[Miami, FL] After a loss in Game 4, the Miami Heat traveled back to Miami to try and win the series. In the last game, there was not much bench production and overall, the New York Knicks triumphed out of desperation.

But in Game 5, the Heat gave it their all and showed why they are title contenders.

In the first quarter, Chris Bosh and LeBron James were on fire. The Knicks committed two technical fouls within 48 seconds in the quarter, which only helped the Miami lead. LeBron tallied 6 points and 5 assists while Bosh scored 4 points and Mike Miller scored 6 points off of a pair of 3-pointers.

At the end of one, the Heat were up 28-24.

The Heat dominated the second quarter, starting off on a 10-4 run. Bottom line: the Heat were playing great defense and couldn’t be stopped on the offensive side. Dwyane Wade scored 12 points and had an assist. James scored 6 points and had an assist.

Miami outscored New York 27-20 in the quarter. At halftime, the Heat were up 55-44.

Miami looked ready to end the game in the third, going on a 14-4 run to put themselves up by as much as 18. However, Carmelo Anthony tried to keep the Knicks in the game, scoring 9 points, but he was matched by James who scored 8 points. Bosh added another 6.

At the end of three, the Heat were up, 81-67.

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

Miami Heat star LeBron James scored 26 points against the Knicks in Game 5

Miami kept the lead over 15 for most of the fourth, but with around 3 minutes left, New York gave Miami a scare by cutting the lead to 11. But, the Heat were not to be denied on this night. The final score was Heat 106, Knicks 94.

“Even though it was a five-game series, it was a very tough series to win,” Dwyane Wade said. “I thought it helped us to be able to go against a team like this.”

LeBron James scored 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade scored 19 points each.

The Heat will now face Indiana in the Semifinals on Sunday. It won’t be easy – the Pacers have given the Heat problems throughout the regular season.

“They’re a very well-coached team. They play inside and out. They do an unbelievable job,” LeBron James said regarding the Pacers.

Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra knows it will only get tougher from here.

“This next series, I’m sure, will feel like it’s played in a cage, it’ll be that physical,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll see what adjustments we have to make.”

Note: During game 5, Knick Amar’e Stoudemire fouled out and Miami’s P.A. Announcer Michael Baiamonte commented that Stoudemire was “extinguished” from the game (a reference to him punching a fire extinguisher case after their loss in Game 2).

The team and Baiamonte has since issued an apology:

“Last night at our game, our PA Announcer had a momentary lapse of judgment and used a poor choice of words in describing Amar’e Stoudemire’s fouling out of the game. This is not who we are as an organization or who he is as an announcer. Both the Miami Heat and Michael Baiamonte apologize to Amar’e and the New York Knicks for the inappropriate choice of words.”

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

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

Miami Heat

[New York, NY] After coming off a blowout win in Game 3, the visiting Miami Heat were looking to advance to the Semifinals with a Game 4 win against the New York Knicks on Sunday.

In Game 3, the story was the absence of NY’s Amar’e Stoudemire, who didn’t play because of the hand injury he sustained post-game after punching a fire extinguisher case. Stoudemire was a game-time decision for Game 4 – he actually ended up starting for New York.

The Heat started the game off the way they needed to, on a 8-1 run with 4 of those points coming from Dwyane Wade. Although New York fell in a hole early, they were able to come back, going on a 14-4 run.

Stoudemire ended up with 6 points while Carmelo Anthony scored 8 points. For Miami, LeBron James scored 8 points. At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks were up 20-18.

Miami attacked the Knicks defense in the paint in the second, earning 19 free throws in the quarter (compared to zero in the first). Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler both sat out for significant portions of the 2Q with three fouls.

The Heat outscored the Knicks 26-18 in the period. At halftime, the Heat were up 44-38.

The Knicks came out of the locker room on fire and with momentum on their side, enabling them to go on a 17-7 run. The Heat did manage to close the gap and get it back to within 3. Carmelo scored 11 points and Amar’e scored 9 points. New York outscored the Heat 26-17 in the third.

Copyright 2012 NBAE (photo: Jeff Zelevansky/NBAE/Getty Images)

The Miami Heat will look to close out the Knicks in Game 5 in Miami

At the end of three, the Knicks were up 64-61.

It was an exciting and intense final quarter. The Heat started off on a 10-5 run to take the lead back. Both teams battled to a draw for most of the fourth until the final 2 minutes, setting up the do or die scenario for the Knicks. Playoff basketball at its best!

With 2:02 left, Anthony hit a shot to tie the game at 81. On the next possession for New York, J.R. Smith drove into the lane and kicked the ball back out to Mike Bibby who hit a three-pointer to take a 3-point lead.

But, on the next possession for Miami, LeBron answered back by hitting a three-pointer to tie the game again. However, on the next play for the Knicks, Carmelo hit a three-pointer to give New York the 87-84 lead.

With 25 seconds left, Shane Battier fouled Anthony at the three-point line to give Anthony an opportunity to put the game away, but Anthony went 1-for-3 to give Miami hope, being down by only 4.

With 20 seconds left, James drove in, got fouled and hit the shot. He also made the free throw and the Miami Heat were down by 1. Stoudemire was fouled with 14 seconds left, but only made one free throw, which meant Miami only needed a 2-point shot to send the game to overtime.

Wade got the ball and was defended by Stoudemire. Wade drove in, lost the ball, got the ball back, but couldn’t do anything else but shoot a desperation 3-pointer, which he missed.

Copyright 2012 NBAE (photo: Jeff Zelevansky/NBAE/Getty Images)

The final two minutes of Game 4 were very intense

The final score was Knicks 89, Heat 87.

Carmelo Anthony scored 41 points and had 6 rebounds. Amar’e Stoudemire scored 20 points in his return to the line-up.

“We gave it our all tonight,” Anthony said. “We rallied the troops that we weren’t ready to go home yet. … As long as we leave everything on the court, we could go home happy.”

For the Miami Heat, LeBron James scored 27 points and had 4 assists. Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and dished out 6 assists. However, the Heat didn’t have much help from the bench in this one (9 points).

“They made big plays down the stretch,” Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They made big shots. We couldn’t quite match or exceed that.”

The Knicks have finally won their first playoff game since 2001 and have forced Miami into a Wednesday night Game 5 in Miami.

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Image: Copyright 2012 NBAE (photo: Jeff Zelevansky/NBAE/Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[New York, NY] In Game 2, the Miami Heat manhandled the New York Knicks in the second half, and ended up winning the game by 10.

But the biggest headline was triggered by what went down after the game. On the way to the locker room, Knicks power forward Amar’e Stoudemire punched the glass case to a fire extinguisher which ended up cutting his hand and had to get stitches.

Because of that little stunt, Stoudemire was out for Game 3, Game 4 and maybe even longer. Miami’s Chris Bosh was also questionable, as his wife was giving birth to their first son in Miami, but Bosh did end up playing.

The Heat started the first quarter off the way they wanted to: on a 13-6 run, thanks to Bosh and Mario Chalmers knocking down two 3-pointers. But New York did manage to comeback, ending the quarter on a 13-6 run also.

Bosh ended the first with 6 points while Chalmers managed 5 points. At the end of one, it was knotted at 19.

New York came back at Miami aggressively in the second quarter, going on a 9-1 run and taking an 8-point lead. After that run from New York, the Heat went on a 8-0 run to tie the game. With 1:44 left, Baron Davis made a lay-up and was fouled, which helped New York push the lead back to 11 points.

Miami responded by ending the half on a 7-0 run and taking a 40-36 deficit into the locker room.

Dwyane Wade and the Heat played great on both sides of the floor in quarter number three. Around halfway through the quarter, Wade found his stroke, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 5-point lead.

Copyright 2012 NBAE (photo: Jeff Zelevansky/NBAE/Getty Images)

Will the Miami Heat sweep the series on Sunday? Get your brooms ready

Carmelo Anthony helped New York come back and tie the game, but later on Mike Miller and D-Wade stepped up offensively and took the lead back. At the end of three, the Miami Heat were up 58-56.

The Heat shut down the Knicks in the fourth, ending the seesaw battle by outscoring New York 29-14. LeBron James got things going by starting off the quarter on an 8-0 by himself.

At the 6 minute mark, all of the momentum shifted to Miami, punctuated by Chalmers nailing back-to-back 3-pointers to help Miami take a 15-point lead. Chalmers ended up with 9 points in the quarter, all coming from three-pointers. The final score was Heat 87-70.

Overall, LeBron James dominated, scoring 32 points and 8 rebounds. Dwyane Wade scored 20 points and played great defense, with 5 steals. Mario Chalmers contributed in a big way, scoring 19 points and lighting it up from three-point range.

“What I told the guys was it was a good team win,” Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Coaches like those kinds of wins, when you’re not necessarily playing well. Some periods of the game were ugly.”

“You like to see your team show some resiliency, some toughness, some resolve to dig back into it,” Spoelstra added.

Knicks Head Coach Mike Woodson also acknowledged the Heat’s toughness, especially their “D,” saying, “Their defense was really good.”

Spoelstra was impressed with LeBron’s game in particular.

“He was able to keep his head in it,” Spoelstra said. “He had foul trouble, a lot of things that could have been an excuse for him not to keep his head in it in the second half. And when he was able to go back in there with four fouls, he made plays.”

Game 4 is on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden in New York.

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Images: Copyright 2012 NBAE (photo: Jeff Zelevansky/NBAE/Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[Miami, FL] In Game 1, the New York Knicks struggled mightily against the Miami Heat as NY point machine Carmelo Anthony couldn’t hit his shots. Also, the injury to Iman Shumpert was also a big blow to New York’s chances of being truly competitive.

And let’s not forget Miami’s LeBron James, who dominated in Game 1, scoring 32 points in 32 minutes.

As Monday night’s Game 2 of the best of seven, first-round playoff series got underway, the Heat went right back to work on the New York defense. Except this time, it was Miami’s other superstar who took it to the Big Apple Boys.

Dwyane Wade simply dominated in the first, scoring 11 of the Heat’s first 15 points in the quarter. It was surprising to many that LeBron didn’t attempt a shot until about 8 minutes into the game.

For NYC, Carmelo finally broke out of his shooting slump and poured in 15 points in the first quarter. At the end of one, the Heat were up 27-24.

Chris Bosh and James came to life in the second for Miami, with Bosh scoring 7 and LeBron scoring 6. For the Knicks, Anthony continued to play well, netting another 6 points while teammate Amar’e Stoudemire contributed 4 points.

Both teams stayed pretty even throughout the quarter, but Miami again outscored New York 26-23. At halftime, the Heat were up 53-47.

LeBron came out of the locker room playing aggressively on offense, scoring 8 points and handing out 2 assists. NY’s Tyson Chandler also showed up, scored 9 points and Baron Davis also nailed a pair of 3-pointers keeping their team in the game.

Copyright 2012 NBAE (photo: Mike Ehrmann/NBAE/Getty Images)

Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat had a big night in Game 2

At the end of three, the Heat were up 78-69.

The Heat put the nail in the coffin in the fourth. Mario Chalmers started the Heat off on a 6-2 run to put Miami up by 13. A key to the strong quarter was Miami’s 3-point shooting: they knocked down four. Chalmers ended up scoring 9 of his 13 total game points in the quarter.

The Heat outscored the Knicks 26-25 in the 4^th quarter. The final score was Heat 104, Knicks 94.

It was a balanced game for the Miami Heat, scoring-wise. Dwyane Wade notched 25 points and had 4 rebounds. Chris Bosh scored 21 points and also grabbed 4 rebounds. LeBron James tallied 19 points and had 9 assists. Mike Miller and Shane Battier scored 11 points a piece.

“It was a good team win,” Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “A lot of guys contributed on both ends of the court.”

Coach knows that a balanced scoring attack is necessary for Miami to get back to The NBA Finals.

“We’re a much better team, much tougher to defend, when you don’t know where the ball is going and the ball is moving freely,” Spoelstra said. “We ended up moving the ball for a lot of open shots, rather than settling for a lot of semi-contested or contested shots.”

Game 2 will be on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, and the Heat are ready to hear a lot of boos from the rowdy New York crowd. If the Heat can sweep the Knicks on their home floor, it will send a message to their next opponent.

Their next opponent? The winner between the Indiana Pacers and the Orlando Magic (that series is tied 1-1).

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: Copyright 2012 NBAE  (Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[Miami, FL] There were many headlines heading into game 1 of the playoff series between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks.

In the 90′s, both teams had a physical playoff rivalry. Both teams would give hard challenges around the rim which would inevitably lead to physical altercations.

One particular game at MSG sticks out: spectators (and TV viewers) watched Miami center Alonzo Mourning drag Knicks Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy across the floor as the diminutive leader held on to the basketball giant’s leg in an attempt to keep him from the skirmish.

But now in 2012, it is the Heat’s Big 3 versus New York’s Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. As usual for Heat playoff games, the Heat called for a “white-out” – where everyone in the crowd was to wear white. And just as the ’90s, the game got physical.

In the first quarter, Miami’s LeBron James came out on fire while NYC’s Anthony came out cold. James and Dwyane Wade got the crowd going early, with dunks left and right. James scored 12 points and had an assist.

For the Knicks, Carmelo was a huge disappointment in the first, making only one of his first seven shots. Additionally, New York got into foul trouble early in the game.

Surprisingly, even with the Knicks’ leader struggling, both teams stayed even for most of the first. But then at the end, the Heat went on a 9-3 run to take a 6-point lead. At the end of one, the Heat were up 24-18.

Both teams played pretty evenly for most of the second quarter. Then, with 4 minutes left, the Heat increased the lead from 6 to 9 points off of a three-pointer from Shane Battier. Later on, Mike Miller sunk a three-pointer to increase the lead to 14.

Copyright 2012 NBAE (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images)

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade rises to the occasion. Notice the location of his right foot

A pivotal moment happened with 1:34 left. Tyson Chandler set a “screen” on LeBron, which caused LeBron’s neck to snap back, which appeared to give him whiplash. That woke up LeBron in a big way.

“At both ends of the court, it seemed like he had his hands on every single play,” Erik Spoelstra said of James’ ensuing fury. “It was an impactful three-minute run there.”

After that flagrant foul from Chandler, James took over and ended the quarter on a 7-0 run … himself. The Heat outscored the Knicks 30-13 in the quarter. At halftime, the Heat were up 54-31.

Miami kept going at New York in the third quarter. With points coming from everywhere, the Heat increased the lead from 23 to 34. James scored 9 points and had 2 assists Miami outscored New York 27-16 in the quarter. At the end of three, the Heat were up 81-47.

The Heat kept kept up the pressure and didn’t stop until the game was over. The final score was Heat 100, Knicks 67.

“Our guys had a noticeable look in their eyes the last 24 hours,” Miami Heat Head Coach Spoelstra said.

But he doesn’t want the guys to lose focus going into Game 2.

“We have 48 hours and it’s our responsibility to make sure we have the same look coming into Game 2,” Spoelstra said of the Monday-night match-up. “Now there shouldn’t be any excuse.”

The Miami Heat now leads the New York Knicks 1-0 in a best-of-seven games series in round one of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: Marc Serota/Getty Images

Miami Heat

[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

[Newark, NJ] After beating the Charlotte Bobcats of Friday (see re-cap below) and clinching the Southeast Division title against the New York Knicks on Sunday 93-85, the visiting Miami Heat wanted to extend their winning streak to three against the New Jersey Nets.

The Heat sent a message in the potential playoff preview – just because the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony scored 42 points against them on Sunday, the boys from South Florida can still play great defense and offense in the clutch.

And Miami did it without Dwyane Wade, who did not play on Monday night (Terrel Harris started for Wade).

The Heat were struggling early in this one. The Nets’ Kris Humphries dominated the first quarter, scoring 14 points. For Miami, LeBron James scored 8 points and dished out 6 assists. At the end of one, the Nets were up 34-29.

Chris Bosh and the Heat turned it up a notch or two in the second. Bosh scored 8 points and had 5 rebounds, but the Nets continued to battle. New Jersey’s Sundiata Gaines scored 6 points and contributed with a couple key assists. At halftime, the Nets were up 55-52.

Humphries and Gerald Green kept at it for New Jersey in the third. Humphries scored half-a-dozen while Green poured in 11. The Heat couldn’t pull-off the expected comeback, as they were outscored by New Jersey 24-18. At the end of three, the Nets were up 79-70.

Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Miami Heat star LeBron James got home crowd treatment in New Jersey

LeBron went off in the fourth. In fact, King James held court for the final 6 minutes, erasing an 8-point lead that NJ held for most of the fourth quarter. James scored all 15 points during the Heat’s 15-9 run to end the game. It was epic.

In the final minutes, the New Jersey crowd was chanting “Lets Go Heat.” Amazingly, the Heat took their first lead on a LeBron jumper with only 13 seconds left. Then on the next possession for New Jersey, DeShawn Stevenson turned the ball over.

That led to LeBron making (!) a pair of free throws to seal the game. It probably helped that all you heard were “MVP” chants from the New Jersey crowd. The final score was Heat 100, Nets 99.

LeBron James was spectacular, scoring 37 points, handing out 7 assists and grabbing 6 rebounds. Chris Bosh also came up big, scoring 22 points and chalking up 15 rebounds.

“This is as big as he’s been for us in two years,” Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I love the look he’s playing with right now.”

The Miami Heat are now 43-17 on the season. They play the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

Copyright 2012 NBAE (photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images)

The Miami Heat clenched their division with a win over the Knicks on Sunday

On Sunday, the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York, 93-85. Spoelstra wasn’t that impressed.

“I don’t think it means anything for the postseason,” Spoelstra said. “What it means is something about us and how we’ve been playing on the road as of late. We want to do a better job of it and the only way out is to get up, show up and collectively do better.”

Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images)

Carmelo versus LeBron was a key match-up

And now bonus coverage of Friday’s game against the Charlotte Bobcats who offered little resistance …

After coming off that painful loss against the Chicago Bulls, the Heat traveled back home to face the NBA’s worst team, the Charlotte Bobcats. Both Dwyane Wade and Mike Miller sat out due to injuries.

“They’re both a little bit sore coming off last night,” Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s too quick of a turnaround for them.”

Udonis Haslem also sat out due to an illness.

The Heat came out on fire against the Bobcats in the first quarter and never really looked back. They ended the quarter strong, going on a 14-4 run to put them up 33-19. Chris Bosh scored 10 points in the quarter.

In the second quarter, the bench for Miami combined to score 19 points and played great defense against the Bobcats’ starters. By halftime, the Heat were up 58-39.

The Bobcats played the Heat evenly in the third, but they had already dug themselves too big of a hole. At the end of the third quarter, the Heat were up 81-59.

The Miami bench was brought in to finish this one off and they did not disappoint. Dexter Pittman was a highlight, scoring 10 points and ending the game with a career high of 16. The final score was Heat 105, Bobcats 82.

“We need to play well,” LeBron James said. “We want to play better than we have on the road.”

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: Copyright 2012 NBAE (photo: Chris Chambers/NBAE/Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[Miami, FL] Around a month ago, if you looked at the Miami Heat’s schedule and you saw the New York Knicks on it, you would think it was just another game.

But, around 3 weeks ago, when Jeremy Lin hit the NBA spotlight, everyone was hyping up the Knicks’ trip to Miami to face the stiffest competition in the league. Would “Linsanity” reign supreme over the firepower and defensive prowess of the Big 3?

Or would the Heat – holders of the best record in the NBA – dominate as they have throughout the month of February?

And on Thursday night, it showed why everyone was worked up – it was a close game … in the beginning.

In the first quarter, both teams kept going back and forth, not giving up an inch on defense. LeBron James scored 6 points and dished out 3 assists. Lin struggled early, mostly due to the defense of Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole.

Coming into the game, neither Chalmers nor Cole had a dunk all season. In the first half, they both got dunks off of steals from Lin. At the end of one, the Miami Heat were up 24-20.

It was raining 3-pointers and dunks in the second for Miami. Still, the Knicks were able to keep pace with the Heat. Amar’e Stoudemire scored 6 points and Carmelo Anthony scored 5 points in the quarter. The Heat’s points came from both the Big 3 as well as the supporting cast.

Photo: Issac Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade rocks the rim

Cole, Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier combined to score 13 points while the Big 3 contributed 14 points. At halftime, the Heat were up 51-47.

Dwyane Wade, James and the Heat were able to increase the lead into double digits in the 3rd quarter. D-Wade scored 8 points and LeBron scored 6 points. Battier also hit a big 3-pointer to put the Heat up by 15. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Heat were up 80-66.

The closest the Knicks got to the Heat in the fourth was 9 points. But the Heat didn’t let up at all they kept pushing as they have done in the fourth quarter over the past 8 or so games. The final score was Miami Heat 102, New York Knicks 88.

Chris Bosh scored 25 points and collected 8 rebounds. Dwyane Wade scored 22 and LeBron scored 20 points. Mario Chalmers really buckled down on defense against Jeremy Lin, only allowing him to make 1 out 11 shots, for only 8 points.

“First of all he deserves all the credit he’s been given,” Wade said about Jeremy Lin. “Our point guards did a great job tonight. We put a lot of pressure on him.”

This was Miami’s last game before the NBA All-Star break. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was impressed by how his team has been playing this past month.

“This has been about a three-week push for us and it’s a good way to end before the break,” Spoelstra said. “I think everyone in that locker room needs a handful of days.”

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: Miami Heat/Mike Ehrmann/NBAE/Getty Images

Miami Heat

[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

[Miami, FL] On Friday night, the Miami Heat welcomed Dwyane Wade back to the starting lineup against the New York Knicks. Wade had a big night as he and the boys outlasted the NY crew 99-89 at American Airlines Arena.

Earlier in the day, reports said D-Wade was not going to hit the hardwood, but he decided to play and did not disappoint. After this game and his spectacular performance, no one should say that the Heat is fine without him.

In the first quarter, both Wade and LeBron James combined to score 18 points. But Landry Fields kept the Knicks in the game along with some three-point buckets from his friends. At the end of the quarter, the score was tied at 22.

Both teams put on a show in the second quarter. Dwyane and LeBron kept driving into the lane and dunking – combining to score 14 – while the Knicks kept knocking down almost every three that they put up. At halftime, the Miami Heat were up 52-48.

Both teams stayed neck and neck in the third quarter and for most of the second half. Miami’s Big 3 – James, Wade, and Chris Bosh, in case you were just born – tallied 15 out of the 22 points scored in the third for Miami.

Photo: Miami Heat

The Miami Heat were glad to have Dwyane Wade back from injury

But, once again the Knicks kept pace with the Heat, mostly due to the play of Bill Walker and Amar’e Stoudemire. At the end of three, the Heat were up 74-71.

In the fourth, the Knicks kept up with the Heat until about 5 minutes left in the game – that’s when James put it to bed by scoring 11 points in the final 5. New York tried to make a comeback, but the Heat held them off. The final score was Miami Heat 99, New York Knicks 89.

Dwyane Wade played great for his first game back in about 2 weeks. He scored 28 points and had 5 steals.

“It’s a nice welcome back for that young kid, number three,” said Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, obviously impressed.

LeBron James also scored 31 points and collected 8 rebounds, another big night for him. Chris Bosh scored 13 points and collected 9 rebounds as well.

“That’s a good way to have a Friday night in Miami,” Spoelstra exhaled. “The way they were moving the ball, the Knicks were playing extremely well, and the ball was popping.”

Next up for the Heat is a big network TV game on ABC versus the Chicago Bulls.

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: Miami Heat/Issac Baldizon/NBAE/Getty

Miami Heat

[New York, NY] Bad news for Miami Heat and Orlando Magic fans: The NBA has cancelled the first two weeks of the 2011-2012 season.

In the league’s showdown with the players over the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), this is the first real evidence showing how far both sides will go in continuing negotiations and positional posturing.

“We certainly hoped it would never come to this,” NBA President David Stern said. “I think that both sides worked hard to get to a better solution. We think that we made very fair proposals. I’m sure the players think the same thing. But the gap is so significant that we just can’t bridge it at this time.”

The league cancelling anything is a signal that the owners are willing to risk damage to the league’s reputation to fight for what they see as a fatal flaw in their business model: high salaries are bankrupting teams. They certainly haven’t proven it to the fans, who might not want to hear a woe-is-me-story from a billionaire right about now.

Today on ESPN, New York Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire floated the idea of players forming their own league, telling ESPN that players will give “serious” consideration to the idea.

According to Stoudemire, the possibility of forming an alternate league has already been discussed among the players.

“We can’t just sit around and not do anything. So we have to figure out ways to now continue to play basketball at a high level against top competition and have fun doing it,” Stoudemire said Tuesday night at a Manhattan Footlocker to promote his new sneaker, the Nike Air Max Sweep Thru, as reported by by ESPN.

Start your own league, are you serious? A negotiating ploy if I’ve ever heard one.

NBA President David Stern

They won’t start their own league, the players would all have to take a serious pay cut. Fans will still tune-in to watch five construction workers dressed as Los Angeles Lakers before they tune into the LeBron Super B-Ball League featuring the Richmond Rimshakers versus the Bama Jam Jams.

Or at least that’s what the owners are banking on.

Of course the players want a larger piece of the revenue pie, that’s business. And they have the right – and the business duty – to fight for as much as they can get.

Some of the teams paid too much money for mediocre players and this is a course correction. Nothing more, nothing less. Should you really blame the players, for the owners’ bad business decisions?

This is the free market playing out before our very eyes. It might not be as exciting as watching actual basketball, but there’s still plenty of drama (and even a little verbal dribbling courtesy of NBA President David Stern).

THIS IS A BIG DEAL. For fans, their favorite athletes are sitting at home playing PS3 when they should be slamming monster dunks and dishing no-look passes to the open man.

The fans just want to watch some amazing basketball. The players just want to get their sport on. And the owners – well, they just want to trim salaries to the point where they can make a profit and have enough good standing in the community to get the citizens to pay for a new arena.

Amar’e Stoudemire

Also, every day that goes by that the NBA is mothballed while Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Football League (NFL) cranks out exciting games, it looks bad, for both the NBA team owners and the NBA ball players.

A lock-out creates, in some cases, irreparable damage to the franchise’s overall value and worth to the community. It also creates animosity between the players and fans – the very people you expect to buy those jerseys.

If this drags out too long, the NBA could be damaged goods.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate