Source: ABS-CBN News
-- The short-handed Miami Heat turned to LeBron James for crunch time heroics and the two-time MVP responded, scoring the Heat's final 17 points as they rallied past the New Jersey Nets, 101-98.
James finished with a game-high 37 points on top of six rebounds and seven assists for the Heat, who were without All-Star guard Dwyane Wade. Chris Bosh added 22 points and 15 rebounds.
The Nets, playing without Deron Williams, led for most of the game but could not stop James in the final five minutes of the fourth period.
James put the Heat ahead for good with a driving lay-up with less than a minute to go, 97-96, then padded the lead to 99-96 with a jump shot with 13 seconds left.
"We know, no matter who we're playing, if it's in Miami or if it's on the road, we’re going to get everybody's best," James said. "No matter the records, no matter what's going on."
"That's why, it's a 48-minute game and we wanted to keep plugging away until we were able to take the lead," he added.
Kris Humphries had 29 points and eight rebounds for the Nets, while rookie MarShon Brooks added 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Trailing 96-99, the Nets still had a chance to tie the game but committed a five-second inbound pass violation.
"I am at a loss for words. I don't know what to say," Nets head coach Avery Johnson said. "Our guys played their butts off. It's a winnable game, but we didn't execute offensively down the stretch."
The Heat improved their record to 43-17 and have a realistic chance of catching the Chicago Bulls (46-15) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with six games remaining on their schedule.
The Bulls made the Heat’s life a little easier after they stumbled to a shocking upset at the hands of the Washington Wizards, 87-84.
Chicago was playing without reigning league MVP Derrick Rose and All-Star Luol Deng, but were still expected to roll over the hapless Wizards who came into the game with the second-worst record in the East (14-46).
Instead, the Bulls got defeated on their own homefloor as the Wizards rallied from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit.
Kevin Seraphin had 21 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, while John Wall added 16 markers.
Maurice Evans sparked the Wizards’ comeback when he scored back-to-back three-pointers in the final period, part of a 13-0 run that put Washington ahead.
Richard Hamilton had a chance to win the game for the Bulls, but his three-pointer was blocked by James Singleton with less than six seconds to go, and CJ Watson also missed as time ran out.
"I challenged them tonight. If we're going to go down, let's go down as aggressive as we can," Wizards coach Randy Pittman said. "I thought to a man we had that tonight. Our defense is pretty darn good."
But Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said "We beat ourselves" after his team committed 17 turnovers and allowed the Wizards to score 20 fastbreak points.
The Chicago players said that the absence of Rose and Deng does not excuse their loss.
"It doesn't really affect us that much, because we have been playing short-handed all year," said Taj Gibson.
Chicago's record now stands at 43-17. They still have a 2.5 game advantage over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference standings.
Meanwhile, the shorthanded Orlando Magic routed the Philadelphia 76ers, with three Magic players logging double-doubles.
The Magic were missing Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Glen Davis due to various injuries but got strong performances from Ryan Anderson (26 points, 16 rebounds), Jameer Nelson (16 points, 13 assists) and Earl Clark (14 points, 11 rebounds).
Indiana solidified its place as the third team in the East after hammering the Minnesota Timberwolves, 111-88.
Source: Agence France-Presse
The Memphis Grizzlies snapped Miami's 17-game home win streak with a 97-82 victory on Friday behind a balanced attack which included a stellar 17-point performance from forward Rudy Gay.
Point guard Mike Conley and centre Marreese Speights scored 15 points each and power forward Zach Randolph came off the bench to finish with 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have won six of their past eight National Basketball Association games.
Miami finished one victory short of the franchise record of 18 straight wins at home which was set during the 2004-05 season.
It was their first defeat at the American Airlines Arena since they were beaten by Milwaukee on January 22.
"Everybody's fatigued," said Dwyane Wade. "That's the kind of season it is."
Forward LeBron James scored 11 of his 21 points in the third quarter for the Heat who also got 20 points from guard Wade and 19 from power forward Chris Bosh. James also had six assists and a half dozen rebounds.
The Heat beat Western Conference leading Oklahoma City 98-93 in their most recent game to extend the streak to 17.
The Grizzlies led from wire-to-wire Friday, building a 19-point lead in the first half. Memphis, which had seven players in double figure scoring, led by as many as 21 in the second half.
Miami had 16 turnovers compared to 12 for Memphis.
"When we turn the ball over, we're not that good, and we know that," said James.
Miami dropped three games back of Chicago in the battle for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
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© 1994-2012 Agence France-Presse
Source: Reuters
DALLAS - The Miami Heat recovered from their Game Two meltdown in the NBA Finals to beat Dallas 88-86 on Sunday and take a 2-1 lead over the Mavericks in the best-of-seven series.
Chris Bosh, who had been a big disappointment in the first two games of the series, provided the winning margin for Miami on a 16-foot jump shot with 39.6 seconds left to restore home-court advantage to the Heat.
Dirk Nowitzki carried the Mavericks in the final quarter with 15 of his 34 points but his potentially game-tying 18-footer at the buzzer hit the rim and bounced away.
"I moved on from this win already," said Miami guard Dwyane Wade, who paved the way for the Heat with 29 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
"We did nothing but get home-court advantage back. But the next game is a big game. We have to bring our hard hats, understanding it's going to be tougher to win that game than it was to win this one. I believe in this team."
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the series, which continues on Tuesday in Dallas, is far from over.
"It's just one," he said. "We're not going to make it more than what it is. We have two wins under our belt. We have to try to be greedy and get another one.
"But there isn't going to be anything easy that comes in this series for either team."
Nowitzki, who also grabbed 11 rebounds and had three blocks, scored the Mavericks' final 12 points but came up short with the game on the line.
"This definitely was a big game," Nowitzki said. "A very tough loss. Emotional game, fought back, and to fall short at the end is tough. But they need two more.
"Hopefully we can play a better all around game and finally get some shots to go down here. It's basically a must-win situation on Tuesday. We can't go down 3-1."
Miami's LeBron James scored 17 points but hit just six of 14 shots and had four turnovers.
The Heat blew a 15-point lead in the final six minutes of their Game Two loss to Dallas in Miami, giving the Mavericks the opportunity to win the title with three wins at home.
Battle back
Miami raced out to a 14-point first-half lead before the Mavericks clawed their way back. The Heat held a seven-point lead in the final quarter but Dallas once again battled back.
"We have to figure out how to get in front and play from up front," said Dallas guard Jason Kidd. "We've shown that we can come back. The big thing is we have to be able to make plays late in the game.
"In Game Two we made the plays. In Game Three we just didn't."
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said it was too early to write his team's epitaph.
"It's seven games," he said. "Any notion that it was going to be easy would have been foolhardy by us or anybody else. Every game has been extremely difficult.
"We have to eliminate a couple of the turnovers that led to the quick points. It's extremely difficult when you're watching James go down the court and dunk the ball with his head over the rim. That makes it tough to win."
The Dallas defeat deflated the boisterous American Airlines Center crowd of 19,200 hungry to see the Mavericks move closer to their first NBA crown in the 30 years as a franchise.
Almost everyone donned an arena-supplied blue shirt that read "The Time is Now."
But it was the Heat players who seized the moment in the dying seconds.
"At this point there's no room to hold anything back," said James, seeking his first NBA title. "There's nine or eight days left in the season."
Source: Reuters,
BOSTON — LeBron James acquired a minority stake in Liverpool soccer club on Wednesday after the two-time NBA most valuable player's sports marketing firm entered into a partnership with Fenway Sports Group (FSG).
FSG, owners of Liverpool FC, the Boston Red Sox, New England Sports Network (NESN) and 50 percent of NASCAR's Roush Fenway Racing, will partner with James's sports-marketing firm LRMR Branding & Marketing to become the exclusive world-wide representative for the Miami Heat All-Star.
Fenway Sports Management (FSM), the marketing arm of FSG that acquires sponsorships for FSG properties, will team up with LRMR to find global marketing and sponsorship opportunities for James, one of the sporting world's most recognizable people.
As part of the agreement, James will acquire an interest in Liverpool FC, ranked as the sixth most valuable soccer team in the world by Forbes.
Both parties declined to provide financial details or the size of James stake in the Premier League club.
"We don't see this as a talent representation or an athlete management deal given the structure of this relationship, FSM president Sam Kennedy told Reuters. "We see it more as a business partnership that we formed between our two companies.
"Our role will be business development and selling the LeBron James brand to the corporate market place as we go out to sell the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool, Roush Fenway.
"LeBron adds another blue chip brand to our portfolio."
LRMR chief executive Maverick Carter, a high school friend of the player, said the success of FSM had attracted them to the partnership.
"Everything these guys have gotten involved in has worked and has won," Carter told Reuters.
"The other thing is they are owners and that's what LeBron wants. ...They are owners and operators and really good at what they do."
FSG chairman Tom Werner said the partnership has targeted emerging international markets such as Asia, which presented opportunities that neither would have been able to realize alone.
"Our goal at Fenway Sports Group is to become the world's most prestigious sports and entertainment company and we took a huge step in that direction when we completed the Liverpool deal," said Kennedy.
"This was a chance to continue down that road to turn Fenway Sports Group into one of the world's most prestigious sports and entertainment companies."
Source: AFP,
NEWARK, New Jersey – The Miami Heat clinched the Southeast Division title with a 108-94 win over the New Jersey Nets behind 31 points and 11 rebounds from LeBron James.
"We don't want to be jaded," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "That's the first step. It's not our ultimate goal. We want to gobble up as many of those things as possible."
Heat's Dwyane Wade added 18 points and Chris Bosh had 16 as the Heat won their third straight and eighth in nine games.
The victory moved Miami (54-23) within 2 1/2 games of the Chicago Bulls in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Chicago has six games remaining and Miami five.
Deron Williams finished with 18 points and 12 assists to lead the Nets, who have dropped six consecutive and 10 of 11.
Travis Outlaw added 17 points and nine rebounds, while Brook Lopez scored 16 points.
Source: AFP,
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Cavaliers averted a season sweep by Miami and exacted a dose of revenge against LeBron James by beating the Heat 102-90 on Tuesday.
Cleveland took a whopping 23-point lead, then lost it and had to storm back late in the game with a 12-0 run for the victory and a dose of revenge against former teammate James.
It was the second trip back to Cleveland for James since the all-star decided to become a free agent in the offseason and make the switch to Miami. The Heat won both games in Miami against the Cavs this season.
But James took the loss in his stride.
"Anytime we play anybody, we know we're going to get the best out of them," James said. "They came out and played extremely well. It was a good win for them."
JJ Hickson had 21 points and Anthony Parker netted 20 for Cleveland, who were embarrassed by Miami 118-90 on December 2 when James scored 30 points. That night Cleveland fans heckled and booed James throughout the contest.
"The first time we played them here, we were embarrassed and they took a little from us," Parker said. "This is the night that we wanted to get that back, for us, but more for the fans. That was great getting it back for them."
James still had a triple double Tuesday, finishing with 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds but couldn't get the win. Dwyane Wade had 24 points and six assists for the Heat, who had a five-game win streak halted.
Miami's Mike Bibby made a season-high seven three-pointers.
Cleveland fans have not forgotten James' snub but they weren't as outwardly angry towards James as they were in December. James was booed throughout but there were no blatant incidents. Cavaliers management also stepped up security for Tuesday's game.
James said things weren't as hostile as his previous visit.
"I expect the worst," he said. "But worse than last time, December 2? No."
Miami fought back from 23 down, and tied it 83-83 on Bibby's seventh three-pointer with 7:03 left. The Heat then went scoreless for the next four minutes.
The Cavaliers shot 56 percent from the field to post their 15th win and their most lopsided victory this season.
Baron Davis made his first start since coming to Cleveland in a trade and finished with 10 points.
Centre Ryan Hollins also made his presence known with 13 points and blocking three shots.
Source: AFP,
WASHINGTON - LeBron James scored 32 points and added 7 rebounds and 6 assists as the Miami Heat rallied in the final seconds to edge Washington 95-94 and extend their NBA win streak to 12 games.
Dwyane Wade, who hit the deciding free throw with 7.9 seconds remaining and Chris Bosh each scored 20 points for the Heat. Bosh, who scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, also had nine rebounds.
Nick Young scored 30 points and Andray Blatche added 20 points and 12 rebounds but late turnovers and missed free throws left the Wizards frustrated and mired in a seven-game losing skid.
The Heat improved to 21-8, second only to Boston in the Eastern Conference, while the Wizards fell to 6-19, worst in the conference.
US President Barack Obama had been expected to attend the game at one point in the afternoon but extra security precautions were withdrawn hours before the game as he did not make an appearance, missing a stellar rally by the Heat.
James stole the ball and slammed down a breakaway dunk to pull Miami within 89-86 but the Wizards answered with 32 seconds to play on a jumper by Josh Howard, making his season debut after missing 24 games with a torn left knee ligament.
Bosh answered with a 3-pointer to pull the Heat within 91-89 but Howard hit a key free throw, grabbed his own miss from the line and sank 1-of-2 from the line again after being fouled to give Washington a 93-89 edge.
Bosh was fouled on a 3-point attempt by Blatche with 16 seconds to play and the Miami forward went 2-of-3 from the line to lift the Heat within 93-91.
But Young lost the inbounds pass and after the turnover, Young fouled Miami's James Jones, who sank two free throws with 13 seconds remaining to pull the Heat level at 93-93.
Kirk Hinrich, the first Wizard to play every minute of a game since 2007, hit 1-of-2 from the line with 12 seconds to play.
But Wade was fouled on a drive to the hoop with 7.9 seconds to play and made two free throws to give Miami a 95-94 lead, their first advantage since early in the third quarter.
Hinrich missed a last shot and Miami's win streak remained intact while Washington's futility continued in heartbreaking fashion.
Blatche sank a jumper at the buzzer to give the Wizards a 74-72 lead after three quarters and ignite a 10-2 Washington run that put the hosts ahead 82-74 as late as 6:20 from the finish.
Chris Bosh had a basket and a free throw as Miami pulled within 84-77 but the Heat struggled to close the gap as Hilton Armstrong blocked a Dwyane Wade shot inside and LeBron James was called for a charging foul.
Bosh rebounded a blocked Wade shot to pull Miami within 84-79 with 4:10 to play. Washington's Blatche hit a free throw but Bosh answered with two of his own from the line to trim the deficit to 85-81 with 3:32 remaining.
James missed a 3-pointer on Miami's next possession and Young answered for the Wizards with a jumper.
James followed with two free throws for Miami but Blatche hit a jumper to give Washington an 89-83 edge with 2:10 to play, setting up the final drama.
Source: AP,
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Dwyane Wade came flying down the lane, grabbed a miss with his right hand and slammed it home in one motion.
If coach Erik Spoelstra wanted the Miami Heat to end a West Coast trip with an exclamation point, Wade provided the proper punctuation.
Wade’s fourth-quarter dunk highlighted his 36-point night and led the Heat to their season-best eighth straight win, 104-83 over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
Two weeks after having a team meeting in Dallas following their fourth loss in five games, the Heat are finally clicking the way people expected when they added LeBron James and Chris Bosh last summer.
“We have a different mentality both off the floor and on the court as well," Wade said. “That team meeting really propelled us to where we are now. We understood and knew November was a tough month for us. But with that adversity there was a lot of growth going on. It was just about when it was going to click and right now it’s clicking for us."
James scored 25 and Bosh added 14 points and a season-high 17 rebounds as the Heat broke open a close game in the third quarter to complete a perfect four-game road trip.
Miami has won every game during this winning streak by double digits.
“It’s two weeks to the night when we were walking out of Dallas’ locker room and we did not feel that great about ourselves as a team," Spoelstra said. “Now, two weeks later it feels like a different feeling in the locker room."
The Kings, who have lost 15 of 17 and have the second-worst record in the NBA, offered little resistance to James, Wade, Bosh and Co.
Source: AFP,
MIAMI – Chris Bosh scored 27 points and Dwyane Wade added 26 to power the Miami Heat to their fourth consecutive NBA victory, an 89-77 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James added 22 points for Miami in his first game since an emotional homecoming victory at Cleveland two nights earlier, where "King James" was booed by the fans he spurned to come to Miami.
Miami improved to 13-8 to pull into a share of second place in the Southeast division with the Hawks, who saw their five-game win streak snapped.
Only Orlando and Boston have better records in the Eastern Conference, the Heat appearing to have found the form expected of them when Bosh, James and Wade were assembled as a superstar trio.
"We're figuring it out," James said. "We're figuring out what it takes for us three to be successful and to have the team win."
The Heat scored 11 points in a row in the dying minutes to deny Atlanta after the Hawks rallied to make it tight.
"It's just a better feel in the locker room, away from the game, but also on the basketball court," Wade said. "We're starting to 'get it' with each other.
"It's making a world of difference."
Wade and Bosh each grabbed 10 rebounds for Miami, who saw their lead trimmed to 74-72 with 4:39 to play. But the Hawks missed their next six shots and Miami went on their run, which included a slam dunk by James, for an 85-72 edge.
James supporters chanted "Miami loves you" -- a response to Cleveland chants of "Akron hates you" in a reference to the hometown of James.
"We got the crowd into it and we won," Bosh said.
Al Horford led Atlanta with 22 points, hitting 10-of-11 from the field, while Jamal Crawford and Josh Powell each added 12 for the Hawks, who trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half.
"They are a tough team," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "Anytime you have three guys that can potentially be 20-plus (points) every night, you have got your hands full."
Source: ABS-CBN News
MANILA, Philippines -- After a long wait in free agency, Erick Dampier may be close to getting a contract with the Miami Heat.
Sources say Dampier, who spent the past 6 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, has emerged as the Heat's top choice to replace Udonis Haslem.
Dampier has a career average of 7.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
His presence inside the paint is expected to bolster Miami’s defense.
The Heat would have to release a player to make room to sign Dampier to a 1-year deal believed to be worth the league's $1.4 million veteran minimum.
Haslem went down with a torn ligament in his left foot on Saturday, which will sideline him for at least 6 weeks, and likely, much longer.
Haslem, whose 8.2 rebounds a game are the most of any National Basketball Association (NBA) non-starter, suffered the injury in a 97-95 loss Saturday at Memphis when he fell backward onto the floor trying in vain to draw a foul against Zach Randolph of Memphis.
"We lose a warrior," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Medical tests Monday showed the need for surgery that will sideline Haslem far longer than hoped, even though he had to be carried off the floor Saturday.
"I knew it was probably something a little more serious when he couldn't get up," Spoelstra said.
Source: Reuters,
MEMPHIS – Rudy Gay landed a 15-foot buzzer-beater over LeBron James to snap the Memphis Grizzlies five-game losing streak with a 97-95 win over the Miami Heat on Saturday (Sunday, in Manila).
Reserve Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies (5-9) with 21 points and 13 rebounds, Mike Conley had 16 points and Gay added 15 as Memphis snapped the Heat's three-game winning streak.
"This was the most unified we've been," Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins said. "That's how you win tough, close games, everybody rooting for each other, everybody picking each other up."
It was a tight contest throughout with the teams trading the lead constantly in a back-and-forth second half.
"That's a tough loss," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We just could not find a way to get over the hump."
James and Chris Bosh carried the Heat (8-5) in the absence of Dwyane Wade, who did not play due to a left wrist injury. James scored a game high 29 points and added 11 assists while Bosh scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds.
Eddie House came off the bench to score 20 points, including six three-pointers, but there was more bad news for the Heat when forward Udonis Haslem collided with Randolph late in the third quarter and was carried off the court.
"It's huge," said James of Haslem's injury. "He's like our heart of our team. He's our power. He's our pride. He brings everything every night. Size never really matters to him. He always plays above his height, plays above his weight."
Source: AP,
MIAMI —Dwyane Wade had 39 points. LeBron James had a triple-double. The Miami Heat had a 22-point lead.
The Utah Jazz were unimpressed on all counts.
Paul Millsap scored a career-high 46 points—11 coming in the final 28 seconds of regulation as Utah rallied from eight down—and the Jazz stunned the Heat 116-114 in overtime on Tuesday night.
“I guess when it rains, it pours," Millsap said.
Utah never led by more than three points, which didn’t matter. The Jazz had more than enough at the end, and Francisco Elson’s free throws with 0.4 seconds left won it.
“At some point in the year, unfortunately, we have to go through something like this," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
It’s still early, but Utah can make an argument for being the NBA’s comeback kings so far. The Jazz rallied from 18 points down to beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, and dug themselves an even bigger hole this time around, trailing by 22 in the second quarter and 51-32 at halftime while getting run out of Miami’s building.
Deron Williams had 21 points and 14 assists before fouling out late in regulation, and Andrei Kirilenko scored 16—including a 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining, after which the Jazz wouldn’t trail again.
“It’s speechless, to be down like that to a team like this and to come out with a win," Millsap said. “We clawed our way out of it. But this says a lot about our team."
Wade’s 39 came on 12-of-23 shooting. James finished with 20 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his 29th triple-double, the seventh that came in a loss. Chris Bosh scored 17, James Jones added 11 and Carlos Arroyo had 10 for the Heat, who gave up a staggering 84 points after halftime.
“I think we panicked a little bit as a group," Wade said.
Source: AP,
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY —LeBron James scored 20 points, and Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were close behind as the Miami Heat ended the New Jersey Nets’ two-game unbeaten start with a 101-78 victory Sunday.
Bosh finished with 18 points and Wade added 17, both getting most of them in Miami’s dominant first half before sitting out the fourth quarter. James played a little of the final period and added seven rebounds and seven assists.
It was the most impressive offensive performance yet for the Heat, who have won three straight since beginning their new era with a loss in Boston on opening night. Miami shot 68 percent in the first half, when its Big Three combined for 41 points—one fewer than New Jersey—and the stats only lowered when the reserves took over toward the end.
Mavericks 99, Clippers 83
At Los Angeles, Jason Kidd ended the first half with a 65-foot shot-put heave from inside the 3-point arc at the opposite end, and Caron Butler scored 17 points and Shawn Marion had 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter as Dallas beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
Dirk Nowitzki added 16 points and seven rebounds for the defending Southwest Division champions in their first road game of the season. Kidd finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Rookie Blake Griffin had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who fell to 0-3 on the season under new coach Vinny Del Negro. None of the starters reached double digits until Griffin converted a slam dunk with 5:32 left in the third quarter.
Source: Reuters,
MIAMI – The much anticipated home debut of the Heat's "Big Three" exceeded expectations as Miami routed their interstate and divisional rival Orlando Magic 96-70.
The Heat dominated the second half defensively, limiting the Magic to just 25 points to turn a narrow six point halftime lead into a comfortable victory.
"The guys now can't go back on this," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They've showed me defensively what they're capable of."
Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 26 points, including 12 in the third quarter as the Heat took command of the game.
LeBron James had 15 points and seven assists and Chris Bosh had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Udonis Haslem had a double-double coming off the bench with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
"When me and Chris (Bosh) decided to join him (Wade), and even the rest of the guys, this is what we envisioned," said James.
"Is it going to be a 26-point win every night? No, it's the NBA and we know that, but the fans, they came out and the least we could do is play hard for them."
Dwight Howard scored 19 first half points for Orlando but fouled out midway through the fourth quarter without scoring in the second half to lead the Magic. The Magic starters combined for a meager 37 points, and just seven in the second half.
"I think their defense was very good," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.
"I think that their length and the way that they got into the passing lanes made it tough for us to get good ball movement. Passing's a major problem with our team. It really is."
Source: AFP,
PHILADELPHIA - Miami's Big Three won their first game as the trio combined for 61 points as the Heat spoiled Philadelphia's home opener with a 97-87 win Wednesday (Thursday, in Manila).
Dwyane Wade scored a game-high 30 points while LeBron James (16) and Chris Bosh (15) also did their part for the Heat who rebounded from an opening night loss to the Boston Celtics.
"We're not at our peak, we're not even close," Wade said. "Eventually when it's time to be there, we will."
Wade made of 10-of-20 from the floor and went 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Wade also had seven rebounds and dished out four assists.
"He was letting the game come to him," said Miami head coach Eric Spoelstra. "He is a feel type player and I think he felt a lot more comfortable tonight and was able to get to the rim."
James Jones buried six three pointers for the Heat who hit three straight three-pointers in the third quarter to bust open an eight-point halftime lead.
The Heat tried but couldn't run away with it as the Sixers went on a 15-3 run late in the fourth to make it close.
The Heat shot 50 percent from three-point range. It was sufficient enough to make up for mediocre shooting nights from James and Bosh (combined 11 for 24).
"When we have our long ball going like that, it's unlimited what we can do offensively," said James who had nine turnovers.
Miami may not have been able to the Celtics but James' former team did it.
Playing its first game in seven years without James, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Boston 95-87 in their season opener.
J.J. Hickson scored 21 points, Daniel Gibson added 16 and the Cavaliers made several big, clutch plays to hold off the Celtics, who defeated James and Miami on Tuesday.
"This was for the city," forward Antawn Jamison said. "It was for the fans to let them know the Cavs will survive and this is a place where you can still watch good basketball. And most of all, you can watch a team that wins."
Rajon Rondo scored 18, Ray Allen 12 and Kevin Garnett had 15 rebounds for Boston, which led by 11 points in the third quarter.
In Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, Arron Afflalo added 22 and the Denver Nuggets opened the season with a 110-88 win over the Utah Jazz in coach George Karl's return to the bench.
Chauncey Billups had 14 points and eight assists, while Shelden Williams grabbed 16 rebounds.
Deron Williams had 17 points for the Jazz, who finished 8-0 in the preseason for the first time in franchise history.
Anthony, the subject of trade rumors all summer, and Karl received the loudest ovations in pregame introductions.
Karl missed the final two months of last season after being diagnosed with throat and neck cancer.
Source: AFP
BOSTON – The Miami Heat and their vaunted "Big Three" were the hottest ticket in town, but they started off cold and even once LeBron James warmed up they couldn't stop the Boston Celtics.
In the first game of the NBA season, the league's latest star-studded team managed just nine points in the first quarter and fell 88-80 to the veteran Celtics.
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen - Boston's own "Big Three" who showed in 2007-08 that a trio of superstars could mesh into a championship team - showed Miami's star trio of James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade how it's done.
Before the game James said that Celtics trio was a model of what he, Bosh and Wade hoped to achieve after coming together in Miami in a seismic free agent shift.
"They sacrificed everything. They didn't worry about points or rebounds, anything individual," James said before the contest. "They just went out to compete as a team. I don't think I have to score a lot for us to be in the game, because we have a lot of options."
James scored 21 of his 31 points in the second half in his first time back at the new Boston Garden since the Celtics eliminated his Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals last season.
That second playoff loss in three years helped convince the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player to depart Cleveland.
"I'm excited about this new start. I'm excited about this season. I'm excited about this team and this franchise," James said. "I'm excited to get it going in a city where (I've) struggled."
Despite the Celtics' status as reigning conference champs, it was the Heat - and James, Bosh and Wade in particular - attracting the big media contingent and driving up the price of game tickets into five figures on resale sites on the internet.
Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said some 500 journalists had received credentials for the contest, four times the normal number.
"You don't usually see this many cameras unless you're in the finals," Wade commented after a morning shoot-around. "And it's the first game of the season."
Wade, Bosh and James played together just three minutes during the pre-season before Wade strained his right hamstring in the October 5 exhibition opener. He returned to practice on Saturday.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra noted that the three stars had played together plenty - at the 2006 world championships and again at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where they helped the United States win gold.
"I think it will be easy with these guys," he said. "It's not their first rodeo."
Miami fans have wasted no time in adopting James, but the resentment is still simmering back in Cleveland, where a radio host hired a witch doctor to try to hex James and his new team.
The standing-room only crowd in Boston was no more affectionate - chanting "Over-rated!" and booing every time James touched the ball.
Boston led by as many as 19 points and by 63-57 at halftime. James's 15 points in the third-quarter saw that lead dwindle to 63-57, and the Heat closed within three points with less than two minutes remaining.
The Celtics responded by scoring the final five points.
"It was fun," Boston guard Rajon Rondo said.
Source: AP
-- Rafer Alston's season with the Miami Heat is officially over.
Alston was moved to the suspended list by the Heat late Friday night, one week after he left the team without telling any member of the organization why.
Alston told ESPN earlier this week that his departure stemmed from a personal matter involving his sister.
Alston played in 25 games for the Heat since signing with the club on Jan. 7, averaging 6.6 points and 2.9 assists.
Source: AFP
-- Stephen Jackson scored 17 points and the Charlotte Bobcats rallied in the final minutes to beat Miami 83-78 on Tuesday, boosting their chances of reaching the NBA playoffs.
Raymond Felton added 15 points and 11 assists for the Bobcats, who improved to 31-31 and matched Miami (32-32) for the last Eastern Conference playoff berths, one-half game ahead of ninth-place Chicago.
Charlotte, never with so many wins so late in a season in their six-year history, improved to 3-0 against the Heat this season and will own a tie-breaker edge against them should they be deadlocked in the playoff chase.
The Bobcats, who have yet to reach the NBA playoffs, rallied from nine points down with nine minutes remaining, spoiling Dwyane Wade's 27-point performance for Miami, which saw a three-game win streak halted.
Charlotte led 80-78 when Wade had a chance to shoot from beyond the free throw line. He passed off to Udonis Haslem, who missed from the baseline, setting up a final free throw by Felton.
Miami had a final chance to force overtime but Wade's 3-point attempt from the left corner clanged off the rim.
Source: AFP
-- Miami's Dwyane Wade missed his fourth straight game with a strained calf and could only watch as Milwaukee handed the Heat yet another defeat Saturday, this one 94-71.
Milwaukee are 3-0 this year against Miami, winning by a total of 50 points. For the first time in seven years Milwaukee will take the season series from the Heat.
"Every time we play them, they pretty much hand it to us," Heat guard Rafer Alston said.
Wade, the All-Star game Most Valuable Player, is still nursing a strained left calf. Without him, Miami scored only 26 points in the second half and received some jeers from disappointed home fans.
"When you are missing your best player and another team is coming at you hard like we were tonight, it can be tough," Bucks center Andrew Bogut said. "They need him back sooner rather than later."
The Heat will try to regroup for Sunday's clash with Southeast Division leaders Orlando. Wade is doubtful for that game.
"It's a huge gap with Dwyane out, but we've still got to go out and play hard," swingman Dorell Wright said. "We didn't play as hard as Milwaukee did."
Recently acquired John Salmons led the Bucks with 18 points. Reserve Jerry Stackhouse added 16 in 25 minutes, including four three-pointers.
"The confidence level is very high, and we're really playing well as a team," Stackhouse said. "Everyone is sharing the ball and getting it done at both ends of the court."
Both teams are battling to stay in the playoff race. Milwaukee is seventh in the Eastern Conference and moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Miami.
"When you're playing the teams that you are directly competing against, tiebreakers come into play," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "We now have a tiebreaker over Miami."
