Miami and Charlotte were two of the four teams that finished tied for third in the Eastern Conference with 48-34 records in the regular season, but the difference in talent could not have been more obvious on the court on Sunday.
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The Heat dominated from the tip, getting out to an early 11-3 lead and ending the first quarter up 41-22. Al Jefferson led the game in scoring by recording 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting.
The Miami Heat were led by Luol Deng who scored a game high 31 points on11-13 shooting from the field.
But in order for Lin to rise into a position of controlling the flow of the game for the Hornets in more than just small samples unconnected throughout the game, it takes eating a chunk out of the possession time Kemba Walker has with the ball, and a little into what Nicolas Batum does. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Heat have a 1-4 record while the Hornets have a solid 45-28 record.
Next UpThe Hornets will stay in Miami for Game 2 of their 2016 NBA Playoff series against the Heat on Wednesday, April 20 at American Airlines Arena. Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudemire each scored 11 points, and Goran Dragic had 10 assists.
Hassan Whiteside, on all the teams that cut him or passed up a chance to sign him: “They know”. They are now giving more importance to the three-point shooters and use quick, decisive creators in the pick and roll up simple looks. The Hornet defense, inside and out, was just no match for Miami. Deng knows this moment and he’s ready for it. He showed that tonight. The Heat were able to blowout the Hornets as they played some of their worst basketball of the season.
– Just as problematic for the Hornets in Game 1 was the massive presence of Whiteside in the paint. Some minor adjustments were made, but Clifford never fully committed to either going all-in on a comeback-oriented lineup or trying a new strategy in hopes of figuring out what might work for next game, and not much was accomplished.
Jefferson is averaging 12 points and 6.4 rebounds this season, well below his career averages of 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Deng continued his wonderful play with another three, and Whiteside continued to destroy inside the paint and on defense at the other end. Charlotte looked desperate and tried to push the pace, which caused Miami to once again foul, but really the only offensive options the Hornets seemed to have was Batum. Lee should start out defending Dwyane Wade, and will be spending plenty of time there.
Miami finished with 27 assists compared to Charlotte’s 11.
Charlotte only scored 91 points, but coach Steve Clifford said he wasn’t too concerned about the offense’s production. In the second quarter the Magic played slightly better, going shot for shot with Charlotte.
It was Spoelstra’s 100th postseason game as Miami’s head coach. While Johnson is often portrayed as a one-dimensional talent, Wade believes it’s harder to score against him than most people realize. “We’ve had a lot of adversity in that locker room, and I really commend those guys for coming together and not making excuses”, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters.
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Clifford has taken the new players, Cho has added, and fit them perfectly into what he wants to do. A longtime stalwart at small forward, Deng is a better fit as a power forward now – something teams will undoubtedly be considering when Deng hits free agency this summer.
