Miami
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The Heat beat the Kings 104-83on Friday as Shaq dished out five assists from the post, and in what was essentially an encore performance, the Heat beat the Cavs 102-82on Sunday with almost the same score and with Shaq dishing out six more assists from the post, tying Damon Jones for game-high honors. It was Shaq's birthday yesterday but he spent more time handing out presents than he did receiving them.
That's not to say either that Shaq didn't score (18 against the Kings and 13 against the Cavs) or that the guards didn't pass (Dwyane Wade had 7 against the Kings and 4 against the Cavs), but there was another anomaly: Shaq was not the high rebounder in either game. That distinction fell to sophomore Udonis Haslem who grabbed 13 against the Kings and 11 against the Cavs, leading the Heat both times.
Two straight victories with margins of 20+ points, with Shaq neither the high scorer nor the high rebounder? This may well be a team that is learning to adjust and play through any situation. That's the mark of a team that can go very deep in the playoffs.
The Heat have all but clinched a playoff berth but everybody smells a Finals appearance.
NEXT GAME
The Heat (45-16, first in the Southeast) kick off a four-game home stand by hosting the Philadelphia 76ers (29-30, second in the Atlantic) and former King Chris Webber TONIGHT. The game starts at 7:30pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Sun Sports and NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
Israel Gutierrez ofThe Miami Herald notes: With plenty of help from the officiating crew, O'Neal had his worst statistical game ever on his birthday. He had been averaging 34 points and 13.8 rebounds on his birthday in his 12-year career, but he had just 13 points and five rebounds Sunday. O'Neal scored his career-high, 61 points, on his 30th birthday against the Clippers.
The only way to secure great seats for this year’s playoffsis to purchase season tickets for next year.
INJURY UPDATE
Steve Smith(back),Qyntel Woods(knee), andDorell Wright(knee) are all on the injured list.Eddie Jones(bruised right shin) is expected to play tonight.
Israel Gutierrez ofThe Miami Heraldwrits: Shaquille O'Neal spent almost as much time on the bench Sunday as he did on the Gund Arena floor, foul trouble ruining his mood on his 33rd birthday.Dwyane Wade, meanwhile, spent much of his night arguing with officials about noncalls and shooting a dreadful 7 of 22 as a result. Usually, that combination means impending doom for the Heat. On Sunday, however, it meant nothing more than temporary aggravation for the pair, as the Heat still cruised to a 102-82 win against the spiraling Cavaliers, who have lost six in a row.
Mary Schmitt Boyer ofThe Cleveland Plain Dealerwrites: The Miami Heat is the best team in the Eastern Conference, so their 102-82 victory over the Cavaliers on Sunday night in Gund Arena was not unexpected. It was how they accomplished it that probably surprised some Cavs fans.The leading scorer was not Shaquille O'Neal, aka The Diesel, nor his trusty sidekick, Dwyane Wade. It was not even recently reacquired Alonzo Mourning. Rather it was veteran Eddie Jones who led the Heat with 19 points, and Udonis Haslem who added 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The Miami Heraldwrites: The Heat is 1-1 against the Sixers this season, winning in Miami when Allen Iverson missed the game and losing in Philadelphia when Iverson scored 45 points with 11 assists.Iverson ranks in the top five in scoring (first, 30.3), steals (third, 2.25), assists (fifth, 7.7) and minutes (first) 42.4. The 76ers are 21-6 when scoring 100 points or more.