| Revenge! Authored by Andrew Friedman - May 22, 2006 - 5:28 pm
It’s time for revenge.
For the second consecutive postseason, Miami will clash with the defending Eastern Conference Champion Detroit Pistons. Last season’s disappointing finish in game seven is still fresh in the minds of Heat players, coaches, and fans alike. Miami's team is different from last season. The current roster was built in Pat Riley's sincere vision, 10 years in the making, specifically to take down the Detroit Pistons and win an NBA Championship. This is Miami’s best chance to prove that they are, in fact, not only the better team, but the best team.
Miami needs a complete team effort to topple the Pistons, who are coming off a grueling seven-game series against the LeBron James-led Cavaliers. Miami, meanwhile, has had just under a week to rest. Neither of those factors matter because both teams had better be ready for another intense playoff battle.
The key to winning the series is defense. Detroit’s offense is better than ever, but it can be curbed much like it was last season if Miami’s reserves have anything to say about it. Miami features a bench of defensive specialists including Gary Payton, James Posey and Alonzo Mourning. Each player brings much needed defensive intensity to the team and has an enormous role to take on in containing Detroit’s attack.
The Pistons are often criticized for having a weak bench. That is an extremely inaccurate criticism. Four of Detroit’s starters play at least 37 minutes per game, leaving limited time for any bench players to make their mark. However, the bench players Detroit does use can make significant impacts.
Tony Delk and Lindsey Hunter are both veteran, defensive-minded point guards that can nail open threes. They can give Miami fits on both sides of the court, whether defending Dwyane Wade or taking and making open shots that Miami’s defense tends to give up on occasion. Antonio McDyess, a true example of Detroit’s mind-boggling immunity against basketball-related injuries, can hurt the Heat with his rebounding or his mid-range shot that he has mastered over the years.
Then, there are Detroit’s starters. Chauncey Billups has his late-game decision-making and shooting. Richard Hamilton has his non-stop onslaught of cutting past screens for open shots. Tayshaun Prince has his wingspan longer than a 747 and a frame that soars higher than a dinosaur. Rasheed Wallace has his fearless three-point shot. Ben Wallace has his rebounding, particularly on the offensive glass that Miami needs to make a priority to control.
In the one game Miami won against the Pistons in the regular season, Shaquille O’Neal controlled the game in the first half. Dwyane Wade controlled the game in the second half. Miami won. Both players have the ability to repeat those performances. However, it will take more than only those two to win in the conference finals. Jason Williams has yet to play well in the playoffs, and so far, Miami hasn’t needed him consistently. Against the Pistons, the Heat will need everything they can get, Williams included. Antoine Walker, Udonis Haslem, James Posey and Gary Payton each stepped up in the previous round against the Nets.
Miami will need more of the same from them.
The Heat has a roster loaded with veterans aching for an NBA Championship. These are veterans who Pat Riley himself acquired over the past 10 years, from Shaquille O’Neal to Alonzo Mourning to Gary Payton to Dwyane Wade to Walker, Posey, Williams and the rest. From Riley himself to Ron Rothstein to Bimbo Coles and Keith Askins on the sidelines, each one has something to prove and this is their chance to prove it. Each one has been an integral part of previous Heat eras and each one is still here to make this era the greatest yet.
Riley’s had enough of the disappointments against the Bulls and the Knicks. It is time to succeed. A win in this series would make all of those disappointing years worth it. That’s why Pat Riley is still here.
And why more than 10 years later, Alonzo Mourning is back and as committed as ever. And why the Heat's first-ever coach Ron Rothstein and Heat legends Bimbo Coles and Keith Askins are there. And why Gary Payton signed a minimum contract to play with Miami as a backup. And why Shaquille O'Neal specifically chose to be traded to the Heat.
The window of opportunity can’t get any bigger than it is right now for this Heat team. This series is more than just revenge against the Pistons. All the critics of Pat Riley’s vision since a decade ago are watching too. Miami’s veterans know this. As Riley says, “Each warrior wants to leave the mark of his will, his signature, on important acts he touches. This is not the voice of ego but of the human spirit, rising up and declaring that it has something to contribute to the solution of the hardest problems, no matter how vexing.”
It’s time for revenge, Miami. |
