King Kaufman's Sports Daily
A warm farewell to the Miami Heat passes the time during the Nets-Pistons ice age. Plus: It's hot, it's sexy, it hurts! And: Randy Johnson's perfect game.
May 19, 2004 | Now that the Miami Heat have been eliminated, let's talk about them a little bit, because we're still only about midway through the waiting period between Games 6 and 7 of the Pistons-Nets series. I have had relationships -- good ones, nice ones, with last names learned and everything -- that did not last as long as the wait for Game 7 of the Pistons-Nets series.
Game 7 is Thursday. Game 6 was in the Mesozoic Era. The Pistons were still in Fort Wayne.
I don't think too many people not actually employed by the Heat thought they'd beat the Indiana Pacers, and they didn't, losing the decisive Game 6 at home Tuesday night 73-70. But their two wins in the series stand as the biggest surprise of this playoff year after the Lakers' sudden and complete turnaround against the Spurs. And that's counting the fact that the two wins came at home, where the Heat had won 16 straight coming into the series. The Heat were just outmanned.
But what a nice run for them, considering that 0-7 start, and the way Pat Riley jumped ship at the start of the season. You had to love the great Riley throwing up his hands at this bunch and then rookie coach Stan Van Gundy coming in and leading them to the second round of the playoffs.
By the way, looking at the beefy, unkempt Van Gundy and his prim little brother Jeff, two and a half years younger but successful first in New York and now coaching the Rockets, don't you figure that Stan used to just beat the snot out of Jeff all the time when they were kids?
Anyway, those of us who fell in love with Dwyane Wade last year when he was leading Marquette to the Final Four enjoyed watching him arrive on the NBA main stage by averaging 18 points, four rebounds and 5.6 assists in the playoffs and filling up a highlight reel with spectacular drives and game-winning shots.
Miami is a solid big man and a decent point guard away from being a serious contender. The latter would allow Wade to move to shooting guard, where he'd be even more effective. Being a center and point guard away from serious contention is a little like being a million dollars away from being a millionaire, especially when you're drafting 19th and don't have tons of cap space.
It's always nice to have the Heat around in the playoffs, because their fans tend to be good-looking, and it's good to be able to see some celebrities in the stands without having to watch another Lakers game.