With just 12 points at the half, Dwyane Wade entered the locker room with the Miami Heat down 41-49 against the Washington Wizards. Wade was uncharacteristically missing open jumpers and had sporadic offense throughout the first two quarters.Upon entering the court to start the second half, all that changed.
Wade blew up in the third and fourth quarters by scoring 19 points, totaling 41 points for the night. The Wizards could simply not stop him from taking over the game and creating playing for himself and his teammates.
But don't be fooled. Miami had three other players that scored in double-digits en route to their 6th win of the season. Carlos Arroyo provided an offensive spark off the bench as he put up 10 points and 2 assists in 14:37 minutes of play. Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers recorded 15 points and 13 points respectively, in about 33 minutes of play each.
It seems that a different player steps up every night for the Heat, with Wade being the constant. It is this collective effort that has helped Miami start off their season with a 6-1 record.
Beyond Miami's balanced offense is their hard-nosed defense. The Heat are still ranked as number one in opponent's field goal percentage at 41.5%, as well as three-point field goal percentage (25.7). Their victory against the Denver Nuggets last week proved that Miami is prepared to face even the most prolific offenses in the league.
Give Erik Spoelstra some credit. The players are beginning to believe in him and the culture he is embedding in the Miami Heat brand.
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