Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Correction: Hawks 106 Heat 91
Sorry - we have a lot of people who read the blog who don't know anything about basketball, and we listed the Heat as winning the game in the score? And a lot of those people know so little, that even if they read thoughts 1-4, and didn't skip stright down to 5 and 6, they still wouldn't be able to figure out from the narrative that the Hawks actually won? For those people, I say - the Hawks won 106-91, not the Heat.
Game 5: Heat 106 Hawks 91 - Hawks lead 3-2
6 Thoughts
1) Back in Atlanta, the oddest game yet in a bizarre series. 5 games - 5 blowouts. This one was decided about 30 seconds into the game when it was apparent that Wade's back would not allow him to run freely, move laterally, or jump - that's problematic. Later in the first quarter, a violent collision with Josh Smith snapped Wade's body in half, whereupon he fell funny and whiplashed his head on the floor, leading to a 15 minute locker room visit after wobbling off the court. Nice. This leads to my first criticism of Coach Erik Spoelstra of the season - when the Heat got down 15 after a brief second quarter flurry of "you-make-the-call: flagrant-foul-or-not-a-flagrant-foul," hosted by Dick Bavetta and Violet Palmer, the game was over. Right then. You can't come back from 15 down on the road in a playoff game that those two are refereeing, especially if your best player is hurting. Dick loves the roar of the home crowd too much, and is always going to seek opportunities to get them going. As a road team, you can't get enough calls to make up that distance. That's not a criticism, and it didn't cost Miami the game - that's just how it is. Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes it doesn't. And Violet Palmer is like a deer in the headlights - she would do anything not to get booed. So right then Spoelstra should have yakked Wade, let him rest, and hope he gets better for Game 6 Friday. If he doesn't, okay, the season is over, it was a great year filled with over achievement and fun. If he does, maybe you get one more shot at a Game 7. Instead Spo left him out there for 39 minutes. That's not even bad coaching, that's probably an indication of an early stage of mental retardation. I don't care if Wade demanded to play - you have to be the coach and sit him down. As it was, Wade shot the ball better in the third quarter, Miami made a couple of mild runs, only to have Bavetta squelch them with a couple of timely rally-killing calls to get the home crowd back into it, along with the 2,000th time in her career in which Violet Palmer has incorrectly interpreted the defensive three second rule. What was the point of Wade playing all those minutes hurt? I don't know...
2) Underrated aspect of the series: the never-changing facial expression of Hawks coach Mike Woodson. He has the approximate look of a guy who just got bumped in the rear while sitting at a red light, by a teenager eating McDonald's while driving. A quick inspection reveals no damage to either car, but Woodson is still wondering what the hell the kid is doing. Biggest factor in creating the face? Probably uber-talented but flaky Hawks forward Josh Smith who, up 20 with four minutes to go, tried to go through his legs and windmill a breakaway dunk and missed by approximately 8 feet.
3) Hawks center Al Horford, who has been abused by Jermaine O'Neal most of the series, went up to dunk early in the third quarter, got roofed by James Jones who just happened to time his jump right and come down right on the ball, forcing Horford down to the ground before he was ready to land. Horford hit the ground and bizarrely started trying to propel himself to his feet with his arms, without moving his lower body at all. It was a truly frightening moment - it looked like he either was having a seizure, or that his lower half was paralyzed and he was freaking out. Somehow, no, just a sprained ankle, which he eventually got up and walked off from, after shooting his free throws. By the way, he didn't return, as the Hawks decided to rest him for Game 6. Dwyane Wade, though, played on.
4) Sleazley Beasley redesigned the braids, realized no one on the Hawks can stay in front of him off the dribble, and drove to the rim to draw fouls and shoot 7 free throws on his way to 18 points and 5 boards in only 24 minutes. An NBA playoff game is nothing like an NBA regular season game. It is 50% more demanding physically, and 80% more demanding emotionally. It is invaluable for Mike to play in these games if he wants to be a big-time player - learning how to move on from an upsetting call, or an almost-over-the-line foul, or a bad turnover, and be ready to play the next possession is a huge lesson. He is obviously a very bright kid, but immature - let's hope he is taking these lessons to heart. Not too many 20 years old are in the position he is in - just learn from it, Big Red...
5) Went to the dentist this morning for a cleaning. My dentist recently expanded her practice by opening a new office and hiring another dentist. Met the new dentist this morning, a very nice gal in her early 30s. She introduced herself, then asked me my dental habits, which I described to her. She asked me if I ever brush my tongue, which I admitted that I do not. She advised me that although my teeth look great, it is a good extra thing to do for your hygiene. Furthermore, she said, and I quote, "when you get in the habit of brushing your tongue, it helps reduce the gag reflex that you experience when you place things in your mouth." ...aaannnd, cut! Wait, what? Spent about 45 minutes analyzing this at the Dos offices with The Captain. His long-standing contention is that approximately 45 percent of all people assume I am gay because I am tall, trim, wear preppy clothes, and have a balding-and-closely-shaved haircut. So he considered this more evidence of that phenomenon. Although, as I pointed out, if I were gay, I probably would have already solved the gag-reflex thing. "Maybe that's the only thing holding you back," mused The Captain. When I laughed, he said, "either way, for what it is worth, it seems like a lot of people are making the same mistake." Well then, that's nice.
6) Okay, so when your wife is presented with a very prestigious award by a large state university from which she received her Masters Degree, here is a list of things not to do at the awards ceremony and ensuing reception:
- Just before the ceremony is about to begin, do not encourage your seven year old to take a series of digital photos of the old lady with the insane leopard print hat sitting three rows in front of you, because five minutes into the ceremony they may be paying tribute to her because her husband recently passed away. Like, last week. Oops. And, they donated the money for the building you are sitting in.
- Don't open the program, which has a bio page on each of the honorees, briefly skim one and comment sarcastically, "hey, this dude's a nurse!" That guy may be sitting right behind you. If you do make that mistake, believe me, it's an automatic 'stink eye.' Don't ask me how I know, just take my word for it.
- Do not encourage your seven year old to do the limbo under a ribbon draped over eight rows of chairs because it might not be secured to anything, and when he hits it, it could just fall off all the chairs and prove impossible to re-drape. Also, if you are the person responsible for draping the ribbon in the first place, do yourself a favor and secure it with something.
- It isn't appropriate to switch the name tags of your five year old and your seven year old so that perfectly nice strangers who are congratulating your wife, and introducing themselves and their families, call your kids by the wrong names, sending them into paroxysms of laughter.
- Don't ask the catering guy with the mini lamb chops if people tell him that he looks like Vince Vaughn.
- Do not turn your five year old and seven year old loose on the nice guy playing acoustic guitar to set the mood for the reception, and have them start bouncing up and down in front of him like they are in a mosh pit while he is playing light, new age-y jazz, then have him lean in so that you can take a picture of the three of them. Although, honestly, he seemed happy that anyone noticed him.
- When you are waiting at the reception to introduce your sons to the president of the university, who also used to be the lieutenant governor of the state of Florida, for God's sake, don't mistake his second wife for his daughter. I mean, he is a handsome man - you think he couldn't get her? Wrong!
- Also, when you are speaking to said president/former lieutenant governor, after he poses for a picture with your kids which you only took so you can show it to The Captain at the Dos Minutos offices and enjoy a good chuckle, when that president successfully guesses the ages of your children, and then you congratulate him on his accuracy, and then he says, "hey, that's my only skill," don't look at him, shrug, and say, "well, at least that's something." By the way - did I mention that he's a handsome, handsome man? Kind of like a young Bob Barker.
Game 6 - Friday - elimination game. It could be the end of a most enjoyable season, which would be sad. On the other hand, I won't have to write, nor will you have to read, this stupid blog any longer...
-------------------------------
1) Back in Atlanta, the oddest game yet in a bizarre series. 5 games - 5 blowouts. This one was decided about 30 seconds into the game when it was apparent that Wade's back would not allow him to run freely, move laterally, or jump - that's problematic. Later in the first quarter, a violent collision with Josh Smith snapped Wade's body in half, whereupon he fell funny and whiplashed his head on the floor, leading to a 15 minute locker room visit after wobbling off the court. Nice. This leads to my first criticism of Coach Erik Spoelstra of the season - when the Heat got down 15 after a brief second quarter flurry of "you-make-the-call: flagrant-foul-or-not-a-flagrant-foul," hosted by Dick Bavetta and Violet Palmer, the game was over. Right then. You can't come back from 15 down on the road in a playoff game that those two are refereeing, especially if your best player is hurting. Dick loves the roar of the home crowd too much, and is always going to seek opportunities to get them going. As a road team, you can't get enough calls to make up that distance. That's not a criticism, and it didn't cost Miami the game - that's just how it is. Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes it doesn't. And Violet Palmer is like a deer in the headlights - she would do anything not to get booed. So right then Spoelstra should have yakked Wade, let him rest, and hope he gets better for Game 6 Friday. If he doesn't, okay, the season is over, it was a great year filled with over achievement and fun. If he does, maybe you get one more shot at a Game 7. Instead Spo left him out there for 39 minutes. That's not even bad coaching, that's probably an indication of an early stage of mental retardation. I don't care if Wade demanded to play - you have to be the coach and sit him down. As it was, Wade shot the ball better in the third quarter, Miami made a couple of mild runs, only to have Bavetta squelch them with a couple of timely rally-killing calls to get the home crowd back into it, along with the 2,000th time in her career in which Violet Palmer has incorrectly interpreted the defensive three second rule. What was the point of Wade playing all those minutes hurt? I don't know...
2) Underrated aspect of the series: the never-changing facial expression of Hawks coach Mike Woodson. He has the approximate look of a guy who just got bumped in the rear while sitting at a red light, by a teenager eating McDonald's while driving. A quick inspection reveals no damage to either car, but Woodson is still wondering what the hell the kid is doing. Biggest factor in creating the face? Probably uber-talented but flaky Hawks forward Josh Smith who, up 20 with four minutes to go, tried to go through his legs and windmill a breakaway dunk and missed by approximately 8 feet.
3) Hawks center Al Horford, who has been abused by Jermaine O'Neal most of the series, went up to dunk early in the third quarter, got roofed by James Jones who just happened to time his jump right and come down right on the ball, forcing Horford down to the ground before he was ready to land. Horford hit the ground and bizarrely started trying to propel himself to his feet with his arms, without moving his lower body at all. It was a truly frightening moment - it looked like he either was having a seizure, or that his lower half was paralyzed and he was freaking out. Somehow, no, just a sprained ankle, which he eventually got up and walked off from, after shooting his free throws. By the way, he didn't return, as the Hawks decided to rest him for Game 6. Dwyane Wade, though, played on.
4) Sleazley Beasley redesigned the braids, realized no one on the Hawks can stay in front of him off the dribble, and drove to the rim to draw fouls and shoot 7 free throws on his way to 18 points and 5 boards in only 24 minutes. An NBA playoff game is nothing like an NBA regular season game. It is 50% more demanding physically, and 80% more demanding emotionally. It is invaluable for Mike to play in these games if he wants to be a big-time player - learning how to move on from an upsetting call, or an almost-over-the-line foul, or a bad turnover, and be ready to play the next possession is a huge lesson. He is obviously a very bright kid, but immature - let's hope he is taking these lessons to heart. Not too many 20 years old are in the position he is in - just learn from it, Big Red...
5) Went to the dentist this morning for a cleaning. My dentist recently expanded her practice by opening a new office and hiring another dentist. Met the new dentist this morning, a very nice gal in her early 30s. She introduced herself, then asked me my dental habits, which I described to her. She asked me if I ever brush my tongue, which I admitted that I do not. She advised me that although my teeth look great, it is a good extra thing to do for your hygiene. Furthermore, she said, and I quote, "when you get in the habit of brushing your tongue, it helps reduce the gag reflex that you experience when you place things in your mouth." ...aaannnd, cut! Wait, what? Spent about 45 minutes analyzing this at the Dos offices with The Captain. His long-standing contention is that approximately 45 percent of all people assume I am gay because I am tall, trim, wear preppy clothes, and have a balding-and-closely-shaved haircut. So he considered this more evidence of that phenomenon. Although, as I pointed out, if I were gay, I probably would have already solved the gag-reflex thing. "Maybe that's the only thing holding you back," mused The Captain. When I laughed, he said, "either way, for what it is worth, it seems like a lot of people are making the same mistake." Well then, that's nice.
6) Okay, so when your wife is presented with a very prestigious award by a large state university from which she received her Masters Degree, here is a list of things not to do at the awards ceremony and ensuing reception:
- Just before the ceremony is about to begin, do not encourage your seven year old to take a series of digital photos of the old lady with the insane leopard print hat sitting three rows in front of you, because five minutes into the ceremony they may be paying tribute to her because her husband recently passed away. Like, last week. Oops. And, they donated the money for the building you are sitting in.
- Don't open the program, which has a bio page on each of the honorees, briefly skim one and comment sarcastically, "hey, this dude's a nurse!" That guy may be sitting right behind you. If you do make that mistake, believe me, it's an automatic 'stink eye.' Don't ask me how I know, just take my word for it.
- Do not encourage your seven year old to do the limbo under a ribbon draped over eight rows of chairs because it might not be secured to anything, and when he hits it, it could just fall off all the chairs and prove impossible to re-drape. Also, if you are the person responsible for draping the ribbon in the first place, do yourself a favor and secure it with something.
- It isn't appropriate to switch the name tags of your five year old and your seven year old so that perfectly nice strangers who are congratulating your wife, and introducing themselves and their families, call your kids by the wrong names, sending them into paroxysms of laughter.
- Don't ask the catering guy with the mini lamb chops if people tell him that he looks like Vince Vaughn.
- Do not turn your five year old and seven year old loose on the nice guy playing acoustic guitar to set the mood for the reception, and have them start bouncing up and down in front of him like they are in a mosh pit while he is playing light, new age-y jazz, then have him lean in so that you can take a picture of the three of them. Although, honestly, he seemed happy that anyone noticed him.
- When you are waiting at the reception to introduce your sons to the president of the university, who also used to be the lieutenant governor of the state of Florida, for God's sake, don't mistake his second wife for his daughter. I mean, he is a handsome man - you think he couldn't get her? Wrong!
- Also, when you are speaking to said president/former lieutenant governor, after he poses for a picture with your kids which you only took so you can show it to The Captain at the Dos Minutos offices and enjoy a good chuckle, when that president successfully guesses the ages of your children, and then you congratulate him on his accuracy, and then he says, "hey, that's my only skill," don't look at him, shrug, and say, "well, at least that's something." By the way - did I mention that he's a handsome, handsome man? Kind of like a young Bob Barker.
Game 6 - Friday - elimination game. It could be the end of a most enjoyable season, which would be sad. On the other hand, I won't have to write, nor will you have to read, this stupid blog any longer...
-------------------------------
Monday, April 27, 2009
Game 4: Hawks 81 Heat 71 - Series Tied 2-2
6 Thoughts
1) Atlanta came in tonight, on the road, desperately needing a win to avoid going down 3-1...and played awful...However, a mind-bendingly terrible performance by Miami allowed the Hawks to win easily. Four games in the series so far, not one of them remotely close. That is an anomaly for the playoffs.
2) Five or six times a year even Dwyane Wade is going to play poorly, for whatever reason. Tonight, he was obviously laboring with something physically wrong - had no explosion whatsoever on the way to a shockingly bad 9-26 performance. After the game he, and Coach Spo, acknowledged his back tightened up prior to game time and never loosened. It was too much for such a young team to overcome - when Wade doesn't play well in a playoff game, Miami has a McCain's chance in hell of winning.
3) Best player on the court tonight: Hawks backup center Zaza Pachulia. 12 points and 18 physical rebounds. That's why they call him Zaza. Also sporting an impressive shiner under the right eye. It is even money for how he acquired the shiner: a run-in with Heat big man Jamal Magloire, or any other possibility on earth.
4) Second best player on the court: Jermaine O'Neal. Third straight fabulous game for Jermaino. 20 points on 7-11, 6 boards, was a major defensive factor in the paint. Again, it wasn't like the Hawks played well: Joe Johnson was 5-12, Josh Smith was 4-14, and Al Horford 1-5. Jermaino shut down the paint. He has been the best big man in the series, and it's not even close.
5) Dos Minutos whipping boy James Jones singlehandedly lifted the Heat back into the game from a 21 point deficit in the second quarter when he made 4 point plays on consecutive trips. That's 8 points in about 10 seconds for JJ. Not sure I have ever seen that in a game. Besides Jermaino, he was the one good Heat player tonight, 19 points on 4-5, and 8-9 from the line.
6) New summer goal: obtain a travel visa to Cuba, go to Cuba. Got to get to Cuba before this Obama dude ruins it by opening travel there to everyone...
Game 5 - Wednesday night.
Extra note: Also Wednesday night, M.Minutos is being inducted into the Florida Atlantic University Hall of Fame - we think. It was hard to tell from the invitation. We'll be there, though, to find out for sure. She definitely is getting some kind of award. We at Dos are proud of her, of course. Not too sure who else is in there - Howard Schnellenberger? Seems like a good time to mention that her fourth novel, Save Me drops in July, with another due next summer. Details at africafine.com, probably. No matter what kind of book you enjoy, you will love Save Me, and even if you don't, I have two kids who want to go to college, and I can't totally rely on the Lenny Kravitz Scholarship to pay for their Ivy League education...although it seems like a reasonably safe bet...
----------------------------
1) Atlanta came in tonight, on the road, desperately needing a win to avoid going down 3-1...and played awful...However, a mind-bendingly terrible performance by Miami allowed the Hawks to win easily. Four games in the series so far, not one of them remotely close. That is an anomaly for the playoffs.
2) Five or six times a year even Dwyane Wade is going to play poorly, for whatever reason. Tonight, he was obviously laboring with something physically wrong - had no explosion whatsoever on the way to a shockingly bad 9-26 performance. After the game he, and Coach Spo, acknowledged his back tightened up prior to game time and never loosened. It was too much for such a young team to overcome - when Wade doesn't play well in a playoff game, Miami has a McCain's chance in hell of winning.
3) Best player on the court tonight: Hawks backup center Zaza Pachulia. 12 points and 18 physical rebounds. That's why they call him Zaza. Also sporting an impressive shiner under the right eye. It is even money for how he acquired the shiner: a run-in with Heat big man Jamal Magloire, or any other possibility on earth.
4) Second best player on the court: Jermaine O'Neal. Third straight fabulous game for Jermaino. 20 points on 7-11, 6 boards, was a major defensive factor in the paint. Again, it wasn't like the Hawks played well: Joe Johnson was 5-12, Josh Smith was 4-14, and Al Horford 1-5. Jermaino shut down the paint. He has been the best big man in the series, and it's not even close.
5) Dos Minutos whipping boy James Jones singlehandedly lifted the Heat back into the game from a 21 point deficit in the second quarter when he made 4 point plays on consecutive trips. That's 8 points in about 10 seconds for JJ. Not sure I have ever seen that in a game. Besides Jermaino, he was the one good Heat player tonight, 19 points on 4-5, and 8-9 from the line.
6) New summer goal: obtain a travel visa to Cuba, go to Cuba. Got to get to Cuba before this Obama dude ruins it by opening travel there to everyone...
Game 5 - Wednesday night.
Extra note: Also Wednesday night, M.Minutos is being inducted into the Florida Atlantic University Hall of Fame - we think. It was hard to tell from the invitation. We'll be there, though, to find out for sure. She definitely is getting some kind of award. We at Dos are proud of her, of course. Not too sure who else is in there - Howard Schnellenberger? Seems like a good time to mention that her fourth novel, Save Me drops in July, with another due next summer. Details at africafine.com, probably. No matter what kind of book you enjoy, you will love Save Me, and even if you don't, I have two kids who want to go to college, and I can't totally rely on the Lenny Kravitz Scholarship to pay for their Ivy League education...although it seems like a reasonably safe bet...
----------------------------
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Game 3 - Heat 107 Heat 78 - Heat lead 2-1
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
---------------------------------
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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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Game 2 - Heat 108 Hawks 93 - Series tied 1-1
6 Thoughts
1) Annnnnd, we have a series! There is nothing people love more than overreacting to one playoff game - I mean, the Hawks are nice, but they aren't exactly the '86 Celtics. It is within the realm of possibility to beat them if you make shots. Last game Miami didn't; tonight, they did, a scorching 15-26 on threes, 6-10 from Wade, 6-9 for 20 points from the suddenly ambulatory Daequan Cook. They blew out Atlanta, in Atlanta - we have a series.
2) Udonis Haslem - just like the last playoff game Miami won, in 2006, in Dallas, championship-clinching Game 6, he made humongous plays down the stretch. Atlanta's one and only run of the second half saw a Ron "Flip Mode" Murray 3 point play with Wade's fifth foul cut Miami's lead to 5 with just under 5 minutes to play. Coach Spo elected to take Wade out, and Haslem hit consecutive 15 foot jumpers two possessions in a row to bridge the lacuna until DWade returned. Look, it is easy to hate on Udonis - there are a lot of things he can't do. Those people don't understand the things he does do: defend, set screens, and rebound. Plus, as a bonus, the kid has nuts the size of Idaho, and he makes huge shots at the end of big games. There weren't two bigger plays than his two shots tonight.
3) Ahhh, the rookies. First, the bad: Mario Chalmers was frantic out there, got in foul trouble, and spent his time on the defensive end chasing the ball around the court with little regard for his assignments. Offensively he was fair - had 7 assists, and only 2 turnovers. He mostly sat down the stretch in favor of Wade at the point with Cook at the 2, an alignment the Heat used often early in the season at the end of games, before Cook began to be bothered by a bad shoulder. Beasley: He was competitive again - had 12 points and 7 tough-in-traffic rebounds in 22 minutes. He is really starting to rebound the ball - nice to see. Also had 3 assists, and you can see him starting to understand how the ball is supposed to move in an NBA game. Neither Josh Smith or Al Horford could stay in front of him off the dribble. Couldn't get the jumper to drop until he banged a big three in the fourth quarter. Struggled defensively - got lost on a Josh Smith alley-oop where he didn't even get screened, just turned his head and wandered up the lane, while my head, as well as Spoelstra's, nearly exploded off of our respective necks. Played a couple of pick and rolls really poorly. But he competed at a high level and looked like he belonged. Chalmers - he's never going to be a star, so while this is good for him, it is of marginal importance to the franchise. But, watching Mike Beasley start to grow up, and be out there in a hostile environment, taking Al Horford to the rim and finishing late in the third quarter of a playoff game? That's of paramount importance to the franchise. Also warrants mentioning that Mike has cornrowed the hair - I think we were all expecting the worst, but, honestly, it didn't look half bad. I mean, come on, he's a pasty black dude with red hair, what's he going to do anyways?
4) Just when you think, Oh Wade is out of gas a little, maybe the Hawks have his number a little, he makes 6-10 threes, scores Miami's last 13 points of the second quarter as the Heat stretched out to a 13 point halftime lead, and finished with 33 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks for good measure. Hit a fallaway 26 foot three with the shot clock going off with 2 and a half minutes to go which effectively ended the game. I don't know how many times we have written the line this year: he's ridiculous.
5) And we had to save the best, perhaps, for this spot: Jermaine O'Neal played his best game in a Heat uniform. Much of the offense was run through him all night - he was aggressive and efficient with his shot, and effective passing out of traffic. Wade didn't have to initiate everything - Jermaino took his turns. Assertive is the word, I think. 6-9, and shot 8 free throws, 19 points. Equally as good was his defensive presence: blocked 4 shots, had 6 rebounds, and drew 2 charges. Wade's 33 and Cook's 20 were splashier - but Jermaino was the guts of the win tonight.
6) Atlanta fans - not the most sophisticated, okay, true. I mean, come on, they live in Atlanta. Their average attendance for a regular season game is somewhere between 1 and 3,500. They have, to their credit, sold out the first two playoff games. I estimate the breakdown to be: 30 percent - actual Hawks fans; 20 percent - Dwyane Wade fans; 50 percent - people who just want an excuse to wear their electric purple suits somewhere because it is too damn long in between R. Kelly concerts. They started leaving awfully early tonight...You remind me of my jeep, Atlanta fans...Also worth mentioning, game was delayed for several minutes in the first quarter because a falcon - according to the TNT announcers, although it seems likely it was supposed to be a hawk - had apparently been released in the building before the game. No, I mean on purpose. Reasoning unclear - fire up the fans? Anyways, it perched on the backboard and referee Danny Crawford had to stop the game, and stood waving his hand at the bird, trying to convince it to leave the backboard using the internationally-understood "hand-shoo" motion, which would have been completely effective, except he was using it on a bird. He was holding the basketball - why he didn't just toss the ball at the bird was unclear, and typical of Danny Crawford, moronic. In any case, the bird's handler was summoned, and he was able to corral the bird back into its cage - it might have been a good idea to do that before the game started. Let's hope Denver, featuring backup center Chris "The Birdman" Anderson, doesn't get any ideas...
Game 3 - Saturday
-----------------------
1) Annnnnd, we have a series! There is nothing people love more than overreacting to one playoff game - I mean, the Hawks are nice, but they aren't exactly the '86 Celtics. It is within the realm of possibility to beat them if you make shots. Last game Miami didn't; tonight, they did, a scorching 15-26 on threes, 6-10 from Wade, 6-9 for 20 points from the suddenly ambulatory Daequan Cook. They blew out Atlanta, in Atlanta - we have a series.
2) Udonis Haslem - just like the last playoff game Miami won, in 2006, in Dallas, championship-clinching Game 6, he made humongous plays down the stretch. Atlanta's one and only run of the second half saw a Ron "Flip Mode" Murray 3 point play with Wade's fifth foul cut Miami's lead to 5 with just under 5 minutes to play. Coach Spo elected to take Wade out, and Haslem hit consecutive 15 foot jumpers two possessions in a row to bridge the lacuna until DWade returned. Look, it is easy to hate on Udonis - there are a lot of things he can't do. Those people don't understand the things he does do: defend, set screens, and rebound. Plus, as a bonus, the kid has nuts the size of Idaho, and he makes huge shots at the end of big games. There weren't two bigger plays than his two shots tonight.
3) Ahhh, the rookies. First, the bad: Mario Chalmers was frantic out there, got in foul trouble, and spent his time on the defensive end chasing the ball around the court with little regard for his assignments. Offensively he was fair - had 7 assists, and only 2 turnovers. He mostly sat down the stretch in favor of Wade at the point with Cook at the 2, an alignment the Heat used often early in the season at the end of games, before Cook began to be bothered by a bad shoulder. Beasley: He was competitive again - had 12 points and 7 tough-in-traffic rebounds in 22 minutes. He is really starting to rebound the ball - nice to see. Also had 3 assists, and you can see him starting to understand how the ball is supposed to move in an NBA game. Neither Josh Smith or Al Horford could stay in front of him off the dribble. Couldn't get the jumper to drop until he banged a big three in the fourth quarter. Struggled defensively - got lost on a Josh Smith alley-oop where he didn't even get screened, just turned his head and wandered up the lane, while my head, as well as Spoelstra's, nearly exploded off of our respective necks. Played a couple of pick and rolls really poorly. But he competed at a high level and looked like he belonged. Chalmers - he's never going to be a star, so while this is good for him, it is of marginal importance to the franchise. But, watching Mike Beasley start to grow up, and be out there in a hostile environment, taking Al Horford to the rim and finishing late in the third quarter of a playoff game? That's of paramount importance to the franchise. Also warrants mentioning that Mike has cornrowed the hair - I think we were all expecting the worst, but, honestly, it didn't look half bad. I mean, come on, he's a pasty black dude with red hair, what's he going to do anyways?
4) Just when you think, Oh Wade is out of gas a little, maybe the Hawks have his number a little, he makes 6-10 threes, scores Miami's last 13 points of the second quarter as the Heat stretched out to a 13 point halftime lead, and finished with 33 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks for good measure. Hit a fallaway 26 foot three with the shot clock going off with 2 and a half minutes to go which effectively ended the game. I don't know how many times we have written the line this year: he's ridiculous.
5) And we had to save the best, perhaps, for this spot: Jermaine O'Neal played his best game in a Heat uniform. Much of the offense was run through him all night - he was aggressive and efficient with his shot, and effective passing out of traffic. Wade didn't have to initiate everything - Jermaino took his turns. Assertive is the word, I think. 6-9, and shot 8 free throws, 19 points. Equally as good was his defensive presence: blocked 4 shots, had 6 rebounds, and drew 2 charges. Wade's 33 and Cook's 20 were splashier - but Jermaino was the guts of the win tonight.
6) Atlanta fans - not the most sophisticated, okay, true. I mean, come on, they live in Atlanta. Their average attendance for a regular season game is somewhere between 1 and 3,500. They have, to their credit, sold out the first two playoff games. I estimate the breakdown to be: 30 percent - actual Hawks fans; 20 percent - Dwyane Wade fans; 50 percent - people who just want an excuse to wear their electric purple suits somewhere because it is too damn long in between R. Kelly concerts. They started leaving awfully early tonight...You remind me of my jeep, Atlanta fans...Also worth mentioning, game was delayed for several minutes in the first quarter because a falcon - according to the TNT announcers, although it seems likely it was supposed to be a hawk - had apparently been released in the building before the game. No, I mean on purpose. Reasoning unclear - fire up the fans? Anyways, it perched on the backboard and referee Danny Crawford had to stop the game, and stood waving his hand at the bird, trying to convince it to leave the backboard using the internationally-understood "hand-shoo" motion, which would have been completely effective, except he was using it on a bird. He was holding the basketball - why he didn't just toss the ball at the bird was unclear, and typical of Danny Crawford, moronic. In any case, the bird's handler was summoned, and he was able to corral the bird back into its cage - it might have been a good idea to do that before the game started. Let's hope Denver, featuring backup center Chris "The Birdman" Anderson, doesn't get any ideas...
Game 3 - Saturday
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Sunday, April 19, 2009
Game 1: Hawks 90 Heat 64 - Hawks Lead 1-0
6 Thoughts
1) Well - that didn't go well. The Heat were down 19 going into the fourth quarter, then scored 1 basket in the first 10 minutes. Only two late Jamario Moon jumpers ratcheted them up to 7 for the quarter. Everything was bad. Wade was terrible with 19 points - only 2 in the second half - and approximately 40 turnovers. Jermaine O'Neal looked about 100 years old on his way to 5 points and 2 rebounds in 22 minutes. The Hawks, who extended eventual champion Boston to 7 games last year, looked physical, aggressive, and focused. It's just one game, and you've got to get to four - but it was a really, really bad one game.
2) Look, everything is more intense in a playoff series. Atlanta is going to bang Wade every chance they get, and surround him with length - that's their forte. Also, ironically, it is the same plan that my old college roommate AJ Cooney employed every Saturday night for four years in the early 90s...Someone else on Miami has to either make plays off the dribble, or in the post. Jermaino gave them nothing out of the post. Chalmers isn't quite at the point where he can consistently make things happen off the dribble. James Jones started at the 3 and actually did a credible job - knocked down a couple of early jumpers, moved the ball well, and competed defensively. That leaves us with...
3) ...Mr. Mike Beasley. Some people are going to complain that he didn't start - but he did play 31 minutes, though, admittedly, much of it was in garbage time. The whole second half was garbage time! Others are going to complain that he stood around on the perimeter and flung up bad jump shots - he finished 5-15 - but again, much of that was after the game was decided. Mike is a divisive kind of dude for a rookie. Here at Dos, if we took one positive thing away from the game, I thought it was that Mike competed in the paint, especially defensively. He was aggressive to rebounds and ended up with 10. He had 2 blocks and 2 steals, and several more plays where he walled-off drivers - I'm not sure I saw him successfully wall-off a driver all year. Offensively, twice in the third quarter he faced up Josh Smith, an outstanding athlete and shot-blocker, took him to the basket, and made clever finishes. Though Mike wouldn't "measure out" athletically - he doesn't jump real high, or run real fast, and he seems to fall down of his own accord more often than most human beings - he has really started to show the athletic gifts that he does possess. He has quick and strong hands, good anticipation, and an unbelievably ability to steady his upper body even when his legs are tangled up. Besides Wade, I thought he looked like the one Miami player who wasn't overmatched physically. Since day one, Mike has shown the talents that could make him a 20 point a game scorer - jeez, he could do that now on a bad team. But if he wants to be a really, really good player, the kind of player who wins playoff games, he has to be tough. And even though the numbers and results didn't quite bear it out tonight, I thought this game was a small step in that direction for him. He may start some in this series, he may not; but he is going to play a lot of minutes, and I bet he is going to get better as the series goes on.
4) This next point is for our black readers, our white readers who are not grouchy old men, and Hawks backup guard Ron "Flip" Murray: guaranteed, if I am in Atlanta and go to a Hawks game, I'm sitting in the "Flip Mode Squad." They are actually pretty good seats, down in the first level, in a corner. Put your hands where my eyes can see, Ron Murray!
5) Hawks coach Mike Woodson was wearing a bold grey-pinstriped zoot suit, and a silver lame tie. I'm not saying Atlanta is the only city in America where that outfit might not seem out of place, but Atlanta is the only city in America where that outfit might not seem out of place.
6) Believe me, I hesitate to do this, but The Captain wanted to clarify his support of The Unabomber, Ted Kaczinki. Sure seems like a bad idea, but here goes:
I feel compelled to my address my support for [The Unabomber] as it isn't entirely true. One rainy afternoon back in 1994, I was sitting having cocktails with Teddy (the Unabomber), Timmy McVeigh and Terry Nichols (Oklahoma City bombers), and Rudy (abortion clinic bomber) Rudolph. After several hours of Highballs and Rob Roys, Rudy starts poking fun at Timmy and Terry saying that anyone that uses fertilizer bombs is a "hack and a hick". This cut Terry especially deep since he was the one that provided the manure in the first place. Now, what happened next was the most surreal event that I have ever witnessed and was likely caused in part by the fact that we were all, well, bombed. Terry jumps up on the table and nearly knocks over Mona, which really teed me off. Anyone that's ever payed for a friction dance at 11:00 am knows what I mean. Well any way Terry is up on the table and he screams at Rudy "stick it up your *** you pro-life bastard." Knowing that Terry and Timmy always work together, Rudy immediately grabbed his Carling Black Label chaser, smashed it over Timmy's head, knocking him out, and with the remaining shard in his hand, slashed Terry's left Achilles tendon clean through. As Terry crumpled to the table, Rudy prepared to disembowel old Terry as I held Mona close to protect my investment. Having seen quite enough at this point, Teddy, as if propelled by a pipe bomb filled with C-4, jumped up and secured both Terry and Rudy by the scruffs of their red necks. As both of these warriors struggled to get free, Teddy simply said "can't we just get along." Those 5 little words caused Rudy and Terry to stop, look into each other's eyes and realize how silly they were acting. They reached out and hugged each other passionately and soon all was forgiven. Finally Timmy woke up and seeing his good buddy bleeding, he wrapped Mona's sweaty G-String around Terry's ankle as I held Mona's head under the table, again, for her own protection. Teddy ordered a round Wild Turkey 101 and soon we were all laughing again and having fun, except for Mona.This is the kind of guy Teddy K. is. He can mend fences and bring out the best in even people of questionable character. This also shows the deep love and respect that the members of the bombing community have for Teddy. Let's face it. How many MIT educated mathematicians do you know that could have handled this precarious situation so pleasingly. I don't condone sending bombs in the mail, especially since I myself use the USPO for several of my own business endeavors. I'm just saying that nobody's perfect.
...Annnnd, that's a wrap. My goodness. I just knew that was a bad idea...
Game Two Wednesday night...
----------------------------
1) Well - that didn't go well. The Heat were down 19 going into the fourth quarter, then scored 1 basket in the first 10 minutes. Only two late Jamario Moon jumpers ratcheted them up to 7 for the quarter. Everything was bad. Wade was terrible with 19 points - only 2 in the second half - and approximately 40 turnovers. Jermaine O'Neal looked about 100 years old on his way to 5 points and 2 rebounds in 22 minutes. The Hawks, who extended eventual champion Boston to 7 games last year, looked physical, aggressive, and focused. It's just one game, and you've got to get to four - but it was a really, really bad one game.
2) Look, everything is more intense in a playoff series. Atlanta is going to bang Wade every chance they get, and surround him with length - that's their forte. Also, ironically, it is the same plan that my old college roommate AJ Cooney employed every Saturday night for four years in the early 90s...Someone else on Miami has to either make plays off the dribble, or in the post. Jermaino gave them nothing out of the post. Chalmers isn't quite at the point where he can consistently make things happen off the dribble. James Jones started at the 3 and actually did a credible job - knocked down a couple of early jumpers, moved the ball well, and competed defensively. That leaves us with...
3) ...Mr. Mike Beasley. Some people are going to complain that he didn't start - but he did play 31 minutes, though, admittedly, much of it was in garbage time. The whole second half was garbage time! Others are going to complain that he stood around on the perimeter and flung up bad jump shots - he finished 5-15 - but again, much of that was after the game was decided. Mike is a divisive kind of dude for a rookie. Here at Dos, if we took one positive thing away from the game, I thought it was that Mike competed in the paint, especially defensively. He was aggressive to rebounds and ended up with 10. He had 2 blocks and 2 steals, and several more plays where he walled-off drivers - I'm not sure I saw him successfully wall-off a driver all year. Offensively, twice in the third quarter he faced up Josh Smith, an outstanding athlete and shot-blocker, took him to the basket, and made clever finishes. Though Mike wouldn't "measure out" athletically - he doesn't jump real high, or run real fast, and he seems to fall down of his own accord more often than most human beings - he has really started to show the athletic gifts that he does possess. He has quick and strong hands, good anticipation, and an unbelievably ability to steady his upper body even when his legs are tangled up. Besides Wade, I thought he looked like the one Miami player who wasn't overmatched physically. Since day one, Mike has shown the talents that could make him a 20 point a game scorer - jeez, he could do that now on a bad team. But if he wants to be a really, really good player, the kind of player who wins playoff games, he has to be tough. And even though the numbers and results didn't quite bear it out tonight, I thought this game was a small step in that direction for him. He may start some in this series, he may not; but he is going to play a lot of minutes, and I bet he is going to get better as the series goes on.
4) This next point is for our black readers, our white readers who are not grouchy old men, and Hawks backup guard Ron "Flip" Murray: guaranteed, if I am in Atlanta and go to a Hawks game, I'm sitting in the "Flip Mode Squad." They are actually pretty good seats, down in the first level, in a corner. Put your hands where my eyes can see, Ron Murray!
5) Hawks coach Mike Woodson was wearing a bold grey-pinstriped zoot suit, and a silver lame tie. I'm not saying Atlanta is the only city in America where that outfit might not seem out of place, but Atlanta is the only city in America where that outfit might not seem out of place.
6) Believe me, I hesitate to do this, but The Captain wanted to clarify his support of The Unabomber, Ted Kaczinki. Sure seems like a bad idea, but here goes:
I feel compelled to my address my support for [The Unabomber] as it isn't entirely true. One rainy afternoon back in 1994, I was sitting having cocktails with Teddy (the Unabomber), Timmy McVeigh and Terry Nichols (Oklahoma City bombers), and Rudy (abortion clinic bomber) Rudolph. After several hours of Highballs and Rob Roys, Rudy starts poking fun at Timmy and Terry saying that anyone that uses fertilizer bombs is a "hack and a hick". This cut Terry especially deep since he was the one that provided the manure in the first place. Now, what happened next was the most surreal event that I have ever witnessed and was likely caused in part by the fact that we were all, well, bombed. Terry jumps up on the table and nearly knocks over Mona, which really teed me off. Anyone that's ever payed for a friction dance at 11:00 am knows what I mean. Well any way Terry is up on the table and he screams at Rudy "stick it up your *** you pro-life bastard." Knowing that Terry and Timmy always work together, Rudy immediately grabbed his Carling Black Label chaser, smashed it over Timmy's head, knocking him out, and with the remaining shard in his hand, slashed Terry's left Achilles tendon clean through. As Terry crumpled to the table, Rudy prepared to disembowel old Terry as I held Mona close to protect my investment. Having seen quite enough at this point, Teddy, as if propelled by a pipe bomb filled with C-4, jumped up and secured both Terry and Rudy by the scruffs of their red necks. As both of these warriors struggled to get free, Teddy simply said "can't we just get along." Those 5 little words caused Rudy and Terry to stop, look into each other's eyes and realize how silly they were acting. They reached out and hugged each other passionately and soon all was forgiven. Finally Timmy woke up and seeing his good buddy bleeding, he wrapped Mona's sweaty G-String around Terry's ankle as I held Mona's head under the table, again, for her own protection. Teddy ordered a round Wild Turkey 101 and soon we were all laughing again and having fun, except for Mona.This is the kind of guy Teddy K. is. He can mend fences and bring out the best in even people of questionable character. This also shows the deep love and respect that the members of the bombing community have for Teddy. Let's face it. How many MIT educated mathematicians do you know that could have handled this precarious situation so pleasingly. I don't condone sending bombs in the mail, especially since I myself use the USPO for several of my own business endeavors. I'm just saying that nobody's perfect.
...Annnnd, that's a wrap. My goodness. I just knew that was a bad idea...
Game Two Wednesday night...
----------------------------
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Heat 102 Pistons 96 ot
6 Thoughts
1) Meaningless win - but a thriller, with Heat backup point guard Chris Quinn leading a late game surge by dropping 5 triples in the fourth quarter and overtime to pull out the win. Twenty-six for Quinn. Miami finishes 43-39, officially, fifth place in the East. We at Dos Minutos had them projected at 31-51 so this is, you know, better. Playoffs in the ATL this weekend.
2) Two things that should never happen in a meaningless game: 1) overtime; 2) a flagrant foul. Someone forgot to give The Big Cat, Jamal Magloire, the memo. His second quarter tomahawk to the face of Walter Herman was, ummm, excessive. I'm not sure Jamal knew the game was meaningless - after the game he told sideline reporter Jason Jackson that he and the rest of the bench "had to step up tonight because we had a lot of guys out - we can't let that be an excuse." Umm, it is an excuse - those guys were all held out on purpose because the game was meaningless. Ah, well, it was a beautiful season for The Big Cat - after several years in the wilderness, he transformed himself into a reasonable facsimile of an NBA backup center. Good for him, he seems like a nice guy - besides all the vicious, unnecessary fouls, at least.
3) Dwyane Wade took the night off and won the scoring title at 30.2 points a game. That's another trophy for his mantle. On the one hand, he took a lot of shots. On the other hand, he made a high percentage of them. On another hand, there were no other quality scorers he had to share the ball with, but also, because of this, he faced multiple defenders every night. That's something to mention, actually - Miami is the second youngest team in the NBA. Wade, Haslem, and Jermaine O'Neal have been around - every other nightly rotation player is in his first or second season. But, because Miami has Wade, they always get the other team's A effort. When your 'other' average young playoff team comes to town, say a Chicago, no one is overly jacked to see them - but Wade's presence ratchets it up a whole 'nother level. That's a lot of pressure for these young guys - Wade takes pressure off of them because he is so good; but they always see an intense opponent every night. That will make the kids better in the long run. One more thing - DWade missed only one game this season before taking the last two off - that, more than anything, made Miami's season.
4) Beasley - ridiculous again. 22 points in only 19 minutes - I don't think he even touched the rim, he was ripping the net from everywhere. Then nearly had his eye poked out of its socket by Amir Johnson, ending his night a couple of minutes early. Team said he's fine. That's five straight 20 point nights for Beasley. Ended up averaging a shade under 14 points a game in a shade under 25 minutes. That's insane production for a rookie who didn't really have a play run for him all year.
5) Tip of the cap, also, to Emcee Chalmers, the only starter to play the last two games. As a rookie second round draft pick, he started all 82 games. Not many guys in NBA history have done that - especially as a point guard, the toughest position to learn on the fly. He finished fourth in the league in steals, and shot a respectable 37% on threes. I don't know that he is a long-term frontline NBA starter, but he is already a respectable player, and would be a great backup, even for a contender. He has a chance, though, to be a good player in this league.
6) The Captain coming out this week with a new position paper: strongly opposed to the Somali pirates. I can see the argument either way. I feel, though, that this was a solid and necessary decision for The Captain, whose reputation is still reeling in some quarters ever since his 1996 statement supporting the Unabomber.
-------------------------
1) Meaningless win - but a thriller, with Heat backup point guard Chris Quinn leading a late game surge by dropping 5 triples in the fourth quarter and overtime to pull out the win. Twenty-six for Quinn. Miami finishes 43-39, officially, fifth place in the East. We at Dos Minutos had them projected at 31-51 so this is, you know, better. Playoffs in the ATL this weekend.
2) Two things that should never happen in a meaningless game: 1) overtime; 2) a flagrant foul. Someone forgot to give The Big Cat, Jamal Magloire, the memo. His second quarter tomahawk to the face of Walter Herman was, ummm, excessive. I'm not sure Jamal knew the game was meaningless - after the game he told sideline reporter Jason Jackson that he and the rest of the bench "had to step up tonight because we had a lot of guys out - we can't let that be an excuse." Umm, it is an excuse - those guys were all held out on purpose because the game was meaningless. Ah, well, it was a beautiful season for The Big Cat - after several years in the wilderness, he transformed himself into a reasonable facsimile of an NBA backup center. Good for him, he seems like a nice guy - besides all the vicious, unnecessary fouls, at least.
3) Dwyane Wade took the night off and won the scoring title at 30.2 points a game. That's another trophy for his mantle. On the one hand, he took a lot of shots. On the other hand, he made a high percentage of them. On another hand, there were no other quality scorers he had to share the ball with, but also, because of this, he faced multiple defenders every night. That's something to mention, actually - Miami is the second youngest team in the NBA. Wade, Haslem, and Jermaine O'Neal have been around - every other nightly rotation player is in his first or second season. But, because Miami has Wade, they always get the other team's A effort. When your 'other' average young playoff team comes to town, say a Chicago, no one is overly jacked to see them - but Wade's presence ratchets it up a whole 'nother level. That's a lot of pressure for these young guys - Wade takes pressure off of them because he is so good; but they always see an intense opponent every night. That will make the kids better in the long run. One more thing - DWade missed only one game this season before taking the last two off - that, more than anything, made Miami's season.
4) Beasley - ridiculous again. 22 points in only 19 minutes - I don't think he even touched the rim, he was ripping the net from everywhere. Then nearly had his eye poked out of its socket by Amir Johnson, ending his night a couple of minutes early. Team said he's fine. That's five straight 20 point nights for Beasley. Ended up averaging a shade under 14 points a game in a shade under 25 minutes. That's insane production for a rookie who didn't really have a play run for him all year.
5) Tip of the cap, also, to Emcee Chalmers, the only starter to play the last two games. As a rookie second round draft pick, he started all 82 games. Not many guys in NBA history have done that - especially as a point guard, the toughest position to learn on the fly. He finished fourth in the league in steals, and shot a respectable 37% on threes. I don't know that he is a long-term frontline NBA starter, but he is already a respectable player, and would be a great backup, even for a contender. He has a chance, though, to be a good player in this league.
6) The Captain coming out this week with a new position paper: strongly opposed to the Somali pirates. I can see the argument either way. I feel, though, that this was a solid and necessary decision for The Captain, whose reputation is still reeling in some quarters ever since his 1996 statement supporting the Unabomber.
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