1) It was ragged, it was disjointed, and it was bizarre, but in the end it was just another blowout win, and the Heat lead the series 3-0. The Bucks are really going to have to pick it up to win in 6, as Brandon Jennings predicted. Also, I'm going to admit something: Coach Spo and King James James know more about basketball than me. Special edition of "let it fly" down in #6, so, shall we? Yes, we shall: Stud Doogie, Let It Fly!
2) For the second straight game, Miami kind of struggled for the better part of three quarters, and for the second straight game you know who turned it around? Kid 'n' Play Junior and The Bird! First reason why Coach Spo is smarter than me: for most of the season, Norris Cole has made me want to suffocate myself to death by smothering my face in a high-top fade. He's super-athletic, seems like an incredibly nice kid, plays as hard as anyone in the league, and his parents have a nice van. But he commits dumb fouls, and worse, he's a point guard with horrific court vision, and bad shot selection. But Spo kept putting him out there, and putting him out there, and down the stretch of the season he played a little better - turned it over a little less, and pushed the three point percentage up to a league average 35%. And he has absolutely sparked this team the last couple of games. Today, he repeatedly got in to the lane and instead of forcing up contested runners, found people around the rim (usually Bird), or camping out behind the three point line (usually Ray Allen). He finished with 7 points on 3-4 shooting, including a personal 5 point burst to start the fourth quarter on a steal and layup, and then a three pointer to put the Heat up 14 and pretty much end the game. He also had 4 assists and 3 steals in his 21 minutes. I always hate Spo for putting him in - but right now Spo is looking pretty savvy. As for Bird: what more can you say? He had 11 points on 5-5 and 6 rebounds in 14 minutes - his two layups in the waning moments of the third quarter, one a crazy, underhanded reverse and-1, sandwiched around a hustling, dunk-saving foul on Samuel Dalembert (South Florida and Eric Reid's own!) who missed both free throws, put the Heat up 10 after 3. He's 13-15 for 31 points and 19 rebounds in the series. Caw-caw!
3) Bosh and James: Really, Chris Bosh? In the first half, someone on the Bucks missed a jumper, it bounced off the rim to the sidelines, it probably would have gone out of bounds to Miami, and Chris Bosh ran out there, grabbed it, and passed it to a guard. In the regular season, he would have watched that ball go out of bounds 100 out of 100 times. Nobody has two different levels of play like Chris Bosh! He had 16 and 14 tonight, and most importantly, all series he has done a good job of flattening out dribblers, and contesting plays at the rim. I don't recognize this mobile defensive force: what have you done with The Statue? KJ James - he's smarter than me. For two and half quarters I kept begging him to try to be more aggressive, but he patiently directed the offense from the wing, and only forced his way to the rim for one stretch from the end of the third through the beginning of the fourth, which was enough to win easily. He didn't have to play the last 10 minutes, only 33 overall, and scored 22 on 9-14, with 6 assists, and 5 boards. I'd never take him out, I'd burn him out by late January. He and Spo know better.
4) Wade and Allen: Miami's biggest (only?) problem right now is Dwyane Wade's knee. It is not healthy again. He was great and healthy for a long part of that winning streak, but he banged it against someone near the end (forget who), and he is struggling a little. Tonight he was doing that thing where instead of elevating and shooting, he just throws the ball at the rim while he is running. Annnnd, it did not work - a horrific 1-12 for 4 points. Yet, he battled and did everything else well: had 11 assists, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals. Odd, odd night. And a little concerning. If Miami doesn't win this championship, Dwyane Wade's knee is likely to be at the top of the list of the reasons why...Ray picked him up though, second 20 point game of the series - 23 on 5-8 triples. He's making J.J. Redick look ridiculous - can't get over the screens to chase Ray, and when he tries to cheat, Ray goes backdoor to the rim. Redick made three triples in the first half, but was still basically unplayable because Ray has abused him so hard - Bucks could only play him 17 minutes. Ray now has the record for most career playoff three pointers, with about one million. In a related story, the Celtics now have Jason Terry. They seem pretty thrilled about it, too, all year they can't stop talking about how much better they are with Jason Terry instead of Ray. Enjoy him, Celtics fans - at least for two more games! Before the game, Ray, who started his career in Milwaukee, credited the city with helping him to become one of the all-time greats, basically saying, "it was such a boring place, I had nothing else to do but work on my game."
5) This could have been the last game of the year on Sunsports. If Miami sweeps Sunday on ABC, Sunsports is done. Man, I love Sunsports. I do not like it when they show free throws from, like, through a referee's legs, or when runout KJ dunks get spoiled by the jump cut to the crotch cam, but overall, I love Sunsports. I love all the "Yeah, Baby" shouts from Tony, I love all the "Kaboom-Towns" from Eric Reid. They may be corny, but they are our corny. And I love Heat host extraordinaire, the sartorially-exuberant Jason Jackson. Question: when Jax is filling out his real or hypothetical year-end league award ballots, do you think he would ever consider voting for someone who was not on the Heat? Answer: no. He's not dumb, by the way, who do you think pays him? But most of all, I love Kristen Hewitt, every Heat fan's favorite gal pal. And why do we love her so much? Because she is cute, sweet, has a classic, All-American girl-next-door vibe...and because Johanna Gomez abandoned us halfway through the season! Oh, you think that just because she gave birth, and got a better, more high-profile, and probably better-paying job, that justifies leaving all her little Heat fan boys in the lurch? I'm asking for all my friends, by the way, not myself. I'm soooo over her - I never really liked her that much to begin with, her hair was too shiny, and her smile too bright, and her eyes too big and honest and sweet, and....ummm, where was I? Oh yeah: I'm Team KHew for-everrr now, boy! I love you, KHew!!! See you next year, Sunsports!
6) Well, it was my birthday yesterday, and like every year, M.Minutos got me the Mike Mil-lar Let It Fly package. It includes a generous supply of Let It Fly energy drink (fruit punch); a Let It Fly t-shirt, which I haven't taken off for the last 40 hours; and an autographed Mike Mil-lar basketball card, which I taped to my headboard. I'm Team Mike Mil-lar for-everrr now, boy! I love you, Mike Mil-lar!
How does it taste? Ummm, basically like Red Bull, only if Red Bull was invented by a sweet-shooting small forward who once made 7 triples to win an NBA championship. So: pretty great!
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Next game is Sunday, at 3:30. Last Sunday we actually got to play in the evening, so I can't complain too much about this one. I wonder if Dwyane might get the day off to rest for the next series, which is a 2-1 Bulls over Nets "No One Can Score" fest right now. I'm already on record with every reader of this blog as guaranteeing a Nets victory, so they better not make me look like an idiot (easier to do than you might think!). If you need me before Sunday, I'M NOT SURE WHAT I WILL BE DOING BUT I AM SURE I WILL HAVE PLENTY OF ENERGY, AND I WILL BE LETTING IT FLY!!!
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