Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Heat-Mavs Game 3
SPECTACULAR!
So far, Game 3 of the NBA Finals is the greatest Heat game I’ve ever attended. I’ve been going to Heat games since their inception in 1988-89 and I’ve been fortunate enough to have witnessed some great games. But because this is the NBA Finals and because of the way this team won, it’s up there as the greatest game for me. So, here’s my re-cap.
WADE’S MAGICIt’s not over.
Dwyane Wade said so before Tuesday’s Game 3.
It’s not over.
Dwyane Wade made sure of that with a performance for the ages.
His 42 points and 13 rebounds led the Heat to a furious comeback in the fourth quarter. Just when things looked their bleakest, just when Dallas was within earshot of going up 3-0 in this series, Wade took this team on his back and willed it to victory. Even while playing with 5 fouls, there was no way Wade was going to let this team drop their third straight against the Mavs. Miami was down and apparently done after Jason Terry's basket made it 89-76 with 6:34 remaining.
That’s when Wade took over.
With less than two minutes left in the game, Wade led the way towards the Heat’s 22-7 run, making a key three pointer from the corner and attacking the basket with a ferocity we haven’t seen since the Eastern Conference Finals. It was inevitable. With Shaq drawing as much as three guys at a time whenever he’d get near the basket, Wade just did what he does. He took over. And the rest is NBA history. Now with the series 2-1, and with 2 more games to play in Miami, the Heat have a golden opportunity to tie the series on Thursday and take back the momentum. Suddenly, there is hope again for the Heat faithful. Because of Dwyane Wade. Again.
THE CRUSHERNAUT CRUSHESThe Crushernaut is my Finals Heat MVP so far. Without a doubt, the one guy who has been leaving his heart and soul on the floor night in and night out in this series has been Udonis Haslem. Playing with an injured shoulder, U once again was able to bother Dirk Nowitzki enough and make the little plays that always turn into big ones down the stretch. None bigger than his steal of Jason Terry’s pass towards Nowitski with 1:16 left in the game. Haslem was fouled on his way to the basket and he nailed both free throws to put the Heat up 94-93. While Wade’s spectacular play led the way, it was U’s fearlessness that injected the crowd with one last burst of energy to see this team through towards this great win. Haslem truly has the soul of a warrior. Long Live The Crushernaut!
GARY’S DEMISE HAS BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATEDIn my Game 3 preview, I slammed Gary Payton. I said that he’s old and that his clock has struck midnight. But GP has a little something to say about that. After Devin Harris tied the game for the Mavs with 33 seconds left to play, the crowd began to have visions of Dwyane Wade attempting a final shot for the game winner or we were overtime bound. But, just as Wade was about to head to the basket with 10 seconds left, he got caught on top of the key with no shot and nowhere to go. He passed the ball to Jason Williams who went on to pass it to Gary. With 9 seconds to go, I saw Payton pump fake his shot. This is when my mind said, “Quick, old man, find Wade!” But as Payton squared up to take the shot, my heart leapt to my throat and I had visions of the ball clanking in and out and this thing going down the proverbial toilet. But the shot went down cleanly. Nothing but net. The entire arena went crazy and I found myself hugging and high-fiving strangers and yelling, "GP!!! GP!!! Ahhhh!!!!!"
Gary still has some gas left in that tank of his, after all. My apologies to the Glove. Thanks for bailing us out.
YOU CAN KISS 90% OF MY ASS!!
And finally, who would’ve though it possible? Dirk Nowitzki with his 90% free throw shooting skills missing the all important second shot with 3 seconds left in the game, sealing the victory for the Heat. Truth be told, I have never heard the arena as loud as it was before Dirk went to shoot that second free throw. And with all that noise, mixed in with images of David Hasselhoff on the jumbo-tron, the mission to frighten and confuse the seven foot unfrozen caveman power forward was complete. Dirk leaned into that second shot, and it was clear that it was going to fall short. It did. The Heat won. All is well.
In the end, some things jump out at me:
-- Shaq was awesome at the free throw line. He did exactly what I asked him to do in my previous post and went 4-6 at the foul line, including some clutch shots from the stripe with less than 2 minutes left.
-- Antoine still thinks he’s the star of this team and clearly this is going to be our downfall unless someone tells him otherwise. Or someone smacks him across the face. Or someone kicks him in the stomach.
-- Jason Williams still looks timid at times. He hit some key three pointers but still is lacking some aggressiveness.
One last thing. I challenged Heat fans to come through and get loud and stay loud throughout the game. And you came through like actual fans who actually care. No doubt our energy was felt not only by the Heat but added a lot of pressure on the Mavs. I’d like for us all to take credit for Dirk’s missed free throw with 3 seconds left to play. It turns out the best way to tune out David Hasselhoff is to have 20,000 crazed fans screaming at the tops of their lungs. That’s why it’s a home court advantage. Way to go, Heat fans. Bring that stuff strong again on Thursday.
One last thing. I challenged Heat fans to come through and get loud and stay loud throughout the game. And you came through like actual fans who actually care. No doubt our energy was felt not only by the Heat but added a lot of pressure on the Mavs. I’d like for us all to take credit for Dirk’s missed free throw with 3 seconds left to play. It turns out the best way to tune out David Hasselhoff is to have 20,000 crazed fans screaming at the tops of their lungs. That’s why it’s a home court advantage. Way to go, Heat fans. Bring that stuff strong again on Thursday.
Let's Go Heat!
Labels: Miami Heat
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What more can you say about Wade? The guy is so friggin brilliant! I'm not giving up on this team no matter what. With Wade we ALWAYS have a shot. The guy just willed us to victory.
We need that energy to carry over into tomorrow night to tie this sucker up!
LET'S GO HEAT!!!!
We need that energy to carry over into tomorrow night to tie this sucker up!
LET'S GO HEAT!!!!
# posted by 
: 1:06 PM
: 1:06 PM
THE CRUSHERNAUT IS A PIMP! HOME GROWN BOY FROM THE STREETS OF OVERTOWN ... HE SHOWED WHAT THE GRITTY SIDE OF BALL IS ALL ABOUT BABY! NO ONE IS SAYING IT, SO I WILL-- HE IS GIVING NOWITSKI ALL HE CAN HANDLE!
HEAT WIN TOMORROW AND WE GO TO DALLAS UP 3-2!
HEAT WIN TOMORROW AND WE GO TO DALLAS UP 3-2!
# posted by : 1:32 PM
: 1:32 PM
"I think Dwyane Wade is faking injuries and illness. Jordan wannabe. Why else would the Heat have a Jordan jersey hanging in their arena? Ever notice that when players are playing through injuries, when asked about how it feels, they usually respond, "It's alright, I'm liuke 90%. It's cool", but then Wade is like, "Yeah, it hurts real bad, but I gotta persevere for the good of the team" or some tripe like that?" @ Need4Sheed.
BAhahahhaha. No picture of Dwyane Wade's shoes today? SUCKERS!
BAhahahhaha. No picture of Dwyane Wade's shoes today? SUCKERS!
# posted by : 1:33 PM
: 1:33 PM
Well said, TB. The Crushernaut out-rebounded the entire Mavericks team last night. With a bad shoulder! It's guys like U that make me a believer. Heart. Determination. Grit.
Are you serious, JD? That's what these turd for brains have written??? Seriously, WTF is up with those people??? By the way, that Jordan jersey got hung up there waaay before Wade arrived. God I hate Pistons fans!! No matter what happens in this series, I'm glad we kicked their asses -- and I'm even more glad they're still feeling the sting.
Anyway, back to a REAL team. Heat can win tomorrow, tie this thing up and make a run.
GO HEAT!
Are you serious, JD? That's what these turd for brains have written??? Seriously, WTF is up with those people??? By the way, that Jordan jersey got hung up there waaay before Wade arrived. God I hate Pistons fans!! No matter what happens in this series, I'm glad we kicked their asses -- and I'm even more glad they're still feeling the sting.
Anyway, back to a REAL team. Heat can win tomorrow, tie this thing up and make a run.
GO HEAT!
# posted by : 2:10 PM
: 2:10 PM
I agree with dh. Clearly Antoine is in way over his head. He is almost useless at this point. If we plug in Posey as a starter, not only do we have a huge upgrade defensively, but we also have a guy who realizes he's actually a role player. Plus he doesn't chuck up threes like the building is on fire and when he does shoot 3's, they generally go in for him.
I don't understand Riley's thinking with Antoine in this series. He'd be much better suited coming off the bench.
Anyway, awesome win last night! Wade is just amazing. Amazing!
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I don't understand Riley's thinking with Antoine in this series. He'd be much better suited coming off the bench.
Anyway, awesome win last night! Wade is just amazing. Amazing!
# posted by : 3:49 PM
: 3:49 PM
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