Udonis Haslem Sparks Heat Victory
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – It wasn't quite Kirk Gibson hitting a homer in the World Series, or Willis Reed playing on one leg in the 1970 NBA Championship, but Miami Heat power forward Udonis Haslem stole the show in Game 2 to help spur the Heat's 85-75 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra almost choked up when he described Haslem as "an absolute championship warrior" after the game.
Haslem played more than 20 minutes in Game 2. It was the first game he had played more than 4 minutes in since November when he tore a ligament in his foot.
The recovery time for an injury like the one Haslem suffered can be as long as a year. But Haslem showed in Wednesday night's game that if he's not 100 percent back, then the Bulls better be very worried about his presence.
Haslem came into the game and both Bulls big men, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, immediately became frustrated on both ends of the floor. Haslem provided a big, athletic body to matchup with both Noah and Boozer and cause them major problems throughout the second and third quarters.
Haslem finished the game with 13 points on 5-10 shooting. He also grabbed 5 rebounds, 1 blocked shots and a steal.
While the numbers might be impressive, Haslem brought a presence and energy into the game only matched by Heat center Joel Anthony. Having both Anthony and Haslem at his disposal opened up Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to make other adjustments to help shutdown the Bulls.
With the series returning to Miami, the Heat fans will finally get a chance to see Haslem on the court again. Needless to say, when Haslem checks in for the first time at the AmericanAirlines Arena, the Heat fans will give him the response he rightly deserves.
