Heat Finds Consistency on Road

The Miami Heat started its five-game road trip Nov. 26 and lost to the Portland Trail Blazers by 38 points. The Heat fell below .500 for the first time since Nov. 1 and it looked like Erik Spoelstra would have a long week ahead of himself.

But he did not. Spoelstra tweaked the starting lineup, moving Michael Beasley to the bench while inserting Joel Anthony at the five. This not only allowed Miami to have a defensive presence in Anthony, it let Udonis Haslem play in his natural position, the four. The Heat went 3-1 the rest of the road trip (and maybe 4-0 if that referee would have taken a step to the left or right) and managed to string two wins together for only the second time this season.

Miami (10-9) and New Jersey are currently deadlocked for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Heat's schedule looks soft. League lightweights Oklahoma City, Charlotte, Memphis and Milwaukee coming up. It is imperative that the Heat do not take these teams lightly. This team has already lost to the Bobcats and the Clippers. But if Miami takes it one game at a time, they could continue to climb in the standings. The Heat have begun to find some consistency after a month into the season. And it starts and ends with Dwyane Wade.

Wade has been playing at an otherworldly level since last summer's Olympics (no, he is not a cheater). He averaged 28 points, five rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks per game through 19 games. He is playing as well as he played in the 2006 playoffs, but this performance now may be more impressive. He is shooting at an astounding 49.1 percent from the field, just four-tenths off of his career-high of 49.5 percent shooting from the field in the 2005-06 season. He is developing much more consistency with his mid-range shot and has even gone out to the three-point line more often. The young man has been nothing more of spectacular -- and his numbers will only improve once three-point specialist James Jones comes back from injury.

It is not all Wade, though. Beasley, Shawn Marion and Haslem average double-digit scoring for Miami. Beasley is Miami's second-leading scorer with 14.5 points per game. He is the only player on the Heat who can create his own shot whose last name is not Wade. Beasley seems to be adjusting well to his new role off the bench, but the 6-foot-9 forward who averaged over 12 rebounds per game in his lone season at Kansas State is not attacking the boards enough.

Daequan Cook has also emerged as a bit of a surprise, highlighted with good games against Phoenix and Golden State. Sure, he has shot the ball when he should not have, but Cook has been solid. Him and Wade have such good chemistry together. Every time Wade drives to the rim, it seems like he knows where Cook is. Cook made clutch buckets against the Warriors and had a strong game off the bench against Phoenix. Cook and Beasley are proving to be a solid one-two punch off the bench.

More broadly, this team is finding its identity. On defense, the Heat is a scrappy team that will make opposing teams pay for their mistakes. Miami averages nine steals per game and Anthony has a knack for blocking shots. Offensively, Wade is the catalyst for everything. He can provide easy baskets for his teammates or take it to the rim himself. And when Wade is not on the court, Beasley has done a fine job as the second unit's offensive focal point. This can also give Wade more rest. As a player who has dealt with injury problems his whole career, Wade's rest is appreciated.

This team has a rookie coach, a nine-man rotation with no one taller than 6-foot-9, and six players in the rotation with less than three years of wearing an NBA uniform. It is not bad for that team to be floating around .500. But this is the Eastern Conference, and it already looks like Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando are pulling away from the rest of the pack. The Heat may be able to get the fifth seed in the East, a huge jump from winning just 15 games last season. Miami is two games behind Atlanta for the fifth seed. After going unbeaten through its first six games, the Hawks have been just as up-and-down as the Heat. The ball is in Miami's court. All they have to do is get the job done. A fairly successful road trip is a great place to start.

Heat Make Utah Sing Blues

The Miami Heat finally broke its up-and-down pattern last night against the Utah Jazz with a 93-89 victory that gave Miami (10-9) a winning record on its five-game West swing.

Do not be fooled by the final score. The Heat did not almost lose to the Carlos Boozer-less, Andrei Kirilenko-less Jazz. Shawn Marion's steal with two minutes and 52 seconds left to play made it a 93-82 game. Utah just made a last-minute surge that ultimately came to no avail. Six players hit double figures in points for Miami, with migraine-riddled Dwyane Wade leading the way.

The game stayed close for the entire first half, and Miami led 47-45 at intermission. The Heat won this game in the third quarter. Wade, who started off cool, scored nine points in the third quarter, helping the Heat make a decisive 16-2 run. With three quarters in the books, Miami led 65-74. On the defensive end, Miami was able to shut Utah down with the help of center Joel Anthony. Anthony blocked four shots in the third quarter, but also altered a few more shots and made Utah's perimeter players settle for jump shots.

Miami's lead stayed around 10 or 12 points for the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. Mario Chalmers had two nice steals off of Jazz star Deron Williams in the final period, both leading to easy fast-break opportunities. Chalmers was eaten alive by Utah's pick-and-roll offense, but those two moments were highlights for the rookie point guard.

Chalmers finished with 10 points on five-of-five shooting from the free-throw line, five assists and three steals. On the other hand, Chalmers had five turnovers, not a good sign from your point guard. Chalmers' assist-to-turnover ratio last night was 1:1, something that cannot continue for the Miami Heat.

The player who one may expect to have the most turnovers on Miami is Dwyane Wade. This time, however, the 6-foot-4 guard out of Marquette did not turn the ball over once. Wade was limited to 32 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble, but this is an encouraging sign from Miami's star guard. Wade also had 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, five rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocked shots. And yes, he still leads the League in scoring.

Erik Spoelstra's forward duo of Marion and Udonis Haslem delivered again. Marion had 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting and eight rebounds while Haslem finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds, eight of which were offensive boards. Marion and Haslem were also helped that they did not have to defend Andrei Kirilenko or Carlos Boozer, who were both out with injuries.

Rookie Michael Beasley had another solid offensive game off the bench with 12 points on six-for-nine shooting. Unfortunately, Beasley only got 18 minutes of playing time. That was probably because Beasley had two fouls in the first quarter and turned the ball over five times. I like the fact that Spoelstra is making Beasley earn his minutes. People have told me that Pat Riley should have drafted O.J. Mayo, but Mayo is playing 39 minutes per game. Beasley is only playing 28 minutes. And the fact that the star forward out of Kansas State is having to earn his minutes will make him a better player.

Last night, it was Daequan Cook, not Beasley, who did most of the damage for Miami off of the bench. Cook had 10 points in the first half before missing everything the rest of the way. But Cook's first-half contribution should not be understated. Wade and Beasley both got into early foul trouble, and Cook's shooting helped Miami to a two-point halftime lead before the third quarter run.

Not only were Boozer and Kirilenko out, Williams (who recently suffered a hip flextor) and All-Star Mehmet Okur also had off shooting nights. But this team is improving. After a blowout loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, this team won three of its next four games on the road trip. This team could be beginning to feel buoyant. Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando and Atlanta are the only teams more than one game above .500 in the East. The door is wide open for the Heat to rise up in the standings.

After Heartbreak, A Heartbreaker

A mere 48 hours after Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade offered up profanities after Miami's heartbreaking loss to the L.A. Clippers in a 96-97 loss, the leading scorer in the NBA embraced his teammates after a wild 130-129 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors.

The game was tight for the entire game, especially in the second half. Jamal Crawford, who finished with 40 points and seven assists, hit a three-pointer with just under five minutes to play in regulation to put Golden State up 105-101. But on Miami's ensuing possession, Daequan Cook answered with a three of his own. Cook, who finished with 11 points on three-of-four shooting from downtown, later made another triple with 1:59 left to tie the game at 111 all. Warriors center Andris Biedrins would make an and-one layup on Golden State's next possession, giving the Warriors another slight lead. Later a bucket from each team, it was a 115-113 game for the Warriors with a chance for Miami to tie it up or take the lead with just seven seconds left.

Wade drove to the rim and kicked it out to rookie Michael Beasley for a 10-footer. He missed, but Udonis Haslem grabbed the rebound with just 2.4 seconds to go and made the point-blank layup as the time expired to send the game into overtime. The late Monday night game wound up being a very thrilling meeting between two offensive fire powers. And it only got better in overtime.

Crawford remained red-hot in the extra period, connecting on a fade-away jumper to put Golden State up 125-123 with 1:35 left to play. With just seven seconds to play in overtime, Chris Quinn connected on a catch-and-shoot three that tied the ballgame at 129 all. The Warriors would then in-bound the ball, bringing back memories of Wade's steal off of Baron Davis' in-bounds pass and then resulting in an inadvertent whistle by one of the referees that could have tipped the game in the balance.

Somehow, Beasley managed to do what Wade could not. It was surprising, seeing as how Beasley celebrated and walked back on defense after Quinn's three. But right before Biedrins made the in-bounds pass, Beasley turned around and reached for the ball. He got it, and was not falling out of bounds. The game was in his hands.

Beasley's first baby-hook attempt was blocked by Biedrins, but he stayed with it and got fouled on his second attempt for the game-winning shot. Beasley made one of the two free-throws, but the Warriors would still have a ray of hope. There were 3.6 seconds in a one-point game and the Warriors' timeout advanced the ball to their three-point line.

Stephen Jackson got the ball to Crawford, the Heat-killer. The man who scored a career-high 52 points against Miami two seasons ago. The man who registered a season-high 40 points against the Heat last night. He drove to the paint and tried the jump-shot, but got the unlucky bounce. The game was over. After a heartbreaking loss to the Clippers, the Heat delivered a heartbreaking loss to the Warriors.

None of the plays I highlighted were on baskets connected by Wade. But if you just looked at the boxscore, you would probably think that Miami's heroics were delivered by Flash. Wade registered 37 points on 12-of-28 shooting to go along with 13 assists, five rebounds and three blocked shots. He forced a few shots and tried to do too much ball-handling in the late stages of the game, but had a spectacular game overall. Wade now leads his buddy LeBron James for the scoring title by .9 of a point.
Shawn Marion was very pedestrian in the Clippers game, but was alive and well last night. The four-time NBA All-Star had 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 15 rebounds and three steals. Unfortunately, Marion fouled out in the game, having to watch the last moments in the game on the bench.

Marion and his forward partner, Haslem made quite the duo. Haslem matched Marion's point total of 21 points and nearly evened him in rebounds with 13 boards. Haslem continues to appear more comfortable at the four, and this cannot be overstated. In his games starting at the four, Haslem has averaged 18 points on 62% shooting and 10 rebounds. The Miami native is playing at a star level.

Rookie Mario Chalmers had a solid game, with 12 points on four-of-eight shooting to go along with six assists. Chalmers was vulnerable on defense. Crawford was Golden State's "point guard" and stands at 6 feet and 5 inches. Miami ultimately went to a zone, which did not protect the rim for the Heat. This was why this game was so high-scoring and defense-less.

Beasley again provided instant offense off the bench. The 6-foot-9 rookie out of Kansas State had 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and six rebounds in just 24 minutes. Beasley, however, continued with his poor decision-making on defense, and that will probably keep him on the bench at the start of games for the next string of games.

Cook and Quinn also provided sparks off the bench, finishing with 11 points and eight, respectively. Wade trusts Cook, and looks for him when he is driving to the rim. Quinn, meanwhile, also can connect on open shots. But Quinn's clutch three came off of an in-bounds pass. He came off of a screen, caught the ball in the corner and threw it up in the air while falling down. And it went in: no easy task.

Despite the nice win, one player performed poorly. Joel Anthony was not a defensive presence, and struggled against the athleticism of the Warriors. Anthony also failed to be a rebounding force, finishing with just two boards. Marion and Haslem did most of that work, and the Heat easily won the battle of the boards by a count of 51-36.

Erik Spoelstra had some fans scratching their heads when he inserted Marcus Banks in the game in the second quarter, who has been a walk-on for nearly the entire season. Banks committed two fouls in five minutes, and did not see playing time again. Was this an attempt to showcase the $4 million man to other General Managers or has Banks impressed Spoelstra during Miami's latest practices? Only time will tell.

Playing against the smaller Warriors, Spoelstra put Shaun Livingston on the active list and had Jamaal Magloire wear street clothes last night.

The Heat, back at .500 and in a three-team deadlock for the final two playoff seeds in the East, will finish up its road trip Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz at 9 p.m.

One Month Later...

The first full month of the NBA season is virtually over, and the Miami Heat currently stands at 8-9. Miami has hovered around .500 for the entire month, but finds itself just out of the playoff picture if the season ended tonight.

First, a little perspective. The Heat won 15 games last season, and to be more than halfway towards last season's win total just one month in the season is a drastic improvement. Miami is playing better than the so-called experts thought them to be. Erik Spoelstra is a rookie coach and has a very young team. This team has also felt the absence of three-point specialist James Jones, a low-post presence and a veteran point guard.

With that being said, President Pat Riley made clear over the summer that anything less than a playoff run would be a disappointment for the Heat. This team cannot continue to trade wins and losses. Miami needs to string a few wins together, and it has only won two consecutive games once this season.

Things are looking up for the Heat, though. Dwyane Wade is playing as well as he has ever played. Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn have proven to be a nice one-two punch at the point guard position. Daequan Cook has been the inconsistent shooter he was a year ago, but has improved his game in defense and rebounding this season. And Udonis Haslem has been adequate at the five, but has seemed liberated in his past two games at the four with a defensive load lifted off of his shoulders.

Will we see Spoelstra's lineup of Chalmers, Wade, Shawn Marion, Haslem and Joel Anthony in the future? I expect so. This lineup gives Miami a defensive presence in Anthony, who has proven his worth this season. But the biggest benefactor of the new move may be Michael Beasley, the second overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Beasley has played two games off the bench thus far, one good game and one bad game. Therefore, it is difficult to get a gauge on how he will be as a reserve. In theory, this move looks to be very strong for the Miami Heat. Beasley will be playing alongside the second unit, with players like Quinn, Cook, Yahkouba Diawara and Jamaal Magloire. In other words, he will not be taking shots away from anyone. Moreover, he would be the go-to while Wade is on the bench, providing points where they would otherwise be scarce.

On the other hand, Beasley was arguably the most talented player in the Draft Class of '08. Spooelstra is looking for him to be more than a sixth man. Beasley may find himself as a starter later on this season, especially with Marion trade rumors heating up. The question for Spoelstra would then be whether Beasley is tailored for the small forward position. Is he quick enough to guard the likes of LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Tayshaun Prince and Rashard Lewis? It would be difficult for me to see Beasley guarding those threes, but I had difficulty seeing Antoine Walker guarding those players during Miami's championship run in 2006. Then-coach Riley used James Posey off the bench as a defensive stopper. Spoelstra, an heir to Riley, may try to emulate that with Beasley role-playing Walker and Jones role-playing Posey.

December should figure to be a pick-me-up month for the Heat. Spoelstra's team will rest 18 of the 31 days in the year's final month, and will only have two sets of back-to-backs. Miami plays Golden State (twice), Charlotte, Memphis, Milwaukee and Chicago in December, all of whom have identical or worse records than the Heat. With the possible return of Jones before we all have to buy a new calender, maybe Miami could find itself a few games above .500 going into 2009.

The Heat is still well in the playoff hunt, just a half-game behind New York for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. If Miami is able to stay healthy over the next few weeks, they could surprise a lot of teams. Marion may be traded, but I would not take anything with more than a grain of salt with any of these rumors until the trade is made official.

Iffy Call Overshadows Loss

If you talked to Dwyane Wade after Miami's 97-96 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, he would not have talked about what his team did wrong. He would talk about an iffy call that may have tipped the game in the balance last night.

"It was [expletive]," Wade said of the controversial call.

With the Heat down by one with 7.6 seconds to go, Baron Davis made a desperation pass in fear of getting called for a five-second violation. Wade stole the ball in midair and threw the ball towards Udonis Haslem, who was in position for a wide-open dunk. Referee Courtney Kirkland inadvertently exhaled into his whistle as Wade fell into him and onto the scorers' table.

The Clipper crowd cheered when it appeared that Wade had stepped out of bounds after gaining possession. Ultimately, the officiating crew granted Wade with the steal and gave Miami the possession on an in-bounds pass. For Miami, the breakaway scoring opportunity was lost, and the win would have to come by harder.
The Clippers wisely used a foul the team had to give, giving Miami another in-bounds pass with just 2.9 seconds to play. The ball was given to Wade, and once the L.A. defense collapsed on him, he was forced to throw up a desperation three at the buzzer that did not even hit the rim.

"We won the game," Wade said. "And they took it away from us."

Under League rules, the Heat has no path to protest this call.

"Yeah, it's tough," Haslem added. "But there's a lot of things we could have done differently before that last play."

Haslem is right. The Heat once had a six-point lead in the final quarter, before letting L.A. go up by as many as eight just minutes later. Miami should not have lost to a 3-13 Clippers team without Chris Kaman. This should not have been a one-point game for Miami, it should have been a double-digit win for the Heat.

Shawn Marion did not look like the star he is. He looked like a ghost. The four-time NBA All-Star shot just one-for-six from the field for five points and turned the ball over five times. Marion did have nine rebounds, but Erik Spoelstra needs Marion to be more than a rebounding force.

Daequan Cook shot just 3-of-11 from the field in 21 minutes off the bench. Cook is a streaky shooter, so missing shots will be part of the game for him sometimes. However, Cook can drive to the rim as the defense is running towards him. If Cook just took a step or two closer to the basket, his percentages of making the shot would have gone up exponentially.

Miami's interior defense may have done enough to slow down Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal, but it let rookie Al Thornton and newcomer Zach Randolph do everything they wanted to last night. Thornton had 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 11-of-14 from the free-throw line. Randolph, meanwhile, also added 27 points with 13 rebounds. Marcus Camby added 12 points and 12 rebounds, a double-double.

Spoelstra went with his lineup from Friday's win against the Suns, with Joel Anthony starting at the five. Anthony had three rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes. Anthony was kept on the bench due to early foul trouble, a frequent obstacle for the 6-foot-9 center this season.

Michael Beasley played very well as a reserve last night, finishing with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and three-of-four shooting from downtown in 27 minutes. Beasley scored 17 points in the second-quarter, two shy of the franchise record shared by Tim Hardaway and Sherman Douglas. I would have liked to see more of Beasley in the second half, who only got 10 minutes of playing time after intermission. He had his foul trouble, but his scoring would have helped Miami in the fourth quarter.

Haslem continued to appear more comfortable as a power forward. The Miami native had 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 42 minutes for the Heat. Wade was sensational (again) with 26 points on 12-of-21 shooting to go along with 11 assists, six rebounds and three steals. Mario Chalmers added 11 on four-of-nine shooting for the Heat, again one game below .500.

Miami starts the last month of 2008 Monday against the Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m. The Heat will then finish up its five-game West coast swing against the Utah Jazz Wednesday at 9 p.m.

Flash Blows By Superman

It was the first time the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns met since the blockbuster trade that sent Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami in exchange for Shaquille O'Neal. But if you asked Dwyane Wade, that's not the reason he was motivated last night.

“We got beat by 40 points a couple nights ago,” Wade said during his halftime interview. “We didn't play with no heart, no tenacity. So it wasn't about us playing Shaq, it was about us getting a win.”

Wade and the young Heat took a tremendous step forward by handily defeating the Suns 107-92 after Portland blew out Miami only two nights earlier. After two poor shooting nights, Wade made a statement last night with a season-high 43 points on 15-of-24 shooting and 11-for-12 shooting from the free-throw line to go along with six assists and three rebounds. Steve Nash did not play for the Suns with a bruised thigh, but Phoenix was still the favorites without its star point guard.

The first quarter was decisive for Miami. Wade had 12 points on five-of-seven shooting for Miami in the first stanza of play to lead the Heat to a 32-19 advantage at the end of one. Miami's lead stayed around 13 for the rest of the game. A third-quarter run for the Heat put the lead up to 19, but the Suns was able to make it an 11-point game going into the final quarter of play. Fortunately for Miami, Dwyane Wade and Co. were able to close out the game in the fourth quarter.

Wade got to the rim at will and seemingly did everything he wanted to do against Raja Bell, one of the League's better defenders. But it wasn't the drives to the basket that surprised me. Wade also shot very well from mid-range and even went all the way out to the three-point line to score. I would have to strain to think of the last time I saw Wade shoot this well in his entire career. This young man is playing as good as anybody in the League and has been playing spectacular basketball since the Olympics.

A lot of credit has to go to Wade, but Erik Spoelstra also made some shrewd moves for Miami. He went with a lineup of Mario Chalmers, Wade, Marion, Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony, a move to beef up Miami's front-line against Amare Stoudemire and O'Neal. Fortunately for Miami, Stoudemire was about as active as Mark Blount, with only six rebounds in 33 minutes. But this team was also able to hold O'Neal down.

Spoelstra had Anthony front O'Neal the entire game. The bad side of fronting a center is that if the pass into the post goes over Anthony's head, then that center will have an easy dunk every single time. However, the Suns could not get a pass into the post, which led to 14 turnovers for Phoenix in the first half alone. Moreover, O'Neal never got into an offensive rhythm, forced to score most of his points on offensive rebounds. Throughout the game, O'Neal never got to the free throw line nor had an assist.

Spoelstra was also able to minimize Stoudemire's and O'Neal's impact defensively. The Heat incessantly exploited Phoenix's poor pick-and-roll defense, which led to open lanes to the basket and open shots from the field. Coming off of a bad defensive night and a bad offensive night, Miami played as well as the could have against a strong team in the West.

Spoelstra's move to shift some of the heavy lifting over to Anthony also freed up Haslem. The 6-foot-8 Miami native looked more comfortable at the four, and had 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds.

Jamaal Magloire also returned briefly, playing a little over two minutes in his first game of the season. The 6-foot-11 Magloire will provide help in the future against the bigger centers, with the Heat's next game against the 7-foot Chris Kaman and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Could we see Beasley off the bench in the future? Yes. Spoelstra's move to start Anthony should have been enacted against the Rockets last week. With that being said, I am not sure I would only give Beasley 13 minutes of playing time. He could not have guarded Stoudemire, but what is wrong with him at the three, guarding Matt Barnes and Grant Hill? Beasley missed all of his five field goal attempts and ended up scoreless, but battled for rebounds last night, something we have not seen out of the kid in a while.

Five players scored in double figures for Miami. Marion had 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists against the team he played with for over eight seasons. Chalmers was a pest on both sides of the court. On the defensive end, the rookie point guard had five steals and even managed to rattle Bell a bit. Offensively, Chalmers had 13 points on five-of-seven shooting from the field and three-for-four from downtown. Daequan Cook was a big help off the bench for Miami, with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting in 28 minutes.

The Heat, 1-1 on its five game West-coast swing, will visit the L.A. Clippers tonight at 10:30 p.m.

Pitiful Performance in Portland

The NBA season is 82 games long. There are going to be nights when shots are just not falling down. That was the case for the Miami Heat last night, when Miami sunk below .500 for the first time since Nov. 1 in a 106-68 spanking. 

What is understandable were the constant clanks at the rim for Miami. What is not understandable was its relaxed defense. Throughout the night, there were missed defensive assignments, uncontested cuts to the basket and wide open shots from beyond the arc. Portland shot nearly 50 percent from the field and had six players register in double figures. When a team is having an off night, it should rely on its defense to at least keep the game competitive. 

This game was over before it even started. The Trail Blazers jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter. Portland had a 20-point lead by the end of the first quarter, and the Miami Heat was never able to even bring it down to single digits. When a team is poor on the offensive end and pathetic on the defensive end, that team gets embarrassed. Last night was no different. 

Channing Frye and LaMarcus Aldridge led the way for Portland, with 17 points and 16 points, respectively. Michael Beasley was no match for the bigger Frye or Aldridge, and ended up getting in early foul trouble (again). Shawn Marion, who missed the game to attend the funeral of his great uncle, would have been useful on defense. 

A way to hide Beasley's defensive deficiencies would be to move him over to the three. In stead of starting Yakhouba Diawara in place of Marion, Coach Erik Spoelstra could have started Joel Anthony at the center position, moved Udonis Haslem over to the four and Beasley over to the small forward position. Small forward Nicolas Batum did score 15 points for Portland, but he is more of a three-point specialist than anything. 

Beasley was the only rotation player who shot reasonably well from the field. The 6-foot-9 rookie out of Kansas State had 14 points on 7-of-18 shooting. Beasley attacked the basket and even soared for a highlight-reel dunk in the third quarter, but the same could not be said for attacking the glass. Beasley only had four rebounds in 30 minutes for Miami. 

Miami's rebounding was a big problem again. The Blazers won the battle of the boards easily, with a 55-28 advantage. Haslem and Dwyane Wade had six rebounds apiece for Miami, but the lack of height was evident last night. Pat Riley cannot just sit back and hope that Jamaal Magloire will be the answer to his problems. He has to get someone in there who can defend and rebound. 

Wade, who came off of a 7-for-23 shooting against Houston, was not much better last night. The 6-foot-4 guard out of Marquette shot just 5-for-14 from the field to score 12 points. Wade did have six boards, six assists and five steals, but there is a reason why the Heat managed just 68 points: its go-to guy had another off night. 

The only player who shot above 50 percent from the field for Miami was Marcus Banks. In 22 minutes, Banks shot five-of-six from the field for 11 points. Banks also had four rebounds and one steal, but Rudy Fernandez nailed him on a back-door cut for a layup. Spoelstra can not single out Banks for this, since virtually every Heat player played bad defense. 

Still, Banks made the most of his garbage minutes. And it could not have come better at a time for the point guard when both Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn had poor shooting nights. But will this be enough for Spoelstra to put Banks back in the rotation? One game is not enough, but Miami's rookie coach may give Banks more playing time Friday against his former teammate Steve Nash and the rest of the Phoenix Suns. 

On a lighter note, Shaun Livingston got his first minutes of action in nearly a month last night. The 6-foot-7 point guard scored two points on one-for-two shooting from the field in seven minutes. 

The Heat is still in the playoff picture, tied with three other teams for the eighth seed in the East. However, Miami would face off against the Boston Celtics were the season to end today, due to the Heat's superior conference record against Philadelphia and New York. But after the worst loss of the season, the Heat are just going to have to put this loss behind them and focus on the Suns Friday night.