Well this is not the kind of aggressiveness that I had in mind when talking about Mario Chalmers yesterday, but that is the kind of aggressiveness we ended up with and it lost us the game. With roughly 7 seconds left, the ball in Chalmers hands, and the whole stadium thinking that the Heat would call a timeout, Coach Spoelstra opted to go for the win on the run. This was a bold call by a rookie coach looking for a big win for his young team, but it just was not the right call at the time. When you have Dwayne Wade on your team with the time running down you need to do anything in your power to get the ball in his hands and last night that meant calling a timeout. Chalmers did the right thing by trying to get to the hoop, but he is just not used to moments as big as last night, and his enthusiasm got the best of him. Who knows what would have happened had Spoelstra called a timeout, but it was the move we had to make.
With last nights loss the Heat falls a percentage point behind the Philadelphia 76ers for 5th place with 7 games left to play. This gives the team no chance to get any rest for Wade, as each win is a must. 4 games on the road, which does not bode well for a team that has struggled all season away from home. There are no easy games down the stretch, as all but one of these teams is fighting for their own playoff lives or a better seed. The Heat have a day off before they get back to back road games at Charlotte and Washington. It would be huge if they could turn around their fortunes and get 2 wins on the road.
Showing posts with label Dallas Mavericks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dallas Mavericks. Show all posts
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
HEAT -vs- MAVERICKS preview
The fans in Dallas will never forget the 2006 NBA Finals, nor will the players on that squad as the Mavs have won 9 straight regular season games. Since the finals the Heat has struggled to find their identity, automatically fading into a rebuilding mode, while the Mavs tried to keep their core together as long as they could. After 2 straight playoff collapses, that started against the Heat, the Mavs attempted to inject some veteran leadership into their squad by adding Jason Kidd. However, this move did not work as planned and the Mavs now look farther away from a championship than they have in ages.
This years Mavs team looks like a lock now for the 8th seed in the West, with the Suns fading fast, yet they have no shot getting past the first round. Their squad is still led by Dirk Nowitzki, a perenial All-NBA forward, who is 2 years removed from winning the NBA MVP award. He is a matchup nightmare for most squads with his inside outside game, but Udonis Haslem is one of the players who has a history of playing well against him. Haslem is physical enough to keep Dirk from getting comfortable at the high post, while being quick enough to keep him in front of him while he tries to put the ball on the floor. This is an important matchup in this game.
The other major matchup in the game will be in the backcourt. Everyone knows that Dwayne Wade's eyes light up when he takes on the Mavs, but how will Mario Chalmers deal with Jason Kidd? Kidd has slowed down over the years, but he is still a savvy veteran. Will this be the difference or will Chalmers be able to take advantage of his quickness? Kidd has been burned by quick guards all season long, so I expect Coach Spoelstra to have Chalmers to attack Kidd all game. When Chalmers is aggressive he provides Wade with the perfect complement, cause he does not have to carry the load all on his own.
With the Heat struggling over their last 5 games, this win is crucial to keep from having to play the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. Wade and the squad know this, and will play accordingly.
This years Mavs team looks like a lock now for the 8th seed in the West, with the Suns fading fast, yet they have no shot getting past the first round. Their squad is still led by Dirk Nowitzki, a perenial All-NBA forward, who is 2 years removed from winning the NBA MVP award. He is a matchup nightmare for most squads with his inside outside game, but Udonis Haslem is one of the players who has a history of playing well against him. Haslem is physical enough to keep Dirk from getting comfortable at the high post, while being quick enough to keep him in front of him while he tries to put the ball on the floor. This is an important matchup in this game.
The other major matchup in the game will be in the backcourt. Everyone knows that Dwayne Wade's eyes light up when he takes on the Mavs, but how will Mario Chalmers deal with Jason Kidd? Kidd has slowed down over the years, but he is still a savvy veteran. Will this be the difference or will Chalmers be able to take advantage of his quickness? Kidd has been burned by quick guards all season long, so I expect Coach Spoelstra to have Chalmers to attack Kidd all game. When Chalmers is aggressive he provides Wade with the perfect complement, cause he does not have to carry the load all on his own.
With the Heat struggling over their last 5 games, this win is crucial to keep from having to play the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. Wade and the squad know this, and will play accordingly.
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