Miami coach Erik Spoelstra decided to rest LeBron James and Chris Bosh against the Wizards, but the Heat received an unexpected surprise early in the first quarter, when Dwyane Wade dislocated his finger. With Wade out, the Heat's role players were forced to carry the load against the Wizards.
Even in defeat, Spoelstra seemed pleased with the way the role players played, and he wasn't too worried about their position in the conference standings.
"This was a great game for the rest of the guys," Spoelstra told reporters after the game. "To be able to compete, the guys showed a lot of toughness, especially when we got down double digits, to find a different way and not have to rely on Dwyane and Chris and LeBron. There were some brilliant, tough plays on both ends."
Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier led the Heat's offense against the Wizards, finishing with 16 points apiece. Dexter Pittman and Norris Cole also played well for the Heat, finishing with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Even without the "big three," the Heat maintained their defensive mindset, holding the Wizards to 41 percent shooting from the field. Given the problems the Heat have faced in the second half of the 2011/12 NBA season, it's certainly nice to see that they're capable of playing solid defense without their superstars.
However, I didn't particularly like Spoelstra's decision to keep LeBron on the bench, particularly when it was obvious Wade wasn't going to return to the game. He'll certainly get some flak for that, and I can only hope Spoelstra's decision doesn't come back to haunt them in the playoffs.
Miami's next game will be against the Houston Rockets on April 22.
David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Associated Press, "Miami Heat Look for Another Win Against Wizards"
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