What is this zone defense and where did it come from?
That's what it felt like watching the Heat on Monday. OK, that's a slight exaggeration, but you get the point. For stretches, the Hawks' zone befuddled the Heat. The Hawks' athletic defenders kept the Heat out of the lane, slowed down the pace of the game and handed Miami its first loss of the season.
Expect the Pacers to try and do the same on Wednesday. And, of course, expect more zone on Thursday when the Heat plays Atlanta at Philips Arena.
"They came out hot," Hawks guard Jeff Teague said. "We threw the zone at them and it slowed them down a little bit...They are tough to cover man-to-man."
A few thoughts from the game:
--Tracy McGrady was a good pick up.
--The Heat shot 38.9 percent in the second half. Wade was 1 of 9. Maybe his foot is hurting him a little more than he's letting on.
--Wade was 1 of 6 in the fourth quarter.
--Never mind the Heat's inability to deal with the zone. What happened to the Heat's defense in the fourth quarter? The Hawks were 5 of 7 from three-point range and shot 60 percent from the field.
--The Heat had three fast-break points in the second half and 10 for the game. Miami entered the game averaging more than 25 fast-break points, a league high.
-joe
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