Miami
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
If you beat a player who proclaimed himself to be the best point guard in the world, what does that make you? More to the point, what does that make Dwyane Wade? Wade not only matched Stephon Marbury nearly point-for-point in last night's thrilling 116-110overtime victory over the Knicks, he also came up with key plays down the stretch while Marbury couldn't run the offense and couldn't hit his free throws. Is Wade the best? Or was Marbury never the king of the hill?
It doesn't really matter. Just because Starbury missed four his last seven free throw attempts, while Wade scored 10 his 30 points in the extra period, doesn't mean anything unless the Heat win. Oh wait, they did.
The Knicks are without a representative to the All-Star game while Miami has two. Their poise and grace under pressure led to the victory last night. New York's internal collapse, including an important missed Marbury free throw with less than a minute to go, epitomized the difference between a contending team and a struggling lottery team.
Shaquille O'Neal and Udonis Haslem cleaned up off the glass, combining for 23 rebounds between the two of them. Now that's a front line performance you can ride deep into the playoffs.
NEXT GAME
The Miami Heat (37-14, first in the Southeast) visit the Charlotte Bobcats (10-36, fourth in the Southeast) tomorrow night, Friday, February 11th, 2005. The game starts at 7:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Sun Sports and NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
The Heat got an early 9-point lead after the first quarter but the Knicks kept chipping away at it quarter-by-quarter. The only other time they outscored the Knicks was in overtime, but it was enough. The right plays at the right time to get the right result.
The Heat held a 46-38 advantage in points in the paint.
Both teams had six fast beak points.
Wade's 10 points in overtime tied a franchise record.
INJURY UPDATE
Christian Laettner(foot),Malik Allen(back), andQyntel Woods(knee) are all on the injured list.
Mitch Lawrence ofThe NY Daily Newswrites: Someone asked Shaq about joining forces with Jordan as a future owner. It doesn't sound like it would work, as Shaq admitted, "I would want to put a group together, and I would say, 'Let me do all the talkin.' I would want to be the general manager. Fifty million for five years, that would be my deal."Shaq as GM is a pretty intriguing thought. He did have GM powers in L.A., demanding to be traded last summer to a city with plenty of sand and sun. Putting on his GM's cap, he considered whether the Heat has what it takes to win it all this spring... Maybe Shaq gets one more ring in Miami. Then he can move onto his new career, buying the Magic. If not, he said, "I will be a U.S. Marshal, or an FBI agent, or an ATF agent."
The Cincinnati Postwrites: Dwyane Wade was being dared to drive to his left, so that's exactly what he did -- with flair. Wade dribbled the ball between his legs three times before darting around Stephon Marbury and making a layup, easily the prettiest play of overtime in the Miami Heat's 116-110 victory over the New York Knicks Wednesday night."He tried to force me to go to the big man, so I attacked the big man," Wade said. "I think I scored on that play."
Steve Adamek ofThe Bergen Recordwrites: Yet, had he made a second free throw at that point after faking Wade into the air while shooting with his foot on the three-point line, the Knicks would have led by three - and maybe kept that lead until the final buzzer.Instead, burned by threes from Damon Jones (6-for-10, 24 points) and Eddie Jones (3-for-5, 17 points) all night, the Knicks allowed Eddie to slash to the basket for the game-tying score. Then Wade went to work in overtime, marching to the line and making all six of his free throws while Marbury missed his first two for an early tie, then another later. "We buckled down," said O'Neal, who delivered 33 points and 18 rebounds in the teams' first meeting, a 102-94 heat victory Jan. 5 in Miami. "We executed at the end."