Dwyane Wade

Before the game, reports have said that it would be both Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony out. Sike. Entering into the game, Wade was able to make it. He was back, and it led to the whipping of the Melo-less New York Knicks as the Miami Heat improve to 14-5 after a 99-88 victory.

The Knicks were able to get a win a few days ago with Melo only scoring one point. It was close throughout the whole game until the fourth quarter came. Miami went on a roll and couldn’t be stopped. It was a win for them after they took the 84-77 lead thanks to the jumper by Chris Bosh. It was for sure done after LeBron found Wade for the alley-oop. That made it sure done-deal.

New York couldn’t finish it out. It was expected they could have won without Melo, especially winning with his one-point performance, as mentioned before. But no, it didn’t happen. Amare Stoudemire was frustrated throughout the fourth, and it showed signs that this team has been a nightmare so far this season, as they drop to 7-12 now.

As for the Heat, things have been going great. They have been doing well without Wade, as their Big Two with LeBron and Bosh have been excellent. With Wade back, this team is looking to cause even more trouble now for opposing teams. LeBron finished with 31 points, Wade had 28, and Bosh had 13.

“Real nice to be back,” Wade said. “Felt great. Felt great.”

As for the Knicks, they were three-point obsessed. They took 43 three-point attempts, only making 18 of them. They shot more three’s than two-point jumpers. As they kept shooting three’s, the Miami Heat were cruising with the Big Two and No. 3 (Wade).

Bill Walker led the team with 21 points off seven three’s, but was fouled out in the fourth. Behind him was Toney Douglass with 16 points, Landry Fields with 14, and a frustrated Stoudemire with twelve. The 43 attempts from behind-the-arc were the most this season, and they were only behind the Dallas Mavericks for the record, in which they set in 1996 with 49 attempts from three-point range.

“We shot a lot of 3′s, but we did hit a bunch of them, which kept us in there,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We just couldn’t sustain it all the way through. Give them credit, they’re good.”

After missing six games, Wade came back with nice assists to LeBron and some flashy dunks of his own. He was eleven-of-19 from the field.

“It’s a nice welcome back for that young kid, No. 3,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

The Knicks had them, but weren’t able to pull it out. With Anthony, he won’t be back until maybe Tuesday, according to the Knicks. This means that New York is going to have to bust it out tonight versus Houston without Melo again. We’ll see how they do. But give New York credit, they played solid versus Miami, until we hit towards the midway part of the fourth quarter.

“This was a game for us to win,” Knicks center Tyson Chandler said. “We were right there. Just down the stretch they changed their coverages. We had them. … It was open and our game for the taking, but obviously they were the better team.”

As for Miami, they will face the Chicago Bulls tomorrow, which looks to be a solid match-up with two of the best Eastern Conference teams. Looks to be a good one.
—-

Written by Josh Dhani, Founder (Archive/RSS)

Josh has been writing since 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also writes at Hardcourt Mayhem and contributes to TrueHoop’s Eight Points Nine Seconds. He also owns his own Pacers blog at StaringDownSpike.com. Check him out on JoshDhani.com and follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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These athletes had some creative ideas for their costumes. Take a look at how they did below:
Jeff Gordon – A one-night stand
Shaun White – Wendy’s
Paul Pierce – The frog from “Princess and the Frog”
Jonathan Toews and Adam Burish – Dumb and Dumber (Harry and Lloyd)
A.J. Ellis – Carmen Miranda
John McEnroe – John McEnroe (yes, he was himself)
Dwyane Wade – Justin Timberlake

I like D-Wade’s and Jeff Gordon’s the best.

Thanks to The Post Game for the photos.

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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Delayed by the lockout, it may take longer than expected for LeBron James and the Miami Heat to get the opportunity to make do on their infamous promise of multiple titles. Regardless of whether there will be an upcoming season, the next time NBA teams suit up for the season, the Miami Heat will be the clear favorite.

The Heat took over the sports world about a year ago when they shockingly lured LeBron James away from his hometown Cavaliers, re-signed Dwyane Wade and added Chris Bosh to form the notorious “Big Three.”

The unprompted celebration only added more venom and ultimately turned the Heat into the villains of the sports world. Soon enough, NBA legends such as Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were providing their own commentary on the “decision,” and questioning LeBron James’ makeup.

The Heat were a large component to the NBA’s most interesting season—never had any sports team been scrutinized on a nightly basis like the Miami Heat. A slow start led to speculation that Pat Riley would be stepping down to the bench, replacing head coach Erik Spoelstra.

After a regular season that warranted 58 wins and second place in the Eastern Conference, the Heat went through the Eastern Conference with relative ease, taking care of Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago in five games each. Fourth-quarter struggles and the magical play of Dirk Nowitzki ended the Heat’s season ring-less and full of question marks.

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/article/media_slots/photos/000/187/380/113185465_crop_340x234.jpg?1313096403Despite a trip to the Finals and a roster that included three All-Stars, Heat fans were left with a sense of emptiness; many had proclaimed that this team would match the great 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ 72-win mark.

But the Heat have the chance to build off last season’s success. They will enter the season as the odds-on favorite in an Eastern Conference that includes an aging Boston Celtics roster, an uncertain Orlando Magic team and the same Chicago Bulls team that the Heat defeated in five games.

I fully expect the Heat to at least repeat as Eastern Conference champions. The Western Conference, on the other hand, doesn’t boast a single team that the Heat couldn’t beat in a seven-game series, including the Mavericks and the Lakers.

This Heat team will only get better. Ultimately James, Wade and Bosh must fully adapt to each other and learn how to play their best when they are on the court together. Last season, James felt more comfortable when Wade was on the bench and vice versa. The only way the Big Three will live up to their potential is with time.

Last season, the Heat got off to a slow start due to the fact that the Big Three were still learning how to play to each other’s strengths. In fact, the Heat got off to a 9-8 start through 17 games.

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/article/media_slots/photos/000/187/381/115753444_crop_340x234.jpg?1313096534This season, I wouldn’t expect a slow start from the Heat—the adaptation phase won’t be necessary. Instead, I would expect the Heat to play similar to how they played during the first three rounds of the playoffs.

The one major concern for the Heat is LeBron James’ fourth-quarter struggles. Had James played better during the fourth quarter, the Heat would’ve likely been entering next season as defending champs.

It’s important to note that these fourth-quarter struggles were very untypical of James’ fourth-quarter play throughout the postseason. James was the Heat’s closer in both the Boston and Chicago series.

In the first three series leading up to the Finals, James had shot a red-hot 15-for-31 in the fourth quarter. The issue can be fixed. It’s very possible that James’ fourth-quarter struggles are an aberration; James may have to defer more to Dwyane Wade.

More players will continue to see South Beach as the premier destination. Last season we saw veterans flocking to Miami to take the veteran’s minimum in exchange for a last chance at a championship.

The Heat didn’t have much of a roster behind the Big Three, but I could see veterans such as Jamal Crawford, Shane Battier and Michael Redd all signing with Miami. Who knows how the new collective bargaining agreement will impact the salary cap, but I’m sure more veterans will be willing to sign with the Heat, bolstering the Heat’s thin roster.

There will be young teams willing to challenge the Heat; the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder will be right in the mix, battling the Heat for the next few years.

Entering year two of the Heat experiment, however, I think Miami will only get better. The Big Three will play to each other’s strengths and the roster will improve.

It’s possible that the only thing stopping the Heat from a championship is the current lockout.

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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The Miami Heat didn’t finish their season totally as they wanted, but they did have successful time together. The pressure, consistent critics have been part of any game played outside of their arena.

They played well through all of that, finally found their chemistry, player roles and so on. With all of this, they’re ready to win titles and will come back stronger next year. They want to establish themselves as a dynasty.

There’s no room for failure with all of the expectations being off the charts. Here are the five things the Miami Heat need to do in order to win multiple championships.

1. Sign A Good Center

The first step that the Miami Heat need to do is to find a good center, who’s capable to rebound and defend well. It won’t hurt if he has a good offensive game, but that won’t be needed because of the Big 3.

It was certainly their biggest weakness, and it’s a must have thing especially for a team that plans to win multiple titles. There are lots of nice option for them to get this summer. One of them is Samuel Dalembert.

He’s a productive center who’s great on the defensive end and on the glass. He comes in cheap too. Perhaps the best option for the Heatles is Greg Oden, but he struggles with injuries and requires big money.

Regardless who they sign of these guys, it’ll be the first step in moving forward.

2.LeBron James Needs To Be In The Post

Despite being the most hated person on the basketball courts in the NBA, LeBron James is also the league’s best player and biggest superstar too. He’s a dominant all-around force who dominates because of his physicality and skill set.

Even though he had solid series against Dallas with few games in which he was the best player on the floor, he still didn’t produce as well as he can. The defense that the Mavericks played against him was effective, because he didn’t go in the post often.

He has the tools to excel in there, because of his superior physical advantages and skills. He can overpower his opponents, drain fade away and variety of other shots against his opponents etc. He’ll attract more double teams, and since he’s a great passer, he’ll provide good looks for his team mates.

James certainly needs to upgrade this ability of his and take it to the next level. He needs to get down there, and can dominate even more from there. Plus, it will allow Wade to do this thing from the perimeter and Bosh to play more from mid range.

3.Chris Bosh Needs A Three Point Shot

Chris Bosh is still one of the very best power forwards in the NBA, despite being the third option in this Heat team. Obviously his stats have suffered, and he has dealt with a lot of critics in the process too.

However, he still has a good game. He proved it in the playoffs and finals with terrific play. Bosh’s much better offensive threat from the perimeter where he can knock his shots, lures out big men out of the paint, uses his speed to pass his defender etc. He can rebound well too.

He will be even more effective if he can add a three point shot, which will make him a great scorer in this team. He’ll also need a lot of work on the defensive end, in terms of blocking few shots, playing better man to man defense and so on.

4.Develop Great Chemistry

The Miami Heat are the most hated and disliked team in the NBA today. They also have the most hated basketball player in the world today, his name is LeBron James.

They are on consistent pressure from fans, media, get boos everywhere outside of their home arena and so on. They will need to keep themselves together, play 110% out there and in that way, this team will have a much needed great chemistry.

The Big Three will need to focus on maintaining their roles and get use of each other. This season was a huge experience. Expect from them to get even stronger and win championships.

5.Big Three Will Need Definied Roles

At the start of the season, the Miami Heat’s franchise players struggled to find roles. I got that impression during the entire season but you can’t really blame them. It’s their first year together, and they’re still getting use of each other out there.

A championship team needs presence in the paint, on mid range and out on the perimeter. James is a guy who’s most likely to enter in the post and provide the needed points from there.

Bosh will do his thing from mid range and Wade to do his things from the perimeter. This will be the best solution as each will help the team into winning titles.

6.Dwyane Wade Needs A Better Shot

Dwyane Wade is one of the most physically gifted players, who’s got a nice skill set and could be argued as the best player in the league now.

He’s a dominant presence on the court, because of his physical gifts such as athleticism and speed that allow him to get to the rim, to the line where he’s most effective. He’s got a reliable shot from mid range.

However, he won’t be in a position to consistently overpower his opponents with his physicality. He’ll need a consistent outside shot because with the attention that two of his other team mates LeBron and Bosh (especially James) are getting, he’ll get wide open jumpers.

7.Keep Defense As The Biggest Strength

Defense is the biggest strength of the Miami Heat. They’re capable to neutralize their opponents with excellent pressure on the other side on the court, have elite defenders in the perimeter and turn turn overs into easy scoring chances.

That’s obviously excellent strength for them. However, they lack a presence in the interior. This is where the big man they sign this off season, will help. The team will need to keep this to a whole new level, because as they say “defense wins championships”.

8.Let Erik Spoelstra Get His Experience

Erik Spoelstra is one of the best coaches in the NBA, despite being very short time in the league. His success is based on excellent team defense, motivating his players and establishing his leadership skills in the locker room.

He did push the Miami Heat into the playoffs with a legit superstar in Wade and other good players. He made the Heat one of the top defensive teams even though he lacked many things to build a championship team.

It’s not every day when you need to create offensive plan to get three superstars satisfied with the touches and their egos too while being under huge pressure from the fans, media etc. This is his first Finals experience by the way.

I think next season, he’ll do better and will know what to do in the post season next time. He’s a good coach, and can coach this Heat team for championships.

Darko Mihajlovski

Hi,everyone My name is Darko and i have been a sports fan ever since i watched the first soccer game for me between AC Milan and Inter.I’m a major sports fan overall,who’s interested in NBA basketball,soccer,winter sports such as ski jumping,skiing,athletics,F1 and so on.

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Chris Bosh: 27 points and ten rebounds.

Dwyane Wade: 26 points and ten rebounds.

LeBron James: 27 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

Those are the statistics you want to see from the Miami Heat’s big three. This is what everyone was supposed to expect from the South Beach Superteam. Finally, the Miami Heat have been getting it together. And those statistics weren’t over just some easy opponent. They were battling in the NBA Southeast conference, as the Heat won their fourth straight as they toppled over the Atlanta Hawks, 89-77.

It is about time we have been seeing the team play like this. James playing like that is no surprise. The biggest surprise is Wade and Bosh. Both have been in a slump this season, but now after this performance, maybe they can bring their game up like we expected.

We remember what is expected of this team: James averages 20-24 points per game with six-to-eight assists and five-to-eight rebounds. Wade averages 26-30 points per game and Bosh averages 16-20 points per game with eight-to-ten rebounds. We saw that today. Actually, better than that.

But things are finally clicking. But remember, even though the big three is working out now and the Heat improve to 13-8 along with their fourth straight win, everything isn’t set yet. Once Mike Miller returns, things will be a lot more efficient.

However, other than the big three, their leading scorer was Mario Chalmers with nine points. And those big men in Erick Dampier, Jamaal Magloire, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Joel Anthony? None.

Out of the big three, the rest of the team scored only 14 points. The big three accounted for 75 points, which is about 84-percent of the team’s total amount of points! Listen, I like that big three produced this much, but it doesn’t say much for your supporting cast then.

I mean, with this, the Heat could really struggle if even just one player goes into a slump, or maybe even gets hurt! So then, with this, the Heat may as well go into another losing-streak. Miami needs to let their other players get into the game more.

But then again, they are clicking now. The Heat are improving and I am sure Erik Spoelstra will fix this soon like he did with the big three.

They may not have scored a lot of points, I mean 89 points isn’t a whole lot to be confident about in every game. But the Heat are solid defensively, and as the saying goes: defense wins championships. And the Heat played defense, limiting a high-powered offense to only 77 points.

Miami is improving. I like how they’re playing now.

Now let’s get ready for the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday!

By Josh Dhani

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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It was about time the Miami Heat finally got things clicking from all three of their players in Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James. All played spectacular. After James gave an F-You to Cleveland, the Heat headed back to Miami to host the Atlanta Hawks. And they played well, cruising to a 89-77 victory as Miami improves to 13-8 while winning the fourth straight overall.

For the meantime this year, it has been James doing all the work. But finally, Bosh and Wade have helped out and the Heat had a game we expected with the big three before the year started. James had 22 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Dwyane Wade had 26 points and ten rebounds while Chris Bosh had 27 points and ten rebounds.

Wade is finally getting those big points, Bosh is finally putting up big numbers in the rebound-category, and James is doing what he does with all those near-triple-double-figures.

“It’s just a better feel in the locker room, away from the game, but also on the basketball court,” Wade said. “We’re starting to ‘get it’ with each other. … It’s making a world of difference.”

James was received with terrible chants in Cleveland with “Akron Hates You!” When he returned to Miami, he was loved again with “Miami Loves You!” James is in a new home and it is time to move on. It’s clear Cleveland hates him. James got quiet in the second half, but Wade and Bosh stepped it up big so it was fine.

The Hawks were able to cut the lead to 74-72 but missed a bunch of shots as the Heat created a huge run at the end to seal the deal for a victory.

“They’re a tough team,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “Anytime you have three guys that can potentially be 20-plus every night, you got your hands full.”

Miami was dealing with a lot of criticism after falling to 9-8 last week. But with this win-streak, Miami is back on track to do what they were set out to do this year in the first place. Erik Spoelstra was getting the worst of it. But now, he has straightened his team out and they are slowly getting back to the top.

“If you don’t break from crises, conflict, adversity, those moments make you stronger,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And we didn’t cave in.”

Al Horford played well for the Hawks, scoring 22 points with nine rebounds along with ten-of-eleven shooting. Jamal Crawford and Josh Powell had twelve points, Josh Smith had eleven, and Mike Bibby had ten.

This is a great win for the Heat. They are getting it together and they’re clicking!

“We got the crowd into it,” Bosh said, “and we won the game.”

“We’re figuring it out,” James said. “We’re figuring out what it takes for us three to be successful, and to have the team win.”

By Josh Dhani

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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LeBron James returned to Cleveland as a member of the Miami Heat then proceeded to drop 38 points on the Cavaliers in a 118-90 Heat victory. Now that LeBron returned home, will everyone move on now?
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By JR

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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LeBron James finally returns to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers as a member of the Miami Heat! After his “Decision” and the reaction from Cleveland fans, is there anyone who isn’t looking forward to tomorrows game? How rowdy will Cavs fans be?
http://www.youtube.com/v/rfz_luvGjKU?fs=1&hl=en_US
By JR

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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By Brandon Ribak

Being the head-coach of a professional sports team is no simple task.


When the athletes don’t perform well who does the media point their fingers at first?

When a team doesn’t live up to its hype who’s there to blame besides the coach?

Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat hold a record of 9-8 on the season, good enough for 6th best in the East.

The Heat entered the current season with arguably the most hype and expectations that the league has ever witnessed.

After 17 games it’s safe to say that the team looks discombobulated.

Wade and James don’t seem comfortable on the court alongside of one another and neither is playing the basketball that many expected them to play.

To add fuel to the fire, the team is in desperate need of a legitimate starting point-guard and center.

Carlos Arroyo does not complement the big three and all three centers for Miami are either too old (Dampier and Illgauskas) or lack offensive talent (Anthony).

Power-forward Udonis Haslem suffered what could be a season ending injury and the team doesn’t get sharp-shooting Mike Miller back for at least another month.

ESPN reported that a source has stated that head-coach Erik Spoelstra has been too tough on the team.

“He’s jumping on them,” one source said. “If anything, he’s been too tough on them. Everybody knows LeBron is playful and likes to joke around, but Spoelstra told him in front of the whole team that he has to get more serious. The players couldn’t believe it. They feel like Spoelstra’s not letting them be themselves.”

“He’s not a motivator,” one of the sources said. “Instead of coaching he’s at the point where the players are starting to sense that he’s fearing for his job.”

Miami’s President, Pat Riley, has stated in the past that Spoelstra’s job is secured and that Riley himself will not return to the sidelines to coach the Heat.

Most analysts and fans would take that statement with a grain of salt due to the fact that anything could change overnight in the crazy world of sports.

Right now it seems like Miami’s situation could not get any worse: they’re 9-8, chemistry is completely lacking, and worst of all their coach is starting to panic.

But is Spoelstra the one to blame?

Chemistry isn’t something that players can build overnight and one factor for the slow start could be attributed to Wade being sidelined for the entire pre-season; missing Wade for those seven games could’ve delayed the teams ability to coalesce on the court.

Instead of pointing fingers, the Miami Heat players, especially the big three, need to look at one another and find the heart of the champion within.

Do you think Erik Spoelstra will be fired before the end of the season?

For more of Brandon’s content be sure to check out NBAPrimetime.com and follow him on twitter @_nbaprimetime

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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By Brandon Ribak

According to ESPN, sources have stated that Miami Heat players are getting frustrated with head-coach Erik Spoelstra.


Although Miami has yet to live up to all the hype from the offseason, sources are saying that Spoelstra isn’t making it any easier for the team.

“He’s jumping on them,” one source said. “If anything, he’s been too tough on them. Everybody knows LeBron is playful and likes to joke around, but Spoelstra told him in front of the whole team that he has to get more serious. The players couldn’t believe it. They feel like Spoelstra’s not letting them be themselves.”
“He’s not a motivator,” one of the sources said. “Instead of coaching he’s at the point where the players are starting to sense that he’s fearing for his job.”

Whether or not Spoelstra will be fired is yet to be seen, stay tuned.

For more of Brandon’s content be sure to check out NBAPrimetime.com and follow him on twitter @_nbaprimetime

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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