Miami Heat Blog – Page 124 – NBA Blog

Cavaliers beat Heat 102-90

The AP reports:

Despite blowing a 23-point lead, the Cavs battled back and beat the Miami Heat 102-90 on Tuesday night, getting a dose of revenge against [LeBron] James, who was making his second homecoming visit to Cleveland since leaving the city as a free agent last summer.

J.J. Hickson scored 21 and Anthony Parker scored 20 for the Cavs, who were embarrassed by James and the Heat 118-90 on Dec. 2—a night when Cleveland fans unleashed their hatred on the superstar.

InsideHoops.com notes: LeBron had a triple-double in the loss, putting up 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Dwyane Wade shot just 8-of-20 for 24 points, four rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Mike Bibby shot 7-of-11, all three-pointers, for 23 points but just one assist. And no other Heat players stepped up. Chris Bosh was quiet, shooting 5-of-14 for 10 points and little else. The entire Heat bench had six points.

Morning of Heat vs Cavaliers, LeBron James delayed by Cavs arena garage rules

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports:

There was a time when LeBron James’ friends and associates were welcomed throughout Quicken Loans Arena. That apparently is no longer the case.

James was delayed in getting into the arena for the Miami Heat’s shootaround Tuesday morning when he arrived with a driver and a second car at the entrance of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ underground parking garage.

Cavs officials said James eventually was cleared to enter the building, but several people with him were not. The two cars then left, and James alone returned a short time later and was allowed in, officials said.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Generally, when you don’t work for a company anymore, you don’t get to enjoy the perks that company offers its employees. In this case, it’s a question of if LeBron (or someone on LeBron’s behalf) asked for permission in advance to bring extra people in.

What’s your opinion? Read fan reaction or share your view in this forum topic.

LeBron, Wade, Bosh each reached 30-point, 10-rebound mark in Heat win over Rockets

The AP reports:

With the playoffs looming, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are finding a new gear.

And they accomplished something Sunday that hadn’t been done in more than 50 years.

Each of them had 30-10 nights—James with 33 points and 10 rebounds, Bosh had 31 points and 12 rebounds, and Wade shook off a bruised tailbone to finish with 30 points and 11 boards—as the Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 125-119 for their eighth win in nine games.

It was the first time since February 1961 that three teammates finished with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a non-overtime game.

“Unbelievable,” James said.

“That’s why we get paid the big bucks,” Wade said.

The last time a team had three players score 30 in the same game was Feb. 26, 2010, when Houston had Martin, Aaron Brooks and Scola combine for 94 against San Antonio. Before that, you’d have to go back all the way to Nov. 14, 1997, when Portland’s Isaiah Rider, Brian Grant and Arvydas Sabonis all had 30-plus points and 10 or more rebounds in a quadruple-overtime win over Phoenix.

Wade, James show up to watch Rafael Nadal tennis match

The AP reports:

Dwyane Wade

dwyane wade

Prefers basketball

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James tried a different sort of courtside view on Saturday night.

At tennis.

The Miami Heat stars showed up at the Sony Ericsson Open to be part of a coin toss before world No. 1 Rafael Nadal played against Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Wade’s two sons, Zaire—the actual flipper of the coin—and Zion, were there as well, on the court for handshakes from Nadal and a quick photo or two just before the match.

“There’s certain things in Miami that guys should experience,” Wade said. “So I had to drag LeBron out here, but I think this is something he’ll probably come back to next year and come back for years after that. This is a good experience. It’s something different and it’s a great day off, getting over here with the kids.”

Wade’s sons were handed oversized tennis balls as they entered the stadium, and immediately, they started dribbling them like basketballs.

“Anything that bounces, they’re good to go,” Wade said.

Heat need a healthy Udonis Haslem

Tom Haberstroh of ESPN reports:

Udonis Haslem

udonis haslem

Rocks cornrows

Haslem may not be a center, but he usually replaced one when he was healthy. His inside presence allows the Heat to go “small” with him at the four and Bosh at the five. In fact, three of the four most frequent lineups with Haslem on the floor feature Bosh at center. And it’s incredibly effective. The score with those “small” lineups? Heat 203, Opponents 166.

The Heat don’t just suffer on the boards without Haslem. Offensively, the Heat’s floor spacing becomes congested around the rim with the Heat’s big men. On Wednesday night, the Thunder bigs routinely cheated off of Howard, Dampier, Anthony and Jamaal Magloire in the paint without consequence. For a team that depends on open lanes for Wade and LeBron to penetrate, the offensive deficiencies of the Heat big men become exponentially troublesome. It’s no longer a game of five-on-five.

Armed with a silky jumper, Haslem can hit shots inside and out. His presence can help stabilize the Heat’s offense and unclog the paint for his attack-minded teammates.

This is all to say that Haslem offers a specific skill set the Heat woefully lack: a hard-nosed rebounder who commands the attention of opposing defenses. No one else on the Heat roster fills that essential role. On Wednesday against the Thunder, Haslem’s absence was profoundly felt by the Heat’s thin frontline.

Heat destroy NBA-best Spurs by 30

The AP reports:

For the Miami Heat, there was symmetry in the turnabout.

Lose by 30 in San Antonio, win by 30 in Miami.

Chris Bosh scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Dwyane Wade scored 29 and the Miami Heat avenged their worst loss of the season by rolling past the NBA-leading Spurs 110-80 on Monday night…

LeBron James finished with 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Heat, who have won three straight and moved within two games of Eastern Conference front-runners Boston and Chicago.

Tony Parker scored 18 points and Tim Duncan added 14 for the Spurs, who had won 15 of their last 18 against Miami. Before Monday, San Antonio’s worst loss of the season had been a 96-72 defeat in New Orleans.

Dwyane Wade awarded custody of sons

Kristen Mack of the Chicago Tribune reports:

NBA star Dwyane Wade was awarded sole custody of his two young sons after a bitter battle with his ex-wife, lawyers in the case said today.

“I am very thankful that the court has given me custody of my boys and they are already at home with me in Miami and settling in,” the Miami Heat guard said in a statement. “Going through a custody trial was difficult and I wish it hadn’t been necessary, but, I felt it was the only way that I could continue to play an active part of my kids’ lives and provide them with a happy and stable home. My hope is that their mother will also choose to play a healthy role in their lives and we can all move on from this in a positive way.”

Cook County Circuit Judge Renee Goldfarb issued a detailed 102-page ruling late Friday…

Goldfarb’s ruling is meticulous, down to who will have custody of the children on holidays, All-Star Weekend and if the Miami Heat are in the NBA finals. The transition of the children, ages 3 and 8, from Illinois to Florida will occur immediately, according to the judge’s ruling. There will be a 30-day period of adjustment so they can acclimate to their new school and surroundings.

Siohvaughn Wade will fly to Miami every other weekend to spend time with her children, with the exception of a few holidays during which the boys will come to Illinois. For the time being the cost of her trips, including “reasonable” airfare and lodging, will be covered by Dwyane Wade.

Phil Jackson jabs Mark Cuban over 2006 Finals

Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson insinuated that complaints about officiating by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in the 2006 NBA Finals may have cost the Mavs the championship.

Before Saturday’s Mavs-Lakers game, Jackson was asked whether it was crucial for the Lakers to have home-court advantage should the Mavs and Lakers meet this year in the playoffs, because of Cuban’s personality.

Jackson said: “Why?”

Cuban’s penchant for complaining about officiating, the reporter asked. That’s when Jackson, while laughing, said of Cuban:

“Oh, he lost that Miami series. He definitely had it coming that time. I think he’s toned it down in the last years.”

Read fan reaction or share your own opinion in this forum topic.

Atlanta club drops lawsuit against LeBron James over planned appearance

The AP reports:

An Atlanta nightclub has dismissed a lawsuit against Miami Heat star LeBron James.

The Opera nightclub had filed a complaint Monday in Fulton County Superior Court accusing James of canceling a March 17 appearance for which he was supposed to be paid $25,000. It also accused the owners of the rival Gold Room nightclub in Atlanta of instead arranging a visit there.

Heat lose fifth straight game

The AP reports:

LaMarcus Aldridge proved LeBron James right.

The Miami Heat could have done without that confirmation.

Shortly after James called Aldridge one of the top All-Star “snubs” in NBA history, he scored 26 points and led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 105-96 win over Miami—sending the Heat to their fifth straight loss.

Gerald Wallace scored 22 for Portland, which won its seventh straight on the road and fourth straight overall. Brandon Roy and Andre Miller each scored 14 for the Blazers, who got 11 from Nicolas Batum and 10 more from Wesley Matthews.

Dwyane Wade scored 38 points and LeBron James added 31 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Heat, who are the 12th team in NBA history to have a 12-game winning streak and five-game losing streak in the same season.