The Bobcats used eight players in the first quarter: Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Okafor, Perkins, Rondo, Alan Anderson, and Millsap, all of whom scored. Okafor and Alan Anderson each grabbed 6 points, and as a team, they worked together to take a 29 to 22 lead over the Miami Heat, ahead by 7 points.
This was still with O’Neal concentrating his energy on defensive duties around the basket, limiting the scoring from Gerald Wallace, Millsap, and Rondo in set plays. Otherwise, with the Bobcats’ all-hands-on-deck approach tonight, they would have had more than just 29 points in the first quarter.
The Bobcats’ defense was also outstanding, deploying players who could defend aggressively. Jarett Jack, Herrmann, and Jumaine Jones, who are stronger in offense than defense, didn’t get to play in the first quarter. Had it not been for Wade’s 5 out of 8 field goals and 3 out of 2 free throws, collecting 8 points and 3 assists, the Miami Heat would have struggled to score 20 points.
However, 8 points in a single quarter is not Wade’s limit!
In the second quarter, the Bobcats’ offensive performance continued to be exceptional, scoring 28 points, but their defense collapsed!
Wade faced off against Felton, Jarett Jack, Gerald Wallace, and Alan Anderson in a rotation defense, playing 9 minutes, making 4 out of 6 shots, and 5 out of 7 free throws, racking up 13 points, and leading the Miami Heat to 27 points for the quarter, stabilizing the situation!
After the halftime break, Bickerstaff decided to strengthen the defense again.
Already leading by 57 to 49, ahead by 8 points, this choice was without issue, and it was executed very well.
Assigning only Felton and Gerald Wallace to guard Wade proved to be much more effective than when the defensive duties were shared between Jarett Jack and Alan Anderson. Wade only scored 6 points in the third quarter, going 2 for 6 in field goals and 2 for 2 in free throws, while the rest of the Miami Heat collectively scored only 13 points from 14 attempts. The Bobcats restricted the Miami Heat to just 19 points for the quarter.
However, O’Neal played the entire quarter, rampaging on the defensive end, snagging 3 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3 blocks, leading teammates Payton, Wade, Eddie Jones, Haslem, White Chocolate, and Mourning, managing to hold the Bobcats to only 14 points!
By the end of the third quarter, the Bobcats were leading 71 to 68, with the gap reduced to 3 points!
In the final quarter, both teams returned to the starting line to begin the confrontation anew. In the first 11 minutes and 31 seconds, the Miami Heat scored 21 to 18. Wade, who played the full 11 and a half minutes, scored 7 points and 3 assists, helping his team catch up to a 89 to 89 tie.
The Bobcats called a timeout and returned to play. Zhang Yang, facing defense from Wade, executed a high-post back down, spun, and stepped back for a jump shot... Wade lunged at him, knocking Zhang Yang to the ground, but couldn’t prevent the shot from going in!
Zhang Yang’s shot was good, with an additional free throw to follow!
Following Zhang Yang’s successful free throw, the Bobcats regained a 3-point lead at 92 to 89.
But the game was not over yet! The Miami Heat called for a timeout and returned to play. An exhausted Wade, using a screen to shake off Felton, accelerated past a switching Okafor to penetrate the inside line. Gerald Wallace from the wing collapsed to block, but Wade passed to Kapono...
Tonight, Kapono was Wade’s most effective offensive ally, shooting 7 out of 11 in the first three quarters, including a perfect 3 out of 3 from the three-point line, accumulating 17 points. Without Kapono’s open three-pointers, the Miami Heat wouldn’t have been able to close an 8-point deficit.
At the crucial moment, Kapono stepped up again, hitting a three-pointer to raise his personal score to 20 points, and with that, he assisted the Miami Heat in tying the score at the last second, dragging the game into overtime!
First quarter 8 points, second quarter 13 points, third quarter 6 points, fourth quarter 7 points—Wade went 12 for 20 in field goals and 10 for 14 in free throws tonight, amassing 34 points in a fierce performance.
But in the overtime... Wade, who had played 40 minutes in regulation, collapsed!
Among the players who took on multiple roles, Wade only had better stamina than McGrady, and he clearly lagged behind compared to the likes of Koejan.
ESPN’s analyst Hollins had studied Wade’s game and concluded that when Wade was tasked with scoring, orchestrating the offense, and defending simultaneously, his optimal playing time was between 30-33 minutes. Any longer would require sheer willpower to persist.
Sometimes a resilient will can trigger a burst of energy when physical reserves are depleted, but that’s an unreliable source of strength, and tonight, it failed to ignite.
On the other hand, Zhang Yang’s playtime in the second half was limited, with a usual first half: 9 minutes in the first quarter and 6 minutes in the second. However, after the third quarter, when defense became an intense battle, Bickerstaff only let him play for 3 minutes, and in the last quarter, Bickerstaff waited until the official timeout was over before he put him back in for 5 and a half minutes. Zhang Yang played only 23 minutes in regular time.
Bickerstaff knew he had made a mistake with his halftime decision, as he couldn’t control the game during Zhang Yang’s defensive stint in the third quarter.
Even the Big Shark at 35, whose form had declined and who was fully committed to defense, still had a top-league shot-blocking ability and could fend off charges like no one except Yao Ming.
Bickerstaff was not stubborn or vain; he admitted his mistake when necessary, letting Zhang Yang rest more and allowing others to grind it out for the final moments. This time, his decision was right!
Now, Zhang Yang was just hitting his best form! His last field goal in regulation time, a 2+1 against Wade, had already shown his excellent offensive state.
After the start of overtime, Zhang Yang immediately made a catch-and-turn three-pointer under Wade’s trailing defense, who was clearly unable to keep up.
At 2 minutes and 11 seconds into overtime, Zhang Yang scored a step-back jumper facing Wade; at 2 minutes and 33 seconds, he hit a floater in the lane; at 3 minutes and 6 seconds, a fast-break layup was good for Zhang Yang, helping the Bobcats score 13 points to 6 in overtime, extending their lead to 7 points and sealing the victory!