8:23 - Alright, let's get back in this thing right quick. We can beat the Heat, I swear it! Hawks have the ball to start the third, let's see what we do...Smoove gets bailed out on a running hook, putting him at the line. I didn't realize this, but Shaq just picked up his fourth foul right there. We have to take advantage. Josh hits one of two, and its back to ten, 47-37.
8:24 - Zaza Pachulia just hit one of his patented "How did that shot go in?" lay-ups. He is good for at least one or two of those a game. Very high degree-of-difficulty. Marvin gets a steal, the layup is blocked by 'Toine, but AJ is there for the putback...oops! He misses, but J-Chill is there to clean it up. On the other end Udonis Haslem travels, giving it back to the Hawks...and Marvin absolutely abuses him on the other end, giving him a series of fakes before driving baseline on him for a dunk. A pretty sweet move by Marv, who now has 11 points and 9 rebounds. Roose thinks he is on the verge of his first-ever back-to-back double doubles, but we will find out for sure. Another Hawks rebound and a kickout to Josh Smith, who nails a three (for the record, I don't mind him shooting from anywhere on the court if he is in a set position to shoot - I just don't think he should be doing it off the dribble at this stage in his career) to give him 17 points for the game. The Heat take a timeout, and the Hawks have done exactly what they needed to do to start the second half, cutting it to three at 49-46 Miami.
8:31 - This is the difference between a veteran team like Miami and a young team like Atlanta. The Heat come out of the timeout and get three easy baskets to run the lead back to nine points, forcing us to call a timeout of our own. It's the subtle differences like this that players learn as time goes on in this league - how to maintain intensity. You can't let your guard down for even a minute, or your opponent (especially a team - let's face it - as old as the Heat. Incidentally, during the timeout the video board showed the crowd favorite Kiss Cam, and at the end of it they always like to focus on two players from the opposing team. Of course they zeroed in on Shaq, who is always happy to oblige the fans, as he responded by lovingly running his hands through teammate Chris Quinn's hair. Have I mentioned how much I love Shaq? He has pretty much attained Most Favored Athlete status in my book after his breakdancing performance over All-Star Weekend.
8:38 - Zaza hits one of two from the line, and we are now 5-11 from the foul line - meanwhile Jason Williams buries another long three, and it's back to a twelve point deficit, 60-48. Every time the Heat need a basket so far, they are getting it.
8:40 - Zaza picks up his fourth foul, which sends him to the bench. It's a small lineup out on the court for the Hawks now, with T-Lue, Marvin, Chill, Josh Smith, and Shelden. Another turnover, another bucket by Miami, and it's 62-50 Miami. Timeout, Atlanta.
8:44 - In playoff-related games, Indy is beating San Antonio early while Orlando trails Toronto midway through the third. The Heat get a turnover, and we see a rarely-called offensive foul but count the basket for Miami. J-Will gets the basket, but Haslem picks up his fourth foul. He and Shaq are both now out. We have GOT to take advantage. Salim hits a pair of free throws, and it's 64-52 Heat.
8:49 - There is a curse on us at the line tonight. Seriously, someone has to have jinxed us. Chill hits one of two and we are now 8-16, and trailing 67-53. Shelden plays some pretty solid defense on a patented Antoine Walker venture into the paint, and Salim gets fouled and hits two. If only he could be the only person fouled for us the rest of the game, that would be nice. Hey! The refs hear my prayers, as Salim gets fouled by Michael Doleac going for a rebound. He's hit four straight, and it's now back to ten points, 69-59 at the end of three. Stoudamire, though he hasn't played a ton of minutes this season, I think it pretty crucial to the Hawks success in Joe's absence. He can catch fire at any time, and I really think he will have another scoring explosion like in last year's Hornets game (24 points in the 4th quarter in that one) before his tenure is done here.
