May 23rd, 2013 at 2:16 AM
By Ira LukeThe Miami Heat were able to squeeze out a 103-102 overtime victory to take a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals over the Indiana Pacers. The Heat used a late game drive to the hoop for a layup by LeBron James to seal the deal with no time remaining. That shot may overshadow the fact that James got a triple-double in the game.
James came through in the clutch for the Heat, who were on the verge of losing Game 1 after a foul was called on Dwyane Wade giving Paul George three free throw attempts to take the lead with 2.2 seconds left in overtime. After George tied the game at the end of regulation, it was only fitting he scored the points to give his team the lead late in the game. There was enough time for James to get past George Hill and lay the ball off the backboard for the thrilling win.
James had 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a huge Game 1 that led his team to victory. Wade scored eight of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. Chris Bosh added 17 and Chris Andersen was perfect on the night shooting 7 for 7 getting 16 points for Miami.
Read more... Join the Conversation... May 22nd, 2013 at 12:08 AM
By Ira Luke There is no love lost between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers as they enter the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday night. It's come down to the best two teams in the East and they are both geared to fight to the finish to reach the
NBA Finals. Both teams are thirsty for a chance to be champions and in the Heat's case, champions again. Indiana is set out for revenge after Miami ended their postseason run last year. With a lot at stake in the series, expect both team's to come out looking to land the first blow.
The first bit of controversy has already began when Pacers coach Frank Vogel said that the Heat were "just the next team" in the way of reaching the NBA Finals. NBA MVP LeBron James responded to comments believed to label the Heat as "just another team" that left some wondering why James would even entertain the question ahead of the series. James said his team is "a great team" and their stats speak for itself. The Pacers need to learn not to get under the Heat's skin off the court, since the Heat tends to pour it on opponents that provide smack talk to fuel Miami's fire. Milwaukee and Chicago have learned its lesson after early exits from the playoffs.
Read more... Join the Conversation... May 21st, 2013 at 12:32 AM
By Ira LukeThe Miami Heat are projected to be the favorites representing the conference and to win another NBA Championship. Miami has been dominating the competition throughout the season and Indiana is not expected to derail the chances of the team winning another championship. The Pacers have played the Heat very well this season and could possibly push the champions further than any other competitor in this year's playoffs. Below we breakdown who has an edge in offense, defense and coaching of both teams.
The Heat are a team that can pick up the pace of the offense at any given time. They are a team that goes on runs, and can devastate a team causing them to lose focus and ultimately give up after the awesome displays put on by the Miami offense. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh lead the team in scoring and are capable of scoring 20 plus points on any given night. They have bench players that can light up the scoreboard as well. There are many contributors to the Heat's success on offense and a lot of that comes from James who scores and gets his teammates involved with almost eight assists per game in the playoff run. As long as Wade is healthy, he can also force a mismatch and cause Indiana to pay extra attention to him if he shows off the same burst he did in Game 5 while eliminating the Chicago Bulls. The high powered Heat offense has not even begun to get the long distance shots going, which could help them get close to 100 points. Though, it is tough to get to 100 against Indiana, a higher score favors the Miami Heat.
Read more... Join the Conversation... May 15th, 2013 at 11:28 PM
By Ira Luke The Miami Heat escaped Game 5 with a 94-91 comeback win against the Chicago
Bulls to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. A fast start for the Heat was almost wasted when the
Bulls battled back to take control of the second and third quarters. That was before Miami put the clamps on defensively and stole the show in the fourth quarter to get the 4-1 series win.
Dwyane Wade left the bench in the third quarter and headed to the locker room to get his knee taped and when he returned in the fourth quarter, he sparked the Heat with six points coming off of two runners and a putback slam to put the exclamation point on the series.
"I had a good couple of minutes," Wade said. "I knew they've seen a lot of LeBron and Norris. I knew they weren't prepared for me to attack which is what I was able to do."
LeBron James led Miami with a 23-point-eight assist-seven rebound performance in an exhausting effort in the elimination game. It is his 11th straight game scoring at least 18 points and getting five rebounds and assists in the postseason.
Read more... Join the Conversation... May 15th, 2013 at 4:14 AM
By Ira Luke The Miami Heat have the
Chicago Bulls in a strangle hold as the teams enter Game 5 back in South Florida. Another staggering blow was delivered to the
Bulls’ playoff chances when the Heat took a 3-1 series lead after an 88-65 blowout win. Miami can advance to the Eastern Conference Finals if they can eliminate the
Bulls on Wednesday night.
LeBron James led the Heat's assault on the Bulls on in Game 4. From the beginning of the game, it was Miami who were the aggressors getting easy baskets and jumping out to an early lead that Chicago could not bounce back from. The Heat had become accustomed to being roughed up by the Bulls' physical play and was expecting nothing less from the Bulls in crucial game.
It was a complete effort from the Heat, both offensively and defensively. They shot almost 50 percent as a team but held the Bulls to a franchise low 65 points in a game and shot under 26 percent from the field. A strong effort like they showed in Game 4 and Miami can get some extra rest if they close it out in Game 5.
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