Heat-Celtics Preview

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 24-04-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Heat-Celtics Preview

For both the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, resting stars appears to be the priority over any possible improvement in postseason positioning.

The Celtics, though, could have a bit more help Tuesday night as they try for a third win this month over the Heat, who may be without LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Miami only has a slim chance of catching Chicago for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but Boston has a better shot of getting home-court advantage in its first-round series against Atlanta.

The Celtics (37-27) still opted to rest Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen in Friday’s 97-92 loss to the Hawks. Pierce and Garnett could return Tuesday, but Allen (ankle) and Rondo (back) remain day-to-day with injuries.

Allen, who has missed seven straight games, sat out Monday’s practice along with Rondo, Mickael Pietrus and Greg Stiemsma.

“If I thought our guys were banged up, I’d sit them. That’s not even a question for me,” coach Doc Rivers told the Celtics’ official website. “I’m taking rest and rhythm over home court.”

While Boston has the No. 4 seed in the East via the Atlantic Division title, it needs to gain a game on fifth-seeded Atlanta over the final two contests in order to start the postseason at home.

The Heat (46-18) would need to win twice and have the Bulls lose two to get the No. 1 spot, a scenario that seems unlikely with Chicago hosting Cleveland in its finale Thursday.

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The Associated Press

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Miami Heat falls at home to Boston Celtics, 115-107

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 11-04-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Miami Heat falls at home to Boston Celtics, 115-107

Two ways to look at the Heat’s 115-107 home loss to Boston – a team that looked doddering during a blowout Heat win in December and retro 2008 in dusting the Heat twice this month.

One way is to consider it an anomaly. Boston’s 67 first half points were the most they’ve scored in any half and the most the Heat’s allowed in any half this season.

Nobody from Boston seemed to miss. Not point guard Rajon Rondo. Not Kevin Garnett, who went 11 of 14 shooting with equal proficiency whether against Chris Bosh or air.

When a fan hit a half court shot to win a Kia, you half expected him to plop himself down on the Celtic bench.

Boston shot 58.9 percent in the third quarter. It was their worst shooting quarter of a game in which they shot 60.6 percent from the field.

“They shoot like that, it’s going to be tough to beat them,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said.

Bosh said, “They executed well. They were a step ahead of us the whole time. They kind of knew what our schemes were defensively. They made quick adjustments and got to open spots really quick. [Garnett] is one of the jump shooters in the league from that range. Uncontested jumpers are like layups for him.”

First quarter runs of 10-0 and 8-0 put the Celtics up 33-22 after one and the Heat spent the rest of the night trying to get back into the game.

An old fashioned three-point play – basket and foul – by Mario Chalmers pulled the Heat to 89-86. Chalmers drew a charge on Boston’s Greg Steimsma, then Bosh sank a jumper while fouled by Sasha Pavlovic.

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BY DAVID J. NEAL
DNEAL@MIAMIHERALD.COM

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Preview: Boston at Miami

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 10-04-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Preview: Boston at Miami

Much was made about the Boston Celtics’ easy win over the Miami Heat just over a week ago.

A repeat performance, however, could be hard to come by with the next matchup coming in South Beach.

Surging Boston tries for an eighth win in 10 games Tuesday night against a Heat team that’s been nearly unbeatable at home.

The Celtics (32-24) have used a 7-2 run to climb into first place in the Atlantic Division, with the most notable of those wins coming 91-72 over Miami (40-15) on April 1.

Rajon Rondo posted 16 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for Boston, which limited the Heat to a season-worst 34.8 percent shooting and their lowest scoring output of 2011-12.

“We’ll be better prepared,” LeBron James said. “They beat us. They dominated us in that game. But we’ll be better prepared.”

The Celtics followed that victory with back-to-back losses to San Antonio and Chicago before winning 86-72 at Indiana on Saturday and 103-79 over division-rival Philadelphia the following night.

“We know what’s at stake,” forward Paul Pierce said. “A fourth seed, maybe a third.”

The Celtics own a three-game division lead over New York and Philadelphia and sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

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Heat’s slumping rookie Norris Cole remains confident

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 09-04-2012

Category : Norris Cole

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Heat’s slumping rookie Norris Cole remains confident

MIAMI – Heat rookie guard Norris Cole started the season by drawing comparisons to Rajon Rondo.

He was early on considered the fourth cog on a team already with three established superstars, especially after a 20-point showing against the Boston Celtics in just his second game. With only a handful of games remaining, Cole is no longer receiving similar mention.

He’s struggled most of the second half of the season, including his recent four-game slump. Cole has shot 2 of 21 from the field during the stretch.

“It’s part of this game. You’ve got to take the highs with the lows,” Cole said.

“You’ve got to be able to still stay even keel when you’re not playing well. My work ethic is still the same. If anything, it’s picked up even more. As long as you keep putting in the work, I know a breakthrough will come.”

Cole was the last player off the court after Saturday’s practice. He may have temporarily lost his spot in the rotation after Friday’s performance against the Memphis Grizzlies.
He went scoreless in 11 minutes, shooting 0 for 5 from the field and handing out just two assists.

He was pulled in favor of rookie guard Terrel Harris, who has seen his minutes increase as Cole’s struggles continue. Harris played 26 minutes, scoring a career-high 10 points.

Still, coach Erik Spoelstra said there are no plans of giving up on Cole.

“We’re not overreacting to this,” Spoelstra said. “That’s all expected for a younger player, especially a player that missed a normal training camp and summer program.”

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By SHANDEL RICHARDSON – Sun Sentinel

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Should LeBron James Play Point Guard for the Miami Heat

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 05-04-2012

Category : Lebron James

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Should LeBron James Play Point Guard for the Miami Heat?

Many consider LeBron James to be the modern-day Magic Johnson – just ask Doc Rivers – and CBS Sports makes the case that the Miami Heat is misusing James and teammate Dwyane Wade in their offensive attack:

“James and Wade don’t need a point guard on the floor with them. They certainly didn’t need one Sunday, when Chalmers (1-for-5, two points) and Cole (2-for-11, seven points) were utterly dominated by Rajon Rondo (16 points, 14 assists).

James, one of the top two or three pure passers I have seen come into the NBA since I have been watching it, had zero assists in 35 minutes.

‘We didn’t make any shots,’ Spoelstra said, noting that Miami shot 35 percent from the field. ‘How do you get an assist on a missed field goal?’ Fair enough.

But the Heat’s problem – on Sunday and come playoff time – goes a lot deeper than that.

Spoelstra is a good, smart coach, and I give him credit for tweaking the Heat’s early offense this season by incorporating a three-man pick-and-roll game on either side of the floor on semi-transition possessions when no set play has been called.

Only two other teams in the league have run such an action this season: the Knicks, when they were coached by Mike D’Antoni, and the Suns, who still run his offense.

But like his mentor, Pat Riley, Spoelstra is wedded to tradition. He relies on conventional lineups, and that means he plays almost always with a point guard on the floor. If your point guard is Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Steve Nash, that’s good. Not so much with Chalmers and Cole.

Furthermore, if James – whose Magic Johnson-like playmaking gifts are now relegated to a once-a year exhibition in the All-Star Game – played point guard in the games that count, he’d be better than all of the above.

Or at least as good, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said in slightly correcting me.

‘Well, I don’t know if he’d be the best, but he is a point guard as far as I’m concerned,’ Rivers said outside the Celtics’ locker room Sunday. ‘He’s Magic Johnson. That’s who he is.’

Simply put, Spoelstra needs to forget about convention, put the ball in James’ hands, and watch every playoff opponent try and fail to stop him. The answer is: You can’t. ‘We trapped Wade tonight and we trapped [Chris] Bosh tonight,’ Rivers said.

‘But when LeBron had it, if he scored, he scored. But you can’t score and get everybody involved. That’s why he’s the only guy maybe in the league that we have a no-trap rule. You don’t trap him because he wants to pass.’”

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The Problems of the Miami Heat and the Solutions in LeBron James

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 04-04-2012

Category : Lebron James

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The Problems of the Miami Heat and the Solutions in LeBron James

LeBron James had zero assists, and the the Miami Heat looked once again like a team with zero chance of winning a big road game, this time against an opponent not many think can prove much of a threat to any of the contenders come the postseason.

But Rajon Rondo thrived with another triple double, leading the Boston Celtics to a 91-72 win.

As usual, with every one of the Heat’s games, the focus on their big three eclipses the merits of the winners.

But Rajon Rondo’s abilities and ease in which he dominated both Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole during ample and unsuccessful time on the court should be the key to understand the Heat’s problems, and maybe the answer to Spoelstra’s struggles to find the right to generate points through half court offense.

LeBron James should be the point guard, sharing that load with Dwyane Wade.

Mario Chalmers? A good defender, a good shooter, but not a ball handler, not someone who should be making playmaker’s decisions.

Norris Cole? Speed and energy off the bench, not someone who should be trying to make defense splitting passes. James is the best passer on the team, one of the finest in the league.

Doc Rivers talked about the lack of need to trap James. Trapping him, bringing in help on defense, and that forces James to pass. He’s much more dangerous as a passer then when trying to beat players one on one through set plays.

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Rondo has triple-double as Celtics rout Heat 91-72

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 02-04-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Rondo has triple-double as Celtics rout Heat 91-72

BOSTON (AP) – Rajon Rondo had a triple-double and the Boston Celtics handed Miami its biggest loss of the season, pulling away for a 91-72 win over the Heat on Sunday.

The Celtics outscored the Heat 31-12 in the third quarter, turning a 49-44 halftime lead into an 80-56 advantage. They stayed ahead by at least 19 the rest of the way for their fifth straight win.

Miami’s last three losses have been by at least 15 points and its previous worst defeat of the season came just one week earlier in a 103-87 setback at Oklahoma City.

Rondo finished with 16 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, reaching the triple-double mark with 8 1/2 minutes to play. It was his 13th consecutive game with at least 10 assists and his fifth triple-double of the season.

The Celtics, combining tenacious defense with outstanding play in transition, increased their Atlantic Division lead to one game over idle Philadelphia.

The Heat, playing their third game in four days, were led by LeBron James with 23 points but he had no assists for only the second time in his career. Dwyane Wade added 15 points.

The Heat continued to struggle on the road, losing for the seventh time in their last 10 games away from home. Miami has the fewest home losses in the league at 21-2 but is only 16-12 on the road.

Paul Pierce scored 23 points, and Brandon Bass added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Boston.

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By HOWARD ULMAN, AP Sports Writer

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Celtics a Heat playoff nightmare

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 01-04-2012

Category : Miami Heat

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Celtics a Heat playoff nightmare?

BOSTON – The Miami Heat won’t just be seeing the Boston Celtics in April, the teams essentially will spend the month as roommates.

Three of the Heat’s final 16 games will be against the Celtics, with two of the Heat’s remaining six road games at TD Garden.

The question is whether April will include another game or two against Boston at the start of an opening-round playoff series.

The greater question is whether such a No. 2-vs.-No. 7 opening-round pairing would be as much of a threat as in previous seasons.

Granted, the Heat handled Boston 115-107 in their AmericanAirlines Arena opener on Dec. 27, but a lot has changed for the Celtics since then, besides Paul Pierce returning to the lineup.

Foremost, the situation at center grew so dire that Kevin Garnett now finds himself as Boston’s man in the middle. Beyond that, the depth has been lacking and the injuries have been mounting.

But, still, we’re talking about Garnett, Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, a core that had the Heat desperate for a makeover in April 2010, a makeover that now has the Heat playing from a position of strength with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

The Celtics took that 2010 opening-round series in five games. Last year, the Heat finished off the Celtics in five games in the second round.

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Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel Columnist

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Mario Chalmers Is the Fourth Musketeer

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 10-01-2012

Category : Mario Chalmers

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Mario Chalmers Is the Fourth Musketeer

The knock on the Heat has always been that they don’t have the depth to win a championship. That beyond the “Three Musketeers” there was simply not enough talent. However, there might be a fourth musketeer in the rotation, and that may be the recipe for success.

When the Heat were originally put together last year, many people made a comparison to the Boston Celtics and the success that Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen have had. However, what that comparison failed to take into consideration was that the Celtics also had a very good young point guard who was just developing.

Rajon Rondo was a key to the Celtics’ success in the past and now that the rest of the team is getting older he is becoming even more valuable, just like Mario Chalmers. Chalmers has always played a role on a team that was filled with superstars.

But on Thursday night with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade sidelined by injuries, Chalmers stepped up and looked like a superstar in his own right. With the game winding down, Chalmers stepped up. In the fourth quarter and the three overtimes, Chalmers scored 20 of the 48 points that the Heat scored.

Chris Bosh carried the team through the first three quarters on his own and looked like the superstar the Miami had always hoped that he would be. But, as was often the case in Toronto, he needed help to get his team over the hump.

This time, Chalmers stepped up and played a very strong Robin to his Batman. Batman kicked the hell out of of the Penguin, but in the end, Robin had to come bail him out.

That’s not who the Heat normally see as Batman or Robin, but that may be the most encouraging thing about this victory.

It could be an aberration in a season that once again slips away from the Heat, or it could be a meaningful turning point, where the team becomes less of a debate about who is Batman and who is Robin and more about who is taking their turn to step up tonight.

Even in a shortened season, you have to let the season play out, but this could have been a meaningful turning point for the Heat. If it is a turning point for them this season, it could be a turning point for the next couple of years and thus a turning point for the NBA.

That is asking a lot of any one game and is projecting a lot of things that could not possibly be known at this point, but the potential is visible.

By Job Tennant (Correspondent)

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Cole comes up big, and Heat beat Celts 115-107

Posted by Spoelstra Heat | Posted on 28-12-2011

Category : Miami Heat

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Cole comes up big, and Heat beat Celts 115-107

MIAMI (AP) – LeBron James scored 26 points, rookie point guard Norris Cole came up with 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and the Miami Heat nearly blew a 20-point lead before beating the Boston Celtics 115-107 on Tuesday night.

Dwyane Wade finished with 24 points and eight assists for Miami, which got 18 from Chris Bosh and twice saw its lead cut to three in the final minutes. Cole delivered the answer both times with a pair of jump shots, and the Heat escaped.

Ray Allen scored 28 points on 8 for 12 shooting for the Celtics, while Rajon Rondo finished with 22 points and 12 assists and Keyon Dooling scored 18 off the Boston bench.

Through two games, Miami (2-0) has trailed only once – by two points, for all of 14 seconds.

Cole’s jumper with 3:01 left gave Miami a 108-98 lead, most of which disappeared in the next 59 seconds, thanks to Dooling – a former Heat guard. He scored seven straight points, including a 3-pointer with 2:02 remaining, cutting the Heat’s lead to three. And when Boston got a stop on the next Miami trip, the Celtics looked for Dooling again.

But Wade stepped in front of a pass intended for Dooling, starting a play where James found Cole for another jumper, and Miami’s cushion was back to 110-105 with 1:31 to play.

And with a minute left, it was Cole again, with the biggest shot of the night for Miami. James set him up from the top of the key for another jumper, restoring the five-point edge. When Cole stepped to the foul line to close the scoring, he got “M-V-P” chants from the Miami crowd, something typically reserved for the likes of Wade, James and Bosh.

Boston was again without forward Paul Pierce (bruised right heel), who worked out both Monday and Tuesday and is getting closer to a return. It won’t come on Wednesday, however – the Celtics have already ruled him out of that game in New Orleans, but there is some hope of Pierce being in the lineup when Boston makes its home debut against Detroit on Friday.

Predictably, and maybe spurred by the new Eastern Conference championship banner hanging from the rafters, Miami came out flying.

A short bank shot by Wade made it 26-15 at barely the midpoint of the first quarter, setting the tone for an offensive bonanza the likes of which Boston typically doesn’t allow. After a late flurry – James setting up Wade for a lob, Wade missing at the rim but James trailing for a tip-in being perhaps the most impressive of Miami’s highlight reel to close the second quarter – the Heat took a 69-54 lead into the locker room.

That represented the most first-half points allowed by the Celtics since Feb. 8, 2005, a span of 607 regular-season and playoff games. James and Wade each had 15 points by the break on a combined 9-for-14 shooting and James Jones came off the bench to make all three of his shots, all from 3-point range.

Even when things looked shaky, the Heat got going again quickly.

Allen and Rondo scored the first baskets of the second half, getting Boston within 11. In a flash, Miami’s lead was back up to 20 – six straight points by James made it 85-65 midway through the third, and Miami was well on its way to a blowout.

Or not.

Feasting on Miami’s second unit, with James being the only starter on the floor, the Celtics closed the third on an 18-6 run to make it 91-83 entering the fourth. The Heat missed their last eight shots of the quarter – after having missed 14, total, in the first 32 minutes of the game – and Boston capitalized, taking all the momentum into the final 12 minutes.

Even though Miami pushed the lead back to 15 early in the fourth, Boston just kept answering. Rondo spun and flipped the ball to Allen for what became his sixth 3-pointer of the night with 6 minutes left, getting the Celtics to 102-93.

And they kept clawing. So did Cole, and Miami pulled through.

By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer

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