| Horford And Smith Key To Series With Miami Authored by Brian Reynolds - April 24, 2009 - 6:01 pm
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Sitting at his locker, Josh is quiet, but you can tell he is ready for tip-off in one hour and fifteen minutes. He expects Game 2 to be a lot more physical than the playoff opener.
“I think Game 1 was a warm-up game,” Smith said. “If you look at some of the Game 2's around the league, there is a lot more physical play.”
Atlanta cruised to an easy 26-point win in taking a 1-0 series lead, and Smith led the team in points (23) and rebounds (10).
The 23-year old believes that his team can make a serious run in these playoffs despite not getting much national attention. He’s not cocky, just confident.
“We have always been overlooked,” Smith said. “But we are not worried about that. We are just worried about doing the right things so our team can keep advancing. We have a shot to do amazing things this year. If you have any doubt in your mind about yourself or your teammates, you shouldn’t even be here [in the postseason] in the first place.”
As Horford comes to the locker room after practicing mid-range jump shots, he seems ready to go. I asked him to take me through his game-day routine.
“It’s just my regular routine,” Horford said. “I get up early and come to shoot around. After that I go have a good breakfast. Then I go to my house and play Wii (usually Mario Kart). I watch a little TV, then take a nap. I wake up and read the Bible. Then I go to my mom’s house for a pre-game dinner before heading to the arena.”
Horford is calm, but serious. He put in 14 points, brought down nine rebounds, and blocked two shots in the series opener. He went on to talk about his time at Florida and how that has prepared him for the NBA and the playoffs.
“My experience at Florida helped me a lot,” Horford said. “Probably one of the biggest things I can take out of it is that it helped me get mentally ready for these type of games. You have to have a high focus level and pay attention to the little things. That is something I pride myself on.”
Smith and Horford were big-time contributors for Atlanta in Game 1. They pushed the tempo and helped Atlanta control the boards from opening tip to the final buzzer. Atlanta had 15 more rebounds than Miami (50-35) in the game. Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra was well aware of that statistic heading into Game Two.
“They absolutely pounded us on the glass. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, they dominated us on the glass,” Spoelstra said. “We need to match that athleticism that they bring – and they play above the rim.”
Spoelstra was able to get the message across as his team took Game 2 108-93 and out-rebounded Atlanta by 7. The series now heads back to South Beach tied at one game apiece.
This series is up in the air and has a great chance to go seven. The winner, however, will most likely be determined by who wins the rebounding battle. The Heat were able to respond in Game Two, but I like the young legs of Smith and Horford to have the last laugh.
“We have to come out and be ready to play,” Horford said after Game 2. “I think as long as we play hard and put together a good effort, we’ll be okay.”
- Brian Reynolds is a contributing writer from Emory University and can be reached at Brian.matthew.reynolds@gmail.com |
