Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here…
highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as
satisfying as a good morning dump.
their [game video] edits, there's no pattern," said Spoelstra. "They
have so many proven 25-point-per-game scorers on their roster, they just
usually go with the hot hand.
"We anticipated it would be a Pierce-[Kevin] Garnett pick-and-roll.
Instead they [isolated] it and gave [Pierce] a shot there at the end.
They are one of the most difficult teams to get a read on. We've spent a
lot of time trying to do that."
The final play also came under scrutiny because the Heat elected not to
commit a foul with one to give. Even Pierce admitted he was a bit
startled when a defender didn't come foul him before the final attempt.
ESPN Boston – Heat burned on final play
I'm willing to bet 99.9% of our readers knew what was coming on the final play last night. Doc calls the Pierce isolation play even when Paul isn't red hot. With the Truth in the groove, it was a lock.
Considering the Heat were burned (remember the Pierce lob to Rondo at the buzzer?) by Doc's play calling wizardry before, I'll give Spoelstra a pass.
What's inexcusable is the lack of a foul when Miami had one foul to give. Dorell Wright should have grabbed Pierce once the clock went under five seconds. It's Coaching 101.
said Wade, who Spoelstra said sweat through two jerseys during the game
and could be seen getting his left leg massaged near the bench during
the final frame. "I was trying to hold it off as much as possible. When I
bent down to shoot the shot, it came. It was a bad cramp. I couldn't
even bend my legs. I didn't step on [the defender's] foot. It's nothing
serious, just cramping."
Cramps? Is this high school football? When was the last time you saw a professional basketball player the caliber of Dwayne Wade miss the final moments of a playoff game due to cramps? The entire Heat training staff should be fired.
On Page 2, a Heat fan pours a drink over Sean Grande.
Grande stood for the entire game and a
female fan sitting above Grande claimed she could not see the action on
the east side of the court clearly. The fan complained to security and
arena officials to no avail and screamed repeatedly at Grande to sit
down. Grande refused. Arena officials approached Grande during the
broadcast and he had a conversation with an official while calling the
game.
A companion of the fan
then started screaming expletives at Grande and said he hoped he could
be heard on air. The female fan followed by yelling to Grande, “Who do
you think you are?’’
After
Pierce hit his winning shot, Grande sat down and the female fan doused
him with a drink. Grande did not respond and remained on the air.
Security did not admonish the fan.
Hey lady, if you can't see because the person in front of you is standing, how about standing up yourself? It's a simple solution to the problem.
How about Grande's unwavering focus? The Celtics radio guy has more mental toughness than some of the Heat players.
The rest of the links:
Globe – Scorching Pierce beats buzzer | Captain responds with authority | Perk's boiling point | Herald – Moment of Truth | Sweep assures Cs of rest | Pierce back to clutch ways | ESPN Boston – Pierce turns back the clock | CSNNE – Cs turn it on at right time |
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