Heat Show Heart in Win

After its first win of the preseason since 2006, the Miami Heat were defeated in a humbling 100-80 loss to the New Orleans Hornets. The next day, the Heat faced the San Antonio Spurs without Dwyane Wade. And won.

Reminding Heat fans of his clutch three in the final moments of the National Championship Game against the Memphis Tigers, rookie Mario Chalmers hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win the game for Miami in a 96-93 decision. But it was more than his last-second shot that made this performance memorable for Chalmers. He registered his first double-double of this NBA career, with 11 points on four-of-five shooting including a perfect three-for-three from downtown coupled with 10 assists. He did not particularly shut down Tony Parker, but it was improvement over Chris Paul's clinic the night before. And Chalmers did collect four steals, nothing to be ashamed of.

Sophomore guard Daequan Cook started in place of Wade and had his best preseason effort yet. He had 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting and hit four-of-six from downtown. I expect him to get minutes off the bench backing up Wade, but he also showed some chemistry with Chalmers. He and Chalmers combined for all seven of Miami's three-point field goals. When Erik Spoelstra does not have James Jones to go to, it helps having someone like Cook.

Spoelstra had previously mentioned that Wade would not overexert himself during exhibition play. On the second night of a back-to-back, this should not seem like a concern for Heat fans. But Spoelstra did mention that Wade felt "weak" in his right knee. Hm.

In a game that stayed tight most of the way, rookie Michael Beasley played well. The 6'9" forward nearly registered a double-double with 19 points on 9-of-17 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. The left-handed Beasley showed a level of craftiness with both hands and showcased chemistry with All-Star forward Shawn Marion. Some people are saying the Rookie of the Year contest is a three-man race between Derrick Rose, Greg Oden, and Beasley. Beasley certainly has the skill-set to win it, and he also has the luxury of not being the go-to guy in Miami.

Udonis Haslem started again at the pivot. He made his first six shots and finished 8-for-10 from the field. Haslem also grabbed seven boards. Fabricio Oberto shot well from the field as well, but he had some open looks. Haslem has had experience playing against Tim Duncan in the past, and Haslem held his own this time around.

Dorell Wright and Shaun Livingston both played last night, an encouraging sign for the two, who are coming off of knee surgeries. Livingston played well and shot four-of-eight from the field while Wright hardly made his presence felt. But the three-point concerns with both may lead to more time on the bench with Chris Quinn and Marcus Banks waiting in the wings at the point guard spot and Yakhouba Diawara waiting in the wings for the three.

The Miami Heat finished the preseason 2-5, but you could say they won two of their last three games. The Heat will have to cut two players before Monday, and my guess would be that the two odd men out are Jason Richards and David Padgett.