Sweet 16

When the Miami Heat traded Shaquille O'Neal for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks last February, it was looked at as letting go of a future Hall-of-Famer to a championship contender as Miami, meanwhile, would rebuild its team.

Well, not many would have guessed that one-third of the way into the season, the two teams would have identical records.

But earlier today, Miami topped the Chicago Bulls in a 90-77 decision to give Miami its 16th win, a feat never accomplished by this same franchise a year ago. And the Heat and Suns each stand at 16-12, Miami within percentage points of Detroit's fifth seed in the Eastern Conference while Phoenix is barely holding on to the eighth seed out West.

It did not look very pretty for Miami, playing through three lackadaisical quarters to a 64-64 standoff at home. Fortunately for Miami, the Heat played tight defense as the Bulls only scored 13 points in the final stanza of play. However, it was the sensational offense of Dwyane Wade, Daequan Cook and Michael Beasley that pulled the game away from a Bulls team without Kirk Hinrich, Drew Gooden and Luol Deng, who got injured in the third quarter.

Beasley hit Miami's first two field goals in the fourth quarter while Wade sat on the bench. The rookie out of Kansas State then found Daequan Cook for a three before hitting both free throws after a hard foul by Andres Nocioni to stretch Miami's lead to 73-69. Cook hit a triple on two of Miami's next three offensive possessions before Wade's off-balance jump shot with two minutes and thirty-two seconds left iced the game for the Heat.

Wade shook off early foul trouble to finish with 28 points on 11-for-23 shooting, three rebounds, a steal and just one turnover. The star guard out of Marquette was just five-for-nine from the free-throw line, though. Wade, a 76 percent free-throw shooter, held his groin and grimaced in the second quarter. That injury may have affected the knees in Wade's free-throw attempts, as a lot of them were well short.

Beasley, who was rewarded playing time in the fourth quarter, played better than Derrick Rose. The second overall pick in last June's Draft had 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, six rebounds and two blocked shots. The first overall pick had just 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting with three assists and five turnovers.

Beasley's offense was on full display, as he drove to the rim and hit jumpers in 24 minutes of action. More importantly, Beasley played well defensively. He stayed with Nocioni when he shifted to the three and played tough defense as a four, rejecting a potential shot from both Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas.

Mario Chalmers also outplayed Rose. The second-round draftee who the Heat had to trade with Minnesota to acquire proved his worth again. Chalmers had 16 points on six-of-nine shooting, five rebounds, six assists and two steals on the night. The rookie out of Kansas played tough defense on Rose and even Ben Gordon, who went quiet in the second half after scoring 11 points on three-for-three shooting from beyond the arc in the first 24 minutes of play.

Cook was, well, cooking. The second-year guard out of Ohio State had three of his four triples in the fourth quarter. Shawn Marion, by contrast, spent most of the night around the rim. The four-time NBA All-Star had 10 rebounds and had a lot of garbage points, and could have finished with more than eight points. Marion, however, did find himself on the bench in the fourth quarter, as Coach Erik Spoelstra (rightly) decided to go with Beasley.

Another smart move by Spoelstra was to get Jamaal Magloire in the game. Joel Anthony had four blocks and five rebounds in 27 minutes, but Spoelstra needed to get some more size. While Anthony came over to block a shot, the 7-foot Aaron Gray would just get the rebound and put back an easy layup. Gray had 12 points and 11 rebounds, five of the them offensive, but when Magloire came in the game, Gray did not score another point.

Spoelstra continued to use Marcus Banks as the first point guard off the bench against the athleticism of Chicago's guards. Banks not only contributed to Rose's off night, he drove to the rim for a layup once he came into the game. When Wade is not on the court, Banks is one of the few guys that can keep Miami from being a jump-shooting team.

The Heat has not played East division leaders Boston, Cleveland or Orlando this season. That will change Sunday, when Miami and Cleveland will engage in a home-and-home sequence. The first of two will be at the Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cavaliers have been a perfect 15-0.

Another Score

Dwyane Wade unwrapped a Christmas present for a Miami resident a little early. Wade's foundation, Wade's World, donated a fully furnished house, clothes and gifts to Dawn Smith after her house was accidentally burnt down by her nephew Christmas Eve. The NBA's leading scorer just scored again.

Heat Defeat Depleted Warriors

Well, it came harder than it should have against a Golden State team without Jamal Crawford, Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette. But the Miami Heat has now matched last season's 15-win total just 27 games into the season. Talk about being ahead of schedule.

Miami was down 21-24 after one quarter of play. The Warriors extended its lead to 11 by the eight minute mark of the second quarter. Fortunately for Miami, sophomore standout Daequan Cook hit two consecutive threes to cut the lead to five. But it was the seven consecutive field goals Miami made in the second quarter that helped the Heat always keep Oakland at bay. Cook, Haslem, Marion and Wade all chipped in to give Miami a lead it would never relinquish.
Cook finished with a season-high 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting and five-of-seven shooting from beyond the arc in just 27 minutes for Miami. The second-year guard out of Ohio State had 15 of his 20 points in the decisive second quarter to give the Heat its breathing room for the rest of the game. There is no question that Cook, shooting at 39.7 percent from three-point range, is a pleasant surprise this season.

Wade, meanwhile, was the explosive scorer tonight as he has been in seasons past. The 6-foot-4 guard out of Maquette had 32 points on 13-for-20 shooting from two-point range, eight assists, eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Wade also turned the ball over two times, well below his season average of 3.96 mishaps. If a blemish in Wade's game tonight could have been found, it was his zero-for-five shooting from beyond the arc and his 60 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Udonis Haslem, who has struggled in recent games, seemed to have regained his shooting touch back. The fifth-year forward out of Florida had 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting to go along with eight boards and one block. Saturday night against New Jersey, Haslem hit a crucial jumper to ice the game for Miami. It appears as though that shot was a big confidence-booster for the 6-foot-8 forward.

Haslem's partner up front, Shawn Marion, had another nice game. On the offensive end, Marion was an uneven three-for-seven from the field. However, the veteran out of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas was a rebounding machine, leaping for 16 boards. Miami won the battle of the boards 48-41, and his rebounding was essential. Obtaining more rebounds helps a team get more shot attempts. But in this case for Miami, it helped compensate for the 21 turnovers. The Heat's point guard, Mario Chalmers, turned the ball over a shocking five times while Haslem and Marion combined for six mishaps.

With Chalmers struggling, Spoelstra went to Marcus Banks early on. Banks had one foul and one turnover before getting yanked back to the bench after three-and-a-half minutes of play. Chris Quinn was back against a Golden State point guard lineup that featured Anthony Morrow and DeMarcus Nelson, and had two assists and two rebounds in 10 minutes of action. Nonetheless, Spoelstra still went with Chalmers through 39 minutes of the game.

It would be an understatement to say that Michael Beasley has had a tough rookie season thus far for the Heat. It was no different tonight, with the 6-foot-9 forward out of Kansas State finishing with five points on two-for-seven shooting. For most of the time he was on the court, it seemed as if Beasley did not know if he wanted to score or get his teammates involved. You cannot put too much blame on the kid, partially because it is as if Coach Erik Spoelstra is giving him mixed signals. He has publicly applauded Beasley's aggressiveness, but also asked him to be aware of his teammates.

I guess the problem for Beasley is not that he can not score – he proved that he can time after time at Kansas State – but that he does not have many plays set for him like Wade does. I would suggest Spoelstra to give the rookie forward a little freedom and set some plays for him so that he can be a sidekick to Wade. Heat fans would like to forget about Wade's consistent struggles during the team's three-game losing streak, but the man is not perfect. He is going to have bad games and Spoelstra is going to need someone to step up if this team has a remote shot at winning. Beasley can be that guy.

Moreover, Beasley's post action and Cook's shooting could provide a young, dynamic duo off the bench for Miami. But it will only happen if Spoelstra is willing to invest in Beasley. And it is not a matter of balancing out the minutes of Beasley, Haslem and Marion. Both played over 37 minutes tonight while Beasley could only get 13 minutes of playing time.

The Heat will try to one-up last season's win total Friday against Chicago in a nationally-televised game.

Wade Propels Heat Past Nets

Dwyane Wade continued to prove that he is back to the player he was during the 2006 NBA Finals, and arguably even better, with a 43-point performance to beat the New Jersey Nets in a 106-103 nail-biter. 

This was Miami's first win on the second night of a back-to-back in six attempts, and the entire team looked upbeat to play against the highest-scoring backcourt in the league of Vince Carter and Devin Harris and the rest of the Nets. But it was Wade who was the answer, scoring 12 of Miami's last 14 points in a tight fourth quarter. 

Miami's (14-12) big quarter was the second, as Wade scored 14 points to help Miami outscore the Nets 35-27 in the second period. Daequan Cook carried his hot game against the Lakers into tonight's game against New Jersey, scoring 12 points in the second. Miami led 62-56 at intermission, with both teams shooting above 58 percent from the field. But after a surge by the Nets in the third quarter, it would have to be a half-court game for the final stanza of play. 

New Jersey took its first lead of the game since midway through the second quarter on a fade-away shot by Carter with eight minutes and 15 seconds to go. When Coach Erik Spoelstra put Wade into the game, he found Marion and Cook for a dunk and three, respectively, to put Miami back up. The Nets would take the lead with 2:16 left to go on a couple of free throws by Carter to make it a 97-96 game. But Wade made a reverse layup on the ensuing possession, and Mario Chalmers found an open Udonis Haslem for a wide open jumper with 14 seconds to go to ice the game for Miami. 

Wade ended up tying his season high of 43 points, and did it on 13-for-22 shooting from the field and 16-for-18 from the free-throw line. Moreover, Wade also had four rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Wade went to the basket often, and that let his jump shot come easier to him after he had made a few shots. 

Cook, Miami's second-leading scorer for the second consecutive night, finished with a season-high 17 points on four-of-five shooting from beyond the arc. Cook also spent a lot of time on Carter, who finished with a relatively quiet 21 points on 5-of-14 shooting, and did an admirable job. Teams are going to start to honoring Cook's jump shot; and when James Jones comes back, Miami will be deadly three-point threat off the bench. 

The player who spent the most time on Carter, however, was Shawn Marion. The four-time NBA All-Star had another nice game with 10 points on five-of-nine shooting. Again, I like that Mario Chalmers and Wade found easy plays for him. Marion will make timely cuts to the basket if he is given a path. And the rest Wade gets for not having to guard the Kobe Bryants or Carters of the League gives the leading scorer plenty of energy for the offensive end. It is good to have a defensive presence at the three. 

One of Marion's partners in the frontline, rookie Michael Beasley, had an efficient night. The 6-foot-9 forward out of Kansas State had 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting with five rebounds and a blocked shot. Beasley was very active around the rim, at one point tipping in a missed free-throw by Marcus Banks. But Miami's first-round pick only played 15 minutes tonight. He can continue to develop if Spoelstra is willing to invest in him. 

It is not a usual sight to see Banks on the court. The most experienced point guard for Miami had only played in eight games leading up to tonight. But perhaps Jordan Farmar's smothering of Chris Quinn against L.A. made Spoelstra use the more defensive-oriented Banks. The 6-foot-2 guard out of UNLV did not disappoint. He played good on-the-ball defense and was able to pressure the likes of Devin Harris (who shot an uncharacteristic 5-for-15 from the field). and Keyon Dooling full-court. More importantly, however, Banks looked like a floor general. When Banks first came into the game, he found Beasley for a jump shot late in the first quarter. At the start of the second quarter, Banks drove to the rim for a nice layup before finding Beasley and Cook for field goals.

The advantage to having Quinn, who did not play tonight, off the bench is that he is a pass-first point guard who is a great shooter. Banks, by comparison, can give Miami defense and some nice drives to the basket. The seldom-used Banks had four assists in 10 minutes and did not turn the ball over tonight. He can crack the rotation if he can be a distributor for Miami.

Joel Anthony was again active for Miami. The 6-foot-9 Canadian center hit three consecutive field goals for the Heat in the first quarter and finished with eight points on four-of-five shooting, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Coming off of two nice wins, Miami will rest until Tuesday, when the Heat will host the Golden State Warriors in the highly-anticipated re-match after the first meeting between the two resulted in a 130-129 overtime Heat win. 

Heat Burn Lakers

Well, sort of. 

The Miami Heat built a 12-point lead in the third quarter, only to have it evaporate to only one late in the fourth quarter, but managed to sneak by the Los Angeles Lakers in an 89-87 decision after Kobe Bryant missed a shot that would have sent the game into overtime.

That is not to downplay the importance of this win. Entering the game with a three-game losing streak, Miami showed toughness throughout the game and executed some key plays down the stretch. A team as talented as the Lakers would not have gone down without a fight, and this game is a big step in the right direction for the Heat. 

The third quarter, the stanza that has not been nice to the Heat on its three-game losing streak, was pivotal for Miami. The Lakers were out-scored 17-29 in that quarter, and a huge L.A. surge came up just short. The Heat went on a 16-4 run to close out the third quarter, combining good execution with stifling defense. In the waning moments of the quarter, Dwyane Wade had the ball at the top of the circle. Trevor Ariza poked it away, but Wade got the ball back and heaved it right in the basket for the deep three to give Miami a 12-point lead entering the final stanza of basketball. 

The fourth quarter started off with both teams turning the ball over, and no one scored until Andrew Bynum's hook shot with nine minutes and 12 seconds to go. L.A. proceeded to cut the lead to five before Daequan Cook hit a crucial three to give Miami an eight-point lead with seven minutes left. But the Lakers got it down to two after Bryant made a turnaround jumper with 41 seconds left. And when Wade missed a jumper at the other end, Miami would need a good defensive play. 

The Heat got three. 

After Bryant drove to the basket and dished it off to Odom, Joel Anthony blocked his short jumper. Odom got his own rebound and put it back up, only to have his shot blocked by Wade. Then the ball got into the hands of Pau Gasol. Gasol went up, but Wade was right there to block the ball as he brought the ball up for a layup. The ball went out of bonds, and the Lakers would have another chance with just nine seconds left. 

Gasol got fouled and made one of two free throws to make it a one-point game. After the ball was in-bounded to Wade, Odom got a little over-aggressive and would send Wade to the line. Miami's star guard sank one of two before Bryant's shot to send the game into overtime went in-and-out. 

What made Wade score 35 points on 13-for-25 shooting and two-for-four from beyond the arc, grab six rebounds and collect three steals? I just saw a player that got his offensive rhythm back. He has been double-teamed and triple-teamed before. Tonight, Wade managed to find the little cracks in the defense to get to the basket. And L.A. put some tough defense on the 6-foot-4 guard out of Marquette. Bryant has been known for his defense for years and Ariza has long arms to use on Wade. 

I have to give credit where credit is due. Shawn Marion had a great game for Miami. Gone were the times when he got the ball in the post and did not know what to do. Marion finished with 12 points on five-of-nine shooting and 11 rebounds for Miami. Tonight, Mario Chalmers recognized Marion's cuts to the basket and rewarded him. Marion got the ball from 15 feet out and drove to the rim and either got himself a bucket or found an open teammate. That is what I would like to see more of from Marion. 

Marion spent much of his time guarding Bryant, with Wade taking him on occasionally. Marion did not slow down last year's season MVP, but made him take some tough shots and allowed Wade to rest on defense, guarding Ariza and Luke Walton for most of the game.

Chalmers and Cook played well for Miami. Both looked to initiate offense when Wade rested. Chalmers drove to the rim on occasions and Cook came off of screens and made big shots for Miami. 

But the unsung hero for Miami was Joel Anthony. He was extremely active for Miami, with eight boards (four offensive), three steals, two blocks and four points. Anthony got Andrew Bynum into foul trouble and took him completely out of his game, but also set some nice screens for Wade to allow him to drive to the hoop. 

I was disappointed with the play of Michael Beasley. Coach Erik Spoelstra gave him plenty of first-half minutes, checking into the game with 7:45 left in the first and not coming out until midway through the second quarter. The problem was that Beasley never looked to attack the rim and initiate offense. When Wade is on the court, Beasley should be aggressive and look to score for Miami. 

Even with the Laker run in the fourth quarter, for Miami to beat the best-in-the-West Lakers was a good sign. Miami looked better on both sides of the court tonight, but will face a challenge tomorrow night. With the Heat and Nets deadlocked for the sixth seed in the East, the two teams will play in New Jersey at 8 p.m. 

Injury Report

Friday was the fifth anniversary of former Heat center Alonzo Mourning's kidney transplant -- and the first anniversary since his season-ending knee injury against Atlanta. Mourning spoke with reporters before the game and reiterated his desire to rejoin Miami once he finishes with rehabilitation. 

Was Beasley the Right Choice?

I am really glad I do not have to write about the supposed "Shawn Marion for Anderson Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak" trade that was reported by Yahoo! Sports yesterday. Numerous sources for both Cleveland and Miami have denied such discussions. With a 20-4 record, the Cavaliers probably do not want to tinker with the roster too much. And that trade would leave Miami as evident losers from the deal. Instead, I want to write about Michael Beasley. Fresh with memories of when O.J. Mayo scorched Miami earlier this week, there are already grumblings that Heat President Pat Riley should have chosen Mayo.

The numbers give the edge to Mayo. Mayo averages 20.8 points per game while Beasley only averages 14.1. The guard out of Southern California has shot 47.2 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from three-point range while the forward out of Kansas shot has shot 44.9 percent and 36 percent, respectively. The 6-foot-4 Mayo averages just nine-tenths of a rebound less than the 6-foot-9 Beasley.
But it is important to go beyond the statistics that everyone looks at. Mayo logged 38 minutes per game through 25 games. Beasley, by comparison, has averaged only 27 minutes per game. Naturally, Mayo would get more opportunities to score if he is on the court more often. Mayo shoots 16.52 shots per game. Beasley shoots 12.78 field goal attempts per game. Dwyane Wade's former workout buddy is not asked to be a second option on his team. In fact, Mayo is not even the point guard for Memphis. He usually plays the two alongside either Kyle Lowry or Mike Conley Jr. in the backcourt. Mayo would be asked to be a floor general on the floor and defer to Wade on the floor.

That is not to say that Mayo's offense is necessarily a bad thing. Miami has averaged 80.7 points per game over its current three-game losing streak, and Mayo's offense would evidently provide a high-octane offensive threat next to Wade. And we have not seen Mayo play next to Wade for one game, so it is premature to say that Mayo would be a bad fit with Wade. But Mayo is expected to do more for his team than Beasley, so the statistical disparity is to be expected.

Many people will tell you that it is too early in the season to make final verdicts on draft choices. It will take a season, if not several, to figure that out. But 24 games into the season for Miami, I feel that Pat Riley made the right decision when he selected Beasley as the second overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

There is no player who was better offensively than Beasley was in the NCAA last year. He put up dominant numbers of 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. He shot 53.2 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc. Now, I realize that stardom in college does not necessarily translate into stardom in the pros. But the tiny, 2.3 field goal percentage disparity simply exists because Beasley does not get enough minutes.

I have advocated as recently as my latest post that Coach Erik Spoelstra should give Beasley more playing time. Because he and Wade are the only two players that can create their own shot for Miami, Spoelstra should always have Beasley and Wade on the court at all times when possible. I also would not mind seeing the product out of Kansas State and Miami's franchise player playing together. It would prevent other teams from clogging the driving lanes so Wade is forced into jump shots. It would give the opposition another threat to worry about. I am sure Mayo would be able to provide the same if he played for Miami. But because of his play in college and the two shooting roughly the same percentage from the field right now, I would still have made the same decision if I were Riley.

If Beasley does receive more playing time, he will develop. Spoelstra should know that no rookie develops from the bench. Dorell Wright taught him that.

Heat Slide Continues

The Heat has been bad against Atlanta and bad against Memphis. But it all paled in comparison to how Miami was in the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks as the Heat lost its third straight game to fall back to the place it has been floating around all season long: the .500 mark.

These last three games have proven one thing. When Dwyane Wade struggles, the whole team struggles. Last night, Wade shot 5-for-16 from the field for 15 points, turned the ball over four times and committed four fouls. Moreover, Wade only made it to the free throw line six games and missed his second dunk in as many days. No one was able to step up offensively, and the Heat found itself down 56-36 by halftime.

It was here where Coach Erik Spoelstra made a huge mistake. He only played Michael Beasley 23 minutes last night. Beasley did not have a bad game. He shot 5-for-11 from the field for 13 points. The rookie out of Kansas State was the player who could put the ball in the basket the most out of all of the players in the NCAA. He and Wade are the only players who can create their own shot for Miami (12-12). Spoelstra should always try to have at least one of the two on the court at all times. And it is not an issue of foul trouble; the 6-foot-9 forward committed no fouls last night.
Do not let the boxscore fool you. Although five players scored in double figures for Miami, the Heat's offense was stymied for the better part of the game. The Heat's late surge, which included a 13-4 run to end the third quarter, was simply a classic case of too little, too late.

It's not just on offense that the Heat is out of sync. Miami has lost its identity of a scrappy defensive team that will force turnovers. Milwaukee only committed 10 turnovers last night and the patient style of the Bucks confused the Heat. And even with Udonis Haslem back, Miami lost the battle of the boards, 45-35. No player was able to grab more than seven boards. Miami's leading rebounder was Mario Chalmers, Miami's rookie point guard. Yes, you read that correctly.

Chalmers had a great game, but the loss overshadows his great play. The 6-foot-2 guard out of Kansas had 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, the seven rebounds previously mentioned and eight assists. On the flip side, Chalmers did commit five personal fouls and five turnovers. But those turnovers were mostly in the early stages of the game. The second-round pick shot and executed better as the game went along.

Can Chalmers be a guy who can score off the dribble for Miami and be a legitimiate force offensively? Every player can have one good game. I see a lot of upside in Chalmers, but I would still like to see more of Beasley on the court. Beasley knows how to put the ball in the basket and he can do that consistently when he is given the minutes.

Shawn Marion, meanwhile, has been a very big disappointment for Miami. There were hopes of, with Marion and Wade going through training camp together, Wade would feed "The Matrix" with easy baskets and layups constantly. Instead, we have seen Marion aimlessly try to put a shot up in the air he has never become efficient at. He had a good game last night, but I know a lot of people who are expecting more out of the four-time All Star.

Keep in mind that Miami's last two losses were against teams with worse records than the Heat's. This was supposed to be a pick-me-up month for the Heat, with a pretty soft schedule in December. It even started to look like that with a 4-0 start to the last month of the year. But now Miami is back to where it was in the earlier. And this team better get back in its groove before it slides even farther.

Miami currently holds the seventh seed in the East, and will rest until Friday for its next game. The probably is, the next game is against the surging Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. leads the League in offense, with an average of 108 points per game. Spoelstra is going to need to get his players ready, and quick, or else they will find themselves embarrassed on national television.

Another Tale of Two Halves

In a recent interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Dwyane Wade said that a lot of his teammates came into the 2006 training camp still celebrating the championship they attained just months before. Well, after Miami's first four-game winning streak since its title defense season, the 2006-07 campaign, it looks as if Miami is having another hangover of sorts. The Heat is now on a two-game losing streak, with a Sunday loss to the Memphis Grizzlies ending in a 102-86 defeat.

Like Friday's game against Atlanta, this was another tale of two halves in which the opposing team simply pulled away in the third quarter. Memphis scored the first seven points of the game, but Miami (12-11) quickly responded. Thanks to nine first-quarter points by Michael Beasley, who has back after battling the flu, the Heat pulled to within 22-25 by the end of the first quarter. Things stayed tight in the second quarter. Beasley continued his assault, with 15 points by intermission. Wade finished off the first half by taking rookie O.J. Mayo at the top of the circle, managing to break his ankles before sinking the wide open jump-shot to tie the game at 46 all.

But then the third quarter came. And just like against the Hawks, the Heat let the Grizzlies pull away. Memphis extended its lead to 10 by the eight-and-a-half mark of the third quarter. Wade's layup with 4:45 left to go made it a 64-69 game, but the Heat got no closer than that. By the end of the third quarter, Miami had all but thrown in the towel as the score was 81-66.

As crazy as this may sound, Mayo actually out-played Wade. Wade, who started off the game well, was again off with his jumpers this afternoon. The superstar guard out of Marquette seldom drove to the rim in the second half, something that has happened for the second consecutive game. Is this a sign of fatigue? Coming in just over 20 games into the season, it would not be a good sign. Coach Erik Spoelstra has tried to limit Wade's minutes to 36 or so a game. Spoelstra surely hopes this is just a small setback for his franchise player.

Mayo finished with 28 points, five rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers. What is more impressive is that Mayo shot a perfect four-for-four from downtown and eight-for-eight from the free-throw line. There was talk of Miami possibly selecting him in the days leading up to the Draft. Should Pat Riley have shocked the media and taken Mayo? I will have a post on that in the future.

The star of the first half for Miami, Beasley, cooled down in the second half. Beasley only managed to score five points in the last 24 minutes of basketball. For a 19-year-old, I am not going to get tough on the rookie. Who I am going to get tough on is Shawn Marion. The four-time NBA All-Star shot just 3-for-12 from the field, missing several shots in the paint. I do not think I would ever say this, but Marion is starting to remind me of Antoine Walker.

The 13 rebounds for Marion were good, especially with Udonis Haslem out to attend his grandmother's funeral. And Miami did win the battle of the boards, 47-38. But Marion has got to step it up offensively. Maybe he is not accustomed to a half-court setting, but he has got to get his act together. He is supposed to be a lethal force for opposing team. I doubt Marion is even one of the first three names opposing team's read when they pick up the scouting report.

To look at the good side of this game, Joel Anthony had a great game. The undrafted Canadian sophomore had his first double-double of his career. Anthony managed to score 12 points on a perfect five-for-five shooting, grab 13 boards and block five shots in 35 minutes. Anthony was easily Miami's most active player, and he is starting to remind me of a Haslem-type player who can block shots.

Again, in the third quarter, Memphis got everything it wanted and the Heat could not even buy a bucket. Wade shot 5-for-16 and his frustration led to the technical foul in the fourth quarter. Yakhouba Diawara, starting for the fourth time this season, shot two-for-six. Mario Chalmers shot three-for-eight. Chris Quinn shot 3-for-10 and Daequan Cook shot 3-for-12. It may have seemed like the Heat were within a half-game of attaining the fourth seed in the East, behind only Boston, Cleveland and Orlando just a few days ago. But this team still has a long way to go, and Spoelstra has his work cut out for him.

The thing is, the Atlanta loss was excusable. The Hawks pushed the Celtics to seven games in the 2008 playoffs and beat the Cavaliers just after defeating Miami. But the Grizzlies was, and still is, under the .500 mark. Memphis may have been on a three-game winning streak, but this is still a team that is very much in the developing stages. There is no excuse for allowing five Grizzlies to score in double figures.

The most pressing issue now for Miami is how the Heat can find its offense when Wade is not scoring 30 points for the Heat.

"We have to go back to the drawing board," Wade said.