| Looking forward... |
[Nov. 8th, 2005|03:28 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  content | ] |
Last night's game was way to close. The Heat (i dont care if there injured) blew an 89-82 lead with 2 minutes left and allowed the Nets to tie the game on a Vince Carter jumper. Dwyane Wade was then fouled (maybe) and consequently hit only 1 of his 2 free throws (oo god). The Nets gave the ball to Vince for the win and Dwyane blocked his shot, the rest is history...
Alonzo Mourning gets dunked on more than anyone in the NBA...
Dwyane Wade's acrobatic shots will never get old...
With the Heat in only a 7-man rotation, Im expecting some exhaustian to surface sooner than later...
The Dan Marino tribute at halftime was interesting, lets just say Pat Riley needs to stick to coaching basketball and allow Dan to do his gridiron thing...
Michael Doleac and James Posey need to get their asses out onto the court and do their thing...
Udonis' mid-ranger seems to be off so far this year, last season that 15 footer was automatic, not so much right now though...
The Heat used that 3 guard lineup (Wade, Williams, Payton) again as the Nets also went small (Kidd,McGinnis,Carter), I guess its ok...
Countdown til' Shaq's return: 1-3 weeks (hopefully)... |
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| Ugh... |
[Nov. 4th, 2005|04:43 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  disappointed | ] |
2 games into the Heat season, and questions linger even more than they did during the offseason. Jason Williams has shown us nothing, SVG still can't beat the Pacers, and more importantly Shaq is out 2-4 weeks with an ankle injury!! What Shaq's injury means to the team:
Alonzo Mourning will have to step it up...
Antoine Walker and Earl Barron will be getting minutes at center...
Dwyane and 'Toine will have to score at least 50 combined every night...
The jelling process will have to wait even longer now with the big man out...
We may be saying hello to Coach Riles is SVG can't get his team to perform...
Ticket sales will be down at every Heat game (home and away)...
Gary Payton is starting to wonder why he came to Miami...
The Heat will have to tread water for the duration of Shaq's injury, which may be up to a month. If he does miss that much time, that would equal about the rest of November (13 games left), if the Heat go 8-5 in those games we should be fine... |
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| Damn... |
[Nov. 3rd, 2005|11:24 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  angry | ] |
Dwyane Wade for 3.....and it rims out!
The Heat lost their home opener 105-102 to the Pacers in Miami earlier, a tough tough loss despite it being the 2nd game of the season. I hate to say it, but the Pacers seem to own the Heaters taking 13 of the last 14. The toughest break to swallow down may be Shaq Daddy's ankle injury, which did not look pleasant (it's "sprained").
Some notes from the game:
The Heat lost because of 1 stat: 27-42 from the line, I don't care how talented you are, teams don't win consistently when they miss 15 free throws...
Dwyane Wade was spectacular as usual, giving his shoe debut date justice...
The past two Heat-Pacer contests have included Shaq injuries (bastards)...
The Heat's perimeter shooting was blah (3-16)...
I was just on Captain Curtis' show at 10 (Joe from West Palm)...
I would write more but these Heaters got me down... |
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| Previewing tonight.... |
[Nov. 3rd, 2005|06:36 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | excited | ] |
Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers....American Airlines Arena
Heat Starting 5
SF-Antoine Walker
PF-Udonis Haslem
C-Shaquille O'Neal
SG-Dwyane Wade
PG-Jason Williams
Pacers Starting 5
SF-Ron Artest
PF-Austin Croshere
C-Jermaine O'Neal
SG-Stephen Jackson
PG-Jamaal Tinsley
The Heat are 5.5 point favorites
8pm
Radio: WIOD
TV: TNT |
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| About them Pacers... |
[Nov. 3rd, 2005|06:05 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  blah | ] |
Roferr from over at RoundBall Bloggers was nice enough to share some insight about the Heat's opponent tonight. This game is as big as they get in the NBA for early November...
1. What did Reggie Miller mean to the Pacers organization?
Reggie Miller meant a lot to the Pacers. He was the stabilizing influence on everyone. He was well respected and was a second coach as well. They will miss his outside shooting. Even when he wasn't shooting, he was a decoy that kept the defense honest.
2. Why won't Ron Artest get suspended this year?
Ron may do something outrageous this year. There is no guarantee that he won't fly off the handle at a spur of the moment. I really don't look for it, though.
3. What about that European guy?
Sarunas is a special player. He is very adept at passing and can find the open man with just a little daylight. Of course, his forte is outside shooting. It wouldn't surprise me if he shoots close to 40% or so from three point land.
4. Jermaine O'Neal is playing center, what advantage does that bring to the table?
Actually, JO playing at center is not ideal for the Pacers. Someone else needs to body the other big players so that JO can do his thing. He is least effective at center. If the Pacers had another power forward than JO wouldn't be too bad at center. However, he likes to shoot the outside jumper from 10-15 away and this takes him out of contention for a rebound. When Foster returns, this will help out JO tremendously.
Thanks Roferr!!! |
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| Oh Boy.... |
[Nov. 3rd, 2005|02:23 pm] |
It seems that the Heat didn't quite turn it up last night until Antoine Walker moved to the power forward position. This allowed Jason Kapono to come in and play the 3, which opened up the floor for two forwards who could shoot the 3 ball. Shaq did not have the dominant button turned on last night, which deemed Udonis Haslem meaningless. When Shaq isn't doing his thing, Udonis doesn't seem to click either, making the decision to pull him pretty easy fro SVG (plus that whole 5 fouls thing)...
Dwyane Wade's shoes OFFICIALLY came out today, they're nice (not 90 bucks a pop nice, but nice)...
Look for Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest to get uppity tonight, as they always do against the Heat...
I watched the Heat's intro video earlier on Heat.com, its based on Phil Collin's song "In the Air Tonight" which was made famous by Miami Vice some 20 years ago, not the most manly song...
Miami is stacked in the frontcourt, they were impressive last night and lacked the talents of James Posey, Michael Doleac, and Shandon Anderson...
The Lakers were in Denver last night, they escaped with an overtime win that included a Kobe last second shot and Carmelo Anthony fouling out. Bryant wore tights for the game because it was "cold" and the crowd booed him everytime he touched the ball (ahaha). Who the hell is Smush Parker anyway?...
The Bucks may be special this year, I'm forseeing that Central division as the most competitive in the game... |
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| Well wasn't that pretty.... |
[Nov. 2nd, 2005|10:43 pm] |
As you all know the Heat won their opening game in Memphis earlier, combining an up-and-down offense with solid defense. The 97-78 final is a bit misleading, however, as the game was back and forth until the 4th quarter...
Some notes from the game:
Jason Williams took a jump shot from just inside the 3-line pretty quickly to start off the game, if he misses that then he keeps all the critics chirping about his impatience...
Shaq was very rusty to start the game, going 2-10 and drawing a technical...
Dwyane Wade tallied the 1st block, steal, and charge of the season for the Heat...
Antoine Walker was 4-7 from the 3-line, impressive enough...
The Heat still seem to give the opposition to many 2nd chances...
Pau Gasol tore up a soft Miami defense in the 1st half...
In an effort to silence the nay-sayers, I think the Heat were playing TOO unselfish, if thats possible...
The Grizzlies made their move in the 2nd quarter when the Heat couldn't pay for a shot...
Key benchers Gary Payton and Zo started the 2nd quarter with sloppy play on both ends...
I think the man was Jason kapoNO! when he first went in, no defense, no offense, nothing...
Eddie Jones did a nice job trying to show-up the Heat front office with his 15 points...
Antoine Walker and Jason Williams' penetration opened up the floor for the Heat in the 4th quarter...
Gasol is 7 foot, shoots like a 2, penetrates, and creates his own shot...
Dwyane Wade draws fouls on his jump shots like a veteran...
The offensive flow was enormous with 'Toine at the 4 and Jason Kapono waiting on the perimeter wide open...
Antoine Walker's 16 rebounds set a Heat opening night record...
Matt Walsh, Earl Barron, Dorell Wright, and Wayne Simien all got PT...
The Grizzlies 34 FG % was nice...
The Heat were 16-21 from the line, I'll take it... |
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| Previewing Tonight... |
[Nov. 2nd, 2005|05:07 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | hopeful | ] |
Miami Heat @ Memphis Grizzlies...FedExForum
Heat Starting 5
SF-Antoine Walker
PF-Udonis Haslem
C-Shaquille O'Neal
SG-Dwyane Wade
PG-Jason Williams
Grizzlies Starting 5
SF-Pau Gasol
PF-Shane Battier
C-Lorenzen Wright
SG-Eddie Jones (who?)
PG-Damon Stoudamire
The Heat are 5.5 point favorites
8pm
Radio: WIOD
TV: Sun Sports |
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| The Television Voice of your Miami Heat... |
[Nov. 2nd, 2005|04:10 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | amused | ] |
Eric Reid has been the TV play-by-play guy for the Heat since their inception. He was on 560 WQAM earlier doing a segment on Howard David's show and made some remarks that interested me...
Eric Reid believes the Detroit Pistons have to be slated as the #1 team in the East..hmmm
Eric Reid believes Alonzo Mourning would be the starting center on at least 10 other NBA teams...
Eric Reid believes the Indiana Pacers are just the flavor of the month and will not make much noise...
Eric Reid believes the neither the NY Knicks or the LA Lakers will make the playoffs...
I believe Eric Reid needs to stick to calling games, and leave the sports talk to the radio hosts... |
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| Micellany.. |
[Nov. 2nd, 2005|03:31 pm] |
The Heat are 5th in Marc Stein's first ESPN Power Rankings of the season, blah...
The boys from South Beach have never won in Memphis...
Jason Williams seems to be treating tonight's game like any other despite it being against his former team...
James Posey, Michael Doleac, and Shandon Anderson need to man up soon with their minutes having to go to much younger players (D-Wright, Matt Walsh, Earl Barron) until their return...
Rafer Alston performed under one Van Gundy a couple years ago, now he needs to stay in check with another...
With Damon Jones gone, who is going to be Shaq's official do-boy?? Oooo now I see why Dorell Wright isn't in the D-league...
There is only one reason why the Lakers may make the playoffs, and that is Lamar Odom. We in Miami know what type of player Odom can be when he puts it all together... |
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| Hmmmm..... |
[Nov. 2nd, 2005|02:00 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | cheerful | ] |
Something I have been pondering lately, would anything short of a championship be considered a failure for this Heat team? I mean, with all the uncertainties surrounding this team right now, how could the fans expect so much out of the Heat. I mean they have the pieces in place with two superstars and a bunch of talented fill-in players, but these players havn't shown me anything as a team yet. I know we all want the Heat to go all the way this year, but I propose everyone should just take a chill pill and let this team do its thing. Awww to hell with it!! GO Heat GO!! 2006 NBA Champions baby!! |
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| About them Grizzlies... |
[Nov. 2nd, 2005|12:43 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | thankful | ] |
In anticipation of tonight's opening game between your Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies, I sat down with a member of the Grizzlies blog network...Chris Herrington. Just to throw it out there, in future interviews (including todays) TCF will be used as the abbreviated version of The Court is on Fire...
TCF: The Grizzlies were very active in the offseason, which new player do you think will make the biggest impact on the team and why?
CH: Bobby Jackson. Hakim Warrick is the most important new face in the long-term. And Damon Stoudamire and Eddie Jones will start. But I think Jackson could have the biggest impact, providing he can stay healthy.
The Grizzlies were an excellent defensive team a year ago, but mediocre offensively. Part of a needed offensive upgrade could come from having a healthy Pau Gasol, who missed 26 games a year ago. But the other reason for hope is that Jackson should be a MASSIVE offensive upgrade over Earl Watson as a back-up point guard who plays close to starter minutes. Comparing last season's squad to this season's, Jackson for Watson is the biggest potential upgrade on the roster.
TCF: Former Heat member Eddie Jones now plays in Memphis, what type of role can we expect to see him play under Mike Fratello?
CH: A lot of national media types and more than a few fans and journalists in Memphis seem to think Jones will see more minutes and more shots in Memphis than he got in Miami, but I don't think so. At 34, I can't see Jones reversing the natural decline that has happened to his game over the past few seasons, and with Memphis' depth on the wings I can't see him averaging 35 minutes a game or scoring more than 13 per.
As for what his role will be, I think he'll become the team's primary wing defender. Last season, with James Posey hurt, this job fell to Shane Battier. Battier is a brilliant team defender and has proven particularly adept at guarding bigger forwards, but when matched up with the Kobes and McGradys of the league, his lack of athleticism gets exposed.
Jones isn't the athlete he once was, but will still be a better one-on-one defender against those types of players than Battier or Miller.
On the offensive end, I see Jones remaining the outside shooter he's been over the past couple of seasons in Miami, being an important cog in a deep lineup of three-point threats. But I don't think he'll be a primary scoring option.
TCF: Memphis traded PG Jason Williams and F James Posey to the Heat in the offseason, what are your feelings on some of each player's pros and cons?
CH: Williams is brilliant on the break and a streaky shooter who can take over a game when he gets hot. He's a fantastic distributor whose game isn't nearly as reckless now as his reputation suggests. On the downside, he's a terrible defender, offers no help on the boards, has questionable shot selection, and hasn't been as willing to use his quickness to get into the lane as you'd like. Overall, I think he's an above-average starting point guard, but I wonder how his game will fit in Miami where the ball needs to do though Shaq and Wade and they would seem to need reliable outside shooters.
Posey could be a great fit in Miami if he gets healthy and gets his head on straight. He had a nightmare season in Memphis last year, never healthy. But he was great the year before.
At his best, Posey is one of the league's better wing defenders, with a combination of strength, long arms, and quick hands that can make him an impact player on that end of the floor. On offense, Posey can be a good role player as long as he doesn't try to do too much. He's a good spot-up three-point shooter, will score on breakaways off his own steals, is ferocious going to the rack, and hits his free throws. But Posey has a terrible handle and gets in trouble when he tries to create things off the dribble.
If he's healthy, focused, and accepts his limitations, I think Posey can be an important player for the Heat.
TCF: The Grizzlies just locked up Jerry West for a couple more years, what does he bring to the Memphis front office as President of Basketball Operations?
CH: West's stature is obvious, as was the Grizzlies lack of stature before his arrival, so West immediately gave a small-market franchise with a terrible track record a sense of legitimacy.
Move for move, West's record has been mixed (including some really bad draft picks). But he's turned a consistent loser into a consistent playoff contender in short order.
His contract extension is particularly meaningful because of all the ownership questions that have been swirling around the franchise. There's talk that majority owner Michael Heisley could be in the market to see all or part of his stake in the team, so West's extension adds stability to a situation that has been marked with a little uncertainty.
You can read all of Chris' writings at his blog...www.memphisflyer.com/grizblog.html |
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| Opening up... |
[Nov. 2nd, 2005|10:56 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | satisfied | ] |
Here it is ladies and gents, the night Heat fans have been drooling over for 5 long months. Hard to believe, but it has been 5 loooong months since the Heat last played a meaningful game, and I don't think Shaq and company are happy about the result of that final game. The Grizzlies are an interesting team to start off against because they are pretty familiar with us having Eddie Jones (former Heat player) in the rotation and Mike Fratello (former Heat broadcaster) as coach.
This isn't even my favoritism showing up, but I really like the Heat's miture of speed (D-Wade), dominance (Shaq), finesse ('Toine, Williams), and hunger (Payton, Zo)...
I would be suprised to see anyone starting at SF not named Antoine Walker tonight. Jason Kapono can only play half the court, and he can barely do that...
The Spurs looked like their old selves last night, running their potent offense through Tim Duncan. Douche Finley had a nice night with 16 points and Manu Ginobili looked as explosive as ever. NeNe might have torn a ligament in his left knee in the first quarter last night (that a tough loss)...
If it wasn't for one Michael Redd miracle 3 pointer at the end of regulation last night, I would be blogging about Iverson and C-Webb's combined 67 points and not the Bucks impressive win in OT...
Everyone should ignore my MVP of the night pick yesterday as my pick (Peja Stojakovic) and his team didn't exactly show up in Oklahoma City last night (Hornets-93,Kings-67) OUCH!.... |
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| Tonight's Lineup... |
[Nov. 1st, 2005|05:52 pm] |
There's 4 games in the lineup for Opening Night in NBA, the most intriguing being San Antonio and Denver, as both seem to be locks to win their respective divisions. My MVP pick for the night is Peja Stojakovic, who is poised to have a helluva night against the Hornets...
ESPN just showed Allen Iverson walking into the stadium for the game tonight in Milwaukee, he was looking like his old self sans the throwback, bling, and headphones...
The Heat rule the 2006 line of video games, with Dwyane Wade on the cover of NBA Live and Shaquile O'Neal covering the NBA 2K6 packages. I like the respect, but not the commercial that has Shaq pretty much tackling some poor guy at a grocery store... |
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| The Eastern (and better) Conference |
[Nov. 1st, 2005|03:46 pm] |
For the past half decade or so, the Western Conference has dominated basketball. Whether it be because of better players or just a lack of talent on the right coast, the Eastern conference has lacked a certain punch lately. One could actually make an argument that the teams in the Western Conference have lessened, and that there are more quality franchises in the East. Lets break it down...
Legitimate championship contenders in the West:
Spurs (They will win the Western Conference, you will not find any logical person who states otherwise)
Legitimate championship contenders in the East:
Heat (Best collection of talent in the East, can only keep themselves out of finals)
Pistons (Still hungry for that 2nd championship they came o so close to last year, were not better than the Heat last year, and still aren't)
Pacers (With Artest and O'Neal around for the whole year (assumingly) look for Indiana to sport an extremely talented team with Jamaal Tinsley,Stephen Jackson, and rookie Sarunas Jasikevicius making impacts in the backcourt)
I suppose the Rockets (who have added Stromile Swift and Derek Anderson to an already stacked lineup), the Kings (look for Shareef Abdur-Rahim to join an impressive starting 5 with Bibby, Peja, Miller, and Bonzi Wells), and the Mavs (any team with Dirk will make noise) also have title hopes, but I'm sure the weaknesses in those teams will sprout sooner than later. |
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| Schedulin' |
[Nov. 1st, 2005|02:40 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | optimistic | ] |
The Heat are about to embark on the 2005-2006 season, so let's examine some of the more anticipated games on the upcoming schedule...
Opening Game: 11/2 @ Memphis (you know Eddie Jones will by ready to show up his ex-teammates)
Home Opener: 11/3 vs. Indiana (ughh, look for Jermaine and Artest to power their way through the game)
Van Gundies I: 11/10 vs. Houston (Shaq vs. Yao, Dwyane vs. T-Mac, nuff said)
The Queens: 12/2 @ Sacramento (The Heat will try to pull out another squeeker similar to last year's game in Arco (see Damon Jones)
Finals I: 12/7 @ San Antonio (This is a statement game for the Heat, who will look to prove that they can run with the favorites)
Lake-Show I: 12/25 vs. LA Lakers (another Christmas battle for Shaq and Kobe, just throw in Phil and South Beach)
Revenge: 12/29 @ Detroit (the Heat should come out steaming for this game with Ben Wallace calling Shaq his daddy afterwards)
Lake-Show II: 1/16 @ LA Lakers (Kobe? Who? I have a lot of names in my head, but Kobe? I dunno who that is)
Finals II: 1/20 vs. San Antonio (Tim Duncan will actually bore the crowd to sleep during this contest)
Van Gundies II: 1/29 @ Houston (Im waiting for Yao's stick figure gameplay to finally snap)
Revenge II: 2/12 vs. Detroit (Look for SVG to pants Flip Saunders)
Revenge III: 3/22 @ Detroit (A healthy Shaq and Dwyane = Championship, I dont give a crap what the Pistons think)
Revenge IV: 4/6 vs. Detroit (4 games? Who else thinks the league overkilled this growing rivalry??)
Of course there are other quality games on the schedule, I just thought these seemed to be the most important... |
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| The picks... |
[Nov. 1st, 2005|12:41 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bouncy | ] |
Rookie of the Year: Chris Paul...Paul will be a good player on a lousy team. He has superstar potential in the NBA and will obtain a lot of experience this season. The more minutes Paul accumulates, the closer he will get to the award
MVP: Shaquille O'Neal...Shaq is still the most dominant player in the game, despite his slower play. He will lead the team into the Finals, and will garner a lot of votes in the process. The only thing standing in between Shaq and the MVP trophy is his ability to stay healthy.
Finals: Your Miami Heat over the show-off San Antonio Spurs in 7 games...The Heat will have the home court advantage and will win game 7 at home. The series will be a back-and-forth effort that will end with Dwyane dropping 36 on Manu Ginobili's defense in the clinching game. Wade will then be named Finals MVP. |
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| Around the Board.... |
[Nov. 1st, 2005|11:30 am] |
Every Heat game will be televised this year (either on Sun Sports, TNT, ABC, or ESPN)...
The Heat and Spurs WILL be in the NBA Finals, you might as well just skip everything else...
I really liked Michael Doleac last year, but with Alonzo stepping up and rookie Earl Barron turning heads, the center position may be a bit crowded...
Dwyane's new shoes are TIGHT...
Antoine Walker will win the 6th Man of the Year award (if he stays on the bench long enough)...
The Heat will debut their spiffy introduction video on Heat.com on thursday...
The Southeast Conference will be won by more than 10 games...
I couldn't stand Reggie Miller when he played, now I have to listen to him on ABC every sunday?? DAMN...
Kobe Bryant is the reason the Lakers didn't win a championship two years ago... |
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| Latrell who? |
[Oct. 31st, 2005|05:54 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | worried | ] |
There have been rumblings about the Heat signing troubled forward Latrell Sprewell (ahem, ahem, HELL NO!) Shaq and company already have too many questions surrounding this season from chemistry issues to coaching inconsistencies. Spree is a former Knick (yuck) and he can't afford to feed his children (can you say idiot?). The only reason I can see Latrell calling the AAA home is if Pat Riley decides he wnats to coach and orders Sprewell to choke SVG out of his job. |
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| Where is Christian Laettner? |
[Oct. 31st, 2005|02:19 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  confused | ] |
This might sound a little clueless, but does anyone out there know what Christian Laettner is up to? Obviously he was in the power rotation for the Heat last year, but we didn't re-sign him and I didn't hear about him signing elsewhere. The man still has an automatic mid-ranger and I would hate to here that talent has either retired or decided to chill at his house this season... |
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