Wiggling free from the Nets

The Heat did escape Game 3 in NJ with a win. It only took two overtimes, and some missed shots, but the Heat survived. And sometimes, that is enough for the playoffs. It is the first team to 16 wins, not the team to the sexiest 16 wins.

And as it stands, the Heat are only 13 away from that trophy.

But, how was this game more competitive than the previous ones? A series in which the first two games could have been characterized as blowouts?

If we break down some very basic - and quite boring - stats than the picture becomes clearer. So, what exactly saved this game for the Heat?

3 point assasination
The Heat continued to shoot very well from beyond the 3 point line, but did this save them in Game 3? The Heat shot 45% (10-22) while the Nets shot 13% (3-23). There is definetly an advantage there, but the difference is only +7 points (the Heat won by +3). Let's look elsewhere...

Free Throws not cheap
How about free throws? The Heat shot 57% (22-38) from the charity stripe while the Nets - not faring much better - shot 66% (18-27). The Heat made 4 more free throws, again, +4 (along with the threes = +10). That should have been enough for the Heat to win in regulation. For some reason, it wasn't.

More telling is the rebounding. Remarkably, we actually won a game in which we were outrebounded (57-51, Nets). And that, my red-outfitted friends, is what starts to tell this story...

So, we made more 3's and shot more FTs but could only win by 3 after double OT. Why?
Field goal attempts: the Nets shot 107 shots to our 83. That is +24! If the Nets are able to just make 5 of those 24 FGA's, then we are tied up (remember, with the extra threes and free throws, the Heat were +10 in scoring). And that is not calling for a very efficient shooting percentage for a Nets team that was among the lowest in the NBA in FG% (42%).

The more important question is, how did the Nets put up so many shots? Because truthfully, missing all those shots wasn't surprising to me - getting the shots was. Especially when you consider that our FG% dropped as the game went on.

But this may be a clue - we had 18 turnovers to their 14. Not that big of a difference, and considering that we were only outrebounded by 6 there doesnt seem to be much here.

There is a more telling stat, however: offensive rebounds. The Nets had 18; the Heat had only 9. That is +9 - all of which are second chance opportunities. Figure in the 4 more TO's and that puts them at +13 in terms of possession. That is possibly +13 more shots (and we already know they were +24).

The diagnosis? The Heat need to do a better job rebounding and boxing out on the offensive glass and take better care of the ball. There were a lot of careless passes that lead to turnovers and fast breaks. Wade is not innocent in this, he had 9 TO's.

It seems that the Heat almost turned this game over as well. Just wiggling free while the Nets missed shot after shot down the stretch.

Game 3: Road test for Heat

Make no mistake, Game 3 against New Jersey is going to be a tough, tough test. It is always dangerous going into the lion's den and cornering him in order to slay the beast. In fact, it is down right suicidal. But slay the beast the Heat must in order to advance. Necessity demands that the Heat face this test over the next two games and go into New Jersey to take on a once proud Nets team. The Nets are well-coached but under-manned. Still, they believe that they can play better and just might find a way to do it in front of the home crowd.

Stan Van Gundy has already proclaimed that the Diesel will be running at full throttle if needed. And you can expect that Shaq will be needed tonight. The Heat have won by throwing everything else at the Nets and they haven't been able to answer. Tonight, it may take a little more to get the job done.

EJ's continued brilliance at the SF position is certainly going to be a requisite as well. The defensive pressure he has put on Vince Carter so far in this series has not been reflected in his scroing average, but in his FG%. Right now, Carter is shooting .378, down from his .462 regular season average. The only thing saving Carter right now is his 3 point percentage (.571). You can expect that to cool off, naturally.

In fact, as a team the Nets are shooting .397 while the Heat are shooting .534. The Heat's D is there and is tightening the noose on the Nets, but the opportunities are being created, ironically, by the Heat's super-efficient offense. The more efficiently the Heat score, the more opportunities to score for the Nets.

This means the Heat may have to slow things down a bit on the road - and this means even more importance for Shaq's inside presence.

You can expect that the Nets will try to hover in the passing lanes and create turnovers. They dont have the depth to wear down our frontcourt, and they certainly dont have the depth to play pressured defense for an entire 48 minutes. Nonetheless, they are at home and that may give them just the lift they need at times to take the lead. There have been lapses for the Heat where the Nets would go on a run and the Heat would not score. This may shift to NJ's favor at home and the Heat have to be very careful not to give anything to the Nets to hope for. Slam the door shut and seal it tight. Lock it down. And that must happen tonight if the Heat have any hopes of 'taking care of business'.

Game 3 will be a very good test and an excellent barometer for the Heat's championship potential. Win tonight, and silence the critics. At least for one more night.

Get on the bandwagon

Hey there, fellow Heat fan - this is one hell of a series! Yet again, we have something to get really excited about as we have possibly never seen a Heat team as good as this one. Did you see the way...what? You're not a fan? Why? What is so wrong about this team that you cannot possibly root for them?

Is it the way the team responds to pressure? Clutch shots drained at the buzzer by everyone from Dwyane Wade to Keyon Dooling not your thing? Maybe you need a one man team, like the Philadelphia Iversons or Los Angeles Kobes.

Is it the the way they overcome obstacles? Like a sputtering Diesel, limited to only 26 minutes in Game 2 against an already-embarassed and stinging Nets team, watching from the bench in crunch time as his Heat close out another blowout of their first round opponents. Maybe you like to see a team live and die with its superstars, like the Timberwolves or Mavericks?

Or maybe you dislike players emerging from virtually nowhere, like Damon Jones or even re-emerging players like Christian Laettner and Alonzo Mourning. Making the re-runs matter again.

But if you love winning basketball, and not whining basketball, you should LOVE this Heat team. The way this team has responded all season long is just like the way they attacked in Game 2 against the Nets last night. Sure, Shaq has been healthy for most of the season, but the pundits warned what would happen if Shaq did go down. No Diesel, no hope. But Zo proved them wrong, again. They doubted if he could play at a high level, and he showed them that he was quite capable of lifting a team onto his broad shoulders for a win.

There are stories like that all up and down the Heat bench. Keyon Dooling, ex-Clipper performing in the playoffs. Christian Laettner, promising pro that never really took off into the vaulted stardom he was once promised finds himself being one of the most dangerous players on the floor each night out. He matters, and he is loving it. Damon Jones, making a splash with his assasin-like 3 point accuracy - for his 9th team in 8 years. Udonis Haslem - still undervalued by his opponents - emerging as the steady starter at PF with his tenacious hard work/hard hat style. UD was undrafted, you may know.

There is plenty of team with this bunch that goes beyond the immediate known factors in Wade and Shaq. Eddie Jones, with the echoing chant of his name throughout the AAA, has not only quietly accepted being the third scoring option on this team, but has played out of position - at SF - as was asked by his coach. All he has done has been take on players taller and perhaps stronger and bigger than himself and brought them to their knees. Just ask Vince Carter how much fun he is having facing EJ each night.

The Bandwagon is not full. In fact, it is built for the long haul. It is Diesel-powered. And a man nicknamed Flash may be driving it at times. But there are a lot of guys doing the dirty work here. A lot of guys coming in and changing the tires, filling up the gas, checking the oil. Getting this machine to run at optimum efficiency for its marathon run into prized territory.

So, what are you waiting for. Your seat is waiting.

First Round Playoff Schedule

MIAMI (1) vs. NEW JERSEY (8)
TV: US/Canada/Local
*Gm 1: at MIA, Sun., Apr. 24, 3:00
TV: ABC/TORONTO1/WPLG 10
*Gm 2: at MIA, Tue., Apr. 26, 8:00
TV: TNT-HD/Rogers SportsNet/Sun Sports
*Gm 3: at NJN, Thu., Apr. 28, 7:00
TV: TNT-HD/TSN-HD/Sun Sports
*Gm 4: at NJN, Sun., May 1, 3:30
TV: ABC/TORONTO1/WPLG 10
*Gm 5: at MIA, Wed., May 4
(if necessary)
*Gm 6: at NJN, Fri., May 6
(if necessary)
*Gm 7: at MIA, Sun., May 8
(if necessary)

All games on Newsradio 610 WIOD and Radio Mambi 710 in Miami Metro and 1230 WBZT in Palm Beach. All games on 660 WFAN in NYC Metro. Some on ESPN Radio.

Sun Sports, the exclusive local broadcast outlet for the HEAT, will become HEAT Red Zone TV for the Playoffs and will provide the most local coverage of the HEAT throughout the Playoffs. Sun Sports will air each HEAT Playoff game made available for local telecast, as well as extensive pre-game and post-game coverage for all HEAT Playoff games, whether broadcast on Sun Sports or a national broadcaster, with the exception of Game One. The HEAT and Sun Sports will announce specific broadcast times for this pre-game and post-game coverage separately. Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino will call the action on Sun Sports, with Jason Jackson reporting from the sidelines

Heat not getting fair shake from refs

There is a rather troublesome trend for the Heat lately. No, it isnt the recent 4 game losing streak or even the teams they were losing to. It was how they were losing.

The Heat cannot be blamed for all of their poor play. They had to find a way to win without Shaq and with a couple of bumpy games from their young superstar, Dwyane Wade. They also had to do it with a struggling Doleac getting a lot of minutes while the injured Laettner sat on the bench with his foot injury.

Perhaps, the Heat had a hard time getting up for the games? 'End of season-itis', much like the dreaded 'senioritis', it sets in and takes your focus away from the task at hand. But there is another trend to take notice of - questionable refereeing.

Against Philadelphia, Damon Jones was held by Allen Iverson on an inbound pass that the referee, Rob Robinson, didnt seem to see. He was the only one, apparently, that didnt see the foul because even A.I. was laughing about it after the game and DJ is still miffed about it. DJ drew a technical at the time for arguing with the 'objective' authorities of the game. All after Kyle Korver splashed a three that killed the Heat's hopes of hanging on for the win.

Flash back a game earlier against the Pistons. Shaq is out with a stomach virus and Zo comes in and plays a tremendous game agaisnt one of the tougher front courts in the NBA. But it was not to be. Mysteriously, Wade was only able to play 21 minutes - and fouled out. Even Doleac had 5 fouls that game in 20 minutes.

At the end of the Celtics game, Wade drives to the basket and is clearly fouled, but gets no call.

In the Pacers game, the Heat endured the physical play of the Pacers - lots of clutching and grabbing in order to slow the game down - and won. Despite shooting 9 less free throw attempts than the Pacers. (Figure that one out.) Physical play was par for the course and contact was initiated on two seperate incidents - the Anthony Johnson cheap shot on Zo and Jermaine O'neals take down move on Haslem.

Van Gundy commented on it after the game, "Those two teams have been good long enough now that [the referees] give them their game...So, stuff that's a foul any other game of the season is not a foul when you play Indiana or Detroit... We talked about that coming in -- every screen is going to be illegal, and you've got to get through it. We can't make excuses...You've got to play through it."

And play through it they did. If this is going to be the kind of opposition the Heat have to face in the playoffs, then there is little chance for success. How can a team play 5 on 8? The deeper question is, if this conspiracy of the refs holds up, why?