Henry Imler March 27th, 2006

Pacers 91 - Heat 96

The Heat continue to peak. After the big let-down in Detroit and
Minnesota a week ago, the Heat have responded well in their last couple
games. They beat down Charlotte and won a great game against a revamped and now healthy Pacers team that took Detroit to the limit a couple of games ago.

Last week’s Pistons-Heat game was a let down, I will admit. In their
defense, I will note that they had their three most important players
hurt in that game. Wade had a sprained wrist, Shaq had a hurt thumb, and Zo tore a leg muscle
in the second quarter. However, besides those games the Heat have been
surging, winning 15 of their 16 games before the setbacks against the
T-Wolves and the Pistons.

Their next five games will be telling. In that stretch, there are three must-win games. They play the Cavs on Saturday, the Nets on Sunday and the Pistons
again next Thursday. I consider those teams and the Pacers the best the
East has to offer. If the Heat go 3-1 or better in last night and those
upcoming games, they will have cemented themselves as one of the best
teams in the NBA. The game that worries me the most is the Nets game.
It is the tail-end of a back to back and the Nets have been knocking
off the heavy hitters lately ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

The
loss of Zo really worries me. He has been playing great lately, filling
in wonderfully with Shaq, having a great offensive impact, 21 points
against the the Wolves, and blocking every shot that comes his way,
batting away 8 shots against the Knicks the day before the Piston’s
game. The Heat will miss his production, his fire, and his toughness,
all things that will be needed in the next five game stretch.

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