Archive for the ‘Miami Heat’ Category

2012 NBA NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!

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Posted 31 Dec 2011 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden St. Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards

Although the season has barely begun, each team will be making resolutions for the New Years that ultimately they will forget. Here a a team-by-team breakdown:

ATLANTA HAWKS

We resolve to get to the bottom of why we gave Joe Johnson so much damn money. He does lead us in points, but will we make it deep in the playoffs….of course not. ( same as last years resolution)

BOSTON CELTICS

We the Boston Celtics resolve to let Rondo shoot nothing but threes for an entire game, just to see what happens….

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

I, Paul Silas resolve to survive the entire season.

CHICAGO BULLS

I, Derrick Rose resolve to continue dominating basketball, postgame interviews  and my acne.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

We resolve to continue to be a horrible team until Dan Gilbert can finally complete the cloning of LeBron James, let the clone grow to 18 years of age, then draft him with the #1 pick in the 2030 Draft.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

I, Lamar Odom will drive to Galveston Beach each off day so I can look at the ocean and remember what once was.

DETROIT PISTONS

We the Pistons resolve to find some food for Austin Daye, and to have Ben Gordons arms chopped off!

DENVER NUGGETS

We the Nuggets resolve to be extremely grateful that Coach Karl is back and healthy!

GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS

I, Coach Mark Jackson resolve to stop yelling “Hands down, man down” to everyone on the team, every possession.

HOUSTON ROCKETS

We the Houston Rockets resolve to continue pitting Chase Budinger, and Chandler Parsons against each other until they are forced to fight to the death.

INDIANA PACERS

We resolve to let Physcho T run into the stands at least once this season.

L.A. CLIPPERS

We resolve to keep our racist ass owner away from Chris Paul, and keep Chris thinking that Frankie Muniz is indeed the owner of the team.

Continue reading “2012 NBA NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!” »

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HEAT FOOLED ME ONCE…

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Posted 31 Dec 2011 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Miami Heat, NBA

Word on the street, is the Heat are everyones favorite to make to back to the Finals, this is primarly due to every team aside from the Los Angeles Clippers getting somewhat worse, but in last years playoffs there was a moment when I thought the Heat had figured it all out and were poised at that time to get LeBron his first ring. Then suddenly as if it had all been a mirage the Heat took a giant step back and folded under the surging Dallas Mavericks.

The Heat are 4-0 for the second time in franchise history, and first since 2004-05.  The Heat  have shown glimpses of both sides, the unstoppable force that flashed in last years playoffs, and a team that struggles when a 2-3 Zone is thrown in their face.  The two biggest improvements for the Heat was the drafting of Norris Cole, and the signing of free agent Shane Battier.  Norris Cole may not be the distance shooter that Mario Chalmers is, but he makes up for it speed, and confidence.

 ”Mentally you just have to be prepared for the worst,” Cole told reporters after his first practice with the team. “There’s going to be a lot of things thrown at me, but with me being in college for four years, I think I have a quick learning curve. I’m mature enough to be able to handle criticism. As long as we work hard and earn the respect of the veterans, I think everything will be fine. This team was already good without me being here. With me having a quick learning curve, [the] only thing I can do is make us better”

Shane Battier hasn’t done much on the floor this season, but will be LeBron’s Bundini Brown when it counts.

So far this season Wade and Lebron have attempted only one three-pointer and LeBron James notched his 38th career 30-point, 10-assist game on Friday. It’s the most among active players, one more than teammate Dwyane Wade.

Before I resign up for the Heat bandwagon I need to see CONSISTENCY, and more of this ridiculousness:

 

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Witnesses To The Crucifixion (My Open Letter To Lebron)

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Posted 14 Jun 2011 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Miami Heat, NBA

The hip-hop connoisseur and all around stand up dude,  @preezydakid over at PLEASEDONTSTARE.COM pours out his emotions regarding the man who was once King.

IMPORTANT: Lebron has now lost twice in the Finals. The logo of the NBA Jerry West lost SEVEN times.

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN!?

Damn Lebron, I really dont believe what the fuck just happened last night. Are you fucking serious b?? Giving up multiple double digit leads?? Turnovers galore?? An 8.9 drop in the finals from your regular season average,which is the all time high?? A 3 point 4th quarter average?? 6 turnovers and missed free throws in the losing effort?? Sorry to state the obvious, but you’ve managed to come up shorter than Midget Mac on a tricycle yet again. Now I can understand the Cleveland years. Back then you got about as much help as Bokeem Wooodbine would get at a Klan rally. But this?? This shit right here is unacceptable fam. I expect something like this from a trade deadline casualty, not the two time MVP and face of the league.

After the game 1 win, you had a 90% chance to win the series. After your last win of the series, which was game 3, you had a 74% chance (which is still pretty damn high). But that wasn’t enough breathing room for you huh?? You still managed to fold quicker than Skull Gang *crickets*.

How could you do this to me?? Scratch that, how could you do this to US?? The diehard fans that supported you through the thick and thin, even when you made that quasi bitch-ass move to the Heat. We all know New York was the perfect destination for you (the smart guys like me at least), but they probably wouldn’t wanna take you now anyway.

Personally, I’ve been on #TeamLebron since 2001, back when you was in the issue of Slam Magazine with the fucked up fro as a soph in high school. Even when you made the horrible mistake of rocking the cornrows, I still took you as my own. Circa the Melo hype after the 03 Final Four, I defended you to a tee and telling cats to not be prisoners of the moment. “Yeah,Carmelo’s pretty dope, but that prep kid from Akron is that uncut Boy George “Obsession” ill.

To layman’s terms, Im a day one fan and supporter of dude (I even bought his book for pete’s sake), so I feel I have the right to rip you, because you genuinely hurt me b. The original Aunt Viv leaving the Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air hurt fam. I took last year as an aberration, just a slight case of frustration/jitters/growing pains. Most of us figured Cleveland was all but a Non-Motherfucking Factor as soon as the season ended anyway.

Continue reading “Witnesses To The Crucifixion (My Open Letter To Lebron)” »

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MAVS-HEAT / 2011 FINALS PREVIEW

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Posted 30 May 2011 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, NBA

The Miami Heat lost both of the regular season games to the Dallas Mavericks, but that was the regular season. During the Playoffs, the Heat have managed to enact revenge against two teams that had beaten them the majority of the time in the regular season, Boston and Chicago.

Since Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semis against Boston the Heat have turned up the heat, treating the Celtics like white kids playing basketball with swim trunks on.

Dallas also had Caron Butler on the floor in those two wins early in the season. Butler has been out since tearing a tendon in his right knee on Jan. 1. He was averaging 14 points and 4.1 rebounds in almost 30 minutes per game. He averaged 18 points in Dallas’ two regular-season wins over Miami. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said Friday that Butler’s availability for this series is “unlikely, but I’m not sure.”

This series, like all basketball will be based on matchups.

With or without Butler the Mavericks are in for their toughest matchup this postseason.

The Mavs were built to get past the Lakers and they succeeded at that, unfortunately no team in the NBA is designed to handle the Heat. Dallas will utilize the zone defense to make up for their matchup problems.

In the two-game regular-season series against Dallas, Wade and LeBron James were a combined 3 of 17 versus the zone, according to Synergy, which provides a statistical analysis of each playoff game.

Miami has plenty of matchup issues as well. The most compelling is of course, Who holds Dirk?

Chris Bosh should get the majority of the assignments, along with Udonis Haslem. During the Eastern Conference Semis, LeBron James turned Derrick Rose, the league’s MVP into an average point guard. The world will await the  moment when LeBron and Dirk square off against each other, and in many situations the game will depend on how well LeBron can defend without fouling Dirk.

Dirk has shot 130-140(93%) from the free throw line this postseason.

According to StatsCube, there is one thing that the Heat and Mavs have had in common in these playoffs: incredible success in late-game situations.

In “clutch” situations in the postseason, the Mavs have outscored their opponents 97-42, while the Heat have outscored their opponents 98-55. Neither of those totals encompasses the complete comebacks by Dallas in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals (when the Mavs rallied from 15 down with five minutes to go) and Miami’s effort in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals (when the Heat came back from 12 down with less than four minutes left).

 

Clutch situation = Last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, with a score differential of five points or less

Dallas has been the best offensive team in clutch situations, scoring an estimated 148 points per 100 possessions. Miami has been the best defensive team in clutch situations, allowing just 69 points per 100 possessions.

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RECAP: CHICAGO BULLS-MIAMI HEAT / GAME 5

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Posted 27 May 2011 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, NBA

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

With 3:53 to play in the 4th quarter of Game 5 of the Eastern Confernce Finals the Bulls lead 76-64.

Everyone in the room was convinced that the series would return to Miami and the Dallas Mavericks would get to rest a little longer. Dwyane Wade had an awful night up to this point and Lebron James wasn’t going to be able to pull out this victory, as he had done numerous times this postseason.

Boy were we wrong!

Just as the game appeared to be a done deal the Bulls found it impossible to score, meanwhile the Heat went on a 18-3 run, lead by Wade, and James who each had eight down the stretch. In the final 3:03, they made all six attempts from the field, half of which were from 3-point range. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James each scored eight points during the run and Chris Bosh added two free throws. The Bulls, in turn, had four field goal attempts with two turnovers during that span.

James finished with 28 points, 11 boards, 6 dimes, Wade added 21, and they led a furious rally in the final minutes as Miami eliminated Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls 83-80 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday.

Derrick “Mr. All By Himself” Rose led Chicago with 25 points but hit just 9 of 29 shots. He fouled Wade on a key four-point play and missed a tying free throw with 26.7 seconds left. After going 0-for-5 from the floor with a turnover when guarded by LeBron James in Game 4, Derrick Rose struggled against him once again Thursday, going 1-for-10 with two turnovers in Game 5. Rose shot 6.3 percent from the floor in the series when defended by James, lowest among any player that defended him on five or more plays.

“At the end, it’s all me,” Rose said. “Turnovers, missed shots, fouls. The series is over.”

Not since the Houston Rockets dropped Game 1 to Phoenix in the 1995 Western Conference semifinals had a team won a best-of-seven after dropping the opener by more than 20.

Headed back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006, and in a fitting twist, they’ll be facing the Mavericks. Back then, with Wade leading the way, Miami beat Dallas to capture the championship. This time, it’ll be James and Dirk Nowitzki going at it for their first rings. Also we get to enjoy a Peja, Mike Bibby reunion, and DeShawn Stevenson gets to see his old friend LeBron again. Can’t Wait! *Bart Scott voice


The Heat will host Game 1 on Tuesday night.

 

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Posted 23 May 2011 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, NBA

(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

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RECAP: MIAMI HEAT-CHICAGO BULLS/ GAME 2

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Posted 19 May 2011 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, NBA

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Miami Heat dominated the Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference series in a way that was hard to watch if you have any respect for the elderly. On Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Eastern Confernence Finals, the Heat and most notably LeBron James, displayed the same sort of dominance leading to a 85-75 win.

James had 29 points, Dwyane Wade scored 24, both rebounding from a poor Game 1. Chris Bosh returned to normalcy after his 30 point effort, with 10 points on 4-8 shooting. Wade and Lebron combined for 33 points in Game 1, they had 32 at halftime in Game 2.

With the series headed to Miami, momentum  now rests in favor of the Heat, who appear to have figured out how to close games.(Not something anyone left in the Playoffs wants to hear.)

Udonis Haslem, whom Spoelstra called “an absolute championship warrior,”(huh?)provided a spark off the bench with 13 points.

The Bulls missed countless layups and got outshot 47.1 percent to 34.1 percent. They were just 3 of 20 on 3-pointers and 16 of 26 at the foul line while getting beat on the glass 45-41.

Derrick Rose led Chicago with 21 points but scored just two in the fourth quarter. Deng, the only other Bulls player in double figures, added 13 but had just four after the opening period.

Since the shot-clock was invoked in the 1954-55 season, there have been four instances in which teams combined to score 24 points or fewer in the fourth quarter of a playoff game. The Heat had 14 in the 4th, while the Bulls could only manage 10 points.

Game 3 is Sunday in Miami @8:30/ Series is tied 1-1

 

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RECAP: CHICAGO BULLS-MIAMI HEAT/ GAME 1

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Posted 15 May 2011 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, NBA

The Miami Heat finally overcame their inability to vanquish the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, for the Heat the Chicago Bulls are proving to be a much more difficult out.

As told since the beginning of time, DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS! Derrick Rose scored 28 points. Luol Deng had 21 points. He hit four 3s, had four steals, seven boards, and did a great job defending LeBron James who showed signs of nervousness finishing with 15 points on 5 of 15 shooting.

Carlos Boozer added 14 points and nine borads. Joakim Noah had 14 boards and the Bulls pounded the Heat on the glass. The Bulls had 12 more boards, 12 more dimes, and 7 less turnovers.

Taj Gibson is by no means concerned with the Miami Heat or their defense.

Chris Bosh played a his second solid game in a row, finishing with a game-high 30 points. LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade combined for 12-32 shooting.

The Heat do not have the fortune of an ‘off night’ from Wade, or LeBron, while Bosh scores 30. The Bulls repeating the offensive play from Game 1 would be tremendous, but prepare for their defense intensity to remain as rigorous.

For good measure: This is the sixth time these teams have met in the playoffs, with the Bulls sweeping the Heat in the first round in 1992, 1996 and 2007 and beating them in five games in the 1997 conference finals. Miami beat Chicago in six games in the first round in 2006.

Game 2 is Wednesday in Chicago 7pm on TNT/ Bulls lead series 1-0

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RECAP: BOSTON CELTICS-MIAMI HEAT/ GAME 3

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Posted 07 May 2011 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, NBA

(AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

 

The Boston Celtics needed Kevin Garnett to shake off his dismal performances in the first two games, if they were to have a chance at finally winning one against the Miami Heat.

In Game 3 Saturday night, Garnett played years younger. He finished with 28 points and 18 boards, leading the Celtics to comeback win, 97-81.

Garnett had finished with 22 points and 14 boards in the first two games combined.

Paul Pierce finished with 27, and Ray Allen had 15. Pierce, Allen and Garnett scored the Celtics’ first 23 points.

Rajon Rondo played the 4th quarter with one arm after dislocating his left elbow in the third quarter. Rondo scored 6 points and dished out 11 dimes, scoring two baskets down the stretch with only one arm.

“He showed he’s a really tough young individual,” said Kevin Garnett, “I don’t know what he’s going to be like when he’s 35, but right now he’s playing pretty well.”

LeBron James had an off night and Chris Bosh was once again missing in action. Dwyane Wade had 23 points and seven dimes, and Joel Anthony continued to contribute off the bench, scoring 12 with 11 boards. James scored 15 points as he and Wade combined to make just 14 of 35 shots from the floor.

The Celtics shot 50% from the field and beyond the arc. Miami was 42% from the field and 21% from deep.(This is all the recap you need)
Game 4 is Monday in Boston 7pm on TNT/ Heat lead series 2-0

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RECAP: BOSTON CELTICS-MIAMI HEAT/ GAME 1

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Posted 01 May 2011 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, NBA

 

 

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

In Game 1, of one the most anticipated Playoff match-ups in NBA Playoff history the Miami Heat flexed their muscles in their Eastern Conference semifinal series by beating the Boston Celtics 99-90 on Sunday.

Dwyane Wade averaged only 13.3 against the Celtics during the regular season, but dropped a solid 38 points on 14-21 shooting. James Jones set a Miami postseason record with 25 points off the bench. LeBron James finished with 22 points, 6 boards, 5 dimes, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Chris Bosh was a no-show with only 7 points on 3-10 shooting. This was Chris Bosh’s first time playing in the second round of the Playoffs, so he gets a pass.

Paul Pierce was ejected with 7 minutes left, after picking up two technicals in skirmishes with Wade and Jones within a span of 59 seconds. He finished with 19 points, but the absence of Kevin Garnett offensively, had a big effect. Garnett had 6 points and 8 boards.

The Celtics appeared rusty and did not play defense at their usual level, but Miami lead by an outstanding game from Dwyane Wade refused to relinquish home court advantage, and are 3 wins from finally getting pass the Celtics. Wade and LeBron have never beating the Celtics in the Playoffs.

Game 2, Tuesday, May 3, Miami (time and TV TBD)/ Heat lead series 1-0

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