[Miami, FL] On Sunday, the Miami Heat wanted to pick up a win at home against the Houston Rockets. Making that task much more difficult: Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would be sitting this one out to rest their injuries.

No worries as LeBron James and the bench came to play.

The Rockets were on fire early on in the first. Houston started the game off on a 13-4 run, allowing them to build a 23-10 lead. Chandler Parsons scored 7 points and had an assist for Houston. But, Miami did manage to rally, ending the quarter on a 12-4 run.

At the end of the 1^st quarter, the Rockets were up 27-22.

Joel Anthony and Norris Cole combined to score 13 points in the second, which helped get Miami back in the game. Miami actually outscored Houston 23-17 in the quarter. At halftime, the Heat were up 45-44.

The Rockets went right back at Miami to start the second half. Parsons scored 12 points in the third quarter alone, helping Houston to build as much as a 9-point lead. But, in the final 2 minutes of the quarter, the Heat went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 2.

At the end of the third quarter, the Rockets were up 69-66.

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

The fourth quarter turned into and battle of wills as King James imposed his, scoring 11 points and making clutch plays down the stretch. The game was tied at 83, with 2 minutes left, when James stepped up and hit a 3 pointer.

On the next possession for Miami, Mike Miller sunk a three to put Miami up by 6. Momentum and the crowd were also on their side at this point. The final score was Heat 97, Rockets 88.

LeBron James scored 32 points and had 8 rebounds. Norris Cole scored 16 points and had 4 rebounds (he looks playoff ready). Mike Miller and Joel Anthony had 11 points each.

LeBron James has been having a great season, maybe one of his best. When he  was asked about the MVP race between him and the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s Kevin Durant, he was a bit coy.

“I don’t talk about whether I’m the MVP or not,” said James. “The voters will vote. Just to be in the race, to hear my name in the race with (Durant) and some of the other great athletes … we have in the league, is very humbling.”

With this win the Miami Heat are 46-18 with two games remaining in the regular season (Boston Celtics on Tuesday, Washington Wizards on Thursday).

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

So, What Happened Against The Wizards?

On Saturday, the Miami Heat were visited by the underwhelming Washington Wizards. With the win, the Heat would be that much closer to securing the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs (a “W” against the Wizards would have them tied up with the Chicago Bulls).

But they would have win without Chris Bosh, LeBron James and – eventually – Dwyane Wade.

Everything was going bad in the first quarter for Miami. Then, at the 9-minute mark, Dwyane Wade’s left index finger got caught in Jordan Crawford‘s jersey. He dislocated it and did not return to the game. The Heat would have to finish this one without the Big Three on the court.

Kevin Seraphin scored 8 points for Washington. At the end of one, the Wizards were up 23-15.

The Wizards kept at Miami in the second. John Wall scored 7 points and 2 assists. Mario Chalmers scored 6 points and Joel Anthony scored 5 points. Neither team was able to get anything going, really. At halftime, the Wizards were up 45-37.

Miami showed some life in the 3^rd quarter. James Jones scored 9 points off of a trio of 3 pointers, which helped bring Miami back from a 12-point deficit to a 3-point deficit. But, Washington held strong and did not let Miami take the lead.

At the end of three, the Wizards were up 63-62.

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

It was a wild fourth quarter in Miami. Both teams went at it hard, the lead changing hands many times. With 2:39 to go, the crowd went wild when Mario Chalmers drove in the lane, made the lay-up and got fouled, which tied the game.

With 1 minute left, the game was tied at 82. Washington’s Wall drove in and passed it to Nene, who slammed it home to take a 2-point lead.

Then, with 11 seconds left, Shane Battier stole the ball, gave an outlet pass to Mario Chalmers who drove in the lane, missed the layup, but Udonis Haslem came right from behind and cleaned up the play with a dunk.

The game was tied at 84, and with 0.5 seconds left, Wall once again drove into the lane and it gave it to Nene, who laid it in to take the lead. On Miami’s next play, Mike Miller tried to shoot a 3 pointer, but time had expired before he could get the shot off.

The final score was Wizards 86, Heat 84.

John Wall dominated for Washington, scoring 13 points and handing out 13 assists. For Miami, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem combined for 25 rebounds. Miller also scored 16 points and Mario Chalmers – who had a solid performance – also scored 16.

Wade didn’t seem too worried about the injury to his finger (the x-rays were negative).

“They told me the worst-case scenario was surgery,” he said. “I’ll be prepared and ready for the playoffs … . It’ll be an adjustment, but I’m blessed that it’s nothing worse.”

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: Copyright NBAE 2012 (Photo: Mike Ehrmann/NBAE/Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[Miami, FL] After beating the best team in the Western Conference at home on Wednesday night (Oklahoma City Thunder), you would think the Miami Heat could hold their own against the 30-23 Memphis Grizzlies.

But it was the Grizzlies who looked more like the elite team.

Rudy Gay and Memphis came out on fire in the first quarter, starting the game on a 21-8 run to put Miami’s collective back against the wall early. Gay scored 9 points and had 2 rebounds. Meanwhile for Miami, Chris Bosh had scored in the first 4 minutes of the game, but Miami went ice cold from there, missing most of their shots.

At the end of the first, Memphis was up 25-12. Ouch.

It didn’t get any better for Miami in the second. It seemed as if every time the Heat were going to get a run started, Memphis just brushed them off. Gilbert Arenas, freshly acquired by the Grizzlies, drained two three-pointers to keep Memphis with the lead. At halftime, the Grizzlies were up 48-32.

Memphis kept going at Miami in the third quarter. The Heat knew they needed a comeback because Memphis came to play and would not back down. And with around 8 minutes left, Miami cut the lead down to 10 to make the game manageable.

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

LeBron James scored 21 for the Miami Heat but it wasn’t enough

But, Memphis stood their ground and would not let the Miami Heat cut the lead to single-digits. At the end of three, the Grizzlies were still up, 73-61.

The Heat seemingly couldn’t do anything to get back in the game, a monster comeback just wasn’t in the script. The final score was Grizzlies 97, Heat 82.

It was an all-around effort from Memphis, as 7 of the 11 players who played scored in double figures. Meanwhile for Miami, LeBron James scored 21 points and Dwyane Wade scored 20 points, but it was just not enough. The Heat only shot 40% from the field and only made 4 out of 18 three-point shots.

Also telling – Miami never had the lead in this game. Even the crowd seemed out of it. The only time they really got out of their seats was when Miami got within ten, or when Joel Anthony made a spectacular block on Rudy Gay. That one also got me to jump out of my seat.

Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra was not impressed with his team’s effort.

“It was a disappointing performance and you have to give Memphis credit, they kicked our butt,” Spoelstra said.

The Miami Heat are now 39-15 on the season. They play the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, April 8.

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Images: Copyright 2012 NBAE (photos: Issac Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[Miami, FL] Fresh off a 6-point win against eastern Conference rivals the Philadelphia 76ers, the Miami Heat were fired up to face the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder, currently the best team in the Western Conference.

Helping the Heat in this possible NBA Finals preview was the fact that Dwyane Wade was back in the starting line-up after missing a game with an injury. Remember, it was only last week that the Thunder blew out Miami. But, at home in front of a raucous, Wednesday-night crowd, there was a different outcome.

In Miami’s last game, LeBron James dominated Philadelphia’s defense scoring 41 points, and that trend continued against the Thunder. In the first quarter, James scored 10 points and had 2 assists. Kevin Durant kept the Thunder at the same pace as the Heat, scoring 11 points.

At the end of the first, the Thunder were up 23-21. This was not going to be easy.

It seemed as if everything was going to fall apart for the Miami Heat at the 6-minute mark. At that point, they were down by 11. But, James and Wade combined to score 17 points within 6 minutes to take the lead before halftime. At halftime, the Heat were up 50-49.

The role players stepped up in the third quarter for Miami. Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem, Terrel Harris, and Joel Anthony combined to score 12 points. Chris Bosh also came alive, scoring 8 points. Consequently, the Heat outscored the Thunder 30-24 in the quarter, putting some distance between the two teams.

At the end of three, the Heat were up 80-73 and looking good.

An all-around effort by Miami in the fourth by kept OKC at bay. The Heat took the lead with 8:30 left and never looked back. Battier scored 6 points in the final 8 minutes. LeBron was attacking the basket, and by doing so, he also scored 6 points in the final 8 minutes.

At the end of the game, the final score was Heat 98, Thunder 93.

LeBron James scored 34 points and had 10 assists. Dwyane Wade also contributed, scoring 19 points and had 3 steals.

There was tension during this game as both teams sensed a future post-season meeting. Towards halftime when James jumped to dunk, OKC’s Russel Westbrook pushed James out of mid-air and onto the ground. But, LeBron didn’t find much of a problem with it though.

“Playoff basketball,” James said. “I know Russ. I don’t think he’s a dirty player.”

The Miami Heat are now 39-14 on the season. Their next game is Friday, April 6 versus the Memphis Grizzlies.

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Image: Copyright 2012 NBAE (photo: Issac Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[Indianapolis, IN] After coming off of a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Miami Heat wanted to get back on the winning track against the Indiana Pacers. If the Heat would beat Indiana, they would sweep the season series against the Pacers.

Against OKC, the Miami Heat simply had no answer for the Thunder in the second half. The same happened again on Tuesday night for Miami.

Danny Granger and Indiana did not seem intimidated at all by the Heat. Granger scored 10 points and Indiana started the game on an 11-5 run to put Miami on its heels. But, Miami managed to come back due to the play of LeBron James, who scored 10 points. At the end of the first, the score was tied at 24.

Both teams stayed even throughout the second quarter. Tyler Hansbrough scored 5 quick points to help Indiana get the lead. But, Miami later recaptured the lead with 6 minutes left from the help of Dwyane Wade. Just before halftime, Paul George hit a half-court shot to put the Pacers up by 3.

At halftime the Pacers were up 49-46.

Everything fell apart for Miami in the second half. The Heat committed way too many turnovers, which just helped the Pacers even more. Indiana started the third quarter on a 7-0 run to go up by 10. The Heat would eventually get within 5, but the Pacers went back up by 13.

At the end of the third quarter, the Pacers were up 78-65 and cruising.

COPYRIGHT 2012 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem positions for a rebound

Miami could do nothing to even come close to the Pacers in the final quarter. George and Granger were hitting shot after shot for Indiana. The final score was Pacers 105, Heat 90.

It can be stated that Miami were just simply out-hustled by Indiana, as they were out-rebounded 49-33 and committed 17 turnovers (and Indiana scored 17 points off of those turnovers). Not exactly a winning recipe.

Dwyane Wade and the Heat seemed to be winded down the stretch, they just looked tired and worn out. At one point in the fourth quarter, Wade took himself out of the game and requested to take a breather.

“I needed an oxygen tank at that point,” said Wade after the game.

In the past three weeks, the Miami Heat have turned from one of the best teams, to a sub-par team. Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra also acknowledged it.

“We’re not pleased with how we’ve been playing on a consistent level the last three weeks,” Spoelstra said “We’re not there yet.”

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

 Lead image: Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images

Miami Heat

[Miami, FL] Pro B-baller Shane Battier of the Miami Heat is enlisting some of his teammates – including LeBron James – to help him raise money for charity.

We actually think this is all an elaborate ruse Mr. Battier to get people to hear him sing. Karaoke. Yes.

On Tuesday (March 27), Battier and his wife Heidi will host “South Beach Battioke” at the legendary Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel to benefit his charity, The Battier Take Charge Foundation, which funds college scholarships for deserving high school students from Miami.

The Eden Roc, a Marriott property,  is located at 4525 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL  33140. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.

The press release for this thing mentions that Miami players LeBron James and Mike Miller will hit the stage with a song (hopefully not as a duet), along with Miami Heat President Pat Riley and swimsuit model Chrissy Teigen.

Pat Riley singing? Sign me up … for ear plugs. LeBron James? At least there’s a cool factor if he can’t carry a tune. And that swimsuit model? Who cares, she’s a swimsuit model.

They’ll also be auctioning off some Shane-centric items including:

• Two floor seats to the April 4th Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat game, dinner after at Prime 112 with Shane and Heidi, and signed, game-worn shoes
• Have Shane speak at your child’s school (either to the child’s class or a school assembly)

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Image: (L) Miami Heat, (R) Take Charge Foundation

Related reading:

3-on-3 preview: Heat at Pacers 7 pm ET (ESPN blog) Generally, the Heat have shared the ball. The Thunder completely took the Heat out of their game and this was another example. 2. Fact or Fiction: Miami’s PG woes are more significant than Miller’s injury. Haberstroh: Fact. Didn’t it look like the Heat …

Battier turning karaoke into scholarships (News Chief) But by poking fun at his own musical shortcomings – and those of a few of his Miami Heat teammates including LeBron James – for a few hours, Battier is going to try to send some needy kids to college. He calls it “Battioke,” a fundraising …

LeBron James

[Oklahoma City, OK] After serving a blowout to hosts Detroit, the Miami Heat wanted to pick up another win on the road. Only they were facing the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder.

Coming into the game, people viewed this game as a potential NBA Finals match-up. With the Thunder having Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, it was going to be tough night on defense for Miami.

Durant and Kendrick Perkins dominated for Oklahoma City in the first quarter, combining to score 15 points, with Durant chipping in 3 assists. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James each scored six in the quarter. At the end of one, the Thunder were up, 25-24.

James Harden and the Thunder really poured it on in the second quarter. Harden scored 12 points, which helped the Thunder to a 13-point lead. Oklahoma City outscored Miami 35-25 in the second. At halftime, the Thunder were up 60-49.

It didn’t get any better for the Heat in the third. Miami kept gunning for a comeback, but the Thunder didn’t let them get close. Durant and Serge Ibaka were scoring at will and didn’t let Miami gain any momentum.

It actually looked like Miami was going to be down by 14 at the end of the third, but Wade hit a 57-foot shot from behind half court at the buzzer to cut the lead down to 11. At the end of three, the Thunder were up 80-69.

The Heat could do nothing to stop the Thunder in the fourthquarter – every time Miami got close, OKC pulled away. The final score was Thunder 103, Heat 87.

Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and had 4 assists. LeBron James scored 17 points and only made 8 out of 18 shots from the field. After the game, he simply said, “I’ve just got to find my touch.”

Udonis Haslem was also upset with this game, he said, “It’s like looking in the mirror. And we know what we do with turnovers.”

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Image: COPYRIGHT 2012 NBAE (photo: Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[Orlando, FL] With Thursday night’s game being a rematch of the season opener for the Orlando Magic (23-13), and after an 11-4 month of February, could the surging Magic keep pace with the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (28-7)?

Heading into the first quarter with lots on their plate to think about – do we trade Dwight Howard or do we bring in pieces to appease him? – the Magic matched the Thunder bucket for bucket until the 27.3 second mark. That’s when Jason Richardson dropped a 3-point bomb putting the Magic on top 23-20 after one.

The second quarter was a near carbon copy (remember those?) of the first, with both teams putting up 30 points. That left the Magic in possession of the lead at the half 53-50. But could they keep up the pressure for two halves?

Leading the way for the Magic at the midway point was outside sharpshooter Ryan Anderson with 10. Meanwhile, D12 had 9 points and 3 boards. The Thunder were led by their two young stars Russell Westbrook, who had 17, and Kevin Durant, who had 13.

They are possibly the only combo in the league I wouldn’t want to trash because they are pretty loyal guys so we’ll leave it at that.

The second half began with the Magic coming out and pushing hard and earning an 11-point lead, thanks in part to J-Rich and Howard the Dunk. From that point on, the teams matched bucket for bucket for the final 8:18 of the third. The Magic were up 11 after three quarters and looking good.

Photo: Orlando Magic

Jameer Nelson takes it to the rim for the Orlando Magic

But could they hold on against the best team in the NBA?

Sorry, Orlando. The dynamic duo of Durant and Westbrook – which put up a combined 22 points in the fourth alone – ruined the fairytale ending of this one. The Thunder simply stole this game from the Magic with a strong finish, outscoring them 35-21 in the final quarter.

The final score was the Orlando Magic 102, Oklahoma City Thunder 105.

Leading the Magic in this hard fought game was Dwight Howard with 33 points and 9 boards, a great effort. Also in double figures were Jason Richardson (16), Ryan Anderson/Jameer Nelson (15) and Hedo Turkoglu with 11.

Unfortunately, the Magic didn’t get any help from the bench in this one, if they had, they might have pulled this one out. Way to step up guys.

Pacing the NBA leading Thunder was superstar Kevin Durant, who finished with 38 points and 8 boards (Note to Howard: an All-Star center should out rebound a small forward by more than 1). Also impressive was Russell Westbrook, with had 29 points and 10 dimes.

Mike’s Pick

I’m not sure  who made the NBA schedule this year, but the Milwaukee Bucks? Again? Really? It will be the fourth time the Magic have faced the Bucks in their last 11 games. They play this Saturday at home so expect a W for the good guys.

My Prediction: Magic 97, Bucks 90.

Position Breakdown

PG: Slight Bucks

SG: Magic

SF: Magic

PF: Magic

C: Magic

Bench: Magic

Beer Brats: Bucks

By: Mike Yesenko/Sunshine Slate

Images: Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic

[Oklahoma City, OK] Things started off pretty well for the Orlando Magic during their Sunday-night season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shots were falling. The defense was stiff. The Magic played big and strong.

And then as if someone flicked a switch, the tables turned and OKC was raging and the Magic played like a team in turmoil. That famed Orlando defense was no where to be found, leaving fans to wonder if the Thunder really are that good (yes, they are).

Thunder maker Kevin Durant sure is: he scored 30 points, three more than last year’s average. In fact, the entire team was feeling it, making 47% of their shots and dropping in ten 3-pointers.

On the other hand, Orlando managed a pathetic 37% from the floor and missed 20 out of 28 3-point attempts.

“Offensively we weren’t good all night, except for the first four minutes,’’ offered Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy after the game. “I didn’t like our pace, lots of one pass then shots.”

Even though Magic forward Ryan Anderson poured in 25 points, including a half dozen threes, Van Gundy wasn’t impressed.

“Even [Anderson] didn’t help us on offense with screens or looking for any of the other guys,” said the coach who was sporting an actual suit jacket and a kinder, gentler attitude, thanks to Dwight Howard‘s plea for Van Gundy to tone down the vitriol.

Dwight didn’t respond in kind, only managing 11 points in nearly 39 minutes of play. Howard – who did grab 15 rebounds and block two shots – was kept in check on the offensive end by OKC center/NBA vet Kendrick Perkins, always a tough customer.

Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson scored 18 points in addition to chalking up six assists on the night. Those are impressive numbers, but again the overall play was lacking, according to Van Gundy.

One person who liked what he saw on the court was Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.

“Our defense was really good, they’re one of the best offensive teams in the league,” said Brooks. “Perk was really good on Howard, he gave us everything he had.”

Next up for the Orlando Magic: their home opener against the Houston Rockets tonight.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Image: Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic

[Orlando, FL] Let the games begin.

Now that an agreement between the NBA’s players and owners has been reached, information about the upcoming – albeit shortened – season is slowly coming out. That’s the good news.

The bad news – for Orlando Magic fans, that is – is that this could be superstar center Dwight Howard’s final season with the team (informed speculation has D-12 headed to – where else – the Los Angeles Lakers). Slam reports that Dwight and the team haven’t spoken since the lockout began, a scary thought for fans of the Magic men.

Also noteworthy: The Orlando Sentinel says that Mark Price, the greatest free throw shooter in NBA history, has joined Orlando as the team’s new shooting coach.

The good news for the Miami Heat is that the betting pros in Las Vegas has the team at 2-to-1 odds as winning The NBA Finals this season. Also possibly good news (if he can stay healthy) is that the team may make a move to sign free agent big man Greg Oden.

And now back to our irregularly scheduled program …

Confirmed is the Orlando Magic’s regular season opener on Dec. 25 (Christmas Day!) versus one of last season stand-outs the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately for Orlando fans, the game takes place in OKC at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. But fear not – the 8 p.m. game will be televised by ESPN.

Photo: Miami Heat

Miami Heat’s “big three”: (L-R) Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh

The rest of the schedule is forthcoming, according to Orlando Magic officials.

For the Miami Heat, the first game looks to be on the road against Dallas Mavericks, who beat the Heat in stunning fashion to capture the championship last season (although this has yet to be confirmed by team officials).

The Heat is definitely on as the team’s season tickets are sold out, although you can purchase a HEAT Priority Access Club membership which “guarantees priority on the Season Ticket Waiting List” as well as dibs on individual game tickets and 2012 Playoff tickets..

Can’t wait that long? Both teams lace-up for a pair of preseason contests. Orlando heads to Miami for a warm-up game at AmericanAirlines Arena on Dec. 18. Miami returns the favor at Amway Center on Dec. 21.

The Magic also reminds fans that “season tickets, partial plans, group and single-game Amway Center suite rental opportunities are on sale now,” with 2,500 seats per game priced at $20 or less and 8,000 seats priced at $40 or less.

League wide, there will be more than one million $10-or-less tickets available throughout the strike-truncated season.

Magic season ticket holders looking forward to the annual “Select-a-Seat” event will get their wish on Dec. 10 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Remaining single-game tickets will go on sale sometime after Dec. 12. For Magic ticket information, visit orlandomagic.com or call 866.618.0666.

For Miami Heat ticket info, visit HEAT.com or call 1-800-4NBA-TIX.

Training camps are scheduled to open across the league on Dec. 9.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Images: Miami Heat

Miami Heat