Mashburn learning to come through in clutch
Associated Press
MIAMI -- The score was tied with less than 25 seconds left
in a pivotal playoff game, just the sort of situation that has
always brought out the worst in Jamal Mashburn.
Not this time. He calmly took the ball on the left wing, waited
for the clock to run down, split two defenders with a nifty spin
move and threw up an eight-footer over Christian Laettner that
banked softly off the glass and through the hoop.
|  | | Mashburn can score, but not always when it counts. |
The basket with six seconds left Tuesday gave the Miami Heat an
84-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons and a 2-0 lead in their
best-of-five series.
The basket also capped Mashburn's second consecutive strong
playoff performance, reinforcing the notion that at age 27, he may
finally be ready to lead the Heat on a postseason run.
"He's taking more shots and handling the ball a lot more, and
he's ready," coach Pat Riley said. "He's confident right now, and
he's been that way all year. He's an anchor on our team, and I have
tremendous faith in him. We need to put history behind us."
Mashburn, who maintains a stoic expression win or lose, shrugged
off his heroics.
"In college and high school I've done a lot of different
things," the former Kentucky star said. "Just like I'm going to
get the glory, I'm going to get the blame, too. I welcome that."
Mashburn is trying to shake a reputation for shrinking from
pressure and leaving the Heat to play 4-on-5 at critical moments.
He began the series against Detroit with a career regular-season
scoring average of 18.0 points per game but a 9.6 average in 27
playoff games. He is considered a culprit for first-round losses
the past two years against the New York Knicks.
Even during the regular season, Mashburn has been unreliable in
the clutch. This season he averaged 17.5 points, his best effort in
four years with Miami, but barely three points per game in the
fourth quarter.
The seven-year veteran has been a frequent subject of trade
rumors, and he's considered the player most likely to be dealt away
if the Heat again fizzle in the playoffs. But the fast start
against Detroit has squelched all talk of a postseason flop, at
least for the moment.
The Pistons face possible elimination Saturday in Game 3, and
they'll be without All-Star forward Grant Hill, who fractured his left ankle Tuesday and will miss the rest of the playoffs. Hill had already been hobbled by a bone bruise in his left foot.
Miami has played the series without point guard Tim Hardaway,
also sidelined by a foot injury, and Mashburn has taken up much of
the slack.
In Game 1 he scored a career playoff high 29 points, including
10 in the fourth quarter. On Tuesday he again had 10 in the fourth
quarter and finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and five
assists. He sparked a comeback starting with a 3-pointer that cut
Detroit's lead to 70-68 with 11 minutes left.
"That was his biggest shot of the night," Riley said.
Mashburn hit another jumper and a layup, then fed Alonzo
Mourning on an alley-oop dunk to put Miami ahead 78-74. After the
Heat blew a six-point lead in the final 2:10, Mashburn sank the
game-winner and sent the Pistons back to Detroit reeling.
"We just came up short at the end," Hill said. "Mashburn came
up with an unbelievable shot."
Mashburn's critics still want to see him come through against
the Knicks. But teammates are already convinced that his
performance against Detroit represents a breakthrough.
"I'm so happy for that man," Mourning said. "Think about all
the things he has gone through the past few years, all the
criticism he has taken. This is his moment to shine, and he
deserves it."
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