D Wade’s Hot Hand
Dwayne Wade made nearly two-thirds of his shots Sunday against the New York Knicks. The sharp shooting resulted in a career high 55 points.
Usually you are happy if your shooting guard makes close to 45% of his shots. Wade shot 19-30 from the field, a marksmanship that calculates out to over 63%.
He was hot from long range, making 6-12 from 3-point range. But he was even hotter driving the lane. He was repeatedly successful driving the right side and making bank shots from about six feet out.
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Wade was 13-18 from two-point range. Can you believe that? That is about 72%!!!
Wade’s hot hand led the Heat over the Knicks, 122-105. The win locked up the fifth seed in the NBA East for Miami. Atlanta has locked up the fourth seed, so the two will meet in the first round of the playoffs, beginning Saturday.
Atlanta has won two of three meetings between the two teams. The two teams will meet again before the playoffs, playing Tuesday night in Atlanta.
Atlanta won the first game with Miami this year, winning 87-73 in Miami on December 12. On January 26 Miami turned the tables with a 95-79 home win. On February 27 Atlanta won on their home floor, 91-83.
The two teams matchup very closely statistically. Both teams have averaged about 98 points a game. Atlanta’s defense has been slightly better, averaging 96.7 points allowed compared to 98.2 for the Heat.
The two teams FG and FT are nearly even, too. That is, if they perform at their average level. Wade’s effort Sunday was way above average. Will it carry into the playoffs. I’m looking forward to finding out.
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