Miami

Only Handful of Games Left


Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services 

The Miami Heat are winding down their season intelligently. They're getting everybody back healthy and at full strength for the playoffs while at the same time keeping the competitive edge. Though they have lost their last two games, they have showcased their deep bench.

These last five games are about as meaningful as the pre-season exhibition games, and if it weren't for the playoffs, they would likely be coached similarly. At this point, what the Heat need is not lots of repetition running and learning new plays or even acclimating to their teammates, but fine-tuning their already rather impressive offensive juggernaut. Alonzo Mourning has emerged to put the rest of the world on notice that what happens if you try to get Shaq to foul out is you have another All-Star, Hall of Fame center to contend with.

They have three road games and two home games left. Their first two road games, starting tomorrow night, are against the top two teams in the Atlantic division. Shaq should be back, even if only for a few minutes, but in either case, it will serve as another wake-up call to teams that first in the division only matters if your division is strong.

And the Heat are in a surprisingly strong division despite having an expansion team and the league's worst team. Without the Heat, the Southeast division would look a lot like the Atlantic, with the Washington Wizards in the place of the Boston Celtics.

But the Heat are here and here to stay. What we are witnessing now is the loud gurgle of the engine before it takes off for the playoffs. There may be some choking and some strange noise and gas but when it's all over you will be soaring.

NEXT GAME
The Heat (56-21, first in the Southeast) are off until tomorrow when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers (39-38, second in the Atlantic). The game starts at 8:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Sun Sports and NBA League Pass.

TEAM NOTES
The Heat have clinched the Southeast divisional title and the Eastern Conference title. Congratulations Miami!

Do you think you know everything about the Heat? Would you consider yourself an expert on everything from Keith Askins to Wang Zhi-Zhi? What about Burnie, the HEAT Dancers or the Xtreme Team? What do you know about this season, Shaq, Dwyane or Udonis? If you’re a know it all, then prove it. Enter the Heat Trivia Engine Contestand compete with other fans for fame and prizes! You can win autographed memorabilia from this year's amazing run!

INJURY UPDATE
Christian Laettner(foot),Rasual Butler(knee), andDorell Wright(knee) are on the injured list.Shaquille O'Neal(virus) is still recovering but should be ready to go on Thursday.

NEWSLINES

Israel Gutierrez ofThe Miami Heraldwrites: Losing two games in a row didn't shake the Heat's confidence. The sight of a slightly weakened Shaquille O'Neal in practice Tuesday didn't inject any doubt. And the fact that the team has only five games to regroup before the playoffs hasn't set off any panic alarms either.''If people think we're vulnerable, that's great,'' Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. ``We'll find out when it counts anyway.''

Lacy J. Banks ofThe Chicago Sun-Timeswrites: On April 5, Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy accused Nocioni of executing ''an absolutely punk play'' when he committed a hard foul on Heat star Dwyane Wade and pushed him to the floor.Several other players in the league also have badmouthed the Bulls, Nocioni in particular, for playing ''dirty'' ball with their aggressive, physical defense. But Pistons guard Chauncey Billups defended the Bulls.

Tim Reynolds ofThe Canadian Presswrites: Theoretically, the Miami Heat's final five games are meaningless.Yet in reality, the final seven days of the regular season may wind up being a critical springboard for their post-season push. Miami has already wrapped up the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs. And while there's still a chance, it appears unlikely Miami will overtake Phoenix for the league's best record. With five games left, the Heat would need to make up three games in the standings to pass the Suns.