So this is the difference Udonis Haslem makes, huh?
It's a shame that the guy has so many near-haters out there. As I've said all along, you can love Michael Beasley without having to bash on Udonis Haslem. Can't we all just get along?
Haslem's jumper with 15 seconds left lifted the Heat to a 102-101 victory over the feisty New Orleans Hornets on Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat snapped a three game skid, with Haslem missing a two of those games with a shoulder strain.
No, it wasn't all about UD. He simply delivered the final dagger on a night when the Heat's balance boosted the team to a much-needed victory. There was another solid effort from Michael Beasley (17 points, nine rebounds), aggressive play from Mario Chalmers (12 points, nine assists, one turnover), an impressive start from Jermaine O'Neal (15 points), who also provided the defense that forced David West to miss in the final seconds.
In other words, an all around effort from the Heat, which squandered an 11-point lead late in the third quarter and trailed 95-91 with six minutes left. Miami needed this one. Really needed this one.
D. WADE'S DOING: He was efficient. Wade's 12 of 21 effort from the field was his most accurate night in weeks. He was aggressive. The 31 points are right where he's supposed to be. It's possible for Wade to score 30 a night and still get plenty of help from his supporting cast. Wade had his stroke from three-point range working. He was 3 of 4 from beyond th arc. He was also effective when the time came to get off the ball. He had three assists, but there were plenty of times when he beat the traps by delivering the pass that set up the assist for open shots. The four fouls were a bit troubling, because Wade hardly gets those. And the four turnovers were a product of facing double and triple team defenses all night.
TURNING POINT: That came with 45.7 seconds left, when Haslem hit the first of his two jumpers to seal the win. That first jumper tied it at 100. He then hit another to provide the final margin. The Heat's defense was also solid. It helps when New Orleans misses shots that it once made to get back into the game. But to hold the Hornets to only one field goal in the final six minutes was huge for the Heat.
