Eddie Murphy's standup was very funny, while half-heartedly watching the game. What was funny about the "I want some ice cream" bit? What is the joke? All my little friends used to say that over and over. He was a little kid that begged for ice cream - why is that funny? I don't get the joke. Anyways, Dwyane rolled his right ankle, so now he has a hurt left foot and sprained right foot. Still, arguably faster than Shane Battier. We'll see how bad it is - and this time, let's let him get healthy before he comes back. He's either healthy for the playoffs or he's not - can't see how it matters how many games he plays now.
3) Highlight of the game: None. There was absolutely nothing that you could consider a highlight. I mean, maybe - maybe - when Joel "Butter" Anthony won an offensive rebound in a scrum, suddenly had it squirt up out of his hands to the Nuggets, they came down in transition, lost the ball themselves right back to Joel, who promptly had it squirt away from him again, before somehow re-securing it - incredibly - in the crook of the back of his knee. Not sure I've seen that before. Lowlight: when you are out on the road for a long trip like this one, dudes' hair starts to get unkempt and peasy. Dwyane, LeBron, and Pitt, especially, were looking curly, and Butter's baldness was pronounced because the patches where he does have hair had grown in. Let's get peasy!!! Get back to Miami, boys - get back to those barbers!
4) I thought Mario Chalmer actually had a very nice road trip. We say enough mean things about him here - let's give him some credit. He's shooting the ball well, making pretty good decisions, and seems to have matured a little bit. Good job, Emcee. Everyone can blame this blog when we go home and he stinks the joint out next week.
5) In a related story, I believe - and it's hard to tell because Jax does not give standings updates after halftime - that Emcee Chalmer no longer leads this season's "Hot Seconds with Jax." Battier (who else?) matched Emcee's seven points, but I think he did it with a faster time, which would make him the leader in the clubhouse. After I predicted Juwan Howard to win, and M.Minutos went with longshot Eddy Curry, it took us both about three seconds to look at each other and say simultaneously, "Uh-oh: Battier." Battier ripped through all the Duke ACC Defensive Players of the Year in about a nanosecond after using his timeout to think about it - finally, someone else beside Chalmer who knows the rules! I'm already out because Juwan went second and got smoked. M.Minutos and Curry are still alive. I knew, knew, knew I should have asked Jax who won behind M.Minutos' back. I'm not above cheating. By the way, last night, the Heat's resident brainiac, James Jones, did not know who wrote the epic World War II classic novel From Here to Eternity, which, literally, is my favorite novel of all-time. Author? You got it: James Jones. Less well-known: From Here to Eternity's James Jones? Better in space defensively than Miami's.
6) My maternal GPs are here visiting this weekend from the west coast of Florida. GrampsMinutos: 100 years old. GramsMinutos: in her 90s. They are so awesome, and I am so lucky to still have them arond at their - and my - advanced ages. We took them out for Thai food, which they had never really heard of (they're originally from Ohio), and they love Harry S. Truman. He dropped the Big One. After dinner, GramsMinutos attempted to murder M.Minutos by asserting there were no nuts whatsoever in the chocolate chip cookies she had baked and brought with her, only to send M.Minutos into spasms of highly-allergic retching discomfort when it turned out the cookies did, indeed, contain nuts. Well, she's 90, she can't remember everything. Goodnight, and God Bless America, everybody, and especially Douglas Fairbanks Jr!
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Finally get to play home games next week, at a reasonable hour - 8 of next 9 at home. Tuesday is Spurs (San Antonio, I believe, not Tottenham Hot-), and Thursday is Lakers. Sweet week of games! If you need me before then, I'll be trying to think of anything possible to entertain a 100 year old dude and his 92 year old whippersnapper wife. Tonight me and the boys played them "Back in Black" by AC/DC on our instruments. Not totally convinced that Grams and Gramps are fans...Cheers!!!
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