Miami Heat defeat the Detroit Pistons 106-92 (Part-II)
The Heat outscored the Pistons 39-22 in the second period. Dwayne Wade led the way in the first half with 16 points while Chris Bosh had 13. Although LeBron James did not score even once in the second quarter, the dazzling forward stayed productive
with six assists to set the stage for a Miami victory.
Tracy McGrady, who has scored in single digits in the last three consecutive games, started the third quarter with seven straight points to provide the Detroit Pistons some respite. The Heat though were not willing to give an inch. Dwyane provided
the game some highlight moments when Bosh assisted him for a reverse dunk shot; the thunderous jam started an 8-2 run that put Miami ahead by 78-56.
Miami finished the third quarter with an 86-65 advantage to strengthen their grip on the game.
Austin Daye and Ben Gordon combined for two long-range efforts for the Pistons early in the fourth quarter. However, every time the home team appeared to gain some momentum, the Heat always seemed ready with a counter-punch.
Wade stood in the way this time as well. He first slipped in a pair of free throws and then grabbed a defensive rebound to assist Mike Miller, who in turn banged one in from beyond the arc.
Wade and Miller again combined to initiate a six-point spurt, which Chris Bosh capped with a jumper on James’ assist; his 10th of the night. Next it was LeBron’s turn to go berserk. He nailed a jumper to bring up Miami’s
100 point tally with over five minutes to go. Seconds later, the sharp-shooting forward chipped in with a three point play that propelled the Heat to a 103-78 lead; their biggest of the match.
With the match virtually decided, Austin Daye slammed seven straight points to spark a 14-3 run, which brought some respectability to the final score line.
In an outright dominant performance, the Heat never allowed the Pistons to get even a sniff. The home team never managed to take the lead or even tie the match. They were outclassed 44-35 on the glass, thrashed 30-13 in the fast break points
and 42-36 in the paint.
It was an extremely disappointing performance for the Detroit Pistons, who lost by only a point in Miami on 28 January, 2011. The Heat though, were simply unstoppable this time around.
Detroit coach John Kuester said after the game, "I know this sounds crazy but in the first half I thought we were playing hard. I walked in at half time, and I know we were down by 20 but I looked around it, and you've been in this business long
enough, you know when you're down 20 and guys just don't want to play. These guys played hard."
For the Heat though, this match proved to be an ideal warm-up before they travel to the Boston Celtics back yard for the showdown that may well confirm their status as the East’s best. The Heat seem prepared to take on the Celts. LeBron
James for one is certainly rearing to go.
He said, "It just shows where we've come so far, since November when we were 9-8. To be able to put this record together, as we've been doing the past few months, it just shows the commitment we have. We know it's a big game for us, going to Boston.
They beat us twice and it's a team we're trying to catch."
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