Too Little Too Late as Miami Heats Fall in their First Hurdle
The Miami Heat’s failed to turn the heat on in the season opener. In what was tipped to be a cracker of a match, the Heats which looked a force to reckon with on paper were clinically held off by the defending Eastern conference
champions Boston Celtics with a score line of 80-88.
The Heats created an off- season sensation by grabbing two of the most valuable and hyped free agent acquisitions, the two time NBA MVP LeBron James and the former Toronto Raptor’s power forward Chris Bosh. The pair, accompanied
by Dwyane Wade, who is one of the most accomplished players in the league, gave way to a trio that has collectively featured in 17 All Star Appearances. The dream merger of the three raised many expectations. On the night though, it was only James who scored
31 points while Wade and Bosh both struggled. Dwyane Wade could only score 13 points while Chris Bosh added a paltry 8 points with eight rebounds.
Miami’s Big Three could get through a resilient Boston team who were led by a trio of their own. Ray Allen led the way with 20 points, pierce shot 19 and Kevin Garnett came up with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Those three joined
forces in the 2007 and led the Celtics to the NBA title that season.
Boston set the tone from the beginning and led 16-9 after the first quarter which in itself was a rarity as it was the first time since March 15, 2009, at the Philadelphia 76ers that the Heat could net nine points or less in a
period. The Heats could just mange 4-16 shooting performance in the quarter. Things looked so much worse for the Heats when Shaquille O'Neal the latest Celtics acquisition, notorious for his poor free throw shooting, made the first two he tried. The 7 ft 1
inch tall 325 pound superstar set his team running in the first quarter with a big slam to make it 4-9 in the Celtics favor.
The momentum for the Celtics continued in the second quarter with Shaq’s free throws increasing the lead to 41-22. Miami then reverberated with a brief burst, scoring six points in a row to make it 41-28, the quarter eventually
finished at 45-30. The Heat had a shot percentage of just 11 off 41 (26.8 percent) from the field in the first half. In comparison to that, Boston had 17-of-38 (44.7 percent) from the floor.
The third quarter witnessed a comeback by the Heats, who after trailing by 19 at 53-34 went on a 9-2 run to reduce the margin to 10 points at 55-45. Interestingly James who had appeared off color, the entire first half, started
to bring it on. He led a late charge for Miami and boosted them to 63-57 making it a six point game at the end of the third quarter. The Heats dominated the third with 27-18.
The Heats continued their surge into the fourth quarter and reduced the deficit to 68-64 with 8:08 remaining. The Celtics then responded effectively to take their lead to 13 points at 83-70 with four minutes remaining. in the closing
minutes of the game, the Heats initiated a frantic surge for victory and made it a three point game at 83-80 with 1:10 remaining but the Boston Celtics held their nerve as Allen made a crucial three pointer to drag the Celtics lead to 6 points. Wade missed
a three pointer and then fouled allowing Pierce to net two free throws to ensure the victory.
The Celtics aptly demonstrated team unity and co-ordination that led to their victory, the same thing which was missing in the Heats Camp. Post match James confirmed this fact with he suggested that he was still feeling it out.
Not-withstanding, he could not prevent another disappointment at the hands of Boston as returned at the same venue where he played his last match as a Cavalier in a losing cause in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 6. The “Big Three” of the Heats will
have to improve and that also quickly to meet the expectations they created in the pre-season. In the meantime they can l**k their wounds and wait for the next opportunity.
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