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 Sweating in Miami

Remember game 2 of the series between the Pacers & Heat?  The Pacers managed to get out of Miami stealing a win on the Heat's homecourt & they were amped about it.  The Heat players were none too pleased by Indiana's reaction to the win & thought their celebration was too over the top.  So you gotta bet that the next game, the Heat would be ready to embarrass the Pacers for such a thing, the motivation had to be through the roof.  Uhh...I guess not.  The Pacers gave the Heat the biggest beat down they've seen all year long & it was in the biggest game (until the next game) of the year.

The game started off according to script.  Another low scoring game with some physicality.  The Pacers came out red hot to open the game as Roy Hibbert managed to completely embarrass Erik Spoelstra's new starting center, Dexter Pittman.  The Pacers went on an 11-2 run to open the game in front of their golden crowd & were flying high.  Unfortunately for them, LeBron James led the Chris Bosh-less Heat on an impressive run of their own, managing to outscore the Pacers 24-6 to end the quarter & take a 26-17 lead at the end of 1.  The first quarter was a tale of 2 runs, the Pacers made theirs while the Heat did as well.  James was playing fantastic & carrying his team along with, not Dwyane Wade, but rather, Mario Chalmers.  Wade struggled mightily from the field.  The 2nd quarter was the same story, but played by opposite roles.  The Heat watched their 9 point lead diminish as Indiana went ahead & outscored them 26-17 in the 2nd to lead to a 43-43 tie at halftime.  The Heat had to feel okay, considering they were on the road, LeBron had played great with 16 first half points & despite Wade having an atrocious game so far, they were still very much in it.

It seemed as though, once the 3rd quarter began, the Pacers decided to stop messing around with the Heat.  Indiana dominated the 3rd quarter in every aspect, their defense holding Miami's electric offense to a measly 12 points.  Wade continued to struggle as LeBron stopped dominating.  The Heat's best player on the floor was Mario Chalmers, which doesn't bode well for them.  The Pacers spread the ball around, the major standout being their 7'2 center, Roy Hibbert who finished the game with 19 points, 18 rebounds, & 5 blocks.  There is not a soul on this Miami team that can dream of stopping him, Roy is setting himself for quite a hefty contract whenever these playoffs end for him.  The loss of Chris Bosh is such a crushing blow for Miami, not only for his ability to be the best 3rd option in the NBA, something that would have been vital for this team in game 3, seeing as how much Wade struggled, but also for his ability to at least be a big body down low.  No Bosh means LeBron has to play out of position as a power forward & you can tell it is exhausting LeBron.  He just doesn't have as much energy in this series as he normally does.  Danny Granger, whose main objective this series is to guard LeBron (which he did & got in his face for the 3rd consecutive game) got hot, he finished with 17 points & David West, their emotional leader on the floor who got face to face with Mario Chalmers at one point, finished with 14 points.  Their starting PG, someone Larry Bird brought over from San Antonio in the offseason, George Hill, was the one who really shut the door on any idea of a Heat comeback in the 2nd half.  He finished with a team leading 20 points, including 3-4 from 3 point land.  The Pacers bullied the Heat in the 2nd half & were clearly the better team, walking away celebrating a 94-75 victory.

LeBron had a very pedestrian game, finishing with 22 points (only 6 in the 2nd half), 6 rebounds, & 3 assists.  Dwyane Wade had his worst game, possibly ever, with 5 points & only 1 assist, compared to 5 turnovers.  The boiling point came in the 3rd quarter after another missed Wade shot led to an Indiana fast break and easy bucket.  Wade didn't hustle back on defense & coach Erik Spoelstra called a timeout & basically told Wade to sit his ass on the bench.  Well, Dwyane being the emotional prima donna that he is, did not approve of his coach telling him what to do (even though that's his job) and could be seen verbally sparing with Spoelstra.  He had to be calmed down by Udonis Haslem & Juwan Howard.  I know what you're thinking; yes, Juwan is still in the league.  Wade was 2-13 from the field & had a whopping -25 rating.  Mario Chalmers seemed to be the only one who really wanted to play the entire game, because he ended up with a game high 25 points with 6 rebounds & 5 assists.

So what's next?  Game 4 takes place on Indiana's floor, so no party atmosphere for Miami to lift them.  When there's two minutes left in the quarter, they won't hear the ear cringingly annoying "2 MINUTES...DOS!!!!"  Indiana is a basketball crowd, not a party waiting to happen that just so happens to catch a couple moments of the game in front of them.  The Heat need to come out and prove that they are the better team that every single expert chose to win, including ESPN analyst & former NBA player, Jon Barry, who even said the Heat would sweep.  I swear, I look at some of these predictions & think to myself how it would be so awesome to be a sports columnist.  You make awful predictions, you're basically the weather man, you can suck at your job but somehow continue to keep doing it.  Seems nice.

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The Pacers Are Who We Thought They Were!

I wrote in my last I Like Sportz post that the Pacers absolutely had what it took to stand up to the daunting Miami Heat & Tuesday, they proved that.  After a very competitive game 1 that ended with the Heat just outplaying the Pacers down the stretch run, the Pacers regained momentum in the series by holding on to win a very ugly & gritty game 2.  Chris Bosh, the Heat's all-star power forward, will be missing the rest of this series due to an abdominal injury, which is a huge blow to Miami.  The Heat rely heavily on LeBron & Wade to carry the load & Bosh was that anchor who could help out should they need it.  Now he's gone & this already thin team is looking all that more beatable.

The Heat had a 5 point lead at halftime at home, the first half being a very low scoring & physical affair.  The Pacers came out hot in the 3rd quarter & exploded for 28 points & held Miami to only 14 3rd quarter points, giving them a 9 point lead going into the 4th quarter, which even blossomed to an 11 point lead.  The Heat are no strangers to miraculous comebacks, especially in the playoffs, & they fought back.  Indiana missed 24 of their final 29 shots, costing them the lead on the road against the team that most "experts" claim to be the best in the world.  Recipe for a loss & going down 2 games, right?  Wrong.

What's one of the biggest knocks against this talented Heat team, besides their lack of depth?  It's the ineptitude to perform in clutch situations that has taxed this team for the past 2 years.  Those ugly demons surfaced again last night as the two players they rely on the most to propel them to victory, didn't deliver.  If you look at the box score, you'll say Wade & LeBron had great games, which they did, as a whole.  It's those last couple minutes of the game that can change everything.  Dwyane Wade misses an open lay-up that would have tied the game with less than 30 seconds left & all of a sudden his 24 point game is a bit tainted.  LeBron misses 2 free throws with his team down 1 with less than a minute left & his 28 point, 9 rebound effort is pushed to the backseat.  The game ended with Indiana nursing a 3 point lead & trying to stop Miami from hitting a game-tying buzzer beater.  The final shot came & who took it?  Wade?  Nope.  Surely LeBron, right?  Na uh.  Mario Chalmers, who finished the game 2-10 shooting, took the final shot that he failed to sink & Indiana was going home, managing to steal 1 game away from the Heat in Miami.

Before we go to the smaller stories of the day, let's analyze what exactly happened at the end of this Pacers/Heat game 2.  Tough game, full of physical play & comebacks.  Any team would feel good coming off the floor with a win.  Once Chalmers missed his final shot, a number of Pacers began to celebrate on the court in front of the Miami, err..faithful, if you can call them that.  Fist pumping, chest bumping, & cheering from Paul George, Danny Granger, & Darren Collison were pretty prominent.  The Heat took notice.  Some condescending reactionary comments from Wade, LeBron, Udonis Haslem, & Chalmers were given & it left this sports fan a bit perplexed.  This is the same Heat team that screams & pounds their chest after every big play.  This is LeBron who used to dance before games & do choreographed stunts with his teammates.  The very same team who provide the NBA with the gaudiest & flashiest live presentation of a game in all of sports, creating a party like atmosphere in their arena.  All of a sudden, they have an issue with celebrating?  Me thinks the Heat are being a bit hypocritical.  The fact of the matter is this; the Heat, with their over the top attitudes & bigger than life image, give other teams the motivation to celebrate.  When you beat a team as arrogant as them, you want to rub their face in it.  They're the bullies who do all the pushing, but when they get pushed back, they run off & tell the adults.  Last year you were telling your fans to "Fan up," Miami, seems like it's time for you to man up.

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No more classes means I actually have time to do this every day.

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All NBA Edition!

The Miami Heat scorched the one-man show known as the New York Knicks in round 1 & the Indiana Pacers took out the no-man show in Orlando, knocking out the Dwight Howard-less Magic.  Both teams did so in just 5 games, the Pacers finishing the job before the Heat.  So what does this mean for round 2? Round 1 featured a pretty easy fluff match for the Pacers, seeing as the Magic are a shell of their former self.  Then again, it is a young team, one that gave the number 1 seed Chicago Bulls fits last year.  They're learning & have improved since then, there isn't a chance they'll be taking the Heat lightly.  

What about the Heat?  This was a team that pretty much dominated the Knicks in the first round, which was a pretty easy match-up considering they only had to stop Carmelo Anthony & they knew they were set.  New York didn't help things by having ball-chucker J.R. Smith playing point for most of game 5.  

The Heat/Pacers round 2 series may not have the glitz & glamour of other playoff series, but it may be the best one yet.  In a 1st round filled with duds, the NBA playoffs are eagerly anticipating a series with some heart & excitement.  This one may be just what they are looking for.  The Heat took care of Indiana in the regular season, winning 3 of 4 games, so take that as you will.  

The reason why I like Indiana so much in this series is because their strengths are Miami's weaknesses.  The Pacers are anchored by their all-star center, 7'2 Roy Hibbert, who has a chance to absolutely dominate this series.  This could be his coming out party if he plays his cards right.  The Pacers also have a legitimate point guard in Darren Collison who, unlike the Heat's Mario Chalmers, can control a game & run an offense.  He has been coming off the bench as of late, giving George Hill the spotlight, but he played very well in the final 2 games of the 1st series with the Magic, scoring 30 points with 15 assists to close out the last games of the series.  The depth of the Pacers is nothing to sneeze at either.  I just mentioned the depth at point guard with Collison & Hill, but it doesn't end there.  The frontcourt was bolstered this past offseason when they added former all-star forward David West.  He's no focal point on this team, not while Hibbert, Danny Granger, & Paul George are around, but he doesn't have to be.  With Miami's less than fleet footed frontcourt of Joel Anthony & Ronny Turiaf, all West has to do is set up at the top of the key & hit some mid-range jumpers.  This clears the paint for a guy like Paul George, Indiana's young budding star, to drive to the hoop like he does best.  Like Collison, Tyler Hansbrough was starting for this team last year, but thanks to offseason additions, they just fill out a very formidable bench.  Leandro Barbosa was added at the trade deadline, but injuries have affected his game so far in the playoffs.  Maybe these couple days off will improve his health, it would be a huge boost for Indiana to have a scoring option like him coming off the bench & playing well.  

Some people may think I was overly focused on the Pacers here, but let's be honest, we all know about the Heat.  It's the 2 & a half man show.  LeBron is the best basketball player on the planet & Dwyane Wade is in the top 5.  Chris Bosh is probably the greatest 3rd option of all-time, even if he plays soft.  Other than that, save for an occasionally productive Mario Chalmers, this team doesn't have much else.  That's fine, because LeBron & company have been proving they can handle the load. I just live in a world where I can see the Pacers pushing them to the brink, scaring them, making them think that they just might lose.  The series begins Sunday & I'll be watching.  I expect this game to go 6 or 7 games, provided Indiana plays up to the level I have come to expect from them.  Ultimately, I believe the Heat will get the series win, just because the East is so weak, but it will be the first & only true test until they get to the Finals.

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Linsanity Takes His Talents to South Beach

For the past month, Jeremy Lin has taken the NBA by storm in the Big Apple with his outstanding and exciting play that has come out of nowhere.  He's gone from being cut by the Golden State Warriors to playing in the D-League to starting for a playoff team.  He faces his biggest challenge thus far as the Knicks take on the Heat in Miami tonight.  The Heat are at the top of the standings as the trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, & Chris Bosh has really begun to click.  The Heat have won 7 games in a row by 12 points or more.  Carmelo Anthony has returned for the Knicks and the mini-storyline of the "feud" between LeBron & Carmelo gets reignited as well.  It has all the hype in the world and God knows I'll be watching, but I'm pretty sure the Heat are going to demolish this Knicks team.  Miami thrives on turnovers, often taking them to the house for monster breakaway slams.  This spells bad news for Lin who has 59 turnovers in his first ten starts, which is the most of all-time for any player.  I imagine Lin will have 8-10 turnovers in the game, leading to 16-20 points on breakaway dunks for Wade & LeBron.  Not to mention Lin will have LeBron guarding him for some portions of the game, he'll be lucky to break 15 points I think.  All in all, this game has all the hype, but once it gets down to thee actual playing...the Heat will win by 15+ and we'll all be bored by halftime.

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Miami Heat come back & defeat San Antonio

A Dwyane Wade-less Miami Heat team hosted the San Antonio Spurs in the American Airlines arena and pulled off a pretty impressive comeback victory.  The 9-5 Spurs were leading 63-49 against the 9-4 Heat at halftime and looked to be on cruise control against a Heat team missing their all-star shooting guard.  Not so fast, there's a reason the Spurs are 0-5 on the road this year.  The Heat erupted for 39 points in the 3rd quarter with LeBron James leading the way with 33 points & 10 assists by game's end while Chris Bosh poured in 30 points of his own.  Mike Miller, who made his season debut, was perfect from 3-point land draining 6 shots for 18 points off the bench.  The Spurs, who looked dominant in the first half, became stagnant in the 2nd and struggled with Miami's stifling defense, only managing to score 12 points in the 3rd quarter.  You know it's a rough day for the offense when Daniel Green scores 20 points and is your team's leading scorer.  The Spurs desperately miss Manu Ginobili, who has missed the past couple weeks worth of games and is still not close to returning.  Richard Jefferson added nothing for the Spurs, playing 23 minutes and not scoring a single point, along with Tim Duncan only getting 8 points.  A signature victory for Miami and a loss San Antonio will want to quickly put in the rear-view mirror.

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LeBron ≠ Clutch

Last night the Miami Heat lost their 2nd straight game, this time to the Los Angeles Clippers.  Some may say the Clippers won this game, but sorry, the Heat LOST it.  Absolutely atrocious play from Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, & LeBron James led to an implosion during the 4th quarter & overtime.  The free throw shooting is what did Miami in as LeBron proved once again, late in a close game, he cannot be relied upon.  James only made 9 of 17 free throws, including missing on several key ones late in the 4th, which basically cost them the game.  It wasn't just LeBron, to be fair, as the big 3 as a whole played terribly.  Chris Bosh (6-16), Dwyane Wade (6-17), & LeBron James (7-19) all had bad shooting nights while Chris Paul played lights out for the Clippers.  This was a big road test for the Heat, playing against a good team and they didn't live up to expectations, often times screaming at the referees for more calls to go their way.  Caron Butler helped carry the Clippers in the 2nd half, lighting it up for a total of 20 points while Blake Griffin fooled around and got himself a 20 & 12 double-double.  Key defensive plays from DeAndre Jordan helped propelled the Clippers to their biggest win this year and Miami is left wondering, yet again, if LeBron's inability to close out games will be their eventual downfall.

I Like Sportz

     Alright alright, I think it's painfully obvious to everyone who knows me that I like sports.  Embrace it!  The title simply comes from The Lonely Island song "We Like Sportz" (which is phenomenal) Here's a new idea I'm gonna debut for this ol' blog, it's gonna be a daily sports rundown/musing on the recent events.  It's going to be done in the same vein as the guys over at The John Report do things.  One major headline and then several other stories.  I'll try to include all sports in the headlines and will do my best for this to be a daily thing, along with the song of the days.  So here's the first of hopefully many editions of I Like Sportz.

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Kobe!

Last night Kobe Bryant proved to everyone that, well, he's still Kobe Bryant.  He went off for 48 points against the Phoenix Suns, the highest scoring output in the short NBA season thus far.  He closed the game out, scoring 15 of the Lakers final 17 points and led the way to victory for Los Angeles.  A lot of people seem to doubt Kobe, which probably does nothing more than to motivate him to kick even more ass.  This guy is the greatest player to play in the game for the past decade and in the discussion for one of the all-time best.  The fact that there are still people doubting him year in and year out is ludicrous.  He's on a team with guys like Josh McRoberts, Troy Murphy, & Devin Ebanks playing major minutes.  More often than not, Kobe is gonna have to take over games.  It's unclear whether or not that will lead to a successful year for the Lakers, but people better be prepared to deal with a motivated and hungry Black Mamba.