Miami Heat survive first half scare, as they edge out the Golden State Warriors 114-107
After a mammoth December which saw them creating NBA history by recording the most away wins (10) in a calendar month, the men from the South Beach took on the Golden
State Warriors at the American Airlines Arena on Saturday night.
The showdown between the most explosive offensive power-houses of the league lived up to its reputation as the 20,254 strong crowd at the American Airlines Arena
witnessed a high scoring thriller, with Miami eventually coming out at the top. The Heat though didn’t make it easy on themselves. The star-studded Miami cast had to dig deep and pull
out a scintillating defensive effort in the second half to edge out the Warriors 114-107.
The Big Three of Miami were once again phenomenal as they continue to showcase their talents. LeBron James led from the front with 25 points and 10 assists. Dwyane
Wade pounded 25 points and eight assists, while Chris Bosh fetched 20points and 11 rebounds, as the Miami Heat dethroned the Boston Celtics to surge at the top of the Eastern Conference. The
Warriors then launched a barrage of pin-point shots from both inside and outside the arc to take the Heat by storm. Miami though tried to weather the storm somewhat, as Bosh got going from their end.
However the shots just kept on coming from the Warriors and Ellis’s half-court shot at the buzzer made it 36-28 - the most points Miami has yielded in a first quarter
this season. The Warriors knocked down six triple pointers in the first twelve minutes, as Miami left many shots uncontested. The Warriors onslaught did not end there.
One 36-point half was followed by another, as the Warriors offence ran riot on the Heat defence going into the second quarter. After outscoring the much fancied offence
13-7 in the first three minutes of the period, David Lee, Dorrell Wright and Monta Ellis combined for a 12-4 midway to hand the Warriors a 20-point (64-44) lead, their biggest of the match. The
Warriors maintained their 20-point cushion going into the last minute before the break, but the Heat scored six in a row to make it a 14 point game.
The Warriors scored 72 first-half points, the most the Heat have conceded this season and they had nobody but themselves to blame for it. For a team that prides itself
on defence, Miami never got out of blocks in the first half and allowed one too many uncontested shots to their opponents.
With the arrival of the seconds half though things took a U-turn. The shooting prowess of the Warriors apparently departed, as the Heat started to up the ante on
the defensive end. The Heat started to block more shots and got the Warriors out of their comfort zone. The change of strategy completely blanked the Warriors as they missed their first
nine shots coming into the third quarter, allowing the Heat just enough breathing space to mount a fight-back. And the Heat did that in style.
They rattled off a 15-3 surge to start the third quarter, and pulled to within two in the fourth minute. They kept themselves in the hunt before a launching a game-winning
14-0 break, bridging the penultimate and the final quarter to finally pull away. It was all one way traffic after that.
Dorrell Wright spearheaded the Golden State attack on his homecoming with 30 points, while Monta Ellis added 25 and Stephen Curry had 15 for the Warriors. After
making nearly everything in the first half, Golden State were reduced to 13-of-43 from the field and 3-of-12 shooting from downtown after half time, as they failed to beat the Heat for the fifth time on the trot.
Warriors Coach Keith Smart was left to praise the quality of the team, his boys were up against after the game. He said, "They
got within their strengths, came out more aggressive, got to the basket, forced the issue a little bit more," He said. "That's what they do."
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