Beasley Makes Strong Debut in Loss

In a hard-fought exhibition opener, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Miami Heat in a 95-91 decision that went into overtime.

The Heat opened with a lineup of Chris Quinn, Dwyane Wade, Yakhouba Diawara, Shawn Marion, and Mark Blount. Coach Erik Spoelstra said he wouldn't read too much into this lineup.

Sophomore Rodney Stuckey was the one who put the nail in the coffin for Miami. Stuckey hit a 22-foot jumper that may have been off the backboard to inch Detroit within one with 8.8 seconds to go. After Daequan Cook connected on one of two free throws, Stuckey hit another jumper to force overtime. In the extra period, Detroit scored the first three field goals, essentially putting away the Heat.

Michael Beasley first checked into the game with 3:11 left to go in the first quarter to a loud standing ovation, despite the sparsity of the crowd. The rookie finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Beasley started the third quarter alongside fellow rookie Mario Chalmers, Wade, Marion, and Blount. Beasley thrived with Wade and Marion by his side. Early in the third quarter, Wade assisted Beasley on back-to-back field goals. Beasley scored 13 points in the third quarter alone.
Blount was another standout from the game. In 22 minutes, Blount scored 12 points on four-of-eight shooting from the field and four-of-five shooting from the free-throw line. Additionally, Blount grabbed five rebounds, but his four fouls may be a cause for concern.

Undrafted center David Padgett, who did not distinguish himself among the rest in the summer league, played surprisingly well. The rookie out of Louisville had 11 points and six rebounds in just 17 minutes. Meanwhile, centers Joel Anthony and Jamaal Magloire looked rather pedestrian. Despite the solid play of both Blount and Padgett, there is no definitive answer at the five.

The other position in which the Heat have no definitive answer is at the one. Last night, no questions were answered. Quinn shot an abysmal one-of-seven from the field. Chalmers had his moments, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the first half. However, Chalmers also committed four turnovers in 24 minutes. And you could have forgotten Marcus Banks was on the Heat after his performance last night.

Wade shot an uneven three-of-nine from the field, but does not appear to have lost any steps since his impressive Olympic performance. The franchise player finished with 11 points, seven assists, and three steals. Marion had six points and seven rebounds, and looked comfortable in the up-tempo style Spoelstra utilized.

Diawara had nine points on a decent three-of-seven shooting from the field, but didn't do anything to make Spoelstra put him little bit higher on the depth chart. The trio of Wade, Marion, and Beasley looks promising. With Marion using up the majority of the minutes at the three, James Jones is the incumbent back-up. Jones did not play due to a wrist injury. It will be difficult for Diawara to find minutes at the small forward position.

I guess there could be minutes available for Diawara backing up Wade. But Daequan Cook showed some promise. Although he shot a sub-par four-of-15 from the field, he never put his head down and kept his confidence high. But who knows? Diawara certainly has the size over Cook, and he hit a three last night. If he can just come close to Cook's three-point accuracy, he may grab the second-string shooting guard spot.

In addition to Jones, Udonis Haslem, Shaun Livingston, Jason Richards, and Dorell Wright did not dress for Miami. The Heat left earlier today for France, as part of a NBA Europe Live tour.