Magic vs. Heat: Highlights, Twitter Reaction, Grades and Analysis
The Sunshine State was the NBA capital of the night on Sunday and the two teams did not disappoint.
In the Miami Heat’s 91-81 win over the Orlando Magic, it took a 14-point fourth quarter from Dwyane Wade and two key steals from LeBron James to seal the deal.
The Heat jumped out to a 14-point lead in the first half and looked to be on cruise control, but a strong comeback in the third quarter tied up the game and it looked as if the Magic had all of the momentum.
The Heat out-rebounded the Magic 42-36 while forcing Orlando into 18 turnovers (compared to only 13 for Miami).
The win puts the Heat at 33-11 on the season and 2.5 games back from the Chicago Bulls for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The loss drops Orlando to 29-17, five games behind the Heat and 7.5 games behind the Bulls.
The Heat have now won a season-high 13 straight games.
Twitter Reaction:
As always, LeBron was the main focus on Twitter for multiple difference reasons.
He had an odd wardrobe choice that the Bill Walton Trip had to point out:
"Wait a minute. Is LeBron wearing TWO head bands tonight? Oh, the hilarity.
— The Bill Walton Trip (@NotBillWalton) March 19, 2012"
His headband choices may have been odd, but I’m pretty sure his fans cared more about the incredible achievement he registered in the third quarter as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst points out:
"LeBron with 400th straight double figure scoring game, 9th-longest streak in NBA history.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) March 19, 2012"
And to no one’s surprise, ESPN's Skip Bayless took the time to praise D-Wade while ripping LeBron in the span of 140 characters:
"AGAIN: The Heat will go as far as DWade carries them. DWade>LeBron. Batman>Robin. One owns 4th quarters, other owned BY them.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 19, 2012"
Grades:
Chris Bosh- A-
The Heat are 15-4 this season when Bosh scores 20 or more points. He went for 23 last night and also grabbed seven rebounds. It was his best game in a long time and that’s great news for a team that’s finally getting healthy.
Bosh is essential for the Heat to make a championship run and Sunday’s performance was gigantic.
LeBron James- C
James has struggled against the Magic this season and Sunday was another example. He shot a wretched 4-of-14 from the floor and finished with a mere 14 points. But in typical James-like fashion he stuffed the stat sheet with 12 rebounds and seven assists.
It seems as if the Magic have the blueprint on keeping James out of the paint and forcing him to settle for long-range jumpers.
The rest of the league should take note.
Dwyane Wade- A
Pretty much your average D-Wade game.
He scored 31 on a somewhat efficient 13-of-25 from the floor while collecting six rebounds and four assists.
He was able to penetrate into the teeth of the Magic defense regularly in the second half to create open looks. The 14 points he scored in the fourth quarter were the biggest difference in the game.
This guy knows how to close.
Dwight Howard- B-
The Magic’s center was his typically intimidating self, grabbing 11 rebounds in addition to his 18 points.
But once again he struggled at the free-throw line, going 4-of-10. His team was outscored by 12 points when he was on the floor as it seemed a Howard-less guard oriented lineup was much more effective.
Hedo Turkoglu- F
This guy is practically worthless at this point.
He scored a whopping two points in 28 minutes of action. He had three turnovers and was a defensive liability yet again.
With the amount of money he is currently making, Turkoglu is essentially robbing the team.
And he’ll be back next year!
Final Thought:
The Magic are just not as talented at the guard position to consistently compete against the Heat’s stars.
Howard can only do so much defensively when Miami players are constantly getting by their defender and forcing him to contest the shot. They need quicker guards. Miami was 21-of-27 from the line while Orlando was a mere 12-of-21.
It’s a problem they needed to address before the trade deadline; they didn’t, and they will eventually get bounced in the playoffs because of it.
As for the Heat, it’s business as usual. They clamped down when it mattered most and gave fans another reason to believe Miami is by far the best team in the Eastern Conference.
