Heat, Heat Baby

The Miami Heat continue to dominate every team in the NBA, but can they be stopped?

By Kyle Basedow

Yo, NBA, let’s kick it!

Or at least that’s what the Miami Heat said on February 3^rd, the beginning of their 23- game win streak.

Just saying the words “23-game win streak” is enough to strike fear into the hearts of every other NBA team.

No matter how much you hate LeBron James for leaving Cleveland, no matter how much you hate the Miami Heat for creating “The Big Three”, there’s no argument that you can make to take away a 23-game win streak.

AP Photo/ Phelan Ebenhack

Sure the 23-game win streak may intimidate some teams, but it also inspires something else in every team they play: desire. Every single team, from their top players to the owner(s) to the towel boys want to be the team that ends the streak, now the second longest in NBA history.

Every night the Miami Heat take the floor, they get the best from every team they play. Not only do they want a chance to show that they’re better than the reigning champions, they want a piece of history now too.

Now playing with all that desire is fine, but will it ever amount to anything? Can anything stop the way LeBron James and Dwayne Wade are playing? Jason Terry found out the hard way that they aren’t easy to slow down.

The level that the Heat are playing at, and sustaining every night, is amazing. They don’t have to be ahead the whole game, hell, they don’t even have to be ahead with two minutes left in the game. They just find a way to win.

However, despite how well they’re playing, they will eventually lose. There are a few games on their schedule that will cause the Heat some problems, most likely starting with the San Antonio Spurs.

Yes, that does mean that they will have to win their next six games. Yes, that does mean they play the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, in a nationally broadcast game. The Bulls, however, have gone 8-12 in their last 20 games, and the game should go easily to the Heat.

The game against the Spurs is probably the most challenging game left on their schedule. They play San Antonio on the road, at the end of a four-game road trip in which they have a game every other day.

San Antonio itself is easily one of the top teams in the NBA, with the second best record in the NBA behind the Heat, and at home they boast a 28-4 record, which is only behind Miami and the Denver Nuggets.

If they somehow escape San Antonio with a win, they could possibly face a tough challenge against the New York Knicks, a team who holds a 2-1 record against them and could have stars Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler at full health.

And if they somehow manage to get past both the Spurs and the Knicks, the only difficult game remaining would be a home game against the Boston Celtics.

It won’t be an easy stretch, but if the Heat can somehow navigate their way through these games, they will not only boast the longest win streak in NBA history, but be at nearly 1:1 odds at winning a consecutive NBA championship.

Maybe rap artist Vanilla Ice said it best in his hit song “Ice Ice Baby”.

“Take heed, 'cause I'm a lyrical poet

Miami's on the scene just in case you didn't know it”

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.

July 8th, 2010: A Day To Remember

A reflection of “The Decision” two years later and why LeBron leaving Cleveland was better than him staying

By Kyle Basedow

I remember where I was when I heard about it.

At 9:28PM on July 8^th, 2010, I was just coming off the field after playing in the first half of one of my summer lacrosse games in Montville, New Jersey. My friend’s dad was following “The Decision” on his phone. As we all attempted to catch our breath and get ready for the second half, he announced, “LeBron James has decided to play for the Miami Heat next year.”

Soon after, a teammate took his lacrosse stick and broke it over his knee. Snapped it clean in half. It was just another notable struggle from a Cleveland fan.

AP Photo/ Alan Diaz

Then, my friend’s dad said something that I’ll never forget. “Michael Jordan didn’t need to go play with other superstars. He made everyone around him better. Remember that gentlemen, LeBron will never be as good as Michael.”

My initial knee-jerk reaction was, “Man, LeBron just permanently placed himself as the second best basketball player of all time. Michael Jordan never would have done that.”

Eventually however, my reaction settled to a state of disappointment. I was right, Michael Jordan would never have done that. He never would have teamed up with his rivals in order to win a championship but that’s because Michael Jordan was one of the greatest competitors of all time. LeBron James is not.

Both are the rare combination of basketball player and god and deserve to be placed at the top of the best players to ever play the game, but James will never be the competitor that Jordan was.

Cleveland was doing nothing for LeBron, though. He had to go out everyday and do it all, with no real help. They repeatedly tried to bring in young talent, none of whom really panned out. The same was the case with some of the older veteran players who were brought in at the twilights of their careers. 

When Miami lost in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks, everyone criticized James for leaving Cleveland, arguing that James would have achieved the same thing had he stayed.

Cleveland, however, was nowhere near being able to compete for a shot at the NBA Championship. Just because LeBron left doesn’t mean that there should be a negative 40 game swing in wins. Sure, having James on your team would help but he can’t do it all by himself, as he proved in his years with the team.

When James left, he exposed every hole in the Cavaliers organization that his stellar play had covered up for so long. This allowed the Cavaliers to understand that they needed to rebuild. They now have reigning Rookie of the Year in Kyrie Irving. In addition, they have their 2012 first round pick and former Syracuse University guard, Dion Waiters, to lead the team.

It’s no question that LeBron got the better end of the deal (seeing as he has already won an NBA Championship), but Cleveland is better off now as well. It’s better to have an assortment of solid players than one exceptional player.

James’ decision to leave Cleveland and to team up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh was the wise choice, even though he got ridiculed for it. He deserved everything he got, however, because if he had simply left Cleveland for Miami without going on national television, he could have saved himself a lot of criticism.

In the end, James put himself in a better position to win and improve his legacy, while also letting Cleveland out of a huge money obligation so that they could start over. LeBron may never be the competitor that Michael Jordan was but he’s already done something Michael never did. He won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award in two different cities. Now that’s something special.

The King Gets a Ring and Superman Destroys Orlando: NBA Southeast Recap

by Kyle Basedow

Trumpeter: “Hear ye, hear ye! Make way for King James!”

Citizen 1: “King? What makes him a King?

Citizen 2: “Didn’t you hear? Lebron James won NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, his second Olympic Gold, AND his first ring.”

Citizen 1: “Oh, just 1?.”

That’s right, unless you live under a rock, you know that Lebron James won his first ring. Not four, not three, not two, but one. If we were looking at rings alone, then James wouldn’t even come close to being King.

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

People with more rings than Lebron:

Bill Russell: 11

Michael Jordan: 6

Kobe Bryant: 5

Dwayne Wade: 2

My Sister: 2

Lebron James could possibly be the second greatest player of all time (see Jordan, Michael) however I’ll wait to see how many rings he actually produces because greatness is defined by how you perform in the clutch.

Anywho, for those who don’t remember, here’s how the NBA Southeast finished:

1.     Miami Heat (46-20) – Second Championship in 7 seasons. After an inconsistent performance in the first 82, Miami was hot and cold in the playoffs and on the brink of elimination versus the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, surviving only by a remarkable performance from Lebron. Even after dropping the first game to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals, they gathered themselves and won the next four games in a decisive manner to clinch the Championship.

End Result: First in division, won the Eastern Conference Finals, won the NBA finals

       

2.     Atlanta Hawks (40-26)- The Hawks had another season where they hit the playoff ceiling. They finished with the third best record in the Eastern Conference, yet lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round. Only time will tell how far they get this season after trading away All-Star Joe Johnson, but their overall productivity in the past five seasons (two first-round playoff losses and three second-round playoff losses) prove this team won’t move too much from where they’ve landed.

End Result: Second in division, first round playoff loss

3.     Orlando Magic (37-29)- “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s the self-destruction of the Orlando Magic! Hey, is that Superman beating up Stan Van Gundy? Didn’t he lead us to the playoffs every year since he’s been here? I don’t know, has he?” While Dwight Howard (aka Superman) never actually beat up Stan Van Gundy, he most certainly helped get him fired. Stan Van Gundy was the best thing to happen to the Magic since Dwight Howard (ironic, right?) leading them to the playoffs for five consecutive years and with an overall record of 259-135 and a .657 winning percentage. He even led the team to the playoffs last year while Dwight Howard sat out for a majority of the season with an injured back AND tried to get Van Gundy fired. In the end, Orlando traded Dwight Howard away for basically dirt and the Magic fired the best coach they ever had. Go figure.

End Result: Third in division, first round playoff loss

4.     Washington Wizards (20-46)- The Wizards finished last season with their fourth consecutive losing season and the second worst wining percentage in the NBA. However, they didn’t finish in last place again, though this should be taken with a rather large grain of salt because the team they finished in front of was the 2011-2012 Charlotte Bobcats (see below). They ended last season on a six-game winning streak and things in the off-season continued to look up with the addition of Florida guard Bradley Beal. With a bunch of other new additions, the Wizards appear to be on the up and up but with face-of-the-franchise John Wall expected to miss the first month with a knee injury, I see another sub-.500 season coming.

End Result: Fourth in division

5.     Charlotte Bobcats (7-59)- The Bobcats stink. Literally. They finished with the worst winning percentage ever (.106) leaving us to wonder if you can actually be that bad or if you have to try to be that bad. Michael Jordan may have been the best player of all time but he’s the worst executive of all time. Their draft picks in the recent years have been busts and Kemba Walker still hasn’t come out of his shell. They suck and they will continue to suck. There’s not much else you can say.

End Result: Fifth in the division, worst record in NBA history