April 24: vs New Jersey Nets

Dancer Gallery Seventeen

April 26: vs New Jersey Nets

The Miami Heat did what they were supposed to do.

Winning the first two games of this first-round series against the New Jersey Nets, at the American Airlines Arena, is what the top-seeded Heat were expected to do. And did they ever. Two wins by a total of 35 points and they have held the lead for seven straight quarters.

It’s how they did it. Winning big in both games, by 18 pts Sunday and by 17, in Game 2, Tuesday night. The Heat displayed efficient offense, depth, defense and desire. Miami held serve at home in a manner so convincing that the Nets went home to New Jersey wondering how they can win.

Miami has won eight straight games against the Nets, five of them this season. In three regular season wins and the two Playoff victories there has not been a close game yet. Miami’s average margin of victory over the Nets has been 19.8 points a game.

The series began with Sunday’s 116-98 rout. It was a rousing way to begin these playoffs. Miami’s 116 points on 59% shooting was the greatest offensive game in Heat playoff history. It was just the fifth time in 65 playoff games that the Heat topped the 100-point mark and still stands as the best offensive game yet in the 2005 Playoffs. It was even more remarkable considering, Shaquille O’Neal, was playing at half-throttle with his bruised right thigh.

With the Nets focusing their Game 1 defense on the Diesel, Miami’s backcourt duo, turned in a golden game. Dwyane Wade (32 pts) and Damon Jones (30) both had their best Playoff games ever and totaled 62 points on 73% (22-30) while committing just three combined turnovers. It is the first time, in Shaq’s 13-year NBA career, he has ever had two teammates score 30-plus points in the same game.

Damon Jones splashed in a Heat Playoff record seven triples in nine attempts and made ten of his twelve shots overall. It was only his 16th career post-season game and easily his best.

“I am living a dream right now,” said Jones following Game 1. “This has been a great year for me and tonight it was really good to get all those open looks. The basket looked as big as South Beach. The looks I got today were similar to the one’s I got all year. To do it in the Playoffs, is very special.”

Special is a word that is often used to describe Wade. He was just that on Sunday. He made five jumpers from at least 20-feet out. He had 8 assists, 5 rebounds and his only two turnovers came in the games final four minutes.

“He was in the attack mode one-hundred percent of the time,” said Jones of his backcourt partner. “He attacks like a piranha and he gets everyone else involved”.

In his second post-season in as many years with Miami, Wade has more confidence and more responsibility.

“The playoffs is the time to step up”, said Wade following the Game One win. “If you consider yourself a player and a leader, you know it’s time to step up.”

The Nets were left questioning their own plan. Did they focus to much attention on defending Shaq and not enough anywhere else?

“We can’t forget about those other guys. They made us pay for trying to slow Shaq down”, said Nets point-guard Jason Kidd. “They are a team, they’re not just a one-man team.”

Wade’s 32-point performance was the fifth highest scoring game in Heat Playoff history. Tim Hardaway still holds the franchises top four scoring post-season games, all against New York in the 1997 and 1998 Playoffs. As for Wade, he cared only about the bottom line.

“As long as we get the win”, he said, “nothing else really matters.”

So while Wade was outscoring Vince Carter in Game One, Damon Jones was doing the same to seven-time All-Star Jason Kidd, 30-18. Jones said his main focus was to try and limit Kidd’s penetration.

“I expect him to come back in Game 2 and be ferocious because he is the best point-guard in the NBA”, is what DJ told the media.

Kidd’s post-game response; “He’s trying to butter me up. We can’t let him go for 30 again. We have to learn from our mistakes.”

As for Vince Carter, he nearly had a triple-double Sunday with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists despite Miami’s strong defense .

“I thought we did a pretty good job against him,” said Heat Coach Stan Van Gundy. “We were right there with him and gave him nothing easy. He got 27 and we defended him well. In some ways that’s pretty scary.”

What’s scarier for the Nets is that both Kidd and Carter did less in Game 2, Tuesday. The explosive and talented pair combined for only 31 points on 10 for 28 shooting. The Heat led from start to finish Tuesday, taking a 2 games to none lead, with a commanding 104-87 victory. For the first time ever the Heat has scored over 100 points in back-to-back playoff games, averaging 110 points on 53 percent shooting.

There are other numbing numbers through the first two games of this series.

*Damon Jones is averaging 22 points a game on 78 percent shooting. He has made 14 of his 18 shots and splashed home 11 of his first 15 playoff triples.

*The Nets have not led since 1:41 left in the first quarter of Game One. They have been no closer than 10 points of Miami in second half of either game.

*Vince Carter has not had a dunk, yet.

Against Miami’s stifling defense Tuesday, New Jersey failed to reach 90 points or 40 percent shooting. The Heat has held the Nets under 40% shooting in four of the five games the teams have played this year.

Before Game 2 Stan Van Gundy reiterated that Sunday’s 18-point win was not as easy as it looked.

“This is a very difficult series for us. We are going to need everyone to play well. We didn’t outplay them as badly as the score would indicate on Sunday.”

Tuesday night Miami had six players score in double figures and played ten men double-figure minutes. The hero was the fire-breathing Alonzo Mourning. His energy helped turn Game One in Miami’s direction and Tuesday night he did the same and then some, in one of the most inspiring performances in 17 years of Heat basketball.

With Shaq still hurting, Mourning took over with his passion and power. Zo scored 21 points, with 9 rebounds, in 16 energized minutes.

“He was unbelievable. An incredible performance”, said Van Gundy. “It was one of the most efficient stat lines you will ever see.”

O’Neal, for one, was delighted to see it. “Thank God for Zo”, said Shaq. “He carried me today. The Hulk carried Superman. I don’t remember scoring 14 to 15 points and winning. If we keep playing like this we’ll be very hard to beat.”

Nets coach, Lawrence Frank, who had Mourning for 18 games earlier this season in New Jersey gave credit where it belonged.

“Alonzo Mourning was a game changer. He was dominant in the paint.”

Meanwhile Miami’s perimeter defense was sturdy and stifling against both Kidd and Carter in the series first two games, holding both below 38% shooting.

Eddie Jones, Miami’s captain, has been the best defender in this series so far and Heat fans showered him with appreciation Tuesday.

“We’re just playing great team defense,” said EJ, who has shadowed Carter. “The team defense is great right now, if he beats me, I know I have somebody waiting to help me.”

The series shifts to the Meadowlands for Game 3 tonight and Game 4 on Sunday. Expect New Jersey to use Richard Jefferson more. He scored 13 of his 14 points, Tuesday, in the fourth quarter and could displace an ineffective Brian Scalabrine in the starting lineup tonight. Also expect Jason Kidd to bounce back with his best effort. Kidd finished third in the league in assists this year, with over 8 a game but has just 9 assists and just one free throw attempt in the series first two games. Perhaps, expending the kind of energy it takes to defend Dwyane Wade has taken away from Kidd’s game at the offensive end. Maybe Jefferson gets more time on Wade, beginning tonight.

Meanwhile The Diesel, already has two double-doubles, averaging 15ppg-10.5rpg, in just 29 minutes a game. He is just warming his engines for the long Playoff ride that could lay ahead and that spells trouble for the Nets now and others later.

As Miami prepares to take their next step, we invite you to Join us for Game 3, tonight on Sun-Sports. Game time is 7pm, the pre-game show, Nextel Heat Tonight, begins at 6:30. Don’t miss a minute of this ride.