Where has Heat ‘Finishing Five’ gone

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 22-02-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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ASK IRA: Where has Heat ‘Finishing Five’ gone?

Q: How come we aren’t seeing the Dream Team anymore (Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem)? You would think that when points are getting tough to come by that Erik Spoelstra would go with this team to have them continue to work together and gel. — Paul, Fort Lauderdale.

A: But points hardly have been tough to come by and LeBron and Wade are barely playing in fourth quarters because of the recent routs. The Heat have gotten away from the lineup I call the “Finishing Five” because they have been finishing off opponents much earlier. But I do think it would be helpful to find minutes together for those five, considering the cohesion they showed before the recent run of routs.

Q: Funny, whenever members of the Heat are asked about Jeremy Lin there’s not much to say. I get the feeling that the Heat are just waiting and itching to shut Lin-drama down! — Ronnie T. Coral Springs

A: I think you’re right. These Heat players enjoy nothing more than the big stage, and there simply haven’t been many challenges in recent games, but putting a stop to Lin-Bron comparisons figure to get the juices flowing.

Q: Ira, when Erik Spoelstra and Dwyane Wade speak of going to another gear or two (which I think they could reach), what are the different gears attainable? — Nick, Coral Springs.

A: Better execution in the halfcourt and better defense at the 3-point arc.

Q: Why did Spoelstra not use Eddy Curry against Dwight Howard in Sunday’s game? How can he be ready against the other big guys during the playoffs? — Yeoj, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A: I think we all may have been guilty of overstating the Eddy Curry experience, or at least where it currently does or does not stand.

Q: Does it seem like Spo keeps Bosh in the game during the fourth quarter when the Heat have a big lead so that he can pad his stats? — David.

A: Yes. (And it’s a smart approach. Coaching stars means learning how to keep everyone happy.)

By Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel

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The Miami Heat And OKC Thunder Are Untouchable

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 22-02-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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The Miami Heat And OKC Thunder Are Untouchable

No matter what happened later in the day, it would have been next to impossible to top Jeremy Lin and the Knicks on Sunday. Lin is already the biggest story in sports, and as we said last week, what makes him so incredible is that he keeps exceeding the hype.

Next to New York we had two known quantities playing: The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat.

We know what to expect from those two, at least for now. Any hype they get can’t be answered until playoff time, and even then, if they don’t win a title their season will be looked at as a failure.

But while everyone waits for May and June and looks toward Lin in February, the Heat and Thunder have quietly been blowing the doors off the rest of the league.

Miami’s won nine of 11 games in February and only one of those wins has been closer than 10 points. Sunday, Orlando that felt the wrath of the Heat, to the tune of a 12-point loss that was a 20-point game late in the fourth quarter.

LeBron James had an effortless 25 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, and Dwyane Wade added 27 points. Udonis Haslem had 10 points off the bench. And from the second quarter on, the game was never close.

That’s how most of their season has gone. Save for the occasional aberration, the Heat haven’t just beaten people, they’ve run them off the court.

They lead the league in offensive efficiency (107.4) and they’re tied for first in point differential (+9.1). They’ve got the deadliest fast break in the NBA, Wade and LeBron have been dominant all year, and even Chris Bosh is chipping in whenever they need it.

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By Andrew Sharp – Featured Contributor

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Heat streak at 7 after beating Kings 120-108

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 22-02-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Heat streak at 7 after beating Kings 120-108

MIAMI (AP) – The Miami Heat knew what was coming from Sacramento. Eventually, they handled the Kings’ challenge.

Dwyane Wade had 30 points and 10 assists, Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh each scored 20 points and the NBA-leading Heat stretched their winning streak to seven games with a 120-108 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

“It was a good game for me, just trying to be aggressive and was able to get my teammates some shots,” said Wade, who shot 11 for 16 and has tied his career-best with 11 straight games of shooting 50 percent or better, matching a run from his rookie season.

“And I was also able to continue do what I’ve been doing the last couple games, just taking high-percentage shots and making them.”

LeBron James scored 18 points, Norris Cole had 12 and Udonis Haslem added 10 for Miami (26-7), which has won each of its games during this streak by at least 12 points.

Next up for Miami: The New York Knicks and Jeremy Lin come to town Thursday.

“It’s going to be fun,” James said. “It’s going to be electrifying. … It could be one of the most-watched games that we’ve had in a long time.”

Isaiah Thomas scored 20 of his 24 points in the third quarter for Sacramento, which dropped its sixth straight. Marcus Thornton scored 23, Tyreke Evans finished with 21 points and 10 assists, and Jason Thompson had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings.

The Kings were without guard John Salmons, a late scratch with a sore right hip.

“You needed to play a perfect game to win this game against this team and we were pretty close to the perfect game,” Kings coach Keith Smart said. “We had moments, but when you give up 25 points off turnovers, you’re not going to beat many teams.”

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By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer

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Heat’s Big 3 merging into something special

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 22-02-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Heat’s Big 3 merging into something special

MIAMI – It was D-Wade Corp., LeBron Inc. and Bosh Ltd. Or something like that.

Two years ago, the three guys who now star on the Miami Heat were doing their own things with different teams. Dwyane Wade was with the Heat, LeBron James in Cleveland and Chris Bosh in Toronto.

Then they had a merger.

Well, not all consolidations are immediately smooth. And when Wade, James and Bosh all joined forces last season, there was no title.

“They were good players on three different teams (in 2009-10), and they finally came together,” said Sacramento coach Keith Smart.

“They were three individual corporations in one building (last season) because they were good players. They weren’t a team yet. But they’ve had a chance to grow. . . . They’re at a different level (now).”

The Heat sure are. Armed with the NBA’s best record at 25-7 and with an impressive six-game winning streak, Smart says “no question” the Heat are playing their best since the three stars arrived in Miami.

Then again, who isn’t saying that? With the Heat trying to win a seventh straight game by double digits against Smart’s Kings on Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena, all the card-carrying members of the Big Three say Miami has not looked this good at any point during the previous 1½ years.

“I think that’s obvious,” Bosh said. “I think we’re playing our best ball since we’ve been together. Things are just clicking.”

During their six-game streak, the Heat have outscored foes by an average of 17.7 points. They’ve won 17 of their past 20 since a surprising three-game losing streak in January.

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Miami Heat aren’t crunch-time tested this year, but confidence is high they can win the close ones

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 22-02-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Miami Heat aren’t crunch-time tested this year, but confidence is high they can win the close ones

MIAMI – These are tough times at Heat headquarters.

“It’s always fun when you can get a close game,” LeBron James said Monday, with a smile. “I’m getting tired of sitting down in the fourth quarter, personally. It’s messing up my averages.”

His averages, on the whole, haven’t been damaged too much – otherwise, he couldn’t have won his fourth Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday.

James and the Heat, primed to finish the first half of its season tonight against Sacramento, have answered plenty of questions already, with better synergy between its stars, and a much better bench.

Still, there’s one issue that the team hasn’t had much opportunity to address, one that’s largely been due to its own success.

Miami is 9-2 in February, with an average margin of victory of 16.4 points, with only Toronto (6) coming closer than 12. Nor were the two defeats – to Milwaukee and Orlando – especially competitive, with the Heat losing by eight and 13. In the 11 total games this month, only three times did a team enter the fourth quarter leading by single digits.

For the season, the Heat is 4-1 in games decided by five points or less, and 9-5 in games decided by 10 points or less, each such a small sample size that it’s hard to draw many conclusions.

Compare that to 2010-11, when Miami was 6-14 in games decided by five points or less, and 25-18 in games decided by 10 points or less.

Then, in the playoffs, the Heat then went 2-3 in games decided by five points or less, and 11-5 in games decided by 10 points or less.

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By ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

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Preview: Sacramento (10-21) at Miami (25-7)

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 21-02-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Preview: Sacramento (10-21) at Miami (25-7)

MIAMI (AP) – Dwyane Wade finished his workout Monday and approached about a dozen reporters, one of the smallest media turnouts at a Miami Heat practice this season.

These days, the team with the NBA’s best record almost seems like an afterthought.

“If it was packed in here right now, it would mean we were losing,” Wade said. “When we look over and see a lot of people in here, we’re not playing well.”

And that certainly isn’t the case.

Winners of six straight, all by at least 12 points, the Heat are in their best stretch of the season. The midpoint of the regular-season schedule awaits Tuesday when Miami (25-7) hosts Sacramento (10-21), losers of five straight.

Here’s one example of how wildly different things have gone for those clubs: Miami has led by at least 20 points in each of its last six games, while the Kings have only enjoyed that margin once this season – for all of 37 seconds.

If the spotlight is going to shine elsewhere these days, the Heat are fine with that arrangement.

“It’s quiet as hell around here and we’re doing pretty good,” forward Chris Bosh said.

“But that’s to be expected. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s just the name of the game. That’s the business. That’s how it’s always going to be. You’re more of a story when you have controversy.”

Or a phenomenon.

Already in Miami – and to the team’s chagrin, given that Sacramento is next on the schedule and therefore supposed to be the focus – there’s no shortage of talk about Thursday night’s home game against the New York Knicks, and none of that buzz is surrounding the years-old rivalry between the teams.

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2012 NBA Standings: Miami Heat Take Best Record

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 21-02-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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2012 NBA Standings: Miami Heat Take Best Record

In the updated 2012 NBA standings, the Miami Heat took over the best record in the league.

A Chicago Bulls loss, combined with a Heat win allowed LeBron James’ team to take over at the top of the NBA standings. Miami beat the Orlando Magic 90-78 on Sunday (Feb. 19), allowing the team to improve to 25-7 in the 2011-12 NBA season.

The mark by the Heat is just ahead of the Bulls at 25-8, the Oklahoma City Thunder at 24-7 and the San Antonio Spurs at 22-9.

Things could change, but Miami is clearly the best team in the NBA at the moment. The team is just blowing away opponents and is winning on the road as often at home.

Through the games on Feb. 19, Miami is 13-2 at home, 12-5 on the road and 20-4 against Eastern Conference opponents.

There are some interesting games coming up on the schedule for the Heat though, like the Feb. 23 match-up against Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks and a Mar. 4 game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

There are also two games against Oklahoma City in the second half of the schedule, with the first taking place on the road (Mar. 25) and then the second one at home on Apr. 4.

Those head-to-head games may actually end up determining which team gets home court advantage should they make it all the way to the 2012 NBA Finals.

Do you think that the Miami Heat can finish with the best record in the NBA? Is an Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami finals too easy of a prediction?

Gather

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Miami Heat fine with playing out of the spotlight

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 21-02-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Miami Heat fine with playing out of the spotlight

MIAMI – Last year, every move by the Miami Heat was front-page news.

Whether it was the star player accidentally bumping the coach or tears in the locker room after a loss, the Heat were sure to grab headlines.

How things have changed.

With the league captivated by the rise of New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin, the Heat have taken a back seat despite playing perhaps their best basketball of the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh era.

The Heat have won 17 of 20 since Jan. 17, and quietly own the NBA’s best record. They’re fine with living out of the spotlight. No problem being in the shadows for once.

“We’re comfortable in our world now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

“It could be a lot of noise, or it can be relatively minimal noise. … You can get sidetracked in this league so quickly if you get caught up in all the story lines. Right now, there happens to be other story lines around the league, but we know how quickly things can change and turn on us.”

The Heat, who face the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena, are no longer the league’s best story.

Miami a year ago was easily the most-scrutinized team, drawing mostly criticism because of loading up with the additions of All-Stars James and Bosh.

Now, they barely draw a blip because of Lin, the former D-Leagueplayer-turned-NBA sensation who has once again made Knicks basketball relevant.

An example was when both teams played at the Washington Wizards two weeks ago. The Knicks, sub .500 at the time, drew twice the amount of reporters two days before the defending Eastern Conference champions faced the Wizards.

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By Shandel Richardson, Sun Sentinel
srichardson@tribune.com.

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Miami Heat reportedly interested in former Jazz center Kyrylo Fesenko

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 21-02-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Miami Heat reportedly interested in former Jazz center Kyrylo Fesenko

There are reports that the Miami Heat are one of four teams interested in signing free agent center Kyrylo Fesenko, who most recently played with the Utah Jazz.

The 7’1″ Ukrainian is an unrestricted free agent who played four seasons for the Jazz, averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. He is a career 49.8% shooter from the field and has played in 132 games, though he has only started in 7.

Fesenko has been in Denver rehabbing an injured left knee. He tore the meniscus in his knee while playing for the Ukranian National team in the Eurobasket Tournament last fall.

It couldn’t have come at a worst time, as any free agent will tell you. Still, once he is back in playing shape, Fesenko could be a solid addition to any teams rotation coming off the bench.

His agent has been quoted as saying that Fesenko is “fine now” and that “he’s ready to go,” so we’ll see how quickly he is picked up by someone.

Other than Miami, there are reportedly three other teams showing interest in the big guy. The Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks are all looking into the center. Milwaukee and Atlanta are both in need of a big guy as they lost Andrew Bogut and Al Horford, respectively.

by David Dwork

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Miami Heat’s interior defense slows Dwight Howard

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 20-02-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Miami Heat’s interior defense slows Dwight Howard

The Miami Heat made Howard a non-factor in their 90-78 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Howard finished with 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting, showing just a few flashes of dominance.

“It was a team thing,” Heat center Joel Anthony said. “Everybody did their part. Everyone got in there to help out.”

Anthony started out defending Howard, holding him in check for most of the first half. He received help from guards Mario Chalmers and Dwyane Wade, who at times dropped down in the paint.

Anthony also credited the perimeter defenders for making it difficult for the Magic guards to make entry passes to Howard.

“If those guys are just able to pick you apart, it’s tough,” Anthony said. “We played tough defense. If there are tougher passes to make, it makes our job easier.”

The fact Orlando shot just 36 percent from the field also played a factor. The Heat were able to pack things defensively because of the poor shooting.

“Every time I caught the ball in the paint, everyone was there,” Howard said. “We didn’t hit shots. That allowed them to keep coming in the paint.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra then switched things defensively in the fourth quarter, using forward Udonis Haslem. Although smaller, Haslem used his quickness to pose problems for Howard.

“I only planned on using that in the beginning of the fourth quarter but we were able to turn that into some momentum, deflections and steals,” Spoelstra said.

“We went with it. UD was able to use his speed and prevent the ball from coming into the post while they were trying to exploit it. Other guys had great ball pressure so they couldn’t just dump it into him.”

Haslem said it was more of a team effort.

“He’s a great player, athletic, strong quick,” Haslem said.

“It takes tremendous effort to guard him and it’s not just one guy. You’ve got to depend on the other four guys on the floor. I just try to take away what I can and keep him from getting the ball. Once he gets the ball, you’re pretty much at his mercy.”

Sun Sentinel
srichardson@tribune.com

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