Miami Heat vs Memphis Grizzlies Preview

I take my hat off to the Indian basketball fan who chooses to be awake at 4:30 AM. Then I store that hat in a locked cupboard because only thieves and watchmen stay awake at such ungodly hours. If it’s a thief, my hat is safe locked in a safe from him. If it’s a watchmen, he ought to be patrolling for thieves and my hat is still safe from the non-NBA watching thief who sneaks by the watchman while he catches the Heat and Grizzlies battle it out.

Both teams have won 4 in a row. Miami Heat come in with a 5-1 record, the Grizzlies are at 4-1. When these teams last met, the Grizzlies lost by 3. But of their last nine meetings, the Grizzlies have won 6. This time around, Dwyane Wade may be sitting on the sidelines as he is under the weather with a cold. In that case Mike Miller and Ray Allen will fill in at SG for Miami.

Wade thinks he got the virus from his son. Fine circle of life here. Give a kid birth, in return he gives you a cold. Quick! Make a joke about a Miami Heat player catching a cold. (Can’t think of anything, leave it to the reader to think of one.)

“It’s just about trying to get some rest and some fluids,” Wade said. “You want to get some rest, but you don’t want to be laying around too much. Just figure it out and be ready. That’s what I told myself. I want to get ready to play Sunday. So I should be able to do that, with me coming out (Saturday) and being able to get on the court.”

“They both were able to participate, and I anticipate them both playing (Sunday). James is not 100 percent. He’s fighting through some nagging issues, and that’s one of them. But it hasn’t stopped him from working. It hasn’t stopped him from practices or games yet. We’re just trying to manage it while keeping him healthy and trying to get him better.” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said on Wade and James.

LeBron James is a little banged up after banging knees with Atlanta’s Josh Smith. He still finished that match, dropping 21 and the game clinching jumper with 13.6 seconds left. “It’s a little sore right now. I knew I would get through it. It would take a lot for me not to go back out there with my teammates.”- James said.

If the Heat can be said to have a glaring weakness, it is on the inside. The Grizzles have one of the best frontcourts in the league with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. The Grizzlies also have a top notch defender in Tony Allen who held the red hot 30.3 points averaging James Harden to 4 of 18 shooting in the Grizzlies last game. They are holding their opponents to 90.8 points per game during this win streak of theirs. In spite of shooting 42.9% from the field, the Memphis Grizzlies are averaging 100 points per game. Largely because their dominant frontcourt allows them to control the boards.

Look for the Grizzlies to sneak in a upset over the Miami Heat with their stars not being at 100%. Well worth waking up at 4:30 AM. Try doing Yoga or stretching if you need to keep awake. Laying in the bed/couch at 4 AM to watch a match, mission ends in about 15 minutes with you dozing off. At least with me. Any better way to keep the zzzs away please post below.

The match will be telecast on Sony SIX, 12 Nov.