Heat-Pistons Game, What a Birthday Present!

This past Wednesday, March 23rd I had the pleasure of attending the Detroit Pistons vs Miami Heat game at the Palace of Auburn Hills with Marilynn.  She purchased us tickets to the game as a birthday present to me, and damn was it a treat! 

Although Howard didn't play, he
seemed to be in high spirits!

We got to the Palace @ approximately 6 pm right when the doors opened, Marilynn sporting her LeBron shirt, while I rocked the D-Wade gear.  We were really eager to get to our seats, as Marilynn came through big time and got us tickets in the sixth row from the floor!  Considering I had never been that close to the floor at a sporting event before (Okemos High School basketball games don't count) I was quite excited.  We get down to our seats, and we had an excellent view of the Miami Heat bench.  Perfect! I would have the chance to see, in person, how much Chris Bosh resembles a dinosaur!  As we settle in we get to see Juwan Howard warming up, and even though he hasn't made an impact in the NBA since I was in middle school, I appreciate what he has done for the game as an alumnus of my Michigan Wolverines and as a member of the Fab Five.  Howard greeted every player on both teams like they were an old friend, and mingled with Pistons staff.  Clearly he is well-liked around the league and knows a plethora of people considering he has been playing in the NBA since 1994!

Around 7:15 the Heat come out to warm up.  Marilynn's favorite player is LeBron James, so naturally she was really geeked to seem him play and just observe his mannerisms from up close.  James was all fun & games during warm up, and the Heat looked like they have truly bonded as a team.  On another note, LeBron and Dwyane Wade look a lot more muscular on television. Up close LeBron's legs didn't look as thick or powerful as I expected. Following the warm-up, the crowd proceeded to boo LeBron during pregame introductions.  I understand that LeBron is a pretty polarizing figure, but shouldn't Pistons fans be happy that he isn't playing for Cleveland anymore?  The Cavaliers are one of the Piston's rivals, thus the Pistons should be content that they can beat up on the Cavs again for the first time since 2003. 

The game itself was really enjoyable!  The Pistons shot over 50% from the field up until the fourth quarter, when the Heat seemed to focus more on their defense.  The Heat ended up winning 100-94, starting the fourth quarter on a 15-0 and never relinquishing their lead, and you can find the box score here. Below are some quick observations and analyses from the game:

(1) Greg Monroe is a budding star: Yes, this comment may be a bit premature, but take a look at his stat line from this game and his statistics since the All-Star break.

Expect big things in the future from
Rookie Greg Monroe

March 23rd vs Miami Heat: 35 min, 14 pts, 12 rbs (5 orbs), 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 to, +/- = +9
Averages in March: 32.3 mpg, 13.4 ppg, .573 fg%, 9.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.8 stlpg

Monroe has been very productive since taking over for Ben Wallace, and his statistics don't support how well he played against Miami wednesday night.  Monroe was dominant on the boards due to his superior athleticism and positioning.  Expect him to develop into one of the best centers in the Eastern Conference over the upcoming year's.

(2) The Heatles can coexist peacefully: there seems to be an equal distribution of plays ran for each player, and all three are above-average passers for their position.  I was particularly impressed with Chris Bosh's vision and agility in this game.  He has really quick post moves and his mid-range jumper is excellent for a player his size.  What Bosh gives up on the boards he more then makes up for with his passing and shooting.  Marilynn did point out that he looks more awkward up close then on the television, an assertion I agree with, but clearly he knows his role in the Miami Heat offense.  Wade and LeBron seemed to fade in and out of the game, as the motion in the Heat offense isn't the most effective.  Sometimes you could predict which of them would take it to the whole, but regardless of who did obviously both are great at drawing double-teams and getting fouled.  Once the motion in the Heat offense improves, both LeBron and Wade could get more open looks. 

(3) Rip still has it, and Stuckey sucks!:  Richard Hamilton provided the Pistons with the shooting touch they were looking for when they signed Tracy McGrady.  Playing McGrady at the point forced the Heat to put their smallest defender on Hamilton, who capitalized on some open looks on the baseline.  As weird as it seemed that the Pistons most effective lineup was McGrady-Hamilton-Prince-Monroe-Wilcox, with no true ballhandler in the game, it seemed to work well on both ends of the floor.  Also, Rodney Stuckey IS NOT the answer at Point Guard for the Pistons.  Not only was he boo'd, but also his shot selection was suspect.  At times he made some flashy plays, but at other moments he looked lost or stuck, hehe. 

Look at these
little ballers!

(4) LeBron's kids are really cute: LeBron's fiancee and kids had courtside seats next to the Heat bench for this game.  During timeouts LeBron would sometimes go over to talk with his children, and after the game his kids starting running around the floor.  Both Marilynn and I wonder if they know how famous their father is, but they really seemed to enjoy themselves!

Overall, it was a great game to watch and a great experience.  The Pistons kept up with the Heat for most of the game, which I did not expect.  Most of all, it was a great birthday gift to me, and my girlfriend got to see her favorite athlete up-close.  Can the Heat progress to the point that they can compete with the Bulls and the Celtics come playoff time? I am excited to find out!