With just nine players dressed against a team that boasted the names of Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Devin Harris, and Jason Terry, I would have been satisfied if the Heat managed to come away without a blowout loss. Surprisingly, Miami was able to build up a lead and almost win the game after a missed call by a referee.
Despite the loss, the Heat played hard for 48 minutes against the third-best team in the West. Udonis Haslem, the sole usual starter playing Friday night, said he was "proud" of his team. Haslem played well on both ends of the court, going six-for-10 from the field on his way to 16 points and nine boards. Dirk Nowitzki, meanwhile, shot an uneven eight-for-20 from the field against Haslem and the rest of the Miami defense.
It appears as though Mark Blount has been resurrected. After being played sparingly through about one-third of the season, Blount has started the past two games and has scored in double figures both times. Blount scored 17 points on seven-of-nine shooting, a season-high. Blount showed the ability to make the jumper, even with a hand in his face. Pat Riley probably wants to move Blount's contract, and showcasing him like this could result in a steal for Miami. Nonetheless, Blount can still be a nice backup to Shaquille O'Neal in the future, even if it comes at a price.
When Blount wasn't shooting jumpers over the top of Dallas' forwards, it was Chris Quinn who was driving to the rim and creating easy buckets for him. While playing 46 minutes with no other point guard dressed, Quinn did an exceptional job. Quinn scored 10 points and dished out seven assists. Quinn did turn the ball over once, but that was just his seventh mishap this entire season in 375 minutes of playing time. Quinn has an excellent work ethic and rarely makes mistakes. He can turn out to be more than just a third-string point guard in the future.
Another young player who has shown a great deal of promise is rookie Daequan Cook, who got his first start of the season with Wade out. In 36 minutes, Cook scored 15 points on eight-of-16 shooting and drained three triples. Cook's stroke looks very good and, more importantly, he plays with a lot of confidence. He reminds me of a young Ray Allen. I envision a bright future for this player.
It is a subject of question to wonder how Wade and Cook can be the future of the Heat if they both play the same position. Some have said Riles should sell high on Cook in exchange for a player who doesn't play the same position as Wade. However, I would beg to differ. I wouldn't mind seeing Riles experiment more by using Cook as a point guard. He has done this briefly before, and it has taken Cook out of his game a little bit, but I would like to continue to use it and see where it takes Cook. Cook, 6'5", can post up smaller point guards, and this can add another weapon in his offensive repertoire. Of course, it would add another responsibility on the shoulders of the 20-year-old, but I wouldn't ask Cook to be the "quarterback". All I would ask him to do as a point guard is to bring the ball up court, pass it to a player who can create for others (Wade, preferably), and do what he's done all season long: be a consistent shooter.
Still, the Heat lost for a reason, and Miami's performance wasn't all good. It wasn't just the superiority of the Mavs that won the game. For the Heat to meet their demise, two players made mental mistakes that cost the Heat the game: Ricky Davis and Luke Jackson.
After Davis made just one of three free-throws with just over a minute to go, Miami had an outside shot to win it, down 85-89. After two free-throws from Haslem made it 87-90 with 53 seconds to go, Nowitzki missed a turnaround jumper and Miami had a chance to tie the game with a three. I am not against going for the early two (emphasis on "early"), but Ricky Davis waited too long to make a drive for a layup. There were seven seconds on the shot clock before Davis hit the layup. Miami was down one with 14 seconds to go, and Dallas had possession.
The Heat got some good luck when Josh Howard turned the ball over during the in-bounds pass, so Miami had a chance to take the lead. Riley put the ball in the hands of Ricky Davis, probably the only dressed player who can drive to rim and create for others as well as himself. Davis drove in for a layup, missed it despite Howard taking a swipe at Davis' head. However, no foul was called. Despite the bad call, it was Davis who made another bad call. It is common sense to use the backboard when you go in for a layup, and especially when you are surrounded by two defenders.
After an intentional foul by Daequan Cook, the lead was stretched to three with six seconds to go. Miami still had a chance to send the game into overtime. Luke Jackson, a player who hardly knows Miami's system, was chosen to in-bound the ball. Passing has never been Jackson's strong suit, and LJ attempted an ill-advised cross-court pass, which was intercepted by Josh Howard. Jackson should not have made that dangerous pass. However, I guess it is as much Pat Riley's fault as much as it is Jackson's fault. After all, who was the one who put the ball in Jackson's hands?
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If the season ended today, Miami would have the 2nd pick in the Draft (Derrick Rose as predicted by nbadraft.net).
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