The Pistons came out firing running up a quick lead making 5 out of their first 6 shots.. Reggie Bullock and Bruce Brown, seemed to tear up the Heat defense at will.
The Heat struggled defensively in the first quarter with Blake Griffin bullying the Heat defence. Miami was even forced to just foul him at times, just to create a possibility of a missed free throw.
The Heat struggled to score this quarter. Miami’s offensive sets just seemed to have no rhythm. With J-Rich out, there just wasn’t anybody to set the pace and it was visible early.