Postgame Breakdown: Heat 96, Pacers 83

INDIANAPOLIS - Jermaine O'Neal told everyone all summer long that he would get back to this level of performance at his position. Now, he's starting to show it.

The talk-the-talk campaign is starting to become the walk-the-walk tour for O'Neal, who became the first player in Heat history to start a season with consecutive games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. The same man who provided so much misery for the Heat as a member of the Pacers inflicted a bit against his former team in Friday's 96-83 victory at Conseco Fieldhouse.

With the victory, the Heat opens the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season. O'Neal finished his second straight game with 22 points and 12 rebounds to provide the inside threat to Dwyane Wade's perimeter dominance. Michael Beasley and Udonis Haslem continued to do their two-headed thing at the power forward position.

Yes, these two victories came against New York and Indiana. But the Heat is showing it is capable of beating teams it is supposed to beat. And that's a good sign to start the season for this team.

D. WADE'S DOINGS: It was one of those games when you looked up and realized that Wade had 16 points in the first half and it seemed like he didn't even break a sweat. The guy's game is that smooth already this season. He had perhaps the most effortless 32-point performance I have seen from him in four seasons covering the team. That's how silky smooth Wade was at times Friday. He was 9 of 19 from the field and 14 of 19 from the free-throw line. He also had four assists, three steals, three rebounds and block in 35 minutes. Most importantly, he had plenty of help for the second time in as many games.

TURNING POINT: The Heat used a 16-4 spurt early in the third quarter to build a 17-point lead. Miami outscored the Pacers 30-16 in the period, with Jermaine O'Neal doing majority of the damage. The Pacers shot just 30 percent from the field in the quarter.

WINNING EDGE: The Heat played its best, defensively, at the start of the game and in the third quarter. Both times the team exited the locker room, it proceeded to hold the Pacers to only 16 points in the ensuing quarter. That's an example of the Heat opening with a solid game plan and then making adjustments during halftime. It also didn't hurt that the normally streak-shooting Pacers never got too hot.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: Midway through the first quarter, Udonis Haslem cut through the lane as the trailer on a fast-break and flushed a nasty dunk over Pacers big man Solomon Jones. Perhaps it was a bit of payback for last season's playoff loss to the Hawks. Jones signed with the Pacers in the offseason. But back to the dunk. You rarely see that kind of above-the-rim explosion from Haslem, who is playing with a chip-on-the-shoulder edge coming off the bench. "I'm still a pretty good athlete, you know," Haslem said. "It's been a while since I was able to run the break in that position and catch the ball with full head of steam." It was a rewarding game for Haslem, who finished with a double-double on the same day his mother had another successful round of surgery to treat cancer.

KEY CONTRIBUTION: There were plenty. But you have to look no further than O'Neal. The last time Dwyane Wade had an O'Neal playing this well, the Heat was headed for a championship run. Wade is simply happy with the two-game sample he's seen from Jermaine. O'Neal scored 13 of his 22 points in the third quarter, when the Heat pushed its lead to 17 points. He finished 7 of 13 from the field, 11 of 12 from the line, in 32 minutes. The best sign from O'Neal is that he's now snatching rebounds in traffic.

NEXT UP: Bulls at Heat, Sunday 6 p.m. - AmericanAirlines Arena.

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

Comments

[UD's biggest fan]

Udonis Haslem +/- of -11 in 29 minutes.

Michael Beasley +/- of +12 in 29 minutes.

Way too many minutes for our back up PF. Haslem played 29 minutes at PF and Beasley played 19 minutes at the position.

I think we can all agree that Haslem is being played at the detriment of our future and now offers nothing valuable that Beasley and the rest of the team can't provide.

It is time to trade Haslem because as long as he's on our team Spo will not allow Beasley to develop.

Haslem has got to go!

[JDOGTHEDOG]

No way! Haslem is a warrior! I think the coach handled the rotation beautifully tonight by going with the hot hand. Beasley wasn't playing bad however Haslem for this particular game was playing a little better. And why are we even talking about this? is the second game of the season and it was a blowout! Good game Heat!

[cp12]

Yeah I like your perspective on this one Wallace. The Pacers never even smelled the lead.

[lequeenLames]

haslem wasnt playing good defense tonite.He left morphy open way too much

[Statisticus]

Tracking PER, ORtg and DRtg for Heat.

Beasley 19.1/108/92
Haslem 9.4/87/94

Beasley is severely outplaying Haslem so far, yet Haslem continues to be force-fed minutes at PF.

[Statisticus]

haslem wasnt playing good defense tonite.He left morphy open way too much

Posted by: lequeenLames | October 31, 2009 at 02:17 AM
----------------------
Spo only cares about getting Haslem his minutes even if it is clear he's an inferior player and has no part in our future. Spo will rather sit Beasley than allow him to develop chemistry with Wade.

Also did you see Wade and Haslem try play a two-man game? We're trying too hard to keep a player who at this point is of no real basketball value to us. We should trade him for either more help or someone who will do the real job of backing Beasley up at PF over trying to be our main PF player.

Spo has too much of a hard on for Haslem to make the sensible decisions when it comes to him. Haslem should be traded for the good of our team.

[drmus]

Haslem was -11 because look at the people he came in with...Cook's shot was off cause of the bad shoulder, aroyo (the spanish version of chris quinn) i mean what do u expect, Haslem is a force and i give him mad props for not bitching for not starting as i am sure anyone else in his situation would have cause its his contract yr and to make the most money u have to start...the heat look great, is it just me or did Joel get built, he is turing into a solid backup...and wade looks fresh and happy for the first time since shaq first got here...with a happy motivated wade the sky is the limit...GO HEAT!!!

[rockstarjc]

it's sad to let HASLEM to be in other team but then it could be better for him & for the team... trade proposal....

1ST PROPOSAL...

HASLEM, JAMES JONES, QUINN & DIAWARA + 2ND ROUND PICK 2010 draft class... to:

(phoenix) *STOUDEMIRE...

line-up wuold:

sg wade (PG) / cook
pg chalmers / arroyo
c o'neal,j. (PF) / anthony,j. / magloire
sf beasley (PF) / q-rich / wright,d.
pf *stuodemire (C) / randolph,s.

thougths???

[rockstarjc]

2ND PROPOSAL:

HASLEM, JAMES JONES, QUINN, DIAWARA + 2ND ROUND PICK 2010 draft class... to:

(UTAH)*BOOZER & * MILES,CJ

line-up would:

sg wade (PG) / cook
pg chalmers / arroyo
sf beasley (PF) / q-rich / *miles
pf *boozer / randolph,s. / wright,d.(SF)
c o'neal,j. / anthony,j. / magloire

thougths???

[rockstarjc]

3rd proposal;

HASLEM,QUINN,JAMES JONES,DIAWARA,WRIGHT,D. + 1ST PICK (last) 2010 draft class... to;

(BOBCATS) *G.WALLACE & *DIAW

line-up would...

sg wade(PG) / cook
pg chalmers / arroyo
sf *g.wallace / q-rich
pf beasley(SF) / *diaw / randolph,s.
c o'neal,j. / anthony,j. / magloire

thougths???

[rockstarjc]

4th proposal:

JAMES JONES, D.WRIGHT, QUINN + 2ND ROUND PICK 2110 draft class... to;

(PORTLAND) *OUTLAW & *BLAKE

line-up would:

sg wade / cook
pg chalmers / *blake / arroyo
sf *outlaw / q-rich / diawara
pf beasley / haslem / randolph,s.
c O'neal / anthony,j. / magloire

thougths???

[black the trucker]

ok, good game, good win.. it seems to me that the defense is what we need to keep hanging our hat on.. what i seen last night was a team that wanted it more than the other team.. and this has to be what stays a constant.. but lets not put down our guys after a good game, this was a good effort by the whole team.. o'neil, all i have to say is, welcome back!! wade, main man, i think 30-35 ppg is yours for the taking, but when the ref's make dificult, get more aggressive and put pressure on them to make a call in your favor, this way free throws come into play, but all in all good game, your all around game puts us over the top and will be the key to a strong season... beasley, with what i just heard from other post i can't say i agree, you did't score 20 plus, but you played a better game, crashing the boards, playing solid defense, being aggressive at the right times, be able to get to the line and make free throws is great addition to this teams winning, so don't get caught up in only scoring, althuogh you can score, become a all around player, good game... charlmers, i see some maturity in your game and thats a good sign, but this next game will be telling to see if you can control yourself against another good young point gaurd who is getting better, but if you keep doing what you have done in the first two, you should do just fine.. haslem, good, solid, keep it up.. anthony, your best tools, are blocking shots and rebounding, so do that, i mean no one gave ben wallace his true importance when the pistons were good, yeah they had players who scored points for them but wallace was the key to their defense and rebounding, so if and you get in the game, just do that you don't have to score to be a key player, do what you do, but do it better.. this next game against the bulls will be a very defensive, physical, tough down low type of game, so our bigs have to be ready to battle down low, crash the boards, stop their motion, and contest each shot, but i do think we have a better team but the only way to prove that, is to beat them on sunday, don't let them think that they are in the same or on the same level as we are.. wade and o'neil should have another good game here, but rolls have to start shaping themselves and players should be able to do what they do to make this a well-rounded team, key word; team!!! good win...

[black the trucker]

well, you know, that trade that rockstarjc just put there isn't so bad, when you look at the suns it seems like amare might be on his way out pheonix, so keep an ear and an eye on that. i mean you can come back next year so don't feel bad, it was done for the team.. and if pat were to pull it off it would be a trade that would make this year very interesting..

[Heater4life]

whats gonna happen with JO after this season? He is looking like an all star right now and I would like to keep him for the next couple of seasons. Now with that said imagine if next year we can add another allstar caliber player with this team....I see championship for many years to come

[redbaby]

So far so good. Beasley is doing what many of us thought he would do if given a chance for consistent minutes. As the season progresses, Beas will be able to do more at the 3--which is where he will be able to dominate. I like Haslem off the bench. JO--is the man and key to a good season. DW looks like he picked up right where he left off last year--MVP calibre. Still need to get Jones untracked, but like I say, so far so good.

[r. Dwyane Wade he is a beast(anybody seen his new kicks yet?) anyways Sundays game should be a good test for this team. LETS GO HEAT!!!!!!]

damn!!!what was up wit haslem and that dunk against the pacers?looks like he was trying to send a message to somebody.The heat looked great once again and i think it has to do with the way JO is playing,he keeps playing like that or even half way like that and the heat will sneak up on some teams.My man b-easy had another solid night wit almost a double double and what can you say about M

[Statisticus]

Beasley is not our PF. Haslem is.

Trade Beasley to a team that will utilize and develop him. We're stuck on Haslem's mediocrity and can't look beyond it.

Haslem NEVER passes the ball to Beasley when they are in the game together. He is b*tching about being benched.

[black the trucker]

hey what do you think about this trade; qrich to golden state for s. jackson... then haslem, jones, daiwara, quinn to the phoenix suns for amare... now before you start thinking about it, ask yourself would this make the heat a better team right now... if so than sign jammal tinsley.. i know, i know..

[black the trucker]

then trade; beasley to memphis for gay, arthur.. and cook to the pacers for rush.. hey we trying to win..

[black the trucker]

but i would still like to say that this has been a good start to the saeson and i really like what the team has done in the first two games so plz keep up the good work.. i sometimes get caught up becoming a fantasy gm, but to keep it real i like what i see with the team thats in place so don't change a thing and see what happens...

[Alex]

UD's Biggest Fan: using +/- to prove anything shows how big a tool you are.

Those +/- depend too much on who else is on the floor with you. Do you think Beasley enjoys an advantage playing with Wade-Chalmers-JO-QRich rather than Arroyo-Cook-Diawarra-Joel?

[UD's biggest fan]

Haslemplayed 29 minutes @ PF and most of those were with Wade and JO.

We are running out of excuses for Haslem.

At first it was his intangibles and grit. Now it's the second unit.

Haslem is who he is, a very untalented and limited player who will give you averages of 10 points and 8 rebounds. He's a bench player and should not be playing more minutes than the starter at PF.

[JDOGTHEDOG]

Wow this blog has become a fantasy basketball blog lol! Why would Phoenix want Haslem and Jones for Amare? and why would the Warriors give away Jackson for Richardson? Be happy for who your team has people and stop with the ridiculous trade proposals. And Beasley and Haslem are clearly splitting time at the 4 so what is the problem as long as Mike gets his minutes and the Heat wins, who cares?

[JDOGTHEDOG]

Oh!!! And I almost forgot, as long as Haslem keeps dunking like that he is earning his minutes, nobody is giving that man a thing! NASTY ASSSSS BANG!

[BillyDAkid WADEforMVP2009]

Well Beasley's +/- in the minutes he played with Wade-Chalmers-QRich-Oneal was +20, and Haslems +/- with that same lineup was -2

[dmt]

Beasley had 10 points in 29 minutes of burn, and some of you guys are ragging on Haslem?1!!

Whatever.

Anyway, they both did pretty good, neither great for this game.

JO was excellent. I sure hope he can keep this up! IF so, well, maybe not 'the sky's the limit', but the ceiling is gonna be pretty high. If not, then back to Wade trying to pull another miracle out of his butt every night, just to make the playoffs...

[rockstarjc]

so far we're looking great now... but then again, it's better to us if we can have a trade to (BOBCATS);

JAMES JONES, DIAWARA, WRIGHT,D. + 2ND ROUND PICK 2010... TO;

*G."FORCE" WALLACE...

HE COULD BRING US OFFENSE, HE ALSO A GOOD REBOUNDER, HE IS EXPLOSIVE A GOOD COMPLIMENT TO MR.WADE, AS WELL AS HE IS A LOCKED-OUT DEFENDER...

thougths???

[UD's biggest fan]

Beasley took 9 shots. Haslem took 9 shots.

When Beasley was in the game we were +20.
When Haslem was in the game we were -2.

With Haslem we were losing the game.
This isn't about Beasley vs Haslem. It is about us force-feeding Haslem minutes to the detriment of our team.

Beasley will be closing out games in the playoffs because Haslem is, believe it or not, an inferior player.