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Heat Embarrassed in Indiana

The Heat fell again to the Pacers in their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup. The series is now 2-1 in favor of the Pacers who beat up on the Heat Thursday. The pacers won by the final of 94-75 in front of their home crowd fans in Indiana. The Heat looked terrible throughout and were visibly slower and frustrated. The frustration may have been too much and even involved a heated exchange between Dwayne Wade and the Heat Coach. The Pacers will have another game at home, which will be a must win for Miami before going back home to continue the series.

The Heat have seemed lost without Chris Bosh on the floor as his absence causes many bad matchups for the Heat on the floor. Lebron and Wade both struggled from the floor and were out of sync most of the second half. This was after a good start that found them up 26-17 after the first. Going into halftime, however, the pacers were able to get back into the game and tied things up 43-43. Chalmers really stepped up for the Heat as everyone else struggled, and hopefully will be able to add a different dimension to this Heat team for the rest of the playoffs. Chalmers had 25 points and 5 assists, which both led the team.

The Pacers got a huge ovation from the crowd who has witnessed some poor basketball teams in the recent past. Larry Bird has done a phenomenal job turning things around in his hometown state and the crowd has responded well in Indiana. If the pacers are able to get past the Heat, then there is no telling how far they can go.

Rare Loss at Home for Heat

On Tuesday the Heat and Pacers squared off in game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals playoff matchup. The Heat entered the game up 1 game to 0 in the best of 7 series, which began in Miami. On Tuesday, they also were in South Beach and in the end the series got knotted 1 game to 1 as the Pacers were able to steal a win away from the Heat 78-75. The loss, for the Heat, is just their 5th loss all season at home, and could spell trouble if the Pacers are able to dominate when they go to Indiana later in the series.

The Heat did not get enough production form their role players as James was doing much everything for the team. He led all major statistical categories including points, rebounds, and assist. In the end he finished with 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in all. We do know though, that historically Lebron has not been able to do it on his own as he has tried to take Cleveland on his shoulders. In this case, he was close but not close enough and the Heat must make some adjustments going into game 3 of the series on Thursday night. That game will be in Indiana and will be a game that the Heat would love to get back as the Pacers beat them at home.

Indiana was led by West who scored 16 points. The team spread the ball around well and got many players involved. They held the Heat under 20 points in both the second and third quarters. The Pacers have surprised many this season as they have flown under the radar throughout the year. This game may be a wake up call to the Heat and league as they showed they can beat tough teams even on the road. Game 3 should provide a good picture of where this series is heading, but for now it is anyone’s game.

Heat Continue to Thrive in South Beach

The Heat won 83-72 against the Bulls on Thursday in Miami. The team is now a bit closer to Chicago in a race to win the East, but is running out of time to take over the lead. The Heat are now 45-17 overall this season while they improve their home record to an outstanding 27-4 mark. They have been the best team in the league at home and are looking to continue that trend as it will be most important come playoff time.

Miami got an overall sub-par performance shooting as they averaged just a little over 20 a quarter. James led the team in all major statistical categories on the night including points, assist, and rebounds. Lebron ended the game scoring 27 points while adding 11 rebounds and 6 assists. He has seemed to really been taking the Heat by the Horns lately and is taking the ball into his hands later in games as of late. This is something many, if not all, Heat fans have wanted to see for quite sometime.

The Bulls move to 47-16 on the season following the loss. Their road record also fell to 23-9 on the season. The team struggled offensively and was outscored in three of the games 4 quarters. In the fourth quarter they scored just 11 points to put an exclamation point on a poor shooting performance. Lucas led the Bulls in scoring with 16 while Noah added 10 rebounds to lead the team. In the end, the team simply is not the same without a healthy Rose.

Heat get Handled in Bean town

The Heat fell to the Celtics on Sunday night in Boston. The loss was particularly interesting given the Heats poor performance and low score as they lost 91 to just 72. The team shot poorly throughout the contest and made the aging Celtics squad look really good. The Celtics have been on a roll lately and have been playing as well as any team in the league, and Sunday night they seemed to want to show the whole world that they are former champs who can still win now.

James led the Heat with 23 points on the night. Bosh tried to help the team as well by grabbing 11 rebounds and getting 4 assists, which were both tops on the team. In the end, the Heat simply shot terrible. They had 3 quarters in which they failed to score 20 points. Their highest point total in a quarter came in the second when they scored 25. The team is now 37-14 with the loss and drops their road record to 16-12.

The Celtics are now 30-22 on the season with the latest win. They have been playing lights out basketball lately and look poised to make a playoff run. The win also improves their home record to 19-8. The team scored 25 or more in 2 quarters, which included 29 scored in the opening quarter and 31 scored in the 3^rd. The team was led by Rondo who ended the game with a triple double that included 11 rebounds and 14 assists.

Wade and Bosh Lead Heat to Win in Toronto

The Heat won 113-101 in Toronto on Friday against the Raptors. The win improved the Heat to 37-13 on the season as they continue to roll. They also improved their away record to 16-11 with the victory. The team had two huge performances by Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh who went off offensively. Lebron certainly got his too and was a factor as always. The team collectively shot very well in an arena that gives many visiting teams trouble.

Bosh and Wade each scored 30 points to lead the team and outscore all shooters in the game. Bosh also led the team in rebounds with 8. Lebron contributed several dimes to those scorers and ended the day leading the team in assist with 9. The Heat scored 28 points or more in 3 quarters, including 2 quarters of 30 or more. Needless to say, the scoring was relentless and Toronto, who also shot well, still could not keep pace.

Toronto was in a dead tie with the Heat heading into the fourth quarter, but simply fell apart. In the fourth, the Raptors scored just 18 points that was 12 less than the Heat scored that quarter and ultimately was the outcome of the game. DeRozan led the way for the Raptors with 28 points scored. Johnson also added 12 rebounds to lead the team while Calderon had 16 huge assists. In the end, the Raptors had all the momentum going into the fourth as they scored 32 in the third and were at home. The resiliency of the Heat, However, was enough for them to triumph towards a win.

Heat Beat Down Mavs in Rematch of Last Year's Finals

The Heat beat the Mavericks in Miami on Thursday by a score of 106-85. The statement win perhaps showed that this years Heat are that much better then a revamped Mavericks team that has lost many key role players between this season and last. The Heat showed that they could utilize a multitude of players like the Mavericks did last year to get the championship. The Heat are now 36-13 on the season and have an outstanding and unremarkable 21-2 record at home this season.

The Heat utilized all of their players in the contest. They had 2 players tie the team lead in points scored with 19 a piece. Two Heat players also tied to lead the team with 9 rebounds while 2 other players had 5 assists each to lead the squad. The Heat outscored the Mavericks in each quarter after a slow start in the first quarter. . The Heat were able to outscore the Mavs in a third quarter that netted them just 20 points. They flew out in front in the second quarter scoring 36 points to propel them towards a cruise to the finish.

The Mavericks are now 29-23 on the season while dropping to 10-15 in away games this year. This has been one of the biggest changes the team has seen, as they were a lot more successful away from home last season. Nowitzki led the team in points with 25. In the end it was not enough as the team shot horribly after the first quarter and only had 32 points in the entire second half. This is two points fewer then the Heat had in the 2^nd quarter alone.

Pacers Show Heat Why Basketball got it's Roots in Indiana

The Heat lost 105-90 against the Pacers in Indiana on Monday. The Pacers seemed to show the Heat why basketball got its roots in Indiana as they easily beat one of the leagues best. The Heat began to be outscored in the second quarter after tying the Pacers Pace in the first. The Heat are now 35-13 on the season and have a 15-11 record away this year.

Lebron and Wade each scored 24 in the game, but it was not enough for the Heat. James also led the team in rebounds with 9 while Wade led in assist with 6. The team was outscored in all quarters but the first where they tied the Pacers 24-24. Their lowest of lows came in the 3^rd when they scored just 19 points compared to the 29 put up by the Pacers. The team still remains in the top five in the NBA power rankings.

The Pacers move to 29-19 overall on the season and have been playing great ball this season reminding all of the playoff teams of the 90’s. Granger led the way for the Pacers with 25 points. West led the team in both rebounds and assist to contribute to the win. He ended the game with 12 boards and 4 dishes. The team also improved their home record to 15-7 with the win. The game should be taken as a statement to the league that this team is the real deal and could be a factor in this year’s playoffs.

Heat get Struck by Thunder's Lightning in Loss

The Heat lost 103-87 on Sunday against the Thunder who looked to be on a mission. The Thunder easily blew by the Heat in what may have very well been a statement game. Although the game was on the Thunder’s home floor, they still seemed to win at ease on the night. The Heat are now 35-12 on the season and fall to 15-10 on the road this year. If this is any preview of what the Heat have to deal with in the playoffs, they may want to hit the tape and figure out where it all went so wrong.

Wade led the Heat scoring 22 points in the contest. Haslem grabbed 9 rebounds to try and help get his team a win while Lebron contributed by leading in assist with 7. In the end it was not enough as the tem failed to do much on either side of the ball Sunday. They had just one quarter in which they reached 25 points and scored 20 or less in two periods. The team stayed in the game in the first quarter, but were outscored by ten in the second quarter and never looked back.

The Thunder are now 37-12 on the season and have an amazing 22-4 record at home. The team shot wonderfully on the night particularly in the first half. There, they scored 60 points in all, which let them be able to ease up and run clock in the second half. The team got 28 points from their star Kevin Durant. Durant also added 8 assists to lead the team to a win.

Suns Cant Stand the Heat in in Miami

The Suns lost 99-95 to the Heat in Miami on Tuesday. The Heat have been fantastic at home and are the best in the NBA in terms of home record. The team is 34-11 overall this season with an amazing 20-2 home record. The team got most of their help from a 17-0 run against the Suns who even their overall record out on the year.

The Heat’s scoring leader on the day was Bosh who scored 29 points. Haslem had 9 rebounds to lead all while Chalmers led the team in assist with 8. The Heat were up 6 after a 28-22 point 1^st quarter. In the second, however, they were outscored 31-21 as the Suns got hot from the field. In the second half, a 17-0 run put the Heat ahead and they were able to hold on in the fourth to claim the victory. The team clearly showed why they are the best home team in all of the NBA with the come from behind victory.

The Suns scoring leader was Hill who scored 19. Gortat led the team in rebounds grabbing 8 boards while Steve Nash was the team’s assist leader with 10. The Suns shot great when they scored 31 in the second, but struggled most the rest of the evening. In the other 3 quarters, the team scored 22 points or fewer. The team is now an even 23-23 on the season while carrying a 8-13 road record. Things could have been dramatically different for the team had the 17-0 run not happened. On this day, the Suns simply were unable to play spoiler against a great home team.

Wade and Heat Power Past Magic

The Heat won 91-81 in a tight match against the powerful Orlando Magic in Miami. The Heat got a huge fourth quarter from Dwayne Wade who nearly single-handily gave the team the victory. The team moves to 33-11 on the season and are an amazing 19-2 during games in South Beach. This is the best home record in all of basketball and has a huge part of their success. The team continues to increase their lead in the division as they try to fly high into the playoffs.

Wade scored 31 points in all during the game including 14 points scored in the fourth. Lebron got his share of points as well and led the team in both rebounds and assist. He ended the game with 12 rebounds and 7 assists to help out the Heat squad. The Heat started off scoring 31 in the first quarter as they opened up with a 9-point lead. They gave some of that up in the second before outscoring the Magic 41-34 in the second half to secure the win. They now need just one more home victory to get 20 home wins on the year.

The Magic were led by Howard who scored 18 and added 11 rebounds to secure a double-double. Nelson also contributed by leading the team in assist with 6. The Magic shot great in the first half scoring 20 plus points in both quarters. In the second half, however, they scored under 20 in both quarters, which ultimately led to their downfall. The team is now 29-17 on the season and has lost their 10^th away game of the year following Sunday’s game.

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