“This team has guys who have been there before. we’ve got to be ready next game”.
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But Whiteside tells Palm Beach Post that he will try to keep to contain that “beast” inside of him and will just focus on helping his team get through the first round of the playoffs, especially in the shot blocking and rebounding department. “I really felt at home”.
The Miami Heat rebound 44.1 times per game and are ranked 13th. Miami shot 68.2 percent (15-of-22) from the field, 80.0 percent (4-of-5) from the field and was a flawless 7-of-7 from the charity stripe in its highest-scoring quarter in franchise history (41 points).
With all that said, if Miami punches Charlotte in the mouth, again, like they did on Sunday.
Just about the only Hornet who got his way versus the Heat was jack-of-all-trades Nicolas Batum, who converted 7-of-14 of his shots.
Deng was on fire against Charlotte, knocking down an assortment of jumpshots including four three pointers.
“Some nights we’ll have opportunities to hit threes like these, but we’re built differently”, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And we have so much depth now”.
Miami, whose 123 points was a franchise playoff record, was dominant in all facets of the contest, getting up 85 field goals to Charlotte’s 65 while converting on 58% of their attempts compared with the Hornets’ disappointing 43% conversion rate. The mark was set originally against the New Jersey Nets on May 10, 2006. While second chance points are usually an unimportant, and very context-heavy stat, ignoring Miami’s 19 second chance points would be a crime.
-Heat scored 41pts in the first quarter.
“He wants to make winning plays”, Spoelstra said of Deng.
Miami is ranked sixth in defensive rebounds, while Charlotte ranks 28th in offensive rebounds. But when things start going south – when it’s not going your way, when you’re not making shots – how do we respond? “It made us have a better understanding of what it takes to get stops and to score when times get stressful”. The Hornets were 25-9 since February 1 (third-best in the league), while the HEAT were 21-13 (ninth-best). It was one of those games where the losers should probably just throw out the game tape.
Charlotte is a formidable team and this remains a coin-flip series – the Hornets won’t have to start from 32 down when Game 2 tips off on Wednesday, as this squad still has the horses to take a game in Miami. Charlotte’s players in uniform had 1,825 points in 237 games. Miami boasted 8,343 points in 555 playoff appearances; Charlotte had 237 games and 1,825 points. Miami led by 20 early in the fourth quarter before its lead shrunk to five with 58 seconds left. Names like Hassan Whiteside, Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic were mentioned often. Miami C Hassan Whiteside, F Justise Winslow and G Josh Richardson made their playoff debuts.
Joe Johnson, the Heat’s starting small forward can be a potent offense force, yet he lacks the certain tools to guard athletic wings – namely, a time machine. Udonis Haslem is questionable with a foot injury.
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After the game, Clifford may have peeked to see the Warriors vie for their 73rd win or see the final game for Kobe Bryant, whom Clifford coached in Los Angeles for a season.
