[Miami, FL] With an eye aimed at the playoffs, the Miami Heat chose to rest Chris Bosh for Thursday night’s home contest and potential Eastern Conference Finals preview against the tough Chicago Bulls.

That’s OK, because Derrick Rose has been struggling with a foot injury for the past couple of weeks and was also missing in this epic battle to see who truly was the elite team in the East. The game definitely had a playoff feel, for sure.

LeBron James and the Heat came out on fire in the first quarter, as King James scored 15 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in 12 minutes of play. And for the Bulls, Joakim Noah kept it close by scoring 7 points and playing great defense in the paint.

At the end of the first, the Heat were up 27-23.

Both teams got rowdy in the second. With 6 minutes left, James Jones hacked Noah, and was charged with a “flagrant 2″ foul, which meant he was ejected from the game. Both teams also struggled making their shots in the quarter, with the Bulls only outscoring the Heat, 17-15.

At halftime, the Heat were up 42-40.

Miami felt cool, calm, and collected as they started the third quarter on a 6-0 run. But that second-quarter rowdiness flared back up. With 9 minutes left, Dwyane Wade committed a “flagrant 1″ foul on Richard Hamilton during a little scuffle. Both Wade and Hamilton were charged with technical fouls.

James scored 7 points and notched 2 assists the Heat ended the third up 66-61.

Copyright NBAE 2012 (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade committed a “flagrant 1″ foul in the third quarter

The Heat simply took over in the fourth. Wade scored 6 points in the first 4 minutes alone. But with good help on the defensive side, Miami was able to keep the Bulls at bay. The final score was Heat 83, Bulls 72.

LeBron James scored 27 points and had 11 rebounds while Dwyane Wade tallied 18 points and 5 assists. Mario Chalmers has been struggling a bit since the All-Star break, but finally got back into his groove, scoring 16 points and making 2 steals.

“A physical Eastern Conference game,” Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said at the end of the third quarter. “It’s an emotional game, a passionate game.”

Miami (45-17) next faces the Washington Wizards on Saturday, April 21.

Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors was also close coming out of the first half, perhaps due to both Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade being kept in street clothes with an eye toward preserving their playoff health.

But there was plenty of action in the first, as Toronto’s Alan Anderson dominated, scoring 10 points and dishing out 2 assists. LeBron James scored 7 points, Udonis Haslem scored 6 points and Mario Chalmers managed 4 points. At the end of the one, the Heat were up 25-24.

Toronto kept going at Miami in the second. James Johnson scored 14 points in the quarter to keep the Raptors in the lead for a good portion of the quarter. But LeBron James’ 9 points helped the Heat take a 51-49 lead into the locker room.

Copyright NBAE 2012 (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Mike Miller filled in for Dwyane Wade on Wednesday night as the Miami Heat battled Toronto

LeBron & Co. took over in the second half, with James himself scoring 12 points and handing out two assists. Juwan Howard also played well off the bench, scoring 5 points in 9 minutes. The Heat outscored the Raptors 23-11 in the quarter.

At the end of three, the Miami Heat were up 74-60.

Mike Miller and the role players put the final nail in Toronto’s coffin in the fourth. Miller scored 10 points as the Heat outscored Toronto 22-12. The final score was Heat 96, Raptors 72.

“It was good to see our guys finish the game out,” said James, who finished with 28 points and 5 rebounds.

“When we have two guys out like tonight, he understands when he has to be aggressive,” Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said of James. “Even as he was scoring at such an efficient rate, we still felt the ball was moving.”

Mike Miller (filling in for Wade) scored 13 points and Udonis Haslem (filling in for Bosh) scored 10 points.

With this victory, the Heat have clinched the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. With only 4 games remaining in the season, the Heat also have the opportunity to clinch the No. 1 seed in the East.

As it stands, a No. 2 seed means the Miami Heat faces the New York Knicks or the Philadelphia 76ers in round one of the playoffs.

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Images: Copyright NBAE 2012 (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[Orlando, FL] The shiny luster of the Amway Center was dulled just a bit as the Orlando Magic – fresh off of the dramatic securitization of center Dwight Howard through the end of next season – were blown out by the Chicago Bulls 85-59.

Yes, 59.

This one was U-G-L-Y. How ugly? Howard was the only player in an “El Magic” uniform to score more than 10 points. And the Bulls were without MVP Derrick Rose in their arsenal.

“Tonight you saw a team playing without their star player and they did what they needed to do to win, and they beat us with no problem,” said Glen “Big Baby” Davis after the home-court drubbing. “I wish they would have had Derrick Rose, in a sense.”

The Bulls credit the win to tough defense, while the Magic credit the loss to 35% shooting from the floor, 20% “shooting” from behind the 3-point line and a pathetic 39% average from the charity stripe.

“They’ve played without the league MVP and they’ve beaten Philly and Miami and blown us out. Give them credit for what they’re doing and what kind of team they have,” offered Orlando Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy after the loss, the worst (29 points) since he’s helmed the team.

Up next for the 29-18 Magic: Phoenix on Wednesday and Cleveland on Friday.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Image: Orlando Magic

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Orlando Magic

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

[Charlotte, NC] After long review on what to say after Tuesday’s game between the Orlando Magic (25-15) and the Charlotte Bobcats (5-31), I have decided to skip the usual recap. Instead, I’m going to preach.

With less than 10 days until the trade deadline, it is officially time to blow this team up, New York Knicks-style.

Magic fans are fooling themselves if they think we have a chance at the title. What a joke. NO CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM COULD LOSE TO A TEAM AS BAD AS CHARLOTTE. Period.

And, not only did they lose to the bottom-dwelling Bobcats, but they lost by an extra-pathetic 16 points to what is by far the worst team in the league. That, plus the nail biter against a similarly horrible Toronto Raptors team the night before says this team is not ready for prime time.

Corey “Spaghetti” Maggette put up an astounding 29 points in 29 minutes. How does that happen to what is supposed to be one of the toughest defenses in the league? I could only imagine what would happen if the Orlando Magic played this way against a real team.

Photo: Orlando Magic

Ryan Anderson continues to be a bright spot for the Orlando Magic

You know, a real team like the Chicago Bulls. Whom they play tonight. Now, I’m not big on the Bulls – personally they remind me of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the LeBron James era – but at least they know how to win.

I hope the Magic can get their act together soon, otherwise it is gonna be an ugly future for the Magic. The only starters putting up consistent numbers are Ryan Anderson and Dwight Howard, both of whom recorded double doubles against the Bobcats (Anderson had 14 and 11, Howard 15 and 17).

Everyone else – except for maybe J.J. Redick (grit, FT%) and Von Wafer (shooting 47.5%) – should be traded to another team or possibly dropped to the D-League. Grow a pair, Magic GM Otis Smith … do something soon! Especially if you want to convince Mighty Dwighty to stay.

Mike’s Pick

The Orlando Magic play their next game in Chicago against the tough-as-nails Bulls. Star Derrick Rose is beat up, but I still expect Da Bulls to win.

My Prediction: Bulls 98, Magic 85

Position Advantage:

PG: Bulls

SG: Magic

SF: Bulls

PF: Even

C: Magic

Bench: Bulls

By: Mike Yesenko/Sunshine Slate

Images: Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic

[Miami, FL] In the last outing for the Miami Heat against the New York Knicks, Dwyane Wade scored 28 points in what was his first game back from an ankle injury. Today, the Heat were up against a much tougher challenge. They were facing the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls.

How would Wade & Co. fare against Da Bulls?

It was a dunk-a-thon in the first quarter as LeBron James and D-Wade kept driving and dunking or connecting on alley-oops. The Heat played both great defense and offense in the beginning. They also went on a 12-2 run to put them up by 11.

But, the Bulls came right back to cut the lead back down to 2. At the end of the first quarter, the Miami Heat were up 24-22.

The Heat controlled almost the entire second quarter. They once again had a big lead, coming from the play of Wade and Chris Bosh, this time going up by 12 about mid-way through. But, Derrick Rose and the feisty Bulls came back and cut the lead down.

At halftime, the Miami Heat were up 56-51.

The only players that scored for Miami in the third quarter, was James, Wade, and Bosh. All three combined to score 20 points, as did the Chicago Bulls. Rose scored more than half of the team’s total in the quarter (12 points). At the end of three, the Heat were up 76-71.

The Heat started off quarter number four by hitting back-to-back three pointers, putting them up by 11. But the Bulls came back and tied the game with about five minutes left. With about two minutes left, it looked like the Heat had the game in the bag, up 94-86.

But Rose and Carlos Boozer cut the lead to 94-93 with under a minute left.

Things got bizarre at the free throw line from there. With 22 seconds left, Rose went to the free throw line for the Bulls. He missed both free throws and LeBron got the rebound and was fouled with 17 seconds left. Surprisingly, he also missed both free throws.

But when the Bulls tried to rebound the ball, the referees had confusion on who blew the whistle, so LeBron and Taj Gibson had to jump the ball up at half-court.  The Heat gained possession, and Mario Chalmers went to the free throw line, but only made one free throw.

The Bulls had the ball, down by 2, with less than 10 seconds. Rose missed the floater, and the Heat won 97-93.

LeBron James scored 35 points and collected 11 rebounds. Chris Bosh scored 24 points and had 12 rebounds. Dwyane Wade wasn’t as effective, only scoring 15 points, but contributed to the W with 7 assists.

“It was a highly contested basketball game,” Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game. “We did a lot of good things throughout the course of the game.  You have to give those guys (Bulls) a lot of credit. At the end, they stepped up their defense.”

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Image: Miami Heat/Issac Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images

Miami Heat

It would have to be settled in overtime. And it was the Miami Heat who emerged victorious with a pivotal back-breaking series victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

101-93 was the final score. Miami leads the series 3-1.

“Look, this series is an absolute bloodbath,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was quoted as saying on NBA.com. “That game tonight was a total grind. It is very challenging for either team to get into any offensive flow, unless it’s in the open court. It’s about as competitive and physical as it can be.”

LeBron James led all scorers with 35 points and recent stand-out Chris Bosh had 22.

Defense again was the order of the day for the Heat who held Chicago to a not-gonna-get-it-done 40% shooting at a raucaus American Airlines Arena.

Chicago doesn’t have an answer for the Heat’s Big Three, despite herculean efforts by the Bulls’ Derrick Rose (8-17 for 23 points).
But Rose did have his chance to build on his legend and make a game-winning, series-tying buzzer beater. But he missed, sending the game into OT where the Heat turned on the, well, you know.

“Tonight, definitely it was on me,” Rose was quoted on NBA.com. “I had two opportunities to end the game. Couldn’t do it. If anything, learn from it. Too many turnovers. Really was my fault but I’m going to learn from it.”

Game 5 -a must win home game for Chicago – is on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

- Mark Christopher

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