And a new Dank Game nickname is born! Arising from the abyss of a poor shooting season that has put him out of the Heat's rotation, "The Dayton Kid" Daequan Cook is officially back!
Maybe it was Dwyane Wade's recent comments that coach Erik Spoelstra needs to "mix it up" on offense, maybe it was an opportunity allowed by point guard Mario Chalmers' absence, or maybe it was encouragement for Daequan to represent Miami with pride in the Three-Point Contest. Whatever it was, Spoelstra let Daequan play and the Dayton Kid responded.
Cook was instrumental in opening up the Heat's lead in the fourth quarter while Dwyane Wade rested. The Dayton Kid hit back to back three-pointers to take the Heat up 77-71. Cook would continue to strive throughout the fourth as the Heat closed the game out in convincing fashion. He finished the game going 7-12 from the field and 3-5 from distance for 17 points.
Equally instrumental in Miami's win was center Jermaine O'Neal and power forward Udonis Haslem. Jermaine made big plays down the stretch, finishing the night 9-13 for 19 points with 10 rebounds, while Haslem also helped keep the Hawks at bay going 7-9 for 14 points with 12 rebounds. A great night for the Heat's front court, despite Beasley having an off night. No matter how much Heat fans (myself included) question coach Spoelstra's use of Haslem over Beasley in fourth quarters, you can't deny Haslem's consistency in rebounding, defending, and shooting the ball. The guy is committed to this team, and I'd hate to ever see him leave.
Dorell Wright continued to make a case for the starting small forward position, as he hit 4 of 5 shots for 10 points and dished out two assists. Quentin Richardson's decline from his impressive start to the season continues, as he shot poorly from the field and finished with just 2 points.
Dwyane Wade was unable to score 20 points for the second night in the row, scoring 18 on 7 of 15 shooting. But who cares if other players can pick up the slack. Despite being held in check most of the first half, Wade did help seal the deal down the stretch while also contributing a double-double with 11 assists.
What a great win for the Heat heading into the All-Star Break. For the first time in a while, I feel relatively proud to be a Heat fan. They held the Hawks to 37.5 percent shooting while shooting over 50 percent. They also held Atlanta's marquee player Joe Johnson to 16 points on 7-21 shooting, with the Dayton Kid guarding Johnson for many stretches. What stood out most was that the Heat bench outscored the Hawks 48 to 8. In Atlanta's defense, they were without Sixth Man of the Year favorite and notorious Heat killer Jamal Crawford, but a win's a win.
The Heat are now just a game below .500 (which sucks, but it could be worse), lead the season series against the Hawks at 2-1, and now hold the 7th seed in the East after the Bulls fell to the Magic tonight.
I just want to point out the Hawks' "every guy" names: Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Joe Smith.
Love it
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