The Golden State Warriors Pull Off Dramatic Victory Over The Miami Heat
The Golden State Warriors headed into tonight’s match-up against the Miami Heat having lost five in-a-row and the likelihood of victory was slim without the services of point guard Stephen Curry. Yet, the Warriors were able to manage a thrilling overtime victory over the Heat 111-106.
Here’s a look at the the good, the bad and the ugly from this exciting game.
First off the ugly: The defense of the Warriors was shredded by great ball movement by the Heat in the first half and it allowed for Dwyane Wade to get to the free throw line at will as he went 8-10. The Warriors also started out well from beyond the arc as Dorell Wright hit three threes in the first quarter, yet from the start of the second to the beginning of the fourth the Warriors could not make a three.
What was even uglier was the third period which saw the Warriors not make a field goal until just over two minutes remaining. The issue during this horrendous stretch was slowing the pace of the game down and turning the ball over, which allowed for easy transition baskets and the lead for the Heat was stretched to 17! At that point it appeared that the game was officially over and the Heat would improve to 9-1.
The Bad: There were a number of things that were bad in this game including a replay call in overtime that should have been reversed. After a scramble for a loose ball on a rebound it appeared that Chris Bosh had knocked the ball out of bounds. The Warriors were sure that it was off Bosh, yet the Heat were rewarded with the ball. Since the play could be reviewed the referees huddled up and confirmed the ball belonged to the Heat even though the replay said otherwise.
Another bad call came on solid defense by Klay Thompson who had bit on a pump fake by Wade and as he was landing Wade went into Thompson forcing contact, which got him to the free throw line. Instead that should have been a no call as Wade initiated contact with Thompson and the whistle wasn’t blown until Wade had missed the shot.
Also, for the second game in-a-row Monta Ellis was given an opportunity to close out the game. Against the Utah Jazz in the previous game Ellis made what would have been the game winning shot more difficult and against the Heat he didn’t have an opportunity to even shoot and waited too long to pass the ball of to Wright who may have interrupted what Ellis was attempting to accomplish.
The Good: In the second half the defense stepped up and did not commit anywhere near as many fouls as the first half and for the most part kept Wade from getting to the free throw line.
Ekpe Udoh when receiving minutes did all he could on the defensive end to make the shots difficult for the Heat and he blocked three of the shots including a tremendous one on James.
David Lee had a huge game with 20 points and 14 rebounds, yet more importantly it was his hustle in being able to keep offensive rebounds alive for the Warriors to have extra possessions and he was a contributing factor on why the Warriors had 18 offensive rebounds in the game.
A huge benefit for the Warriors was that Wright found his range from three as he went 6-11 and more importantly made a big effort on the glass as he snared 10 rebounds.
Nate Robinson was a major reason why the Warriors were able to stay close to the Heat as he got to the free throw line and made all 14 attempts including a technical free throw, yet his biggest plays of the game were two three pointers in the fourth and in overtime coming up with a big steal that led to a dunk by Wright.
Monta Ellis made some tremendous defensive plays in the fourth quarter and overtime. None bigger was taking a charge on Udonis Haslem, though originally the ruling was a blocking foul. The referees huddled up and determined that it was not a blocking foul on Ellis and instead it was a charge. Haslem was frustrated by the call and received a technical during the ensuing timeout.
The Warriors could have easily been blown out by the Heat and yet that didn’t happen as the Warriors made the necessary adjustments on defense and Wright, Lee and Robinson all stepped up offensively. The Warriors next game will be against another tough opponent in the Orlando Magic. If the Warriors can pull out an exciting victory it gives the team a great chance to climb closer to the .500 mark under Mark Jackson.
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