[Boston, MA] There’s no reason to play your superstars when the game is essentially meaningless.

So it was no surprise then that the Miami Heat‘s second-to-last game of the season at the Boston Celtics on Tuesday was a very different game from their regularly scheduled basketbrawls. This time out, the Big 3 for the Heat would not play.

Boston was messing around either and rested the creaky old bones of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The extremely shy Rajon Rondo would also not play. And as expected, it was a very sloppy game.

The Heat started the first quarter off on an 11-0 run. But then it was the Celtics turn, who went on 10-4 run of their own. Paul Pierce scored 4 points for Boston and Shane Battier scored 5 points for Miami. At the end of one, the Heat were up 17-10.

Both teams gave the crowd a good game in the second. James Jones scored 9 points off of three 3-pointers. Marquis Daniels scored 6 points and Keyon Dooling scored 5 points for Boston. But overall, the offense just wasn’t there.

At halftime, the Heat were up in a very low-scoring game, 34-28.

The Celtics and Heat went back and forth in the thirdquarter. It actually looked like Miami was going to run away with the game, when they took a 10-point lead with around half of the third left. However, Boston managed to cut the lead from 10 to 2, and later tie the game.

Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Miami Heat rested the Big 3 for the playoffs

Brandon Bass scored 6 points for Boston. At the end of three, the game was tied at a low score of 50.

The Celtics took advantage of Miami’s turnovers in the final quarter. Sasha Pavlovic scored 12 points and helped Boston outscore Miami 28-16. The Heat could not stop Boston on defense and couldn’t get any offense going to start a run.

The final score was Boston Celtics 78, Miami Heat 66.

The Heat committed 24 turnovers, which is one of the worst offensive performances of the year. On the bright side for Miami, Udonis Haslem has had double-digit rebounds in the past couple of games. He had 13 rebounds against the Celtics.

Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra believes his team can reach their goal of a championship.

“We’ve put in a lot of time, already, together,” Spoelstra said. “It’s a year and a half. If we didn’t have that body of work, it’d probably be a little tougher right now. We have some other priorities in terms of making sure our health is right.”

The Miami Heat have one final meaningless regular-season game tonight against the Washington Wizards.

Tickets to the first two games of the first round of The NBA Playoffs are available here.

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: Copyright 2012 NBAE  (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[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] 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

[Milwaukee, WI] After blowing-out both the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks on the road, the Miami Heat were properly prepared to face the Milwaukee Bucks – the only team in the NBA this season to hand the Heat two losses. In both of those losses, the Bucks ran away with the game in the fourth quarter.

Miami was bound and determined to not let history repeat itself (for a third time).

In the first quarter, both teams went back and forth playing some pretty good ball. For the Heat, LeBron James scored 7 points while Dwyane Wade scored 8. For the Bucks, Carlos Delfino had the hot hand, scored 10 points, six of them coming from the three-pointers. At the end of the quarter, the Heat were up 30-27.

James and Wade dominated the second quarter, both combining to score 16 points. Yet the Bucks kept it close, even taking the lead. However, in the last 6 minutes of the half, the Heat went on a 20-9 run to re-take the lead and give them a 5-point cushion going into halftime.

At the midway point, the Miami Heat were up 55-50.

As if on cue, the Heat pretty much ran away with the game in the third, outscoring the Bucks 35-24. LeBron netted 14 points and Mario Chalmers scored 10. There seemed to be nothing the Bucks could do to get back in the game. At the end of the quarter, the Heat were up 90-74.

Feeling that another blow-out victory was at hand, the Heat’s bench came in and closed out the Bucks, not giving up any ground. The game ended with the final score of Heat 114, Bucks 96.

LeBron James scored 35 points and had 8 rebounds. Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and also had 5 rebounds. These two guys are simply playing fantastic basketball right now.

“We took last night like it was its own game and we did the same thing tonight,” said James. “Now we move on to Indiana to close it out.”

The Miami Heat … starting to play like a championship team. Next up: Indiana tonight and Cleveland on Friday, both road contests.

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Image: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat dunks against (L-R) Ersan Ilyasova #7 and Mike Dunleavy #17 of the Milwaukee Bucks on February 13, 2012 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

Miami Heat

[Washington, D.C.] After coming off of a horrible loss to the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat wanted to bounce back at the Verizon Center against one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Washington Wizards.

Veteran Dwyane Wade again dominated as he did against Orlando.

In the first, Miami’s Big 3 played great. All three combined to score 16 out of the 23 points scored in the quarter. But, JaVale McGee and Trevor Booker kept the struggling Wizards in the game. At the end of one, the Heat were up 23-19.

Wade simply shredded the Wizards’ defense in the second quarter; he scored 14 points which eventually gave the Heat a double-digit lead. Also, for the Wizards, center McGee scored 9 points, which again kept Washington in the game, somewhat. At halftime, the Miami Heat were up 52-42.

In the third quarter, the Wizards fought back and cut the lead down from 10 all the way to 1. From the help of elite point guard, John Wall, the Wizards were able to make a comeback. Wall scored 10 points and at the end of the quarter, but the Heat were still up, 74-67.

The Heat ran away with the game in the fourth, scoring a whopping 32 points versus the Wizards’ 22. Chris Bosh helped Miami seal the deal by scoring 10 points in the quarter. The final score was Miami Heat 106, Washington Wizards 89.

Dwyane Wade scored 26 points and dished out 5 assists. Bosh scored 24 points and reeled in 11 rebounds.

“He finally got a comfort zone early in the game,” Wade said of Bosh. “And I think that was the difference. The other games, I don’t think he was comfortable early.  And late in games, me and LeBron (James) have the ball a lot. So a lot of his shots come in pick-and-pop jumpers, and his rhythm is kind of off.”

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

Photo: Miami Heat/Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty

Miami Heat

[Orlando, FL] Boy, did the Orlando Magic need this win. Nursing a four-game loosing streak, they were beginning to forget what winning felt like.

And that’s dangerous for a supposedly playoff-bound squad.

A 109-103 outcome against league doormats the Washington Wizards was just what the doctor ordered, even though it took a Herculean 40-point fourth quarter to get the victory. Going 11-for-19 in the fourth proved that these guys can still make buckets when their heads are on straight.

Maybe seeing old pal Rashard Lewis in the Wizards line-up reminded them of the good old days? If not, Lewis’ 20 points certainly did.

The Magic’s big three scorers did their part with Dwight Howard and J.J. Redick both pouring in 21 points and outside shooting ace Ryan Anderson netting 23.

“I’ve been telling J.J. to stay aggressive coming off screens and looking for his shot,” said Howard after the game. “It’s a great shot; don’t waste it. Just let it fly.”

One thing Howard definitely let fly was his temper. A non-call in the third caused the superstar center to smash the ball into the court at the feet of referee Scott Wall. Howard drew technical foul number six on the season for his non-think.

Chris Duhon started in place of Jameer Nelson who missed his third straight game with “concussion-like symptoms.” Expect Duhon to start again on Friday.

The Magic suffered early in the game from a spate of turnovers caused by poor execution against the press, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Stan Van.

“I can’t see a team that won’t [press]. We’re struggling with it very badly, and when you’re doing that, we’ll see the same thing until we get it solved,” said Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy.

Another thing Van Gundy may have noticed: the home crowd is starting to turn on Howard. There were recognizable chants of “Trade Dwight Howard” heard during a late-game trip to the foul line.

That’s all this fragile team needs right now. But it is what it is.

Photo: Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic waive Larry Hughes

After the game, the Orlando Magic announced that they had waived little used shooting guard Larry Hughes. Hughes, who played in nine games this season, was signed as a free agent by Orlando on Dec. 9. He averaged 1.3 points per game and 12.7 minutes of playing time in those nine outings.

On Thursday, the Magic signed six-foot point guard Ish Smith from the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League (D-League). Smith played six games for the Golden State Warriors earlier this season, averaging 4.5 points  and 1.5 assists per game (in 10 minutes of court time).

During his rookie season last year, he also played for the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies.

And speaking of rookies, the Orlando Magic host the Cleveland Cavaliers – featuring newbie sensation Kyrie Irving – on Friday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Images: Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic