Game 14: Houston Rockets at Miami Heat
by PeninsulaIsMightier on Nov 24, 2008 4:30 PM EST
1 comment
Houston Rockets at Miami Heat, Nov 24, 2008 7:30 PM EST
Miami gets a heck of a test tonight against a stacked Rockets team that finally seems to be figuring out how good it is. Looking down the list, there's not many matchups that favor Miami:
Center: Yao Ming vs. Udonis Haslem (HOUSTON)
Power forward: Luis Scola vs. Michael Beasley (DRAW)
Small forward: Ron Artest vs. Shawn Marion (HOUSTON)
Shooting guard: Tracy McGrady vs. Dwyane Wade (MIAMI)
Point guard: Rafer Alston vs. Mario Chalmers (HOUSTON)
Frontcourt depth: Chuck Hayes/Carl Landry vs. Joel Anthony/Yakhouba Diawara (HOUSTON)
Backcourt depth: Brent Barry/Aaron Brooks vs. Chris Quinn/Daequan Cook (DRAW)
Formula a Heat win: a brilliant Wade performance + a bad shooting night for McGrady + a game-changing effort by an unexpected Heat player (Cook, Chalmers, etc.)
Matchup of the night: Tracy McGrady vs. Dwyane Wade.
One of those classic scoring guard matchups. Wade is the better player, but McGrady can fill it up when he's on.
Opposing player I'm scared of: Yao Ming
Because he's 7-6 and crazy good, but also because of the matchup. Although I am of two minds about this: on one hand, the height advantage Yao has every night is more prominent against Udonis Haslem. On the other, if Yao can shoot over anyone he wants anyway, what's the difference between shooting over a 6-11 guy and a 6-8 one like Haslem? Here's Magic center Dwight Howard quoted in the Houston Chronicle:
"His turnaround jump shot, nobody can block it unless you're 7-8," Howard said.
"It's like a beanstalk. You got to chop."
Let's get chopping.
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Formula...
To be honest, I think your formula for the Heat to win is the same tonight as it is every other night. Wade needs to be great, the other team’s best player has to be not-great, and the Heat need a good performance from an unexpected player. I think the biggest problem right now is that a good Beasley performance falls under the category of “unexpected.” He’s really disappointing me, as much as a 14-and-6 rookie can, given the expectations and the comparatively great Rose and Mayo.
As for tonight’s game, well…we got two of the requisite ingredients. Chalmers looked positively dangerous (on both ends of the floor) and T-Mac threw up a dud and a half. But Wade looked oddly human, which only confirmed my worst fears. I thought this team was looking like a legitimate and growing, albeit young, NBA squad, but it’s just been the Wade show. When he’s playing like the MVP, they’re a tad above .500. When he’s merely playing like an all star, they’re hopeless. I wish I was wrong, and given the sample size, I may be, but they need to get Beasley’s head right and Wade back on whatever potion he was on if they want to get a glimpse of the playoffs.
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