Here's a suggestion. Maybe the Miami Heat should just skip the first half of games completely and then start playing in the second half.
Either these guys are the kings of comebacks or the superiors of slow starts. The good news is that Erik Spoelstra is the league's youngest coach at age 38, and can handle the heart-wrenching roller-coaster this team has become on a nightly basis.
The Heat left its fans as exhausted as they were exuberant in Saturday's 109-100 come-from-behind victory over the Pacers at AmericanAirlines Arena.
There was superior late-game defense.
There was a bounce-back performance from recently-struggling rookie Michael Beasley and there was heart, hustle and inspired play from the supporting cast.
Most of all, there was D. Wade when the team needed him most.
We move beyond the box score.
Player of the Game: Shawn Marion - Wade would like to donate this night's award to Shawn Marion, who is slowly getting back to his Mr. Matrix ways. Marion posted his second consecutive breakout performance with 18 points, 9 boards, 6 steals and 4 assists in 43 minutes. Still checking to see if there was anything he didn't get done on the court Saturday night. This comes on the heels of Marion's 20-point, 14-rebound outing in Wednesday's loss to the Raptors.
Surprise, Surprise: Michael Beasley - No need to have your eyes checked first thing Monday morning. Yes, that was MB-Easy you saw on the court in the fourth quarter. The same rookie forward, and second overall draft pick, who had been relegated to the bench because of foul trouble and defensive lapses the previous two games, when Beasley didn't even touch the court in the fourth. This night was different. His offense was on, so he was motivated to play defense and stay on the court. Beasley scored 10 points in the pivotal third quarter, when Miami outscored the Pacers 31-19 to get back into the game.
Tough Night: Daequan Cook - Went 0 of 4 from the field and finished with only 2 points and 4 fouls. This was a tough matchup for Cook, who had trouble off the bench keeping up with the active, slashing Marquis Daniels, who had a team-high 25 points. Overall, the Heat's bench did provide 15 points.
Shut 'em Down: Danny Granger - Scored only 8 of his 23 points in the second half. A fourth quarter ankle injury disrupted his rhythm, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for the Pacers. Granger tried to come back. But by then, the Heat was swarming on defense and Wade was just getting warmed up en route to a 14-point fourth quarter.
Stat of the Night: 21 and 21 (Blackjack). The Heat scored 21 points off 21 Indiana turnovers. It was the fifth time in 13 games the Heat has forced at least 20 turnovers.
That Says it All: "We guarded a lot better in the second half than we did early. We put more pressure on them and really made the feel us when the game was on the line." - Heat forward Shawn Marion, on the team's second-half defense against the Pacers.
Next Up: Houston Rockets at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. Monday, AmericanAirlines Arena
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