CELTICS 112 HEAT 108 in OT

• So this is what life without Dwayne Wade looks like and it started very ugly.
  
• Looks like Wade will not be reaching his goal of playing in all 82 games this year.
  
• The Celtics shot 68% in the first half despite missing Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen. That is just unacceptable if you are Coach Spoelstra. Stopping Paul Pierce had to be the agenda, and 12 points in the first quarter is not the way to do it. Double Team Him!
  
• Once again the Heat found itself down after the 1st quarter, this time down 34-21.
  
• Beasley came out aggressive to start the 2nd quarter scoring and the squad followed his lead. He needs to a consistent effort like this when Wade is not playing if the Heat is going to beat anyone.
  
• He scores the majority of his points with face up jumpers, but if he is going to be a star in this league he is going to have to work on his post game this off-season. The Heat need him to be a guy that can get easy buckets on the block.
  
• Luther Head continued to play strictly as a 2 guard. He is a good scorer, that will be a nice addition in the playoffs.
• James Jones is shooting the rust off. Just in time to secure his spot in the rotation. He played decent defense too.
  
• Chris Quinn had a nice first half, but there is no reason to have the guy on the court in the 4th quarter guarding Rajon Rondo.
• Paul Pierce is too good not to double team him. With so many injuries on their squad, why does the Heat not treat Pierce like teams treat Wade and double him as soon as he touches it. Double Team Him!
  
• Eddie House is joining the list of Heat killers. The only guy on the court outside of Pierce that could hit a jumper and the Heat still could not stop him.
• This is the kind of game the Heat needed to play, a shootout without their leader Dwayne Wade to take over. Chalmers was very aggressive attacking the hoop for layups and kickouts. I like it.
• The Miami Heat were 5-0 going into overtime, but the poise of Pierce and Rando was just too much.
  
• I like Chalmers attitude, he was pushing and jawing with Rando on and out of bounds play, then hits a three in his face with the shot clock running out. Then hits an off balance 3 pointer to cut the game to 3points, yet it was just not enough.
  
• A tough loss for the standings, but a moral win for a young squad trying to find themselves. If they can get an effort like that from Chalmers, Beasley, and O'Neal this team is going to make a stir in the playoffs. We know what Wade is going to give us, so if the supporting cast steps up, watch out.

HEAT -vs- CELTICS Preview

After winning 3 out of 4 games last week in memorable fashion, the Miami Heat got a much needed couple days of rest to start this week off. They are back at it tonight against the same undermanned Celtics team they beat last week by 8 points. The Celtics have struggled of late, due to their injuries, dropping 4 out of their last 5 games. Tonight they again will be missing their star inside, Kevin Garnett, but unlike last weeks game, they will have starting point guard, Rajon Rondo, back. Rondo has become the motor of their squad and is a good player for our own Mario Chalmers to model himself after. Rondo came into the league as nothing more than a pesky defender, but he has turned himself into one of the best penetrators in the league, while continuing to develop his outside shot. That matchup tonight will be very interesting to watch, cause when Chalmers plays well the Heat usually collect a win.

With Rondo back a lot of the load no longers falls on Paul Pierce and Ray Allen's shoulders, but unless they can get some help inside, the Celtics are going to have a hard time collecting a win. Leon Powe, who has been filling in for Kevin Garnett, hurt his knee the last night and is questionable for tonights game. This should allow Dwayne Wade to attack the rim without much opposition. The Heat need to get the ball early and often to Jermaine O'Neal and Michael Beasley inside, cause Kendrick Perkins and Mikki Moore are no match for them. O'Neal has scored 20 or more in his last 2 games.

The injuries to so many key players for the Celtics put them at a considerable disadvantage going into tonights game. However, any team that has Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo can't be taken lightly. Hopefully the two days of rest did Dwayne Wade good, cause we are going to need a big game out of him again if our inside guys do not play up to their potential tonight. This is the type of win a Heat team trying to lock up the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference has to win.

HEAT 107 CELTICS 99

The Heat keep the streak alive against an undermanned Celtics squad. It should have been a much easier win, but in the end they got it done.
Here are the highlights:

BOSTON CELTICS @ MIAMI HEAT

It is an interesting game to prepare for tonight, because Boston will be missing two starters and three key reserves against the Heat. Most notable of these absences are forward Kevin Garnett and point guard Rajon Rondo. Garnett has missed 8 straight games and Rondo is sitting for the second straight game. Newly acquired Stephon Marbury started in Rondo's place the other night and had 4 points along with 0 assists. Not the kind of production the Celtics were hoping for when they signed the mercurial star, but they are hoping that is just takes a little time for him to get into game shape and learn the teams system. While 2 major stars are missing tonight for the Celtics, they still have 2 All Stars playing great basketball, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. These 2 will have to carry the load tonight if they are to have a chance against Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat.
Wade is coming off of when of the all time great performances Monday night against the Chicago Bulls and looks to capitalize on that. He did not get much help on the offensive end the other night, except for the 2 rookies, so look for the team to try to get Jermaine O'Neal a lot of looks early. When O'Neal gets in the flow early in the game, he is usually more connected throughout the game. He was ineffective most of the night against Chicago, but did have 2 huge shot blocks in the 4th quarter. Coach Spoelstra needs to find a way to get O'Neal going, because he is a proven offensive commodity that they need to take some of the load off of Wade and Michael Beasley.
While Beasley has been a nice complement to Wade, the team still needs to find a 3rd scorer. There have been times during the season when it has looked like Mario Chalmers or Daquan Cook would be that player, but both are still too prone to mental lapses to be that guy. So the burden falls on O'Neal, and tonight's matchup with the Celtics could be just what he needed. Without Garnett, Glen Davis, or Brian Scalabrine up front, the Celtics are left with Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, and Mikki Moore, all of which are no match for O'Neal. Powe is the best player of the bunch, but he does not have the height to take on O'Neal for most of the game. I would expect that he is going to be matched up with Beasley and Udonis Haslem tonight. Perkins and Moore should be considered nothing more than 12 fouls at this point.
With the Celtics missing so many key players, the Heat might finally have come across a team that they can afford to rest Wade against without fear or a run by the squads second unit. Expect Spoelstra to limit his stars minutes, while trying to get guys like O'Neal, Chalmers, and Cook back into the offensive flow. With the season closing and the battle for the 4th spot in the East heating up, every win is vital. The Heat can ill afford to lose especially to a team so banged up.
Prediction: Heat by 10