The bucket capped a 32-point night for the captain, his highest-scoring game since January 29, a vintage Pierce performance. It came on a night in which it was sorely needed, too, a night in which Kendrick Perkins went scoreless and the Boston bench was outscored by the Miami reserves 39-10. Perhaps for that reason, or perhaps because he saw the opportunity to step Miami's throat, Doc Rivers played Pierce and Rajon Rondo nearly 44 minutes apiece and Ray Allen nearly 38. Ray hit four threes on his way to 25 points, while Rondo led the team in scoring in the first half and finished with 17/5/8.
Rondo also contributed two huge plays in the second half, the kind of plays that make a difference in a two-point ballgame. At the end of the third quarter, with the Heat trying to execute a two-for-one, Rondo rebounded a Pierce miss, preserving the last possession of the quarter for the Cs, on which Pierce promptly dropped in a three. That might have gone unnoticed had Rondo not done the exact same thing with the score tied at 95 with less than two minutes to go.
I'd caution you to read as little into this as possible, but I have to say that at no point on Friday did I think we were going to lose, even as a double-digit lead slipped away in the fourth quarter. That's a feeling I had often about the 2008 championship team, but one that I haven't had about this year's squad, which has made a habit of blowing big second-half leads. By no means am I saying that this club is as good as that one was or that it's headed for a title, but ... well, it's just an observation.
At the same time, Boston got a bit lucky. Miami had the ball with the score tied at 98, and ran a 1-4 set with Wade isolated at the top of the key, working on Ray Allen. In my estimation, in that particular situation, Wade gets a bucket or gets to the line something approaching 75% of the time there if he goes to the bucket. The officials love bailing out superstars in that situation, and Wade is one of their favorites. Instead of dropping his shoulder and going to the hole, Wade -- a 30% shooter from behind the arc who was perhaps buoyed by the three bombs he dropped in the third quarter -- pulled up for a 26-footer, missing, and landing on Allen's ankle in the process.
Given the opportunity to make sure it took the last shot of the game, Boston did just that, as Pierce dribbled the clock down. Miami had a foul to give, but didn't give it because, according to coach Erik Spoelstra, it's not part of their defensive philosophy. Ah, a defensive philosophy that does not include maximizing your chances of winning! Savvy.
In all seriousness, while I think giving a foul in most situations is overrated, you simply have to give it there. Instead of having to re-inbound the ball with a few seconds left, Pierce was able to keep his rhythm, get to his spot, and drain the game-winner over Dorell Wright -- who moments earlier, I delight in telling you, had some words for the Boston bench after draining a three to tie the game at 98.
Boston goes for the sweep Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern on ABC.
No comments:
Post a Comment