20,000 Leagues Under the Heat

With LeBron James reaching 20,000 points scored this past week, we take a look at why the Heat are head and shoulders above the rest of the NBA Southeast

By Kyle Basedow

AP Photo/ Marcio Jose Sanchez

Dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble. Squeak! Swish.

That’s how it happened. It didn’t dance around the rim, debating whether or not to fall in. The ball didn’t go in and then some how bounce out. It just fell right through, hitting nothing but net.

LeBron James’ 20,000^th career point against the Golden State Warriors was nothing special. It was just an off-balance pull up jumper over a defender or two. He didn’t hit the milestone and explode like some people do when they make history (see Derek Jeter going 5 for 5 when he gets his 3,000^th hit).

James’ 20,000^th point was all in stride on a night in which he scored a game high of 25 points. Oh, and he also got his 5,000^th career assist. He dominated the Warriors while leading the Heat the 92-75 win to make them 25-12 on the season.

Everyone around the NBA knew when he entered the league that he would score upwards of 20,000 points but what he does for the Heat is more than just scoring.

AP Photo/ Marcio Jose Sanchez

James has become the focal point of the Heat, doing a little bit of everything. He can score, he can assist, and he can rebound, all in the clutch.

LeBron James has the skill set to easily transition between multiple positions while being a fantastic two-way player, as evident by his numerous awards.

One reason that the Heat dominates the NBA Southeast the way they do is because of the arrival of James. None of the other teams in the Southeast have a player who can do what James does, not even on a much smaller scale.

The other teams lack a player who has the ability to take hold of the team and lead them through the tough times, with the Washington Wizards John Wall probably being the closest.

Between the Wizards, the Orlando Magic, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Charlotte Bobcats, very few of them have elite players like the Heat have in James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Does the Big Three help the Heat control the Southeast? Yes, but LeBron does about 50% of the work. Will the other teams in the Southeast catch Miami? No, at least not for a long time and while the Big Three is still able to run up and down the court.

The team that has the best shot of one day beating the Heat out for the Southeast crown is probably the Wizards even though they’re stuck near the bottom now. Once they figure things out I believe they should be able to surpass the dysfunctional Hawks who can’t seem to figure out how to win when it counts.

So, what does LeBron scoring 20,000 points really mean? It means that the rest of the Southeast is going to have nightmares of Heat for a long, long time.

The Celtics Drop Season Opener Against Miami Heat

Miami defeats Boston with the help of former Celtic Ray Allen

By Ali Koskoris

In a rematch of last season’s Eastern Division Finals, the Boston Celtics fell to the Miami Heat 120-107.  The season opener was especially dramatic because Ray Allen, part of the 2008 Celtics Championship team, left the Celtics as a free agent after last season, to play for the Heat.

AP Photo/ J Pat Carter

Miami proved to be just as strong as last year, if not stronger.  LeBron James and Dwyane Wade started the game in attack mode, driving to the basket and passing out, hitting open jumpers and taking it to the hoop.  The Celtics countered with effective play from Paul Pierce (16 points in the half), Rajon Rondo (8 points and 8 assists in the half), and Brandon Bass (8 points and 7 rebounds in the half).

Ray Allen entered the first quarter with a Heat lead of one, and his dangerous shooting allowed Miami to pull ahead, ending the first half with the score of 62-54 in the Heat’s favor.  He scored 13 points in those first two quarters.  James left the half with 16 points and Wade with 13.

The second half did not go much better for the Celtics, as they never gained a lead.  With two minutes and nine seconds left in the fourth quarter, Boston was able to cut the Miami lead to four, but was unable to pull ahead. 

The Heat continued to play tough, and James finished the game with 26 points and ten rebounds, Wade finished with 29 points, Chris Bosh finished with 19 points and ten rebounds, and Allen finished with 19 points in his 30 minutes of play (he played longer than starters James and Shane Battier).

For the Celtics, Pierce finished with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals; Bass finished with fifteen points, six offensive rebounds, and five defensive rebounds; Kevin Garnett pulled down 12 rebounds—though only scored four points; sixth man Leandro Barbosa scored 16 points in 16 minutes of play; and Rondo finished with 20 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds.

Boston’s lack of execution and 15 turnovers cost them in this one and Miami came away with the win.

The Heat will prove to be very dangerous, with two superstars in starters James and Wade, dominating starter Bosh, and future Hall-of Famer Allen off the bench.  The Celtics need to continue to play their own game of defensive emphasis, which will allow them to control the pace of the game.  Rondo is key to Boston’s potential success in controlling the speed, and therefore the outcome of a game.