In three and a half quarters of pure annihilation, the Miami Heat reminded us why they are were the pre season favourites to win it all, completely outplaying the Dallas Mavericks in every aspect of the game.
The opening night can be both a blessing and a curse for the defending champions. We’ve seen teams come out blazing hot and run away with their respective games on the back of the incredible emotion emanating from the pre game raising of the Championship banner. At the same time we’ve seen teams become overwhelmed from the celebration and have been unable to sustain the effort and motivation throughout the 48, taking some of the gloss off what should be a highlight night of each players career.
We certainly saw the latter tonight.
Miami, predictably, came out hot and Wade and LeBron showing their much discussed desire to exploit their superior athleticism and talent in the post.
Dallas were extremely flat throughout the first three quarters, unable to match Miami’s speed and at one point were being outscored 24-0 in fast break points.
On the other side of the ball Miami shot over 57% through the first three quarters and out rebounded Dallas by 20, finishing with 51 total boards. The Heat generated a lot of their scoring from the paint, with 44 points, and at no time throughout the game did they not hold the lead. At one point during the penultimate quarter they held a 35 point lead, largely on the back of the end to end play of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Dallas went on a series of runs in the fourth quarter to cut the lead down to near single digits, greatly exaggerating the closeness of the game. The Mavs looked severely off the space, unsure of each other and a shadow of the team that won their maiden title just a few months ago.
No one told Jason Terry though, who was his usual mind numbingly annoying self, running around trying to pump up the crowd whilst they were down by 3o at home on banner night.
LeBron James finished with a dominating 37 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals in just 36 minutes of game time. Jeff van Gundy mentioned during one of James’ buckets that he produced a move he had never seen him make before. I think there were at least 3 post moves James showed off that we had never seen before. James looked more than comfortable back to the basket and went at every defender Dallas threw at him.
Another positive to come out of the game for LeBron James was his free throw shooting. In the past he’s never had a problem getting to the line, but always had difficulty converting from the charity stripe. His technique and preparation to me was a real part of the reason as to why he was unable to be effective and efficient. James has completely overhauled both of these things and looked much more calm and comfortable at the line. LeBron was 10/13 from the free throw line at half time, finishing 15/19, and that could be another facet of his game to monitor over the course of the season.
Wade played Robin with 26 points but was most effective on the defensive end of the court with a series of blocks and steals. At worst he is a top 2 defensive guard.
The words Chris Bosh and disappointing are more inseparable than Christmas and Pudding, and he did not let us down in that regard today. Bosh was no where to be seen, finishing with just 4 points and 7 rebounds in a wasteful 24 minutes of game time. Bosh added 10-15lbs during the off season and was very critical of his last season, highlighting his lack of aggression and rebounding. If the first game is anything to go by, that hasn’t changed. For the Heat’s sake, he will need him to play significantly better.
Nonetheless it was a largely spotless opening game from Miami and their Big 2, and certainly a bitter sweet night for the defending champion Mavericks.