Miami Heat Blog – Page 84 – NBA Blog

LeBron says championships are not only way to judge an NBA career

LeBron James respects his elders among the NBA’s greatest players of all time. Right now, he just doesn’t agree with two of them: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

In a week dominated by league-wide debate and comparisons between James and Jordan (who will turn 50 on Sunday), James fired back again regarding Jordan’s claim he’d pick Kobe Bryant as the NBA’s best player.

Speaking with reporters during Friday’s All-Star media day, James said he doesn’t believe championships should always be the key factor in deciding comparative greatness.

“(Jordan) said he would take Kobe over me because … five rings are better than one, and the last time he checked, five is better than one,” James said. “At the end of the day, rings don’t always define someone’s career. If that’s the case, then I’d sit up here and say I would take (Bill) Russell over Jordan. But I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t take Russell over Jordan. Russell has 11 rings, Jordan has six. I wouldn’t do that.”

James won his first championship with the Heat last season while Bryant has won five with the Los Angeles Lakers. Friday’s response from James came after Jordan initially said during an interview with NBA TV that he’d have a tough time deciding between Bryant and James.

— Reported by Michael Wallace of ESPN.com

Chris Bosh named injury-replacement starter for 2013 NBA All-Star game

Taking the suspense out of the equation early, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has selected Chris Bosh as a replacement starter for the East team in Sunday’s All-Star Game.

Spoelstra hinted two weeks ago that he would remain loyal to the Heat regarding any decisions he had to make in his first assignment as an All-Star coach.

Bosh will replace injured guard Rajon Rondo, who is recovering from season-ending knee surgery.

All-Star starters are chosen through fan voting.

Bosh will start alongside Heat teammates Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, with Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett.

— Reported by Michael Wallace of ESPN.com

LeBron streak ends, Heat beat Thunder 110-100

With LeBron James playing at his best level yet, the Miami Heat powered into the All-Star break with a reminder to the Oklahoma City Thunder that the NBA championship still resides on South Beach.

James had 39 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, and narrowly missed extending his record-setting streak of high-scoring games combined with top-notch accuracy, as the Heat trampled Oklahoma City 110-100 in a Thursday night showcase.

James was in position to continue his NBA record run of games with at least 30 points and 60 percent shooting to seven, but missed from a couple steps beyond the 3-point line as the shot clock ran down with just over a minute left and Miami up 10.

That dropped him to 14 for 24 in the game, or 58 percent. All that mattered to him, though, was that Miami’s winning streak reached a season-best seven straight games – and the Heat beat the Thunder for the sixth time in a row, dating to last year’s NBA Finals.

”Winning is hard to come by in professional sports. That’s what it’s about,” James said. ”Sixty percent doesn’t matter. Winning is all that matters.”

Chris Bosh chipped in 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who won the last four games of last season’s Finals after losing Game 1 in Oklahoma City and continued their dominance in the series after winning on their home court on Christmas Day.

”I thought we imposed our will, playing our style of basketball,” said Dwyane Wade, who had 13 points and eight assists before fouling out with 3:29 to play…

Kevin Durant had 40 points and eight rebounds, but missed his first seven shots as Oklahoma City fell hopelessly behind. After the slow start, he wound up making half of his 24 shots – going 8 for 10 in the fourth quarter to get Oklahoma City within 108-100 after trailing by as much as 23…

Russell Westbrook had 26 points and 10 assists, with six turnovers, for the Thunder. He had 20 points in the first half to keep Oklahoma City from getting run out of its own gym.

— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

LeBron domination continues, Heat beat Blazers

It’s not the type of streak that LeBron James ever thought about, this run of putting together at least 30 points and 60 percent shooting in six straight games.

Still, it’s something he’ll savor. He’s rolling right now, and so are the Miami Heat.

James scored 30 points on 11 for 15 shooting to get into the NBA record books, Chris Bosh scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Heat wound up beating the Portland Trail Blazers 117-104 in a wild, momentum-swinging game on Tuesday night.

It was the 1,000th regular-season win in Heat history. But on this night, the only history anyone will remember was what James accomplished…

Dwyane Wade added 24 points for Miami, which wasted a pair of 14-point leads – then put the game away with a 14-0 run in the final minutes. Ray Allen added 14 for Miami.

Damian Lillard had a game-high 33 points for Portland, which got 29 from LaMarcus Aldridge and 20 from Wesley Matthews.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

D-Wade cool with LeBron getting all the headlines

Dwyane Wade is fine with all of this.

Really, he is.

Wade played in the spotlight for seven seasons, but things have changed. The attention has diminished now that he’s paired with a teammate who is playing like a superhero.

And apparently LeBron James’ super power is making his future Hall of Fame teammates look like mortals. Although Wade completed his best five-game stretch of the season, it was just a footnote to all the gushing of James’ recent play.

“I’m not looking for headlines, but I’ve been playing all right,” Wade said. “He (James) can have all the headlines. It’s cool.”

James is playing so well that Wade’s week went all but ignored. He averaged 24.8 points, six rebounds, 5.8 assists and three steals during the Heat’s five-game winning streak. While the media was constantly updating James’ field goals numbers on Twitter, Wade was quietly shooting 51 percent.

“He’s been making so much history, so I’m glad I can be in a little bit with him,” Wade said.

— Reported by Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

LeBron James, Russell Westbrook named NBA Players of Week

Miami Heat forward LeBron James and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook today were named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Feb. 4 through Sunday, Feb. 10.

James led the Heat to a 4-0 week, which included wins over the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 31.3 points (second in the league) on .738 shooting from the field (second in the league), and added 6.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists. James scored at least 30 points in all four games and shot better than 61 percent from the field in each contest. His streak of 30-plus point games while shooting 60 percent or better stands at five straight, tied with Moses Malone (1981-82 season) and Adrian Dantley (1979-80 season) for the NBA record.

Westbrook guided the Thunder to a 4-0 week, which included wins over the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns (twice). He averaged 21.8 points, 6.0 assists, 3.3 steals and 3.0 rebounds. Oklahoma City won each game by 20 or more points as it improved to 39-12 (.765). The Thunder trails the San Antonio Spurs by ½ game for the top record in the league.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Boston’s Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Houston’s James Harden, Indiana’s David West, New Orleans’ Greivis Vasquez, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, San Antonio’s Tony Parker, Toronto’s Rudy Gay and Washington’s Martell Webster.

LeBron scores 32, Heat beat Lakers 107-97

LeBron James scored 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting in a record-setting show, Dwyane Wade scored 30 and the Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-97 on Sunday for their fifth straight win.

It was James’ fifth straight game with at least 30 points, a franchise record. He also joined Adrian Dantley (1979) and Moses Malone (1982) as the only NBA players to score at least 30 and shoot at least 60 percent in five straight outings, the team said.

”Don’t take it for granted,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ”He’s making greatness look easy.”

Mario Chalmers scored 13 and Chris Bosh finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat.

Kobe Bryant had 28 points and nine assists for the Lakers, who also got 18 points from Earl Clark. The Lakers had eight turnovers in the fourth quarter, while Miami had none…

Dwight Howard and Steve Nash each scored 15 for the Lakers…

Wade also shot 12 for 18 for Miami, which shot 55 percent as a team and held a 38-29 edge in rebounding. James scored 20 in the second half and Wade had 18 in the final two quarters, but the defending NBA champions weren’t able to pull away until the final minutes…

Rapper Lil Wayne – a semi-regular in the crowd at Heat games – was there for the first half, then tweeted that he was ejected for rooting for the Lakers. Security personnel were seen talking to the rapper at halftime, and a Heat spokesman said after the game that he chose to leave on his own and was not ejected.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Efficient LeBron playing at highest level yet

He’s made 37 of his last 47 shots over his last 111 minutes, a torrid 79-percent clip. For the season, he’s shooting a career-best 56 percent so far, easily on pace for the sixth straight season of improvement in that department. His 3-point shooting, at 42 percent this season, is much improved. He’s shooting 70 percent inside the paint.

“I want to continue to push the button, continue to get better, maximize my potential and not waste an opportunity,” James said.

The numbers go on and on. He’s averaging 26.9 points this season. According to STATS LLC, only five players in NBA history have averaged that many points while shooting at least 56 percent over a full season. Maybe that’s why Heat guard Dwyane Wade marvels when talking about James these days, saying “every year, it seems like he does the amazing.”

“Numbers don’t lie,” James said.

At least, they don’t in this case. After winning his third MVP award, second Olympic gold medal and first NBA championship, James said he wanted to get even better.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Miami Heat sign Chris Andersen for remainder of season

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed forward/center Chris Andersen for the remainder of the season.

Andersen, who was originally signed to a 10-day contract by the Heat on January 20 and then re-signed to a second 10-day contract on January 30, has appeared in six games with Miami this season averaging 3.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 10.8 minutes.

Andersen, a 10-year NBA veteran, appeared in 32 games (one start) with Denver last season and averaged 5.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.44 blocks and 15.2 minutes while shooting 54.6 percent from the field.

LeBron shoots 13-of-14, Heat beat Bobcats

LeBron James enjoyed a career-best shooting night to help the Miami Heat keep up their dominance at home.

James scored 31 points on 13-of-14 shooting to lead Miami past Charlotte 99-94 Monday night, giving the Heat their 10th consecutive victory against the Bobcats.

According to STATS, James’ effort tied for the league’s third-best shooting performance with at least that many attempts in the last 18 years. Shaquille O’Neal was 15 for 16 for the Heat against Seattle on Feb. 25, 2006, and Dwight Howard was 14 for 15 for Orlando against Philadelphia on April 14, 2007.

”I didn’t plan it that way, I was just attacking when I could, got into the paint and was able to make some shots,” said James, who made nine shots from 2 feet or closer.

Chris Bosh added 23 points and Dwyane Wade had 20 points and a season-high 12 rebounds for Miami, which has won nine of its last 10 at home. The Heat improved to 19-3 on their home floor.

”I got a lot of my own misses, too. I was missing a lot of chippies, but I was just trying to be aggressive,” said Wade, who tied his career-high with six offensive boards. ”When your shots aren’t falling you have to find some way to affect the basketball game and give your team a chance to win.”

Ramon Sessions scored 18 points for Charlotte, which lost its fourth in a row and 12th in the last 14. Ben Gordon had 16 points as six Bobcats players scored in double digits.

Neither team shot well from on 3-pointers as Miami was 1 for 12 and Charlotte 8 of 25.

— Reported by the Associated Press