Will the Heat play polite guests or ruin the party?
by DeMarco Williams
Okay, you’re Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. What do you say to your troops to renew their faith after a 26-point smashing in Game 1? For one, you implore them to forget about Sunday. It’s over. Done like Lindsay Lohan’s career. Two, you need must do every thing humanly possible to get Dwyane Wade more touches. And three, somebody -Anybody!- has to help No. 3 out offensively with a 15- or 20-point night. If all three happen, Miami is in decent shape. If not, well, the Hawks are flying south with a 2-0 cushion.
1st Quarter
-Speaking of flying, before every game a hawk from Zoo Atlanta flies down from the club section to a trainer patiently standing on the court. It’s symbolic of something. Not sure what. Anyway, as you may have seen on TNT, the bird had other ideas tonight. Instead of flying to the trainer, it swooped on guard rails, on top of the scoreboard and behind the backboard. Referee Dan Crawford tried to keep the game going with the animal on the loose. Not the greatest idea. Thankfully, with about six minutes elapsed in the quarter, the trainer finally coerced the hawk onto his arm. Crazy scene.
-The National Geographic moment means one of two things: 1) At least one Hawk is gonna go wild tonight OR 2) Absolutely nothing will go right for the home team. Stay tuned…
-As for the action on the ground, Miami’s Jermaine O’Neal is already having a better game than he had the other night. Dude’s got a quick four andthree. Think he had those numbers around the third quarter on Sunday.
-Not a big fan of dudes in ’09 still rockin’ the prison braids like Michael Beasley is sportin’.
-T.I. is in the arena again. If I’m ever arrested, I want the same j
ail sentence Mr. “Dead and Gone” has got. He’s been at both games thus far.
2nd Quarter
-Daequan Cook must have seen my earlier note about Wade needing some support. The reigning three-point champ’s nailed a couple of big treys with hands all in his face.
-The monitor in front of me insists the Hawks are 47% from the field. Looks more like 37%. And they’re getting decent looks.
-The A-Team Dancers, an odd-looking band of pot-bellied fellas, come onto the court during a commercial break. You didn’t miss much. Yeah, they’re halfway synchronized during the first part, but when they rip off their t-shirts in the second segment, it’s a complete mess. Still, every woman and half the guys drinking Miller Light clap wildly.
-Anybody keepin’ a tab of all the collisions tonight?
-Okay, pop quiz: Is there a lonelier place on Earth than being in front of DWade, King James or Mamba when they’re feelin’ it?
-With the 54-41 halftime score, there are some subtle boos moving throughout Philips.
Halftime
-Skyhawk and the Skyteam are the halftime show. If you want a visual, think about Cirque du Soleil and the Harlem Globetrotters combining acts. Now, drop the novel coolness factor down about three notches and get what I’m looking at.
-A quick peak at the stats tells the story: Daequan Cook (11 points) has more than any Hawk.
3rd Quarter
-The Hawks need Joe Johnson to have a few consecutive O-kaaay, guys, I’ll lull my defender to sleep with a few dribbles and nail a 14-footer moments.
-Mike Bibby’s the only Hawk shooting over 50%.
-Wade, Cook and Mario Chalmers are all over 50% for Miami.
-The fan behind me is cursing like Sam Kinison after a fender bender: Beat their ass, Hawks! Win this damn game! Guess his emotion is coming from the right place, right?
-Harry the Hawk, the home team’s hip hop-loving mascot, just rocked to a 15-year-old-approved mix of “Turn My Swag On,” ”My Dougie” and “Stanky Leg.” Ahhh, the A-town sound.
-Yeah, I know “My Dougie” isn’t from Atlanta natives, but the jingle might as well have been.
-Josh Smith is literally jumping up and down like an irate tot after another no-call. See, here’s the thing, J-Smoove: You have to stop pushing the ball past half-court! The refs are gonna punish you every time for reckless dribbling.
-Loved how Mike “The Longest Yard” Beasley took the Smith rejection in stride and responded with a long one.
-Wade’s got 30 and an 11-point cushion, but the Flip Murray buzzer-beater definitely put a deflated look on his face.
4th Quarter
-Josh has been antsy the whole game. It was only a matter of time (and after-school pushes) before he got riled up for real. Thankfully, the angst was short-lived.
-The jum
botron goes dark… it comes back up with a soft fuchsia tint.
-Beasley…is… going… in!
-Bibby is keeping the Hawks in the game.
-After the Heat 24-second violation, Al Horford reaches for the ball from Beaz. Mike purposely keeps it out of his reach and tosses it to the ref. Not sure if the kid wants Al AND Josh on his bad side.
-The Heat are doing just enough to keep Atlanta at bay. The building is waiting to explode, but missed shots and blown whistles keep killin’ the momentum.
-How about DWade’s over-the-backboard prayer? Too bad it doesn’t count. Still, you have H-O-R-S…
-Wade doesn’t have a point in the fourth.
-Ladies and gentlemen, Udonis “Shut up, Philips Arena!” Haslem.
-Make that H-O-R-S-E.
-Oddly, the Heat have 14 turnovers to the Hawks’ 11. Sure doesn’t seem like it.
-Miami’s 58% from beyond the arc. Sure seems like it should be a lot higher.
-Aiight, folks this one’s over. 108-93 final. The masses -Hey, isn’t that Shannon Sharpe?- head for the exits.
-The announcer’s already hyping up Game 5. I can’t wait for Game 3 on Saturday.
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