Miami Heat Go Upstate to Face Orlando Magic
By David Ramil
The Miami Heat are struggling, having lost four of their last five games. But a matchup against a rebuilding in-state rival might be a good opportunity to rekindle their winning ways.
The Heat (now 6-6) have not found a way to replace the contributions of superstar Dwayne Wade. The 12th-year guard has sat out the last four games and will be out against the Magic (6-8). Wade’s passing and efficient scoring have wreaked havoc with offensive flow and with head coach Erik Spoelstra’s substitution patterns. Those rotations will face another blow tonight without Norris Cole, who dislocated a finger in Thursday’s blowout loss to the Clippers.
The immediate impact will be that Shabazz Napier is likely to make the first start of his NBA career, a step that many expected would take place later this season. Napier has looked smooth running the team, has earned playing time in clutch situations and his outside shooting has progressed (5-of-12 in the last two games). With ‘Bazz in the starting lineup and with Mario Chalmers the only available point guard on the roster, look for Shannon Brown to start as well.
Brown played considerable minutes against the Clips, giving a boost to a team that looked flat for most of the night. He hit a 3-pointer and added some nice dunks as well but, as has been the case throughout his career, his defense is a problem. The other option is for Spoelstra to start James Ennis (and have Brown and Chalmers off the bench). Neither option is ideal but this is the reality for a team depleted by injury.
The Magic are improving even as they deal with injury issues of their own. Orlando erased a 23-point deficit against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday with Evan Fournier leading the charge. Fournier, a 6’7″ guard from France, had 21 points and is averaging nearly 18 PPG for the season. His partner in the backcourt, Victor Oladipo, is slowly rebounding into form after missing most of the season with injuries. It’s an interesting matchup for Miami and one that could go either way. If Napier can elude the bigger Oladipo, it favors Miami. Conversely, ‘Dipo and Fournier could easily overpower the duo of Napier and Brown (should he start).
But Orlando’S Nikola Vucevic also spearheads a rebounding advantage over Miami. The Magic’s top rebounder, Vucevic has had big nights on the boards against Miami. Chris Bosh must take advantage of his outside shot in order to draw Vucevic away from the basket. Look for Vucevic to get a lot of second-chance opportunities for the Magic tonight.
As has been the case all season, Miami’s fluctuating lineup will force players to be out of position or to play more minutes than expected. With Ennis possibly starting or playing more guard, Danny Granger or even rookie Andre Dawkins might get more time. Josh McRoberts remains the Heat’s best reserve player but his perimeter shooting has been a problem so far. Orlando’s backup frontcourt isn’t particularly strong but, again, there could be issues in containing Elfrid Payton and Ben Gordon (a longtime Heat nemesis).
Without Wade, this is a team in flux and you don’t know what to expect. But it is a reminder how much this team has changed with what used to be a surefire victory is now a questionable chance to snag a difficult victory.
Tip-off is at 7:30 from the Amway Center.