Originally Posted by
Detroit News on 5/23/06
Most people love to have a week to relax from stressful situations at work.
That sentiment doesn't apply for Heat coach Pat Riley , who isn't thrilled his team hasn't played basketball since closing out the Nets on May 16.
If Riley had a say, the Heat would have been playing real basketball days ago.
"I really don't like it and it does take away the edge," Riley said after Monday's practice. "It's too much time (off). I think Sunday would have been perfect for us, but you have to deal with it.
"We had four really hard days of practice -- bikes, cardio, sprints -- things like that. But you can't duplicate it (real game situations). Then again, how close are you going to come to contact when you're worried about getting guys hurt? We do the best we can. We're ready to play. Just how ready we are, we'll see."
Dwyane Wade knows the layoff could be a factor, as it was in last year's Eastern Conference finals. The Heat swept the Wizards last season in the semifinals May 14, and had to wait until May 23 to play the Pistons.
"We are going to be a little bit rusty, but we have to come off the blocks early," Wade said. "We feel good, guys are healthy, and so we'll take that going into the series rather than being banged up."
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