You can’t say it was for a lack of effort that the Heat lost to Boston on Wednesday. Regardless of the score, Miami put fourth a valiant effort that was thwarted more by their poor shooting then anything else. Eddie House coming back to town and going on a shooting spree didn’t help, but those are things you can’t really control.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Boston came out playing some sick defense in the 1st quarter, which set the tone for the Heat’s offense for the game. They were hesitant at times, looking a bit lost and missing easy looks. This comes as no surprise considering Boston’s size AND speed, but the Heat missing open shots when they got them kept them out of contention.
It also didn’t help that Eddie House came back to town with the intention of causing a blackout at the AAA. He did just that, shooting the lights out in the 2nd quarter by hitting 6 three pointers and scoring 20 points. I’m sure nobody was surprised by this; more surprised that it doesn’t happen more often. But hey…isn’t that the same label he had back in his ‘Free Eddie House’ days.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Michael Beasley played very hard, earning his 41 minutes. This was only the 2nd time he eclipsed the 40-minute mark in the Heat’s last 34 games. What was exceptional about his playing was that he found a way to score when most players could not, and found a way to rebound when nobody else could. The player closest to Beasley’s 11 rebounds was Udonis with 5. It was Beasley’s 3rd double double of his career, and all have come in the last 9 games.
Speaking of Udonis, he also worked his butt off but didn’t have anything to show for it. He took only 3 shots in his 35 minutes, but did most of his work on the defensive side.
Shawn Marion started but was limited to only 8 minutes because of his ailing groin…so they say. Are the trade talks cooling down again, or is this just the calm before the storm?
One of the best lineups the Heat came out with was the high-energy combo of Wade, Cook and Chalmers. The Heat’s tempo was at its best with those guys in the game.
Daequan was really trying to carry the team tonight. His 19 field goal attempts were a career high and it was nice to see Cook trying to take on a leadership role. He hit 4 (or more) 3 pointers for the 10th time this season.
The Heat’s center’s (Magloire and Anthony) combined for 20 minutes, shot 0-for-1 and had no points, grabbing 5 rebounds and turning the ball over twice. Next up…Dwight Howard. Yikes.
GAME NOTES
Boston shot 51.4% from the field, becoming only the 2nd team in the Heat’s last 37 games to shoot over 50% against them. The other team was Houston, 3 games ago.
The Heat were out rebounded by 18 (48-to-30).
Mario Chalmers continues to struggle with his scoring. He started out 0-for-6 before making his last 3 shots. I don’t say he is struggling with his offense as he still gets a healthy amount of assists. He also grabbed 4 steals.
IN THE STANDINGS
| 4th | Atlanta | 25-26 | -- |
| 5th | Detroit | 24-17 | -1 |
| 6th | Miami | 22-19 | -3 |
| 7th | Philadelphia | 20-21 | -5 |
| 8th | Milwaukee | 21-24 | -6 |
The Pistons won last night against Toronto and moved 2 full games ahead of Miami. The Bucks spanked the Mavericks by 34 and moved into 8th place over New Jersey, who has lost 4 in a row.
ON THE HORIZON
Love the red undies...
The Magic fly in winners of 7 in a row and 16 of 18. They beat Miami in Orlando on Jan 2nd 86-76. If you remember, it was a very cold shooting day for the Heat.