After breathing a great sigh of relief with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat will face the Memphis Grizzlies. The last time these two teams met was all the way back in November. Of course the game ended with Rudy Gay sinking a game winner over Lebron James at the buzzer.
Today, the Heat will seek revenge against Memphis. As this time they will have a healthy Dwyane Wade, who was unable to play in their November meeting.
Currently the 8th seed in the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies do possess some matchup problems for the Miami Heat. Zach Randolph has always been a problem for the Heat. At 6’9” 260, he is a good scorer who can rebound and is one of only four players in the NBA avergaing 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. He will be a tough cover for Chris Bosh who gives up about 30 pounds covering Randolph.
Marc Gasol will be another difficult matchup for the Heat. The Spanish center is 7’1” and has the length and quickness to be effective against the likes of Eric Dampier and Zyndrunas Ilgauskas.
Mike Conley has improved as a point guard this season, and could prove to be a tough cover for Mike Bibby, which means Mario Chalmers could see more minutes in this game.
Despite all these potential matchup problems, the Heat can take solice in that the Grizzlies will be without their best player in Rudy Gay who is out with a shoulder injury. Sam Young will start in his place.
With Gay out, it leaves the Grizzlies pretty thin on the perimeter to account for James and Wade. Look for both of them to be aggressive throughout the game. I expect both of them to attack the basket in an attempt to draw fouls and get much needed scoring in the paint.
The Heat will need to be more effective on the glass in this game, as they were badly out rebounded in their last meeting with Memphis. It is important that Miami limit Randolph’s second chance scoring opportunities at the basket. This will require playing big with Dampier or Ilgauskas on the court, much like they did against Los Angeles.
Should this game be close, look for Dwyane Wade to be the closer once again in the 4th quarter. He was great against Los Angeles at the end of the game. Converting 4 of 5 shots and getting to the rim with some help from Lebron James, who set some great screens to spring him.
Miami should win this game, considering they are more talented and the home team. But as we have seen before this season, teams that can rebound and score inside warrant legitimate concerns for the Miami Heat.