Heat Look Rusty against Bulls in Game 1

Yesterday, Miami commenced Round 2 of the playoffs against the Chicago Bulls who has just finished a seven game series to the Brooklyn Nets. The Chicago Bulls were without Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich for the past week and the superstar point guard Derrick Rose who has been out since April of 2012. Chicago and Miami go back a long way with hard fought games and has continued to be a rivalry unlike others. It was expected that the Heat would come out rusty because they haven't played a game in a week or so after sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks. Before the game, Lebron received his fourth MVP in five years - joining Michael Jordan, Karrem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain as the fifth to do that in NBA history.

Heat did come out rusty missing uncontested and wide open shots, something that didn't happen in the regular season. Lebron only had two points in the first half of the game going 1-6 from the field. For the Chicago Bulls, defense kept them in the game because on the offensive end, they were committing numerous turnovers on almost every possession. Both teams tied at 37 at an ugly first half for both teams. The second half, both teams came out strong. Lebron knew he had to become more aggressive and it was him that got the Heat going again. It all came down to the fourth quarter when Nate Robinson hit a jumper at 1:18 to give the Bulls the lead 88-86. For the next Bulls possession, Nate Robinson blew past Ray Allen for a layup putting them up four. Lebron would airball a contested shot with 29 second left.

The Chicago Bulls stunned the Miami Heat and won 93-86 to the defending champs giving them their first loss of the playoffs. "No excuses for time off or anything else," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We're up four, regardless of how we played, going into the fourth quarter, and give them credit because they exploded for a 35-point quarter in the fourth. Obviously, that's not going to get it done in the playoffs." The Bulls outscored Miami 35 to 24 in the fourth quarter while shooting around 53 percent from the field.

There is no reason to panic for the Heat as they were down in the last three series of the 2012 playoffs. If you don't remember - 2-1 against the Indiana Pacers, 3-2 against the Boston Celtics, and 1-0 against the Oklahoma Thunder. Lebron said after the game, "This is what the playoffs are all about. "We're going against a really good team and we know that so we'll prepare tomorrow and get ready for Game 2." Game 2 of this physical series will be tomorrow at the American Airline Arena and Miami will be prepared.

Miami Sweeps Bucks to Advance to Round 2

The Miami Heat proceeded to Round 2 of the playoffs after sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks last night at the Bradley Center. They will face either the Brooklyn Nets or the Chicago Bulls as their series is not over yet. Before the Heat versus Bucks series begun, Brandon Jennings of the Bucks said, "I'm real confident. I'm sure everybody is writing us off but, but, I see us winning the series in six." I know for a fact that he his regretting that he even said this because the quote just gave more motivation to the Miami Heat. In last nights game, Dwyane Wade did not play because of his sore right knee but it was no problem for the Heat as Lebron scored 30 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and accumulated 7 assists. This is the first time the Heat has swept an opponent since Chris Bosh and Lebron James has joined the team.

 

James said after the game, "It was our next big step as far as our growth. It's so hard to win on the road in the playoffs, in someone's building - especially when someone is playing for their last life. It's a big step for us." Ray Allen was essential for the Heat also with 16 points off of 4-7 shooting from three pointers against his old team.

As the Heat led the entire game, the Bucks started to make a comeback. With 9:34 in the fourth quarter, the Bucks trailed the Heat 67 to 69. On the Bucks possession, Mario Chalmers stole the ball which led to a Ray Allen 3 pointer. The next play, Lebron assisted Chalmers on another 3 pointer. After the game James said, "It's just good to have depth that we have so I can draw two defenders and find shooter." Miami went on a 19 to 4 run to lead the bucks 88-72. Lebron either assisted or scored on every Heat basket. 

The Heat won the game 88-77 and will play either Chicago or the Nets on Monday night at the American Airlines Arena. Coach Spoelstra said, "The biggest focus for us will be keeping ourselves physically ready, and that's probably the most abnormal of the circumstances. You're used to playing every 48 hours or so. That's the NBA rhythm when you get into the playoffs." It's evident that the Miami Heat will ease its way to the Finals once again.

Heat Win without Big Three

Monday night at the Quicken Loans Arena, the Miami Heat faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that has a record of 24-57. Miami's starters did not play in this game for one reason and that was to stay healthy until the playoffs where they will dominate. Lebron James and Chris Bosh traveled to the game and watched from the bench while Dwyane Wade, Shane Battier, and Udonis Haslem stayed in Miami with diminutive injuries. Only two more games left, Coach Eric Spoelstra knows that these NBA champions need to be refreshed as possible heading into the postseason. The starting lineup of Norris Cole, Juwan Howard, Mike Miller, Joel Anthony, and Rashard Lewis.

Throughout the last few games, Miami Heat bench players has stepped up and produced some big minutes. Altrhough this game didn't mean that much, it allowed for these bench players to get some additional minutes. Point guard, Norris Cole had a season high 16 points and nine assists in addition to his career high 11 rebounds. Rashard Lewis scored 19 points and Ray Allen scored 11 points and 6 assists. Throughout the game, the Heat led most of the way until the Cavaliers made a comeback. With 14.2 seconds, Cole missed to key 2 free throws that would put the Heat up by three. It was Cleveland ball on the other side of the court and Norris Cole came up with the steal. Miami emerged with a 96-95 victory over Cleveland

After the game, he even said, "I worked hard to get to this point. I appreciate everything and I think back to all the work I put in to be here, just to be blessed enough to be on a team like this. I'm more confident this year." Coach Spoelstra knows that when he puts Cole into a game, he is going to work hard and do whatever he can to win for the team.

 

As James and the rest of the Big Three rest, the Miami Heat still prsent a major threat to other team and it showed in this game against Cleveland. The Heat also beat Olrdando Magic on Wednesday night, their last game of the season ending with a record of 66-16. The Heat will face Brandon Jennings and the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday. Be sure to watch because I'm predicting that the Heat will win the first four games and proceed to the semifinals with ease.

 

 

Heat Lose to Knicks

The Miami Heat's played against the New York Knicks at the American Airlines Arena on Tuesday night without Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Mario Chalmers who are three of the Heat's starters. This is the second straight time that these three have missed a game. James is dealing with a sore hamstring and Wade has a sprained ankle. In the first game they were absent, Chris Bosh had hit a game winner against Tony Parker and the San Antonio Spurs. Many individuals thought that the Heat would lose this game but our players stepped up and got the win. On the night of the New York Knicks game, it wouldn't have mattered if James and Wade were in the starting lineup because the playoffs are right around the corner and Miami's superstars need some rest. If the winning streak was still alive, this game would have been number 29 but they lost to the Chicago Bulls about a week ago.

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony dropped 50 points tying his career high tuesday night. He was efficient and shot 18-26 from the field in addition to 7-10 three pointers. The Knicks shot an impressive 14 for 27 from the three point line that night. For the Miami Heat, center Chris Bosh scored 23 points and six rebounds while Mike Miller added 18 points. But that wasn't enough to lead the team to victory. This loss at home ended the Heat's 17-game winning streak which was the best in the NBA.

The Heat only trailed by eight at halftime and had a chance in the third quarter to take the lead. But the Knicks were able to keep pace and keep the lead throughout the game. Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem struggled to defend Carmelo Anthony on the perimeter. The New York Knicks won 102 to 90.

Coach Spoelstra from the Miami Heat said after the game, "Our guys really competed and left it all out there. They took it to another level and we weren't able to get to that level in the fourth quarter". Miami plays the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday and they hope to secure the best record in the league.

Miami's Sweet 16

The Miami Heat extends the franchise record to 16 after beating the Orlando Magic last night 97 to 96. Lebron James finished with 26 points, but only three rebounds and two assists. He was in fact 11 for 12 from the free throw line. Dwayne Wade has been on his game recently and ended the game with 24 points along with 6 rebounds. Chris Bosh recorded a double-double with 17 points in addition to 10 rebounds. Nikola Vucevic of the Magic on Wednesday night recorded 25 points and 21 rebounds and gave the Heat fits all night long. Miami walked into the game thinking that it would be an automatic win but they didn't expect Orlando to give them problems. It was assumed that Miami would would celebrate their win with no competition. At halftime, Heat led by 55 to 40 and dominated that hald.

During the second half,  the Orlano Magic remarkably got back into the game scoring 34 points in the third quarter. The Heat had slowed down and relaxed during that quarter in which they shouldn't have. In the final mintues of the final quarter, the Magic led by four points. Struggles came Orlando's way beause they had numerous player in foul trouble which gave the Heat an advantage. With 12 seconds left, the Heat called a timeout to have the last shot. The Magic led by one.

I didn't know who was going to take the ball in to score, either Wade or James. In fact, it was Lebron who drove straight to the basket and scored off a layup to put the Heat up by one. With no timeouts left, the Magic had only 3 seconds left. They shot the ball from half court but would miss and that was game. Lebron James had nine of his team's last 14 points. I knew he was clutch all along.

Miami would improve to 45-14 of the season. Their next two games include the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers. Miami's last lost was against the Pacers back in Febraury, so it's an important game to win.

Miami HEATS Up the Charlotte Bobcats

At the American Airlines Arena last night, the Miami Heat were rocking the Hardwood Classic Throwback Jerseys against the 11 and 36 Charlotte Bobcats. On a side note, I personally love these jerseys because they are from the 90's and the red color creates a vivid and intense jersey. The Miami Heat just came off a game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday and are looking for another win in back to back games. Furthermore, this game certainly was significant for the Heat because the New York Knicks are right behind them for first spot in the Eastern Conference. For the Bobcats, they have lost its fourth in a row and 12th in the last 14 games.

If you didn't watch the game last night for some odd reason, you missed one of  Lebron James' nearly perfect games. He scored 31 points and was 13 for 14 from the field, which is his career-best 93 percent shooting. Lebron almost completed a triple double with 8 assists and 8 rebounds.

"I didn't plan it that way, I was just attacking when I could, got into the paint and was able to make some shots," said James, who made nine shots.

Other Heat players had good games too such as Dwayne Wade, who had 20 points and a jaw dropping 12 rebounds for the game. This is what happened in the fourth quarter that got me nervous and shaking. In the fourth quarter, the Bobcats went on a 9 and 0 run to take a 87 to 89 lead. Then, Miami went on a 14 to 2 run which gave them a 9 point lead with five mintues remaining. With about 1:39 left on the clock, Sessions knocks down 2 free throws. Soon after James assists Bosh for a slam dunk. Chris Bosh also ended with 23 points for the game. After a miss from point guard Kemba Walker, James goes coast to coast for an easy layup and gives the Heat a six point lead. From that point on, the Charlotte Bobcats were roasted and heated up. The final score was 94 to 99.

This win gave the Miami Heat their 10th straight win over the Bobcats and is now 19-3 at home. The next three games for the Heat include the Rockets, Clippers, and Lakers.

Thank you for reading and come back next week for some more Miami Heat recap.

Miami Heats Up!

If you are a Miami Heat fan, then you are at the right place. If you are a Lakers fan, how is it all the way down there in the Western Conference standings? Must be very difficult to get to that 9th spot. Okay, back to the Miami Heat, who are at the top of the Eastern Conference.

This week for the Miami Heat included a Toronto Raptors game that went into OT on Wednesday night  where Miami outlasted the Raptors 123 to 116. Dwyane Wade scored 35 points and Lebron ended the game with 31 points, 11 assists, in addition to 10 rebounds. His performance would lead to his 34th career triple-double. Miami recently have been doing a great job on the boards, this time outrebounding Toronto 53 -29 with Udonis Haslem grabbing 10 rebounds and Bosh with 12. If you were watching the game, I can tell you that it was getting very frantic in the final 7 minutes before overtime. Neither team led by more than 3 points in those final minutes. For the people that didn't watch it, here's what happened. In the last minute, after DeMar Derozan went 1 for 2 from the line, Bosh also went 1 for 2 to tie the game. With 19 seconds left on the clock, Derozan misses a wild layup. 

Then for the people who called him not clutch over the years, Lebron is inbounded the ball and he waits and waits and waits and shoots the 20-footer at the buzzer. Brick! That sends it into overtime. But in that OT, Lebron and the Heat close the game with a dominant performance scoring 14 while the Raptors only score 7.

Thats it for this week, but come back next week for information on the Miami Heat. Thank You.