Heat loses to Boston; but Dwyane Wade's impact is immediate

And the hole continues to grow deeper for the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat continued their losing ways with an 92-91 loss to the undefeated Boston Celtics on Friday night. Although Miami kept it close, a loss is a loss.

The only bright spot for the team is the fact that Dwyane Wade's presence has immediately been felt. In his first full game back, Wade lead the team with 23 points and 6 assists after being inactive for 6 months while recovering from offseason shoulder and knee injuries. Just the fact that Wade is back with the team made it possible for the Heat to keep it close with the best team in the Eastern Conference (Celtics) and arguably one of the best teams in the NBA.

Another good thing that came out of this loss was the fact that Miami put up 91 points. Prior to the game, Miami was averging the worst offense in the league, averaging around 80 points a game. The fact that they were able to put up 91 points proves that their offense is immediately improving with Wade back in the lineup.

Miami stayed pretty close with Boston for most of the game besides a few parts of the game when they fell behind by 10 or 11 points. For most of the 4th quarter, the Heat were down by 7-11 points but came storming back in the final 4 minutes of the game. It started with a Wade miss and put-back monster dunk by center Shaquille O'Neal. It followed with a Celtic miss and a pull-up 3-pointer by Ricky Davis. Then a steal by rookie Daquean Cook led to a breakaway And 1 dunk, but he missed the free throw. Miami proceeded to fall behind 84-80 with 1:30 left in regulation. Miami stormed back with 4 straight points and ended up taking a 1 point lead on a Shaq free throw, but that was the last time the Heat would lead. Paul Pierce then ruined the Heat's chances of getting their 2nd victory of the season with an easy layup around Udonis Haslem. One last desparation shot by Wade rimmed out and the Heat's record fell to 1-8.

Although the Heat lost their 3rd straight game in a row and 8th overall, Heat fans must be at least content that D-Wade is getting back to his explosive form and making an immediate impact on the team. I think without him in this game, especially being on the road, Miami would have lost by a lot more than 1. Hopefully the Heat will take advantage of Wade's presence and start winning some ball games.