Battle of Florida: Game 1 Goes to Orlando 86-76

The Heat came out and did everything they needed to do in order to beat Orlando…for 3 quarters.  They limited Dwight Howard’s touches, held the Magic to a low shooting percentage and the game was theirs to steal.  But somebody must have given them tainted Gatorade after the 3rd because they came out flat in the final quarter.  This was the 9th straight home victory for Orlando, but you know they will be wary of the young and lethal Heat for the remainder of the year, as this was only the first meeting between the division rivals.

KEYS TO VICTORY

This was the second straight loss in which the Heat played a poor 4th quarter.  They started the period shooting 2 for 12 and never recovered, only scoring 2 points in the first 5:40.  They held Orlando to only 19 points, but could only muster a dismal 11 themselves.  It was a waste of a great 3-quarter effort against one of the strongest teams in the East.

The Magic clamped down on D-Wade in the 4th by putting rookie Courtney Lee on him and then doubling up with Dwight Howard.  Dwayne only took 3 shots in the 4th and was held scoreless after putting up 33 in the first 3 quarters. 

Once again the Heat have lost the free-throw battle.  They sent the Magic to the line 30 times (they shot 20-30), while the Heat went a mere 9-10 from the line.  That low number can be attributed to D-Wade taking (and hitting) a lot of jumpers, not driving the lane much at all. 

QUICK HEAT NOTES

Mario Chalmers had another poor game, his 2nd in 3 games and 3rd in 5.  He shot 1-11 from the field and was not much better on defense; Jameer Nelson scored 16 and seemed to have an easy time moving around Chalmers.

Once again the Heat closed the game with their 3-guard lineup.  This may not have been the game to do that, as Dwight Howard had 4 points and 6 big boards with no Joel Anthony to deal with in the 4th.  Anthony had a strong game however, and continues to improve on a slow-but-steady pace. 

Where is Michael Beasley?  Seriously, the Heat need to find a way to get the #2 overall pick more involved in their offense, especially in a game like this one, when a big-guy scoring presence is much needed. 

FUN FACT

Tonight was the first time in NBA history that all 30 teams played on the same night.