Chaotic shootaround at TD Garden this afternoon. Felt like an extension of last year's playoffs, only about three times more media attention.
A few tidbits from the session: For some reason there were rumors about Mario Chalmers being inactive for tonight's game. Not true. He won't be 100 percent, but he'll be ready to play.
Mike Miller was with the team, shooting around left-handed with his right hand in a thick cast. He didn't sound nearly as upset as his teammates said he was immediately after the injury. "It's a long season," he said. He won't be on the sideline, though, because he can't fit a jacket over that huge contraption on his hand. And you know the NBA rules, no jacket, no sideline. Kind of dumb that they can't make an exception for injuries like this, but it is what it is. I'm guessing if he tried hard enough he'd get a pass.
I know it's only Game 1 of the season, but it will be intriguing to see who the "crunch time five" is for the Heat against this Boston team.
If you assume the Heat goes with Bosh and Udonis up front, would one of them be dealing with Shaq, or will Shaq not be on the floor because of his foul shooting?
And potentially more important, is Edde House out there in the closing minutes for his shooting, with Dwyane and LeBron handling the ball? It makes sense, until you try to match up House defensively. Will he chase around Ray Allen? He can probably stay with him, but Ray might still just shoot over him. Or will he cover Rondo if he's out there, assuming all you have to do with Rondo is stay in between him and the basket? One thing you do know is that House knows Boston's offense quite well. Maybe that would help him.
If it's a close game, there might just be some offense-defense substitutions. And I wouldn't be totally surprised if Stackhouse gets thrown out there to guard a Pierce or Allen, though I doubt that would happen if Stack hasn't played a single minute in the first three quarters.
Just something to think about now that the games are for real -- finally.
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