No Dwyane Wade, no problem. Well, not quite. Not even in the preseason.
One thing Daequan Cook (pictured right), Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley proved in Sunday's 95-93 home preseason loss to the similarly depleted Spurs was that they are capable of getting things done when Wade, Udonis Haslem and other veterans aren't there to do it for them. The difference Sunday was that Cook's 3-pointer to win it bounced off the rim. "We really didn't want it to go to overtime," Cook said afterward.
Now, if they can just carry that same aggression into games when everyone is healthy. That's when this preseason will really start to matter and mean something for the Heat. Beasley, Chalmers and Cook combined for 53 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 21 of 46 from the field, including 6 of 12 from three-point range. That's production. That's progress. More importantly, that's promise.
Now, will it persist?
There's also potential for the Heat to do big things if they can somehow bottle up that level of play and deliver on a consistent basis during the season. Wade continues to nurse a strain in his left rib cage. Jermaine O'Neal is still dealing with a left foot bruise, but is expected to practice Monday. Chris Quinn (foot, out at least a week) and Quentin Richardson (ankle) are still down.
So there's no time like the present for the Heat's young core to take advantage of these opportunities.
"We all stepped up today," Chalmers said. "I think that's just what coach was looking for, and we went out and proved it."
D. WADE'S DOINGS: Not much to report here. Wade dressed in uniform and waved to the crowd a few times. But he didn't offer much. After working out before the game, Wade sat out with what is called a left intercostal strain. His ribs are hurting from an injury he sustained late in Wednesday's loss at Orlando. Word from the team is that he's feeling better than he did the past couple of days. But he's in no rush to push things right now. Wade said that if it were the regular season, he'd probably play through it. But there's no reason to right now. His status for the Heat's two-game trip this week remains in question.
TURNING POINT: The Heat led 78-64 with 10:14 left in the game, but allowed the Spurs to go on a 23-8 run to take the lead. DeJuan Blair (pictured below left) was unstoppable. He beat the Heat in every way possible during that spurt. He grabbed rebounds. He nailed inside shots. He had a soft touch on his jumper. The rookie and former Pitt standout has an NBA-ready game. He also showed an NBA work ethic by dropping what easily appears to be about 20 pounds since he last played in college in the NCAA Tournament.
LOSING EDGE: This one's easy. When there's no D. Wade in uniform, it typically leads to a loss for the Heat. Especially recently. But in terms of tangible numbers, the Heat was outscored 36-16 in the paint. Perhaps that had more to do with the absence of Jermaine O'Neal, who missed his second straight game.
HEAD SCRATCHER: Hate to keep harping on the replacement officials. But every game there's a moment when something unbelievable happens with these refs. This time, it was a first-quarter mistake. Heat center Joel Anthony was fouled near the basket and went to the line for two free-throws. When the ref came to the scorer's table to report the foul, he said it was on "No. 50, black." Well, that's Joel Anthony. So perhaps he's the first player in NBA history to foul himself at the rim and get two free-throws for doing so.
KEY CONTRIBUTION: While Cook's solid shooting was nice, and while Beasley's 16 and 6 should be expected, and while Joel Anthony's 6 points, 5 blocks and 6 boards equated to another major bonus, it was Mario Chalmers (pictured right) who needed a breakthrough and got one Sunday. After struggling on both ends in losses to Detroit and Orlando, Chalmers gained a bit of confidence with 17 points, 4 boards and 3 assists with only one turnover against the Spurs. The kid sweats swagger regardless of how he plays. But there's something to be said about showing that confidence in the midst of a commendable performance on the court. The Heat still needs to make a move to address its depth at the position. But Chalmers needed this one. Even if it won't count in his season stats.
DAMAGE DONE: As mentioned earlier, DeJuan Blair was a beast. Simple as that. The rookie was 11 of 13 from the field for 28 points to go with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and two steals in 26 minutes. Antonio McDyess will have a pretty good backup in the post. The Spurs might also have the most veteran savvy bench in the league around this kid.
NEXT UP: Heat at Thunder (in Tulsa), 8:00 Wednesday.
(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.)
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