First back-to-back right out of the chute. On the road too.
Miami won at Wershington tonight in another close one, 113-112, and the box score tells a remarkably consistent story: Again Erik the Great went without a PF; again Kelly Olynyk played exactly 15 minutes at the position (had the game winner on a put back); Josh Richardson again had over 20 points, 28, game high, but worryingly on exactly the same 8/21 shooting. Those identities are weird, uncanny, RIGID: no PF, Olynyk will get his 15'/night, Josh will shoot 21 times and make only 8. Josh did shoot much better from distance, 5/11 is very good, and that's all his stat line has. Goran Dragic was putrid, 3/18. It’s clear that Richardson is Spoelstra’s go-to guy this year. May he’s showcasing him, hoping Minnehaha will notice and offer Jimmy Butler for him straight up.
YoungWhiteside was pretty much a non-factor, 10 boards, yeah, ten rebounds is good, very good, but only 9 points on only 6 shots. That is also by design. Hassan wears a GPS monitor on his left ankle and a REACT belt around his waist. If he strays out of the paint an alarm sounds and if the alarm goes off for three continuous seconds the REACT belt is automatically activated and Hassan collapses to the floor in a temporarily paralyzed lump. Rigid? Hmm, maybe not but Erik is not going to use Hassan this year as he did not last year.
The difference tonight was that the opposing team's PF was not A. Gordon but M. Morris and M. only had 11 points and 5 'bounds. John Wall, Goran's opposite number at PG ate the Dragon's lunch, 26 on 9/16 (only 1/6 from three) and Goran apparently resorted to hack-a-Wall. Wall got to the line 10 times and made 7.
Your, or at least my, Miami "Heat," ladies and gentlemen: consistent is thy name. Don't think the next opponent has got to study up on the "Heat" too awful much.
Miami won at Wershington tonight in another close one, 113-112, and the box score tells a remarkably consistent story: Again Erik the Great went without a PF; again Kelly Olynyk played exactly 15 minutes at the position (had the game winner on a put back); Josh Richardson again had over 20 points, 28, game high, but worryingly on exactly the same 8/21 shooting. Those identities are weird, uncanny, RIGID: no PF, Olynyk will get his 15'/night, Josh will shoot 21 times and make only 8. Josh did shoot much better from distance, 5/11 is very good, and that's all his stat line has. Goran Dragic was putrid, 3/18. It’s clear that Richardson is Spoelstra’s go-to guy this year. May he’s showcasing him, hoping Minnehaha will notice and offer Jimmy Butler for him straight up.
YoungWhiteside was pretty much a non-factor, 10 boards, yeah, ten rebounds is good, very good, but only 9 points on only 6 shots. That is also by design. Hassan wears a GPS monitor on his left ankle and a REACT belt around his waist. If he strays out of the paint an alarm sounds and if the alarm goes off for three continuous seconds the REACT belt is automatically activated and Hassan collapses to the floor in a temporarily paralyzed lump. Rigid? Hmm, maybe not but Erik is not going to use Hassan this year as he did not last year.
The difference tonight was that the opposing team's PF was not A. Gordon but M. Morris and M. only had 11 points and 5 'bounds. John Wall, Goran's opposite number at PG ate the Dragon's lunch, 26 on 9/16 (only 1/6 from three) and Goran apparently resorted to hack-a-Wall. Wall got to the line 10 times and made 7.
Your, or at least my, Miami "Heat," ladies and gentlemen: consistent is thy name. Don't think the next opponent has got to study up on the "Heat" too awful much.
