All Knotted Up

It could only get better for the Heat as they took on the Atlanta Hawks in game two. Jermaine O'Neal, who had a quiet night in game one, came out with energy and knocked down a couple early buckets. During the first quarter, they game was delayed for a minute when the Hawks real life mascot flew on top of the backboard. He was quickly retrieved by his caretaker and the game continued. Both Dwyane Wade and Jermaine O'Neal led the first quarter and put the Heat up by four points going into the second quarter.

It was all Dwyane Wade in the second quarter as the Heat kept a steady pace until the end. Dwyane Wade went off for 13 straight points near the end of the quarter and put Miami up by 13 points. Jamario Moon played all of the second quarter and had two points and six rebounds. His hustle was clearly shown and he was jumping for loose balls, and saving possessions for Miami.

The Hawks got into foul trouble in the third quarter and that made it hard for them to make a comeback. Again, both teams were dialed in from downtown and the Hawks pulled the lead to within 11 points.

The Hawks drew the game to within single digits, but the Heat's bench kept it out of reach as Miami went on to win 108-93. Wade led all scorers with 33 points and has seven dimes. Mike Bibby led the Hawks in scoring with 18, but it was really Josh Smith with 17 points and 10 rebounds who led Atlanta. All five starters for Atlanta finished in double figures. Jermaine O'Neal really picked up his game and finished with 19 points and six rebounds. And finally, my boy, Jamario Moon scored five points, grabbed eight boards, three of them offensive, and played with a tremendous amount of hustle. He missed two free throws down the stretch, but they proved to be unimportant.

It was imperative for Miami to get one game in Atlanta as the Hawks are a good home team. The Heat, with their rejuvenated fans, need to grab both games at home and try snag one back in Atlanta. The now know what it takes to dominate the Hawks. Dwyane Wade stepped up big time for the Heat, but it wasn't just him. Jermaine O'Neal was a big factor in the game as well. One of the biggest factors for Miami was their rebounds. The Heat out rebounded the Hawks by seven. It was also their intensity that got them the win. Jamario was hustling on the glass, and the team collectively played tough. Jamaal Magloire brought some toughness in the 11 minutes he played. All these were big keys in Miami's win and the Heat need to continue that on Saturday.