MIAMI, December 1 This game could have been an afterthought. A few hours of hoops that nobody would remember as soon as the Miami HEAT step foot on the plane. With so much national focus on Thursdays contest, and all of this weeks questions being asked with that one night in mind, Wednesday could have just been a box score to glance at and toss away.
It could have been a night to hit autopilot. Only, thats not how the HEAT went about it.
It was about tonight, it was very mature on our part, coach Erik Spoelstra said.
This isnt a young ballclub. We know we have to play these games out, LeBron James said.
Though it was clear from the Detroit Pistons slow feet and poor shooting 36 percent from the field with no starters scoring in double digits that they were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the HEAT played on their own level, showcasing excellent movement both on and off the ball in winning 97-72.
When the HEAT lost four out of five a week ago, their offense had been routinely stagnant, full of slow-developing pick-and-rolls and isolation plays that often resulted in long jumpers taken on tired legs. In their first offensive possession Wednesday, though, James was freeing himself with a baseline cut, then making a quick move to the hoop off the catch.
Then it was Chris Bosh cutting down the middle of the court as James held the ball on the wing, getting fouled as he went straight to the rim after the pass. Later, it was Dwyane Wade, cutting from the weakside corner after Zydrunas Ilgauskas pulled down an offensive rebound, giving his center an outlet and earning a layup.
There were long outlet passes (14 fast-break points) and open shots for everyone (51 percent shooting, 6-of-12 from three). There was playmaking from players not expected to score 20 points a night (11 assists combined from Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers) and as a result of everything going so well, James, Bosh and Wade all played less than 31 minutes (aside from Wades foul trouble).
It wasnt perfect, but flaws were few and far between. And given the circumstances, Miamis play says a lot about a team that could have bought into the outside storylines, but didnt.
On Point
While theres been no huge statistical breakout nights for Chalmers, but since struggling with an early season ankle injury and having to earn any and all minutes in practice, hes now played more than 20 minutes in three straight games, and has more than five assists in each of his last two.
Chalmers being on the court more has allowed both James and Wade to lessen the playmaking load on their shoulders, which may account for their improved movement without the ball as of late. Chalmers has given the second unit a new dimension with his ability to create shots for others off the dribble and, should the HEATs offense continue to trend upward, credit will be due his way.
Mario has gotten off to a slow start because of his ankle injury in the beginning, Bosh said, but the more hes gotten in shape the more hes gotten his rhythm.
He knows where the spots are going to be and hes very unselfish.
Tomorrow
While the HEAT were able to escape the shadow of the Cleveland game on the court, off it theyve been given a very consistent line of questioning. And though theyve all answered those questions separately, the answers have been that they will go through it together.
Its going to be a tremendous atmosphere tomorrow, Spoelstra said. Well be going into a tough arena. We understand that, but the first thing I talked about with our team, to be able to get through the many adversities that I thought wed be facing this year, the first standard we had was family.
We have to connect with each other, have each others back, take care of each other through the tough times. Tomorrow will be a very competitive, passionate game.