AUBURN HILLS - As preseason openers go, the Heat couldn't have looked worse at times. It was almost as if this team made little progress from the Game 7 loss against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs last season.
After the playoff ouster, Heat president Pat Riley questioned how much firepower the Heat had aside from star guard Dwyane Wade. You could ask that same question after Monday's 87-83 loss to the Pistons in the preseason opener for both teams.
Wade was in midseason form. But he seemingly stood alone on both ends, outside of the 10 points and six rebounds Udonis Haslem added despite early foul trouble. Missing in addition to support for Wade was any form of consistent defensive effort. Point guard will be an issue for this team. On both ends. So will rebounding and protecting the rim. The Heat did neither well against the Pistons, who dominated the glass and made frequent trips to the free-throw line in the key stages of the game.
D. WADE'S DOINGS: Wade finished with 18 points, five assists, two steals and one block in 26 minutes. He was 6 of 13 from the field and 6 of 8 from the foul line.
TURNING POINT: The Pistons used a 21-10 spurt to open the second half and pull comfortably ahead. The run was capped by a Ben Gordon 3-pointer from the corner. You know it's a bad night defensively when you struggle to keep up with Will Bynum and Kwame Brown, who fueled the run with aggressive plays off the dribble and in the lane, respectively. Yes, Kwame Brown.
LOSING EDGE: The Pistons dominated the paint early, scoring 24 of their first 47 points in the paint. They added another 14 points from the free-throw line. "We were sloppy," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Keeping them off the free-throw line, and don't forget about rebounding. We didn't do any of those well."
HEAD-SCRATCHER: Yes, this was very much a game officiated by replacement refs. With a little more than a minute left, the referees stood by and watched the wrong Piston shoot free throws. Will Bynum stepped to the line and made two free throws. The only issue was that it was supposed to be Maceo Baston. After complaints from the Heat's bench, the play was reviewed and Baston went to the line. He missed both attempts. "Everybody is learning," Wade said. "Our team is learning. The refs are learning. Hopefully, it'll get better as the season comes for everybody."
KEY CONTRIBUTION: It came late. But it was one of the few encouraging stretches for the Heat. Third-string point guard John Lucas III sparked the end-of-the-bench unit in the fourth quarter. That five, which consisted of Lucas, Anthony Tolliver, Dorell Wright, Yakhouba Diawara and Joel Anthony, rallied from a double-digit deficit and closed to within 85-83 with 12 seconds left. Lucas finished with 7 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in 16 minutes.
DAMAGE DONE: Will Bynum was unstoppable. And he's the Pistons backup point guard. Bynum got around Mario Chalmers, sped past Chris Quinn and had his way anytime he got into the lane. He finished with 15 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the field. On nights when Chalmers struggles, there just isn't another solid answer for the Heat at point guard. It's a need that must be addressed.
NEXT UP: Heat at Magic, Wednesday.
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