News and Notes From Heat vs Spurs Preseason Game

 

On October 20 the NBA was treated to some matinee action as the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs faced each other at American Airlines Arena.

LeBron James was given the day off by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra as Ray Allen started in his place. Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony, and Jarvis Varnado were sidelined with injuries.

Here are some notes from what turned out to be an entertaining game for the Heat:

Dwyane Wade continued to show that he is almost completely back from knee surgery. He showed that his trademark euro step was in regular season form along with his defense. It wasn’t as spectacular of a game as his last against the Detroit Pistons, but it was a consistent showing. That is the more important part.

Allen didn’t have a bad game, but he didn’t have a good one either. His recent shooting slump carried over to this game along with uncharacteristic turnovers. His mobility was still great though and that may be more important for Miami as Allen’s role is mainly off the bench.

Rashard Lewis had his best game in a Heat uniform. He keeps showing a willingness to play inside and to defend as he had four steal in the game. When it came to offense Lewis came through in the fourth quarter scoring 11 of his 15 points during that time. He did have two turnovers in the game trying to pass the ball to Mike Miller.

Miller looked like he was still playing Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He made almost all of his shot from beyond the arc and rebounded well in the game. Best of all he showed no signs of back pain. He did ask to be taken out of the game at one point due to fatigue.

This game was the best overall display among the bubble players in the lead for a roster spot.

Garrett Temple and Terrel Harris tried to made their case to be a back up point guard. Harris did lose some ground by committing some turnovers but he came through late in the game. Temple continued to show good decision making in the game along with finishing at the rim.

Among the bubble player big men both Dexter Pittman and Josh Harrellson had their best games. Pittman showed more quickness on offense and some great defense protecting the rim. He also didn’t commit any dumb fouls, which shows his commitment to improving his game. Harrellson was also a presence inside cleaning up missed baskets. He also  showed his long range shot, including the game winning shot.

The bubble group as a whole took a big step forward in leading the team to a comeback victory against an elite team.