All eyes were on the state of Florida tonight. The Magic visited Miami, and the Heat were obvious favourites. The Heat jumped to a 24-point lead (which even non-basketball folk would know is a lot and would most likely guarantee an increase in the win column); but the Magic did not just roll over and give in. The Magic, led by Jason Richardson, hit 16 3-pointers in one of the most historic comebacks.
Two statements were made with tonight’s game: Orlando is ready for anyone and will play for 48 minutes, no matter what the score; and that the Heat will face trouble in playoffs. The Heat, at the start of the season, were favourites to win the championship. It has become clear since then that this is not the case. They are a contenders, no doubt, but are no longer favourites. They have not won a significant number of games against worthy opponents and have a tendency to choke, which was proved tonight. Miami clearly has issues at the point guard and center spots. They need to adjust their roster and have a consistent line-up.
The Heat will play the Spurs, Lakers and Bulls in the next week or so and will have a chance to prove themselves. The Spurs are Parker-less, and so the Heat should win that game. The streaking Lakers should be a good test for them and the game against Bulls may be a playoff preview. The Heat have their work cut out for them. If they want to live up to their expectations, they need to come together as a cohesive unit and figure out what their problems are. This is a bad time to lose to your biggest competition.
On the other hand, the Magic should use this momentum in their coming games and attempt to start a streak going into the playoffs. Once you get into the playoffs, nothing matters. Anything can happen come playoff time. Jason Richardson, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and co. are playing very well together. They need to keep this up if they want to have a shot at reaching the Finals again.
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