Couldn't go, see or hear it, but judging by the recap it was a good one. We are showing that we can hang with the best in the East, even without Grant. Love: many players in double figures in every game of late. Everybody contributes, great team ball. Worry: Skip keeps clanging the ball in the front of the rim. Any good shooting coach can fix that. recap here: "MIAMI, Feb. 2 (Ticker) -- Even though Chauncey Billups took over in the second half, the Detroit Pistons went to Richard Hamilton on their biggest possession. Billups scored 18 of his 23 points after halftime, but Hamilton buried the go-ahead jumper with 14 seconds remaining as the Pistons posted a 102-100 overtime victory over the Miami Heat. Billups managed just five points in the first half but bounced back in the final 29 minutes. He scored the first four points of overtime to give Detroit a 100-96 edge, but the Heat responded with consecutive baskets to tie it with 34 seconds left. Detroit answered with Hamilton, who came off a double-screen, took a pass from Billups and buried a 12-foot jumper from the left wing. After Miami thought forward Udonis Haslem was fouled driving to the basket, the Heat had to settle for a long jumper from Rafer Alston that bounced high off the front of the rim as time expired. Tayshaun Prince scored a season-high 24 points and Hamilton finished with 17 for the Pistons, who have won four consecutive games and 17 of 20. Eddie Jones had 19 points to lead six players in double figures and Lamar Odom collected 18 and 14 rebounds as Miami had a four-game home winning streak snapped."
Dwyane Wade injured his leg late in the 4th quarter, he limped to the bench and then went back into the locker room. He didn't even get hit or land a certain way or anything, just happened randomly out of the blue. Hopefully it is nothing serious, it will be a real shame if this causes him to be out for another 10+ games like his wrist injury, I hope this isn't a preview of an injury plagued career... We got screwed though, i'm not making excuses for the loss, but we got screwed by a horrible call from Gary Benson with 8 seconds left in OT. Udonis was driving to the hole and got slapped in the wrist causing the ball to go out of bounds, it was a blatant foul, but the refs just ruled that the ball was out of bounds and nothing more. Udonis should have gone to the line for two free throws with the opportunity to once again tie the game up, but we never got that chance and instead had to inbound the ball with 8 seconds left and just couldn't come up with the bucket. I am not saying that we would have won the game or tied it up if the Pistons were given the foul, but Udonis deserved the opportunity to earn his two points at the line and as a result of the extremely poor officiating, that never happened. The entire game was just terribly officiated as well, lot's of BS offensive fouls and blocking fouls against the heat. The Heat played the best possible game they could and played damn good too, they battled their way back from a 13 point deficit to tie the game and send it into OT. I guess the refs were making up for the atrocious call they made against the Pistons when they were playing the T-Wolves a few weeks back . In the first minute or two of OT the Heat just could not sink a shot, lots of rimming out and things like that. If Dwyane Wade played the remainder of the 4th quarter as well as the entire 5 minute OT period, one can only wonder what the result would have been. We did get lucky that Ben Wallace wasn't able to take control of the game though and was held to only 6 points and 12 boards, because if we allowed him to get into his groove I doubt the game would have ever even gone into OT. Caron came up huge with his two clutch free throws in the 4th quarter which tied the game and sent it into OT, but aside from that he played a poor game and at times just seemed oblivious to everything going around him while on defense.
Update on Wade's injury... <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Heat may have again lost rookie guard Dwyane Wade, who sprained his left ankle under the Miami basket with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter and hobbled out of the game. X-rays were negative, and Wade's status was day-to-day. Wade, who missed 13 games with a sprained wrist before returning last week, finished with 17 points and six assists. "You have to wonder what might have happened if Dwyane Wade hadn't gotten hurt," Brown said.</div> http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ors/7859449.htm
I hope Wade is alright... he impresses every time I watch him and he makes me want to watch Miami Heat games. It was a tough loss for the Heat but they are still young. Consider you give these guys some more time together, add a few pieces to this club and you really have a contender. The team seems able to hang with all the elite clubs, and this time gave Detroit a real scare, just to bad they couldnt pull out the win.
The Heat are protesting the call made: <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Heat sent the league office a tape containing Monday's controversial non-call in which TV replays showed Pistons forward Corliss Williamson hacking Haslem across the arms on his way toward a potential tying layup with 8.9 seconds left in overtime. Instead of possibly converting two free throws and forcing a second overtime, Rafer Alston misfired on a long 3-pointer to seal a two-point defeat. "Last night was absolutely blatant," Van Gundy said. "There's not one person who could possibly look at the film and see it any other way. And to be quite honest, there's no way that call could've been missed. It just can't be missed." </div> http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-hea...la-sports-front
