1. Road Win A Step Forward For Heat
ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- Erik Spoelstra could have a second career as a public relations consultant.
Last year when his Miami Heat were having some internal issues, he branded it "healthy conflict." Last Friday when he benched a handful of players against the woeful Charlotte Bobcats it was not "rest" but "maintenance."
With his team in the midst of a months-long struggle in key road games and just generally thrashing around in search of momentum as the playoffs creep closer, Spoelstra admitted his team had "a level of healthy concern." Prefaced that this healthy concern was "not a panic, not a worry."
Call it whatever you want, the Heat were in dire need some something to feel good about. They got that Sunday with a quality road victory over the New York Knicks 93-85. The Southeast Division title came with it, although that was hardly what the Heat were thinking about after the game.
It was the first time the Heat had beaten a team with a winning record on the road since March 16, when they won in Philadelphia. Losses in Oklahoma City, Indiana, Boston and Chicago have come since then. Considering the Knicks had won their past nine games at Madison Square Garden, the argument could be made that Sunday's win, which took the Heat coming from behind in the fourth quarter, was the team's most legitimate road victory since back on Feb. 14 at Indiana.
"It came at a good time for us," said Dwyane Wade, who scored eight of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to help his team finish the game off. "We were struggling to play a complete game on the road and what better place to come in and focus than here. This team has been playing well and they can embarrass you if you don't play your game."
Beating the Knicks, who slipped behind the Philadelphia 76ers to the No. 8 seed with the loss, may not send the Heat back to title favorite position. But call it a "healthy market correction" after late-game problems undercut their chances to win in Chicago last Thursday and left the Heat openly questioning their heading.
The Knicks were ahead with eight minutes to play and Carmelo Anthony already had 39 points. J.R. Smith, who nailed four 3-pointers and had 16 points, was victimizing the Heat's famously problematic 3-point defense and posing for the crowd. Things looked like they were headed for an "unhealthy repetition" for the Heat.
But then LeBron James came into the game and was able to effectively keep Anthony in front of him without double-team help, which lessened the Knicks' 3-point risk, and the Heat got some baskets in the half court against a Knicks defense that became limited when Tyson Chandler tweaked his knee in the third quarter.
Anthony went scoreless for six minutes with James on him and ended up just 1-of-4 for three points after James began guarding him down the stretch. He still had 42 points, the most the Heat have allowed to an opponent this year, but as the Knicks' only real offensive option, the game turned once he was neutralized.
"We got some defensive stops and made a few plays, and weren't able to close it out in Chicago," said James, who had 29 points and 10 rebounds. "Tonight we were able to execute, it was a big road win for us."
Chris Bosh had his first double-double since Feb. 21, a span of 22 games, with 16 points and 14 rebounds. He had three key baskets early in the fourth quarter when the Heat were struggling to convert.
Led by that Bosh effort, the Heat, who hadn't won the rebounding battle on the road against a team with a winning record since that Valentine's Day win in Indiana, outrebounded the Knicks by 14.
"To me that's not a team that should necessarily out rebound you," grumbled Chandler, who had just five rebounds after being on a streak of seven straight double-figure rebound games.
Neither team was ready to put too much emphasis on the outcome. Anthony said: "We feel very confident against anybody right now, our confidence is sky high."
Meanwhile, Spoelstra echoed his team's not so subtle relief but was quickly back in a mode of qualifying things. In this case he didn't need fancy verbiage, he called it like it was. The Heat aren't out of the woods but they left an arena on a bus with smiles for the first time in recent memory.
"It means something about us and how we've been playing on the road as of late," Spoelstra said. "We wanted to do a better job of it and the only way you can do it is show up and collectively do it better. … It was a step forward. We won't make it more than what it is, all it is is just one step for us to work on our mental toughness."
NBA Writer Brian Windhorst
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Dimes past: April 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12-13 | 13-14
2. Around The Association
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86 | Recap | Box score |
101 |  |
MVP: George Karl. Luis Scola was having his way early on against single coverage. When the Nuggets' coach began throwing double teams his way, the Rockets couldn't respond. The game completely unraveled.
LVP: On a night when Marcus Camby was lost at halftime (strained back), Patrick Patterson had just one point and one rebound at the five-minute mark of the fourth when things still mattered.
That was … familiar: Like it did Friday night, Houston completely fell apart in the third quarter, getting routed by a team chasing them in the standings.
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75 | Recap | Box score |
88 |  |
MVP: Carl Landry (16 points on 10 shots, 11 boards, 26 minutes) and Eric Gordon (18 points on 9 shots) provided the offense to an otherwise subpar Hornets offense.
Defining moment: Tom and Gayle Benson were introduced as the new owners of the Hornets in the first quarter. They received loud applause from the smallish crowd. "We'll fix it," Benson remarked in regard to attendance.
That was … potentially serious: Marc Gasol took a hard shot with about seven minutes left in the third quarter. He was helped to the bench by teammates, and went to the locker room after missing a free throw.
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100 | Recap | Box score |
94 |  |
MVP: Joakim Noah was a beast among men -- 20 points, 8-for-15 shooting, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal and a plus-minus score of +20. Most amazing were his 13 offensive rebounds. He saved the Bulls from a bad loss by keeping possessions alive.
LVP: Rodney Stuckey was Detroit's MVP with a game-high 32 points and an astounding 18 free throw attempts. Unfortunately, he also earned LVP honors by missing two free throws in the final 16 seconds. Had he made one of them, the Pistons probably would have won the game. Instead, they lost in overtime.
Defining moment: Despite having a sloppy game plagued by airballs and turnovers, Derrick Rose nailed a 3-pointer with six seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
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102 | Recap | Box score |
86 |  |
MVP: DeMar DeRozan took advantage of mismatches all game long. His 25 points on 13 shots were an example of recognizing the situation, making a quick decision to get in scoring position before help could arrive, and converting the opportunities.
X factor: Alan Anderson, one of three Raptors in the final day of a 10-day contract, was even more efficient than DeRozan, albeit in a supporting role. Anderson's four-point play 65 seconds into the game, set the tone. The Raptors were aggressive and the Hawks slow to react for the better part of 48 minutes.
That was … a coaching clinic: Collectively, the Raptors had little immediate incentive to play hard. Individually, several of the players had reason to get theirs, ignoring the team context. Dwane Casey had the short-handed Raptors executing a sound defensive game plan (let the Hawks express their jump-shooting nature early and often) and playing within themselves offensively.
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100 | Recap | Box score |
84 |  |
MVP: With the Cavaliers offering no resistance at the rim defensively, Jameer Nelson took advantage with a myriad of layups off the dribble. That helped fuel an efficient performance on offense from Nelson (21 points on 8-for-14 shooting).
Defining moment: With a win against the Cavaliers, despite no Dwight Howard, no Hedo Turkoglu, and Glen Davis leaving the game early due to injury (hyperextended right knee), the Magic clinched a playoff spot in the East.
X factor: Speaking of Davis, his injury forced rarely-used Daniel Orton to fill in for him at center. Playing extended minutes for the first time in his career, Orton did some nice things (11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 blocks).
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103 | Recap | Box score |
104 |  |
MVP: DeMarcus Cousins was absolutely unstoppable throughout the second half, using beautiful baseline spins, tough drop steps, and little baby hooks to torment the Blazers' defense. Cousins finished the game with 23 points and 7 rebounds on 11-for-18 shooting.
Defining moment: Just moments after Wesley Matthews had hit a tough step-back 3-pointer to take the lead, Marcus Thornton knocked down a game-winning step back fadeaway from the elbow. What a fun ending.
That was … scorching hot: In the third quarter Matthews caught fire, nailing five 3-pointers, including one in the corner falling into the Kings' bench. He scored 19 points in the quarter and finished the game with 31.
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94 | Recap | Box score |
82 |  |
MVP: It was sloppy (eight turnovers) but with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen all out of action, Rajon Rondo played 42 minutes and created almost all of Boston's offense on the way to 20 points, 16 assists and 6 rebounds.
That was … bleak. Charlotte dropped its 16th game in a row despite playing relatively well on the offensive end. Right now, this group of Anthony Davis-aspirants just doesn't have enough talent to do anything but tank.
X factor: Avery Bradley came within one point of tying his career-high with 22 points on an efficient 9-for-14 shooting line. He's fast emerging as a shooter and a scorer.
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108 | Recap | Box score |
112 |  |
MVP: While many players stepped up, Ramon Sessions had a great game. His 22 points were second highest on the Lakers and he also chipped in five assists. His five points down the stretch of regulation were major in this game as they gave the Lakers the cushion they'd need to even force OT in a back-and-forth game where no one could gain separation.
X factor: Jason Terry was excellent for the Mavs. His 21 points were huge off the bench and his 5-for-6 3-point shooting kept the Mavs in the game as he consistently sank big shot after big shot to give his team a chance down the stretch.
That was … pure entertainment. As if an overtime game between two teams fighting for playoff seeding wasn't enough, the extra frame was littered with big shots and key defensive stops. Pau Gasol hit two 3-pointers in the extra frame while Dirk Nowitzki and Terry kept pace with triples of their own. But down the stretch it was the Lakers' D that tightened, holding the Mavs to no field goals and only four points in the final 3:18 of the game.
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93 | Recap | Box score |
85 |  |
MVP: LeBron James had an impressive stat line with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. But his most valuable contribution might have been his defense on Carmelo Anthony in the fourth quarter. Over the game's last eight minutes, Anthony was just 1-of-5 shooting and scored just three of his 42 points.
LVP: Baron Davis didn't look like he was feeling too limber Sunday afternoon. He was just 1-of-6 shooting and have five turnovers against four assists. His inability to get penetration often left the Knicks relying on Anthony isolations.
X factor: Chris Bosh's rebounding. You would think this would be more of a constant but it hasn't been this season. Bosh had his first double-double in 22 games with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Heat won a rebound battle in the road for the first time since March 23.
3. Sunday's Best
Carmelo Anthony, Knicks: Big effort (42 points, nine rebounds and five assists) in the 93-85 loss to Miami. Had one of the Heat's big three faltered, Melo's magic just might have been enough to carry the Knicks.
4. Sunday's Worst
The ever-non-trustable Hawks: Ah, they didn't want that No. 3 seed anyway. Much credit to the Raps using three guys on 10-day contracts to play hungry. Not much credit to the Hawks for losing by 16 to visiting Toronto.
8. Bloodied But Unbowed
Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE
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