One great game, two losses … as we double-dip due to a time-crunched publishing schedule …

[Orlando, FL] Coming off of one the closest, yet best games (as a fan) to watch – an overtime, buzzer-beater victory over the Indiana Pacers – the Miami Heat were ready to storm into Orlando and leave with a win on Tuesday.

A lot of rumors circulated during the day about Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. The biggest one was that if he was to stay with the Magic, that he could decide the fate of Head Coach Stan Van Gundy and General Manager Otis Smith.

Rumors have actually been going around since early in the year about him wanting out of Orlando, but this one came on the eve of “D-Day” – decision day for the team.

“If anybody thinks I care about that, I really don’t give a damn about being fired,” Van Gundy said. “That doesn’t concern me in the least. … If they want to fire me to please somebody, fire me.”

And with that in mind, we tip off …

In the first quarter, the Magic came out on fire, with Howard scoring 12 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Glen “Big Baby” Davis also contributed in style, coming off the bench to score 6 points. For the Heat, Dwyane Wade was the man, tallying up 10 points. At the end of one, the Magic were up 30-27.

Photo: Orlando Magic

Dwight Howard – is he headed out the door?

While the Magic controlled the first six minutes, it was the Heat who ended up dominating the second quarter. The Heat went on a 21-4 run to close out the half and took a double-digit lead into the locker room. At the end of two, the Heat were up 56-45.

However, Orlando stormed back after the break behind the play of PG Jameer Nelson, who scored 8 points. Howard didn’t do much in the third quarter, only scoring 3 points. Still, the Magic managed to cut the lead down to 1. After three, the Heat were up 73-72.

The fourth quarter went back and forth, with many lead changes and ties. With under a minute left, the game was tied. But, with 50 seconds left, Nelson hit a three-pointer and put the Magic up 94-91.

But, after many missed three-pointers from the entire Miami Heat team throughout, D-Wade rose to the occasion, stepping back to hit a three-pointer. The Heat ended up with the final possession and a chance to win, and the ball was in Wade’s hands once again.

Wade went to the same spot where he sunk the Pacers the night before, and the ball went in … but came back out. Every Magic fan breathed a sigh of relief. At the end of regulation, the game was tied at 94.

The Miami Heat missed out on many opportunities throughout the overtime period. Consequently, with under a minute left, the Heat were down, 102-98. After a turnover by the Magic, the Heat had a chance for a two-for-one. But, instead LeBron James took an unnecessary three-pointer and the Magic ended up with the ball.

Photo: Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson scored 25 against the Miami Heat

But, Howard missed both of his free throws and the Heat had another two-for-one opportunity with under 26 seconds left. However, on the next possession, Wade missed a three-pointer. The Magic hit a couple more free throws and ended up winning the game 104-98.

Dwight Howard played a great game, scoring 24 points and reeling in a whopping 25 rebounds. Jameer Nelson also had a monster night, scoring 25. Sharpshooter Ryan Anderson also contributed to the big win by scoring 16 points and reeling in 12 rebounds.

Miami Heat Lose To The Chicago Bulls – For The Second Time

[Chicago, IL] Coming off of a tough overtime loss against the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat were ready to avenge that defeat against the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls.

Although he was a game-time decision, MVP point guard Derrick Rose sat this one out against the Heat with a groin injury (although the Bulls were just fine without him). For the Heat, sub Mike Miller was still out of commission.

The Bulls started the first quarter with a vengeance. They took an early lead, putting Miami on its heels early. But, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade came back, combining to score 23 points. And, yes, that means Wade and James were the only ones to score for the Heat in the quarter.

Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Miami Heat forward LeBron James goes to the basket against Chicago

At the end of quarter number one, the Heat were up 23-19.

The Bulls bounced back in the second by going on a 23-7 run, giving them a big lead. Derrick Rose’s back-up, John Lucas, was in the headlines last time against the Heat because he was dunked on by LeBron. But, on Wednesday night, Lucas made headlines for his play, scoring 8 straight points to increase the lead back to double-digits.

At the end of the first half, the Bulls were up 53-42.

Both teams stayed even throughout the third. It was James who did most of the scoring for Miami (13 points, 2 assists). But the Heat never got a run together and they ended the quarter as they began. At the end of three, the Bulls led 81-70.

Lucas took over for the Bulls in the fourth, scoring 10 points – and that was with a foot-taller LeBron guarding him. Although the Heat tried to rally, it wasn’t enough to beat the talented Chicago Bulls. The final score was Bulls 106, Heat 102.

An all-around team effort from the Bulls with their bench players scoring a whopping 56 points. And super stand-in John Lucas? He scored 24 points and had 3 rebounds.

This was the second straight game the Heat have lost. They just seemed out of it in this one, as they were out-rebounded by 16 and out-hustled throughout the night. Most of the Heat’s scoring came from Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, who combined to score 71 of the team’s 102 points.

“This game was won in the trenches,” Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They absolutely annihilated us on the glass. We need to get into that fight under the glass.”

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Miami Heat

[Orlando, FL] The month of February has been very good to the Orlando Magic.

Riding a three-game win streak into Wednesday’s game against in-state rivals the Miami Heat, the team is enjoying a somewhat unexpected wave of momentum after a disastrous January.

During the black abyss of January, the team went from top of their division to dwelling near the bottom and reeling from inner conflict and poor play, most likely due to the impending trade doom of franchise player Dwight Howard.

During this stretch, Howard was having none of it.

“I’ve been playing hard every night. Everybody else has to have that same attitude,” said Howard. “If you don’t want to play, just stay in the locker room, because it don’t make sense for a team who we should beat to just demolish us. … I want to win a championship.”

“I work too hard every night for anybody to not want to go out there and play hard,” he said famously.

Well, someone must have listened to what Howard said, because the fire is back, even if it is only a flicker. Or is it?

Photo: NBA/Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was ready for the Miami Heat

And for the Heat, the pressure has been on that team to win and win big, as they are the chosen ones to go the distance this year. But the lockout-shortened season has thrown a curveball into their plans. With so many games being played in such a short amount of time, the Miami Heat have tired legs.

The team has superstars for sure, but they are aging – not old – but aging, and those legs need a rest. Their recent elongated home stand may have given them a false sense of satisfaction going into tonight’s in-state contest against a suddenly confident Orlando team.

And now that the Magic has resumed its winning ways, a home court test against the mighty Miami Heat is just what the doctor ordered. If they pass the physical, they are officially on the mend. If they fail against their in-state rivals and projected champs, they could be back to doubting their very existence on the basketball planet.

Or something like that.

Orlando certainly had their work cut out for them facing a Heat team averaging 103.2 points of offense per game versus their own, near-pathetic 92.2 ppg. That’s not the stuff of trophy hoisting.

Not to mention the potent scoring of Miami’s Big 3: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh which average almost 70 points per game combined. In contrast, the Magic’s starting five only manage somewhere in the mid-fifties. But the O-Towners have a better bench.

Seems like a game is in order …

Photo: Orlando Magic

In-state rivals Orlando Magic hosted the Miami Heat

The Orlando Magic started off strong on the boards. They also weren’t afraid to launch threes. Jameer Nelson even attacked the basket to full effect, but that was short-lived as the Heat quickly clamped down on penetration (it would be a long time before Nelson did much of anything in the game).

Nonetheless, the Magic quickly went up 7-0 causing the Heat to call a time-out. Miami responded by going on a 6-0 run.

The building reigned down boos on Miami Heat superstar LeBron James as he stepped to the line for the first time. There were a lot of red jerseys in the crowd, for sure, but they were drowned out by the hometown blue and white.

With 7:21 to go in the first Ryan Anderson already has 7 points and a great hustle play. He really has developed into a complete player. Except for free throws, that is – he missed three in the quarter causing the team to shoot something like 25%.

Meanwhile, Howard was struggling to keep hold of the ball, but cleaned up a lot of shots and was rocking the scoreboard with 8 points with 4:19 to go. But his team’s defense was impressive in keeping the boys from Miami to sub-20 scoring.

Not much was going on for the Heat in the quarter, even though they managed to stay close. Howard and Anderson combined to score 17 of the 26 points scored by Orlando.

At the end of the first quarter the score was Orlando Magic 26, Miami Heat 18.

At the 9:29 mark in the second, the Magic pushed the lead to 36-23 on some championship-caliber play. But you know the Heat can turn it on at any moment. But will they?

Photo: Orlando Magic

Ryan Anderson scorched the Miami Heat

The Magic started draining threes and the couldn’t can’t keep up. At the 6:37 mark, the Magic’s second-teamers started to get sloppy and James & Co. pounced, cutting a 17-point lead to 13. Howard came back in to put a stop to all of that.

Is it just me or is LeBron one of the whiniest players in the league? He expects to get every call.

The Magic cooled somewhat – except for Anderson who is 5 for 6 from outside the 3-point line and has 8 rebounds at this point in the game – and the Heat are sparking. D-Wade is getting it going. And that is an understatement.

The Miami comeback didn’t really begin until around 4 minutes left in the 2Q.  Miami went on a 12-2 run with every point coming from Wade.

Just before halftime the Heat cut the Magic lead to 7. Then 3.

At the half,  the Magic were up 53 to 50. Wade finished the first half with an incredible 22 outmatched only by Anderson’s incredible 24.

A back and forth battle for the first half of the third quarter kept it tight, although Orlando kept a lead. The Heat were expected to make another run and eventually take control. However, everything fell apart for Miami.

At 5:44 it was Orlando 61, Miami 56. Miami looked really tired after last night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE

Miami Heat superstar LeBron James had an off night in Orlando

Bosh was eerily quiet and Wade cooled considerably. In fact, everyone on the floor was missing shots during this stretch. Who will get it going?

The Magic, apparently. At the 4:07 mark Orlando pushed the lead back to 11. Glen “Big Baby” Davis is simply a monster with his back to the basket.

The Magic were quicker at this point in the game, but would they be able put some distance between them and the Heat? Davis says yes, pouring in his second bucket in muscle-ly fashion. Back-up Magic PG Chris Duhon made a crucial shot-clock three. And just like that, the lead was back to 17.

The Magic ended up outscoring the Heat 24-11 in the third quarter.

The fourth started with the Orlando Magic up big. The Miami Heat tried to pound back but just didn’t seem to have it in them. Miami got within 9 points with about 4 minutes left but the Magic busted the lead wide open, eventually putting the nail in the proverbial coffin.

Final score: Orlando Magic 102, Miami Heat 89.

The home crowd got the victory that they were looking for and there was much jubilation. Even from the celebrities in the building, who were flashed up on the big screen “Celebrity Cam.” First up: Jack Nicholson. Then Bruce Willis. Then Kevin Bacon. Then Jay-Z and Beyonce.

Jack (Lakers) and Jay-Z (Nets) must be in town trying to convince Howard to come play for their teams. Willis actually might have been hiding out from Demi Moore or looking to get Dwight into the next Die Hard flick as a villain (he seems to fill that role nicely these days).

And Bacon? He and his wife lost a sizable chunk of change to Bernie Madoff in his giant Ponzi scheme, so he must have been looking for a loan or a new financial adviser. Or changing everyone-in-the-building’s status in the Kevin Bacon game.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate. Additional reporting by Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Lead photo: Orlando Magic

Miami Heat