Yes, Miami looked potent again against the Lakers.
LeBron continued his recent stretch of good play so the praise stays at the same level, but the team is clicking on all cylinders due to LeBron’s unselfish play.
Maybe it was because Magic Johnson was in the building but LeBron had his game at a Magic-like level of passing-consciousness that would have made Kareem take notice. And the team responded with inspired play and great shooting.
The rhythm was definitely there.
Let’s be honest though. Kobe did not play well, he missed his first few shots and became too passive, the Lakers responded with uninspired play overall although Gasol looked good. Also, LA is on an east coast trip and this was not the best timed game from them their energy level was low and guys like McRoberts were not a factor. This was not LA at it’s best. Bron will not see the level of open space in the playoffs that he saw tonight.
Bosh looked great again. His shot remains pure and he has been improving his decision making. His cuts look faster than earlier this year and perhaps even last year.
The core bench of Battier/Haslem/Cole was effective tonight. Good mix of offense and defense. Anthony and Chalmers especially played well giving Miami a deep dimensionality. Miller had his moments, although he needs to relax before he hurts himself again. Miller is making his shots, though.
The surprise of the night was Eddie Curry’s sharp play, a reverse layup and tip-in were crucial points to gain momentum early. His line of 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 blocks in 6 minutes was cool to see.
Since I’m throwing around praise like it is going out of style:
Overall Spo’s grasp of the lineup has a more masterful stroke to it, he seems more comfortable with his array of talent this time around. He may not even notice this himself, but there may be improvement from the young coach overall.
Other than the game, the Heat rocked the all-black unis for the first time and invoking images of Prime Tyson, it is definitely a “Miami has arrived as a true-quality franchise” moment. The streamlined look giving the franchise a futurist look, at the least it’s minimalism that I can support.
After a title, last years finals stint and legendary teams in the 90′s the Miami Heat franchise as a whole has never shined brighter or pitched darker (uniform-wise) than these last few years.
This blog entry was not paid for by the Miami Heat.
Will Kobe will get his revenge?
I think someone slipped something in your drink on this one.