15Nov

About last night …

By Joe

MY GAME STORY LINK: CLICK ME!

Poor defense has plagued the Heat during its two-game losing skid. The Pacers out-rebounded the Heat 53-28 on Wednesday on and Friday the Heat’s defense allowed the Hawks to shoot 56 percent from the field.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra…

ON THE LOSS: “There were a handful of times when we were able to impose our will. It takes a tremendous amount of effort, multiple efforts and activity to be able to defend offensive teams like this. We certainly felt with Dwyane [Wade] out that we scored enough to give ourselves a chance to win, but we never got to the defensive disposition and mind-set that you need to win against a team like this in their building.”

ON CHRIS ANDERSEN’S LIMITED MINUTES: “I actually had the intension to play him in the first half, but I went with [Udonis Haslem]. It looked a little bit out there, but Bird will be out there Sunday.”

WHY DID JAMES ENNIS START: “To keep Mario [Chalmers] in the second unit, and to stabilize that unit. Instead, he played 40 minutes.”

Chris Bosh …

ON THE POOR FIRST QUARTER: “We’re not getting off to good starts defensively, whether it’s the …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

14Nov

Stuff about tonight’s game, #Heat (5-3) at #Hawks (4-3)

By Joe

HEAT (5-3) at HAWKS (4-3), 7:30 p.m., Sun Sports

LINE: Hawks by 2 (Opened at 3.)

OFFICIALS: Tom Washington, David Jones, JT Orr

WHY WATCH: The Hawks have won three in a row while the Heat is trying to boucne back from its 75-point performance against the No Name Pacers on Wednesday. Both the Heat and Hawks now feature similar offensive styles predicated on ball movement and Friday night’s matchup will be the first of four meetings between the two division opponents this season.

SPO-SPEAK: “It’s not always going to work out smoothly, ball moving, everyone in great rhythm like it was in Dallas. There are games you’re going to have to develop some team and collective grit and figure out how to win. And those can be very gratifying at the end, particularly when you don’t play great.”

…read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

13Nov

About last night …

By Joe

GAME STORY LINK: CLICK ME!

The Pacers turned ugly into art and embarrassed the Heat 81-75 on Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami was out-rebounded 53-28. It was the lowest scoring total for the Heat on its home court since the 2009-10 season.

In addition to the rebounding problems, the Heat went 8 of 18 from the free-throw line. The Pacers won despite shooting 37.5 percent from the field and recording more turnovers (16) than assists (13).

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra…

ON THE REBOUNDING: “I’ll have to get to the film, but certainly more block outs and we have to be a gang-rebound team. It can’t be just a one individual and that certainly hurt us tonight. We’re all well aware of that.”

ON THE MISSED FREE THROWS: “These are those types of games that you would really like to see your team to find a way to grind it out when you’re not necessarily in a great rhythm. It’s a defensive game. It’s a grind out game and you like to find a way to win ugly at the end. Whatever, just make some plays. We had some foul trouble. We had some free throw opportunities that we came up short but …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

12Nov

Stuff about tonight’s game: Pacers (2-6) at Heat (5-2)

By Joe

PACERS (2-6) AT HEAT (5-2), 7:30 p.m., Sun Sports, ESPN

LINE: Heat by 8 1/2 (Opened at 10.)

OFFICIALS: Scott Foster, Eric Lewis, Eli Roe

WHY WATCH: The Pacers are bruised and broken to begin the season, but tonight’s nationally televised game is still the first matchup between the Heat and Pacers since last season’s Eastern Conference finals.

SPO-SPEAK: “It’s still Indiana, so you know they’re going to bring it defensively,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They’re not going to allow you to have easy opportunities on the paint. You’re going to have to work your offense with force, with poise and the ball is going to have to move. The more shortcuts you try to take, the more it plays right into their hands.”

ON THE 5-2 START: “It’s not even about that right now,” Spoelstra said. “It’s about our habits. Are we coming in to work to get better? And the guys have been great. They have a real lunch pail, hardhat mentality to come in here and work and work the process to try to get better.
“You’re seeing some of the improvement, but we have a long way to go, particularly on the defensive end. And there is no shortcut to it. …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

10Nov

Miami Heat Beggining of the Season Recap by Raanan Katz

Raanan-Katz-Miami-Heat-new-big-3The Miami Heat have started this season off with a bang, winning five out of their first seven games. They started the season winning their first three games against Washington, Philadelphia and Toronto. They lost their next two games against Houston and Charlotte and won their next two games after that against Minnesota and Dallas. Their next game is on Wednesday as they welcome the Indiana Pacers to American Airlines Arena.

The Heat are at top of the Southeast Division tied with the Washington Wizards. Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade are carrying most of the load scoring 23.6 points and 19.7 points respectively. Bosh is averaging a double double as he is also averaging 10.3 rebounds per game. Luol Deng is also picking up his load, averaging 15.6 points per game. After the loss of LeBron James; Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and Luol Deng have stepped up to become the new “Big Three” of the Miami Heat.

Luol Deng just came off of a dominating performance against the Dallas Mavericks Sunday night, scoring 30 points. The new Heat “Big 3” has averaged 60.2 points, 17.8 rebounds, and 11.7 assists.

Miami Heat fans were of course worried after the loss of LeBron James, and the new signing of Luol Deng didn’t necessarily resolve those worries. Although, Deng is nowhere near filling the hole left by LeBron, he is doing a more than adequate job in the role that he has been assigned.

Deng is averaging 15.6 points per game and shooting a career-high 56% from the field. He is also playing a career low 30 minutes per game, elevating his efficiency rating to just under 20. Bosh and Wade playing at a high level has been quintessential to the Heat’s success, but Deng filling in the holes and playing his role has also been an important factor.

Raanan Katz looks forward to watching his team’s hopeful continued success. With the return of Danny Granger in a couple of days, the Heat are looking to improve on their already successful campaign. Take a look here for new updates on the Miami Heat roster.

10Nov

#Heat guard Dwyane Wade opens up about #LeBron James and the struggling #Cavaliers

By Joe

Dwyane Wade has played in every game this season and he’ll be in the starting lineup on Sunday night here in Dallas. He’s feeling good, his body has responded well to the beginning of the season and his team has a better record than his good buddy LeBron James up in Cleveland.

In other words, it’s a good time to weigh in on the NBA’s biggest story to start the season, the early struggles of those very same Cavaliers and LeBron’s role on the team. Any advice Wade would give LeBron at this point in the season?

“He has all the tools he needs,” Wade said. “We’ve been through it together where we ran into struggles as a team. You’re going to do that in the season whether it’s in the beginning of the season, or sometimes in the middle or sometimes at the end. He’s a four-time MVP. He’s a two-time champion. I’m sure he’ll figure it out as a leader.”

The Heat is 4-2 entering Sunday’s game against the Mavericks and the Cavaliers are 2-3 with a home game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. In a sense, both the Heat and Cavaliers are starting from scratch this season, …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

09Nov

Here’s that full video clip of Michael Beasley trying to eat a basketball in China.

By Joe

Kinda makes me sad.

…read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

04Nov

With corporate logos on the way, Josh McRoberts is just ahead of his time with the jersey-ripping thing

By Joe

Heat forward Josh McRoberts is still an unknown quantity with his new team, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t already made an impression on fans. In his first home game since coming back from offseason toe surgery, McRoberts wasted no time in cultivating his appeal when he ripped his jersey down the middle like Hulk Hogan.

The destruction of McRoberts’ jersey looked intentional — like a baseball player breaking a bat over his knee — but on Monday the former Bobcats man said that wasn’t the case.

“It looked crazy,” McRoberts said. “It looked like I was trying to rip it apart. I usually just pull on it and hold onto the top of it…When it started to go, it just went and it made it look like I was ripping it even more. But it wasn’t cool.”

So, it doesn’t sound McRoberts is going to make the jersey-ripping thing part of the nightly show, and that’s too bad. Just think of all the marketing and sponsorship opportunities…OK, I can’t think of any off hand, but when the Heat and other NBA teams slap corporate logos on their jerseys in a few years, players who rip …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

04Nov

Luol Deng compares offensive philosophies for #Heat and #Bulls

By Joe

A long-time player for the Chicago Bulls and now a starter for the Miami Heat, forward Luol Deng has played for two of the best coaches in the Eastern Conference. On Tuesday, he offered some insightful commentary on the difference between the Bulls’ offensive philosophy under coach Tom Thibodeau and the offensive principles that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra uses:

“Here our guards are more pick-and-roll and trying to find the open guy and the next guy is making a play and it’s becoming contagious. In Chicago we slowed the game down, we got stops and we slowed it down and tried to get the best shot possible that we could get. We stuck to the plays. Here it’s more of reads. You read the game, and guys have a high IQ and they’re just making plays after plays and making each other better.”

Deng has fit in well with his new team through the first three games of the season. He’s averaging 15.0 points per game while shooting 57.6 percent from the floor.

…read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

13Oct

Luol Deng on facing the Hawks following this summer’s controversy: ‘Obviously, that’s going to be in the back of your head’

By Joe

Heat forward Luol Deng plays the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday for the first time since the organization used offensive language to describe him in a scouting report.

“Obviously that’s going to be in the back of your head, but it’s the players that you’re playing against,” Deng said. “They’re not the ones who said what was said.”

During a meeting with Hawks executives and owners over the summer, Hawks general manager Danny Ferry disparaged Deng by calling into question his character. Ferry also inferred that Deng’s African heritage somehow detracted from his abilities as a basketball player. Following the controversy, Ferry was granted an indefinite leave of absence from the team.

Deng hopes to use the incident to “do something so someone benefits for the mistaken that was made,” but the Heat’s forward hasn’t had any contact with Ferry or the Hawks. Deng said on Monday after practice that he was closer to signing with the Hawks than the Heat at one point during free agency, and that interest from Chris Bosh helped sway Deng to the Heat.

…read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat