Miami Heat 99, Houston Rockets 66

Dwyane Wade is the NBA’s testament to physiognomy.  We can’t tolerate failure; his visage alone dictates success.  Despite the ring, we sympathize with his plight.  Dwyane Wade shouldn’t be losing.  It’s unthinkable.  Where can we send him?  Who can we bring to his aid?

Dwyane Wade is inverted contrast.  He explodes off the move yet finishes in slow motion; he fakes his right wrist left before going to his right.

Dwyane Wade will breeze to the hoop before laying it in underhanded.  Sometimes he takes a giant step before turning his body, scooping it in off the left side of the glass with his right hand.  Always a pause on that step.  He finishes in slow motion.

Other guards cross over by extending the ball outward in the arm that is holding it and then switching to the other hand.  Wade contrasts this, either turning his right wrist left before going right, or turning it right, and then extending it across his body to go left.

Contrast.  We’re not used to seeing it that way – that’s why it’s so damn appealing.

More than any of the league’s other young stars, Wade is running out of time.  His body can’t allow him to continue like this.  We want to see him in Chicago with Rose.  We want to see him return to Miami, but with James.  We just want to see him succeed.  We can’t tolerate such a plight – not for Dwyane Wade.  It shouldn’t happen.

Miami Heat 99, Houston Rockets 66

There isn’t much to say about this one as the Houston Rockets were manhandled from the second quarter onward, shooting only 30% overall.  Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry combined to go 7-26 from the floor for only 21 points while no one else did much of anything in support.  Just an ugly, ugly game.

Carl Landry started at the ‘3’, but, much to my chagrin, was yanked from this role at half-time with Adelman opting to return to a traditional lineup.

Landry and the Rockets dominated inside early on, with the Heat announcers exclaiming at some points that it was simply “too easy inside for Houston.”  Carl drew two early fouls on Richardson and seemed to be too much for Miami, while Chuck Hayes snared nine first quarter boards.

I had hoped for today’s discussion to pertain to Landry at the ‘3’, so naturally, I was upset about Adelman’s halftime decision.  For what it’s worth, I don’t think Carl is suited for the ‘3’ – he would be too slow defensively, and more importantly, there would be little individual offensive advantage gained as he is already destroying power forward competition.  However, considering our current ‘experiment’ (Trevor Ariza USG% of 23), I don’t see the harm in pushing the limits with our best player and discerning the extent of his capabilities.    Due to his defensive rebounding woes, it could have been, down the line, that a team featuring Carl next to a traditional ‘4’ might have been the best option for the team.  But I digress.

The Houston Rockets enter the break at 27-24, losers of their last two, and sitting ninth in the West.  Things have really fallen apart for the good guys here in this final stretch as they have gone just 4-6 in their last ten.  Depressing considering their torrid, unlikely start to the year.