The Heat guard had a field day as he lit up the Celtics in the series opener.
Miami started the series with a win in Game 1 over Boston thanks to a superb performance from Dwayne Wade. After labouring during the regular season against the Celtics, Wade found his game in the opener as he dropped 38 points and committed only two turnovers. Make no mistake, even with the presence of LeBron James and Chris Bosh, this is still Wade's team, and Miami's ultimate success or failure, is still usually directly proportionate to his play.
Wade is the guy that should have the ball in his hands at the end of close games. He's the one that gives Miami the best chance to win and he's the true leader, the one willing to fight, literally, if he has to in making his point. But even with Wade's impressive output, the Heat still needed a playoff career-high, 25-point performance off the bench from James Jones to beat Boston.
But it was Jones foul on Pierce in the fourth quarter that started some fireworks. After being faked off his feet and becoming airborne, James fouled Pierce in the act of shooting and should have, in these eyes, been charged with a flagrant one foul. After getting in Jones "grill" Pierce received a technical as did Jones. Moments later, Pierce received his second technical and was ejected after a verbal jaunt with Wade after the Miami player delivered a left forearm that would have made any member of the Miami Dolphins proud.
Crew chief Danny Crawford spoke to reporters following the game to explain the events in Pierce's confrontations with Jones and Wade. Referees look at a flagrant 1 as "unnecessary" contact. Jones did the right thing in preventing Pierce from making and shot and then having a chance for a three point play, but there is no question he used "unnecessary" force. Pierce deserved his technical and needs to play with more composure as one of Boston's key players.
But officials in general need to use better judgement. Neither Jones nor Wade's fouls were "basketball" plays. Jones foul and those that are committed around the league similar to it on a nightly basis, should be Flagrant 1 Fouls. He was not playing the ball and the force was unnecessary. Jones could have prevented Pierce from getting the shot off by making a play on the ball. Ditto for Wade's play, that also should have been deemed a flagrant foul.
Can we go back to the old definition of what we called an "intentional" foul? In other words, if it's not a basketball play, or one that is not a play on the ball, it's unnecessary and should be deemed a flagrant foul. There is a place for the "hard" foul, but it can escape being charged as a flagrant foul, regardless of force, if a guy is making a play on the ball. Running through a screen is fine, it makes a point, but if the screen is legal, running through it with a forearm should be a flagrant. Right now, the notion of the old time "hard foul" has been totally lost because referees just don't know how to interpret it correctly on a consistent basis.
But expect more in this series. It's for high stakes and we're only one game into it.
So how about those Vancouver, er, Memphis Grizzlies winning Game 1 on the road in Oklahoma City the same way they did in their opening round series against top seeded San Antonio? That was no fluke and in the event you don't believe it, you should as this team is for real.
Lionel Hollins continues to do a great job with the team and while Tom Thibodeau took home Coach of the Year honours on Sunday, it should be noted that Lionel Hollins with one of the NBA's youngest teams did a solid job all season. For the record, Hollins would have been one of my three candidates along with Thibadeau and Philadelphia's Doug Collins.
There has been much talk of Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook's game over the last couple of contests. The simple fact is, Westbrook is one of the "new wave" point guards that can score but has fallen into the trap of doing things because his physical ability allows him to do so. In the opener, Westbrook had a volume scoring day as his 29 points came on 23 field goal attempts (of which he made nine) to go along with seven turnovers.
Hopefully for Oklahoma City fans, he starts to learn the game and deciphers when to go and when make the simple play. Westbrook often plays on the border of being in control, that is due to physical talent, and out of control, trying to do far too much.
Westbrook is young with tremendous ability and a lack of experience. In time, if he's willing to listen, he's going to be even more difficult to contain.
