I mentioned in the previous thread that Shaq struggled in Game 2 like never before just to get up & and down the court. Apparently his injury is worst than anyone thought. He should be back for game 4. The Heat need Shaq if they are going to contend for the title. Zo will start in his place, which means he must be careful on the defensive end and not pick up quick fouls. Doleac will come off the bench. Expect D-Wade to have a monster game if Miami is to Win Game 3. * This is Shaq first missed Playoff Game of his Career! *
Game 3 I was getting ready to post this. You beat me to it heatfan. I'm looking for Wade and Damon Jones to come up big tonight. Alonzo will also be tested tonight. I'm interested in seeing if he can play big minutes while being effective. I'm looking for Alonzo to play with great intensity tonight. BTW, this is Zo's 43rd all time postseason starts with the Heat. (A franchise record.) I originally thought that the Wizards would win at least one game and it looks like it will happen. Wade and co. will put forth a great effort tonight but Washington will get this game. (I hope I'm wrong. Go Heat!)
Wow we're seeing vintage Zo in this game. 14-13-3 in just 30 + minutes right now. Who needs Shaq when you got Zo? The Heat hold the lead by 3 right now, 102-95 with over a 55 secs left. Wade is having a big game right now and Haslem has been making big plays all quarter left. Hopefully the Heat can take the 3-0 lead. Very exciting game btw. --- 102-95 Victory for the Heat. Game was closer than the score indicates. I can't say enough about the bigs for the Heat. Zo was the Zo of '98, Haslem was a beast and Doleac chipped in with his banging. Haslem made some huge plays late in the 4th. This is definitely a good sign, as they showed that they can play without Shaq, and win on the road. Wade with another huge game - 32/9/6 but with 8 TO's. Obviously he had to handle the ball much more without Shaq downlow, and he got more pressure than usual, so you would expect a little bit more turnovers. A few sloppy passes at times, but not a big concern. He was a beast, like Haslem, tonight, he even chipped in with 2 blocks (1 nasty one). This game means a lot because now the Heat are up 3-0 in the series, and they can be more cautious about Shaq's status in Game 4. Hope for the same outcome next game.
Miami is really lucky they got Alonzo Mourning though because Doleac starting at center would definately not have had the same effect. How good is Wade? He had a masssive amount of turnovers in the first half, but he just played so well, and he basically had all of the teams turnovers anyways . Then again, how good is Arenas? 14 assists, 20 points, and though he didn't shoot too well, he had a great game today. Took too many three's though which was not a good thing. The Wizards played well, but really they just couldn't get it down defensively. The offense was fine, Dixon gave a big performance, so did Haywood, and Jamison and Hughes played very well, but the defense wasn't there for the whole game. They made some great defensive plays, but just couldn't hold it together for the whole 48 minutes defensively.
yea.. yeah u'll c wait till it become crunch time..shaq will post up numbers.. he paces himself all season when when it is playoff time he does it big.. he is superman.. although his sore tigh is a real bitch but he hasn been pushed these playoffs miami has not even lost one game... u wait shaq will be back peace hame
Dwayne Wade scored 19 of his 31 points in the second half to lead the Miami Heat to a 102-95 win over the Washington Wizards. The Heat now has a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Wizards. Alonzo Mourning started in place of the injured Shaquille O'Neal and racked up 14 points and 13 rebounds as Miami moved one game away from reaching its first Eastern Conference final since 1997. Eddie Jones and Damon Jones each netted 16 points to help the team.
Shaq <div class="quote_poster">Quoting slamnjam:</div><div class="quote_post">Dwayne Wade scored 19 of his 31 points in the second half to lead the Miami Heat to a 102-95 win over the Washington Wizards. The Heat now has a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Wizards. Alonzo Mourning started in place of the injured Shaquille O'Neal and racked up 14 points and 13 rebounds as Miami moved one game away from reaching its first Eastern Conference final since 1997. Eddie Jones and Damon Jones each netted 16 points to help the team.</div> man shaq is gonna dominate trust me....
Udonis Haslem was just a beast in the final quarter. Grabbing boards, making hustle plays and even hitting a big shot. Everyone from Miami contributed in this victory while the Wizards just shot themselves in the foot. They were just killing the Heat when they were driving the rock inside but for the final few minutes they just shot jumpers. Horrible. Shot selection is key in the playoffs and the Wizards are very poor at it. This Miami Heat win just proves the fact that they have a great coaching system and solid team players.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting ilovedani:</div><div class="quote_post">yeah u'll c wait till it become crunch time..shaq will post up numbers.. he paces himself all season when when it is playoff time he does it big.. he is superman.. although his sore tigh is a real bitch but he hasn been pushed these playoffs miami has not even lost one game... u wait shaq will be back peace hame</div> Against the Pistons? Remember a healthy Shaq could not put together consecutive dominating games through out the playoffs last year. Shaq also got outworked by Wallace and Wallace. He looked terrible in Game 2 against the Wiz, and this thigh injury appears to be much more than just a bruise. He got injured on the 17th of April, it does not take a month for a bruise to heal. Is it possible has a minor fracture? Despite the Shaq debate, amazing performance by Zo and Wade last night. They are now 6-3 without Shaq this season, and they didn't lose any confidence with Shaq out of the game. Last night had to break the Wiz, who couldn't even beat Miami without their best player.
