ducks
12-16-2005, 09:36 AM
Miami (13-10) at Philadelphia (12-11)
Miami (13-10) at Philadelphia (12-11)
Preview - Box Score - Recap
Game Info: 8:00 pm EST Fri Dec 16, 2005
TV: ESPN, CSNt Add to Calendar
Buy Tickets
Pat Riley is 2-0 since taking over as coach of the Miami Heat, but more notable is the Heat are 3-0 since center Shaquille O'Neal returned.
The Heat try to keep winning as they play the Philadelphia 76ers.
On Tuesday, Riley replaced Stan Van Gundy, who led the team to an 11-10 start. Miami was leading the Southeast Division at the time of the switch, but critics felt the Heat were underachieving with the talent of O'Neal, Dwyane Wade and a veteran-laden roster designed to win a title now.
O'Neal, though, had missed 19 of the first 21 games with a sprained ankle.
The players already have noticed a difference with Riley, a more offensive-minded coach than Van Gundy.
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"Coach Riley lets us play," said Wade, who had 27 points and seven assists in a 100-83 win Wednesday at Milwaukee. "With this team, that's a little more to our liking. We can freestyle, and if all else fails, we've got Shaq posting up doing his thing. It's been working well the first two games."
O'Neal continued to get into playing shape in his third game back. He logged nearly 25 minutes and totaled 12 points and six rebounds. He has committed 13 fouls in 75 minutes since returning from injury and knows he must show better discipline.
"I was too aggressive and committed too many silly fouls," said O'Neal, who had two quick first-quarter fouls. "Everybody else stepped up and played well."
The Heat are 2-0 on their four-game road trip that finishes Sunday at Cleveland.
The 76ers are coming off a 106-101 win Wednesday over the Atlanta Hawks. Allen Iverson had 39 points and six assists for Philadelphia, which let Atlanta stay close by allowing the Hawks to shoot 49.4 percent from the field.
"We're making it real tough on ourselves," Allen Iverson said. "The positive part is we got the win. That's the ultimate goal, but we've got to finish games a lot better than we've been doing."
Iverson is scoring a league-high 34.0 points per game and is sixth in assists at 7.8 per game. He averaged 41.5 points and 13.0 assists in two home games against the Heat lst season and is averaging 26.5 points and 5.9 assists against them lifetime at home.
The 76ers have won 10 of the last 11 games played in Philadelphia since 2000.
STANDINGS (through Dec. 15): Heat - 1st place, Southeast Division. 76ers - 1st place, Atlantic Division.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Heat - F Udonis Haslem, F James Posey, C O'Neal, G Garry Payton, G Wade. 76ers - F Kyle Korver, F Chris Webber, C Samuel Dalembert, G Andre Iguodala, G Iverson.
TEAM LEADERS: Heat - Wade, 26.7 ppg and 6.9 apg; Mourning and Haslem, 7.9 rpg. 76ers - Iverson, 34.0 ppg and 7.8 apg; Webber, 10.4 rpg.
SEASON SERIES: Heat, 1-0.
LAST MEETING: Nov. 18; Heat 106-96. At Miami, Wade had 32 points, including six dunks, and was one rebound short of a triple-double as the Heat snapped the 76ers six-game winning streak.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Heat - 5-7 on the road; 76ers - 9-4 at home.
Updated on Friday, Dec 16, 2005 6:40 am EST
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Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10
Miami 13-10 1st Southeast / 2nd East 96.5 93.7 Road 5-7 Won 3 6-4
Philadelphia 12-11 1st Atlantic / 3rd East 102.0 101.7 Home 9-4 Won 4 5-5
Miami Notes
Dec 15 With G Jason Williams still sidelined with an injury, G ary payton has been logging heavy minutes at the point. He played 39 minutes Wednesday and is averaging 41 in his last four games. Payton scored 20 points - one shy of his season high - but his minutes are becoming a concern for coach Pat Riley. "I don't want him to play that long," Riley said. "We have a day off (Thursday) so we'll carry him out of here tonight." In Miami's next game, Payton likely will have to chase Philadelphia G Allen Iverson.
Philadelphia Notes
Dec 15 Philadelphia has won four in a row, two hy of its longest winning streak of the season. That streak ended with a loss to Miami, its next opponent. ... Rookie F Shavlik Randolph had four points and a team-leading 12 rebounds in just 15 minutes and continues to ontribute as a reserve. "He's been one of our guys coming off the bench giving us energy, getting an offensive rebound here or an offensive rebound there and rebounding the ball," coach Maurice Cheeks said. "(Twelve) rebounds in 15 minutes is a nice effort. We keep trying to get him more minutes but he's usually playing for Chris (Webber) who's been playing great as well. He's a little tenacious in going after the ball. I think he never stops moving after the ball. Not a lot of people know of him. I think that they're going to start knowing of him a little bit more. He continues to move; he continues to get himself in position and rebound."
Miami (13-10) at Philadelphia (12-11)
Preview - Box Score - Recap
Game Info: 8:00 pm EST Fri Dec 16, 2005
TV: ESPN, CSNt Add to Calendar
Buy Tickets
Pat Riley is 2-0 since taking over as coach of the Miami Heat, but more notable is the Heat are 3-0 since center Shaquille O'Neal returned.
The Heat try to keep winning as they play the Philadelphia 76ers.
On Tuesday, Riley replaced Stan Van Gundy, who led the team to an 11-10 start. Miami was leading the Southeast Division at the time of the switch, but critics felt the Heat were underachieving with the talent of O'Neal, Dwyane Wade and a veteran-laden roster designed to win a title now.
O'Neal, though, had missed 19 of the first 21 games with a sprained ankle.
The players already have noticed a difference with Riley, a more offensive-minded coach than Van Gundy.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Coach Riley lets us play," said Wade, who had 27 points and seven assists in a 100-83 win Wednesday at Milwaukee. "With this team, that's a little more to our liking. We can freestyle, and if all else fails, we've got Shaq posting up doing his thing. It's been working well the first two games."
O'Neal continued to get into playing shape in his third game back. He logged nearly 25 minutes and totaled 12 points and six rebounds. He has committed 13 fouls in 75 minutes since returning from injury and knows he must show better discipline.
"I was too aggressive and committed too many silly fouls," said O'Neal, who had two quick first-quarter fouls. "Everybody else stepped up and played well."
The Heat are 2-0 on their four-game road trip that finishes Sunday at Cleveland.
The 76ers are coming off a 106-101 win Wednesday over the Atlanta Hawks. Allen Iverson had 39 points and six assists for Philadelphia, which let Atlanta stay close by allowing the Hawks to shoot 49.4 percent from the field.
"We're making it real tough on ourselves," Allen Iverson said. "The positive part is we got the win. That's the ultimate goal, but we've got to finish games a lot better than we've been doing."
Iverson is scoring a league-high 34.0 points per game and is sixth in assists at 7.8 per game. He averaged 41.5 points and 13.0 assists in two home games against the Heat lst season and is averaging 26.5 points and 5.9 assists against them lifetime at home.
The 76ers have won 10 of the last 11 games played in Philadelphia since 2000.
STANDINGS (through Dec. 15): Heat - 1st place, Southeast Division. 76ers - 1st place, Atlantic Division.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Heat - F Udonis Haslem, F James Posey, C O'Neal, G Garry Payton, G Wade. 76ers - F Kyle Korver, F Chris Webber, C Samuel Dalembert, G Andre Iguodala, G Iverson.
TEAM LEADERS: Heat - Wade, 26.7 ppg and 6.9 apg; Mourning and Haslem, 7.9 rpg. 76ers - Iverson, 34.0 ppg and 7.8 apg; Webber, 10.4 rpg.
SEASON SERIES: Heat, 1-0.
LAST MEETING: Nov. 18; Heat 106-96. At Miami, Wade had 32 points, including six dunks, and was one rebound short of a triple-double as the Heat snapped the 76ers six-game winning streak.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Heat - 5-7 on the road; 76ers - 9-4 at home.
Updated on Friday, Dec 16, 2005 6:40 am EST
Email to a Friend | View Popular
Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10
Miami 13-10 1st Southeast / 2nd East 96.5 93.7 Road 5-7 Won 3 6-4
Philadelphia 12-11 1st Atlantic / 3rd East 102.0 101.7 Home 9-4 Won 4 5-5
Miami Notes
Dec 15 With G Jason Williams still sidelined with an injury, G ary payton has been logging heavy minutes at the point. He played 39 minutes Wednesday and is averaging 41 in his last four games. Payton scored 20 points - one shy of his season high - but his minutes are becoming a concern for coach Pat Riley. "I don't want him to play that long," Riley said. "We have a day off (Thursday) so we'll carry him out of here tonight." In Miami's next game, Payton likely will have to chase Philadelphia G Allen Iverson.
Philadelphia Notes
Dec 15 Philadelphia has won four in a row, two hy of its longest winning streak of the season. That streak ended with a loss to Miami, its next opponent. ... Rookie F Shavlik Randolph had four points and a team-leading 12 rebounds in just 15 minutes and continues to ontribute as a reserve. "He's been one of our guys coming off the bench giving us energy, getting an offensive rebound here or an offensive rebound there and rebounding the ball," coach Maurice Cheeks said. "(Twelve) rebounds in 15 minutes is a nice effort. We keep trying to get him more minutes but he's usually playing for Chris (Webber) who's been playing great as well. He's a little tenacious in going after the ball. I think he never stops moving after the ball. Not a lot of people know of him. I think that they're going to start knowing of him a little bit more. He continues to move; he continues to get himself in position and rebound."