Posts Tagged ‘Shane Battier’

< Older Entries
Newer Entries >

LeBron Must Keep Cruisin’ Past Bruisin’

April 3, 2013  ·  4:27PM

 

HANG TIME, Texas — Whether it’s Friday night in Charlotte, Saturday at home against the Sixers or even Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, LeBron James will be coming back to a different game than he left.

More rough, more tough, more down in the dirt, use-everything-but-the-kitchen sink.

Because it worked in Chicago. Because it’s the only thing that put James on the wrong end of a scoreboard since Feb. 1.

Because the rest of the NBA is desperate.

If it wasn’t already with his third MVP, the 2012 NBA title and an Olympic gold medal, the 27-game winning streak stamped this as LeBron’s time, an era of contentment, fulfillment and waltzing up and down basketball courts to music that only he can hear.

When it got to the level where Danny Ainge was taking shots at his toughness and Pat Riley was responding quite earthily, then the point had already been made. Opposing defenses might as well be shooting spitballs at a battleship.

The only other answer, of course, is to bring him down by any means, which was the path taken by Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson.

James’ response was predictable, a variation of “How Dare They?” that was really no different from the indignant reactions of Michael Jordan when he was soaring above the game.

The irony and hypocrisy is that it was none other than Riley as the Designer Don of the Knicks in the 1990s who built on the Detroit Bad Boys approach and did as much as anybody to have enforcers Charles Oakley, Larry Johnson, Patrick Ewing and friends try to take a piece out of Jordan when they couldn’t stop him.

Everybody now will poke and prod and push and shove and flat out body slam James to throw off his shot or throw him out his comfort zone.

“We know what’s coming now,” said Miami teammate Shane Battier. “We know that’s Eastern Conference basketball, especially in the playoffs. Teams are going to try to make it a game without spacing, without pace and we’re going to try to do the opposite. We’re going to create a bunch of space and try to create tempo. That’s our strength.

“We know that every other team is going to view that Chicago game as some kind of blueprint maybe. That’s OK. We can play any style of basketball that’s required and I’m pretty sure LeBron can handle himself.”

In the end, that’s all that matters, how James handles himself. When opponents tried to body up Jordan, it only stiffened his own resolve. When anybody took him down to the floor with a bit of extra flourish, Jordan usually got back up and made them pay with a bit of extra mustard mixed with venom.

It is a different game now, one where it’s almost impossible to impede a player on the perimeter without setting off the kind of alarm sounds that accompany airport metal detectors. It’s why point guards have never thrived more at any time in the history of the league than today. The rules have been tweaked and rewritten to put less emphasis on brute strength and more on speed and skill.

The dilemma is that James, at 6-foot-8, 260, has the brute strength to overpower while giving up none of the speed and skill. Until somebody finds a way to put a muscle or two on Kevin Durant, LeBron is a cut above, in a class by himself.

Being so talented makes him singular and makes him a target and in the history of stars in any sport that does not make him special. The other guys don’t come to praise you, but to chop you down.

It’s a fact of life and complaining about a lack of whistles from referees or retaliating with a bull rush at Carlos Boozer will not stop it, only let them know that they’ve gotten under your skin.

Jordan channeled his anger into a raging fury that was belied by that photogenic smile that launched a thousand ad campaigns. Oh yes, we all wanted to be like Mike. But never ever forget that Mike, when provoked, could be a very bad man with a ball in his grip.

“We’re aware of what everybody’s game plan is against us,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “They want to prevent layups and dunks and highlight plays at all costs. That can mean hard fouls. We know that.”

Battier views from across the court and across the locker room and sees an awesome physical specimen and a supremely talented player who is finally at peace with who he is.

“I’m pretty sure,” he said, “that LeBron is ready for anything.”

He’ll have to be, since now the plan and the game is going to change.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (25) /

Heat Beat Spurs; It’s All In The Games

March 31, 2013  ·  11:57PM

.

SAN ANTONIO — We can only assume that everybody will eventually show up for a date in June.

In two games this season between the two best teams in the NBA, the list of the missing could make up the core of an All-Star team, if not partially fill a wing in the Hall of Fame.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green never even bothered to touch down in Miami back in November, instead boarding a Southwest Airlines flight from Orlando straight to home. For that little stunt by coach Gregg Popovich, the Spurs were reprimanded and fined $250,000 by commissioner David Stern.

At least LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers were in the house at the AT&T Center on Sunday night, but they weren’t in uniform and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was quick to offer up everything from video of the previous game to doctor’s notes to DNA mapping of the infirmed as proof that this was not tit-for-tat.

“I can see where you guys would draw those conclusions, but no,” he told reporters.

So how come the rest of the world can’t help but see this as a tale with more behind-the-crown royal conniving than “Game of Thrones”?

Give the Heat the leg up in the head games with their undermanned 88-86 win that came on Chris Bosh’s 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in the game.

“It is very special to us,” Bosh said after ringing up 23 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. “Just to be able to compete at a high level continuously, no matter who we put out there.”

Even the league office seemed to get in on the big tease by assigning burr-under-the-saddle lead referee Joey Crawford to the game in San Antonio, where he is historically an antagonist rivaled only by Gen. Santa Anna.

There is little the commissioner can do this time except throw up his hands in frustration and, with retirement looming in barely 10 months, know this will then be Adam Silver’s conundrum. (more…)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (68) /

Heat vs. Spurs: This Time It’s For Real

March 31, 2013  ·  10:01AM

a

SAN ANTONIO — To most Americans “Remember the Alamo” is a famous battle cry they learned in middle school.

For the Heat, it might simply be something they’re trying to do.

With the shortened lockout schedule wiping out their trip to San Antonio last season and coach Gregg Popovich letting the air out of a marquee showdown four months ago, tonight’s game (NBA TV, pregame 6:30 p.m.) at the AT&T Center will be the first meeting between the key players of the NBA’s top two teams in more than 14 months and the first trip to the Alamo City by Miami’s Big Three since March 4, 2011.

Manu Ginobili is already a scratch from the Spurs’ lineup after suffering a hamstring injury in the first quarter of Friday night’s win over the Clippers.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has indicated that since his team’s 27-game win streak has been snapped, he’ll be looking to get some rest for his key players before the playoffs begin in three weeks. He sat out starting point guard Mario Chalmers on Friday night against the Hornets.

But first, it’s likely that a pair of No. 1 seeds in each conference — clearly the two best teams in the league this season — will have most of their frontline stars on the court to circle, jab and try to deliver the kind of meaningful blow that might still be felt if the Spurs and Heat meet up again in the NBA Finals.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh vs. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, minus Ginobili still carries the knockout punch feel of a heavyweight fight in the most anticipated regular season game in San Antonio in years.

“We haven’t played each other a lot,” Wade told reporters after Friday night’s win in New Orleans. “And that’s the Eastern and Western Conference, you don’t get a chance to see each other a lot until hopefully you meet at the end of June.”

“They play with a higher pace and a higher energy level at home,” said forward Shane Battier. “It’s a tough place. But it’ll be a good challenge for us.”

What’s at stake officially is still the race for the overall best record in the league and home-court advantage all the way through the playoffs. Miami’s 57-15 record is two games better than San Antonio, but a Spurs win would slice that in half, give them a 1-1 split of the season series and the tie-breaker (record against the opposite conference) should they eventually meet up with the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the line.

“You play all year trying to get home-court advantage,” said Popovich, “because that’s where you always feel most comfortable. But having said that, you don’t win championships without being able to win on the road.”

You’d be lucky to get the stoic Spurs, always a reflection of their never-let-them-see-you-sweat coach, to even admit they knew the Heat were next up on the schedule.

It’s the approach taken by second-year forward Kawhi Leonard, who’ll draw the main assignment of guarding James, who is likely on his way to a fourth MVP award, which would put him in the select company of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (four).

“I don’t think nothing of it, really,” said the 21-year-old Leonard. “It’s how I’ve been playing my whole life, guarding the best player on the other team.”

Of course, the first Heat-Spurs stirred up more than its share of controversy, debate and repercussion back on Nov. 29 when Popovich showed his disdain for the NBA schedule-maker by having Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Danny Green fly straight home from Orlando and miss the last stop (and a back-to-back) at the end of a six-game road trip at Miami. It had been a much anticipated and highly promoted national TV game on TNT. The club was fined $250,000 and reprimanded by commissioner David Stern for the stunt and yet a collection of Spurs understudies pushed the Heat stars to the limit in a 105-100 loss.

“People say, ‘Oh, he’s resting them,’ but it’s not about rest,” said Popovich. “It’s about being as healthy as possible at the end of the year.

“Not playing that fourth game in five nights, if you’ve got Tim Duncan’s knee and you’re at his age, might make him more ready to go at the end of the year. At lot of guys play 40-plus minutes to win now. We’re more concerned with later.”

While Miami is 2-22 all-time at the AT&T Center and took a 125-95 beating on Mar. 4, 2011 in the only other visit to San Antonio since the James-Wade-Bosh trinity was formed, it is more curiosity and honing their own game that is on the minds of the Heat.

“It’s always good to play the best and play against the best,” James said. “It’ll be an opportunity for us. We just want to get better. The game Sunday doesn’t define our season or how we go from there. We just want to continue to move forward.”

Perhaps to a historic June rematch that would be as memorable as the Alamo.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (41) /

Spoelstra’s Share Of Miami’s Success Easier To See Than Quantify

March 29, 2013  ·  5:55PM

a

a
Through the use of NBA.com’s Advanced Stats machinery, in conjunction with the finest analytical tools both currently in use throughout the league and yet to be conjured in the eventual big brain of Daryl Morey’s someday great-grandchild we can say unequivocally that coach Erik Spoelstra contributed 5.279 victories to the Miami Heat’s recent, remarkable 27-game winning streak.

If only.

There’s no reliable way to know precisely what Spoelstra’s contribution was to the streak, the second-longest in NBA history. In that way, it’s not unlike the Heat’s championship last June or their consecutive trips to The Finals. Considering LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh hardly needed a general manager to pull off their SuperFriends scheme, it’s tempting for people to presume they might not need much of a head coach, either.

How hard can it be? Miami’s roster boasts the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, certain to be validated again this spring with his fourth Maurice Podoloff trophy. It has, in All-Stars Wade and Bosh, another top 10 and top 20 player. And the Heat have become a recruit-yourself destination for quality veterans such as Shane Battier and Ray Allen eager to win rings.

But consider how far Spoelstra has come from the death watch of two seasons ago, when a five-game losing streak, a 9-8 start and a timeout bump on the court with James had everyone predicting his demise in days, if not hours. Even a year ago – on the heels of a two-year, $6 million contract extension through 2013-14 – speculation simmered that anything short of a championship might bring a change.

And now? None of that. Quite the opposite, in fact, to the point that Spoelstra – with a 250-133 mark and, counting this season, with five trips to the playoffs – would be well within his rights to blow cigar smoke at his critics like Red Auerbach or give that self-satisfied Phil Jackson/Cheshire Cat smile while pointing above to various scoreboards.

Instead, he grinds like the video coordinator he once was. He plugs along. And he proves to be of no help whatsoever in attributing his share of the credit for what Miami is doing. Invariably he’ll lapse into his preferred brand of group speak. “I think the untold story about this group was the willingness of professional athletes to sacrifice for something greater,” Spoelstra said the other night in Chicago. “Virtually everybody on our roster had to sacrifice something financially and, in today’s day and age, you just don’t see that very often. … And save for LeBron, virtually everybody else on our roster in a perfect world would have a bigger role. But they sacrificed to make this thing happen – sacrificing to less minutes, less opportunities, less shots, whatever – and I think that’s pretty remarkable.”

Doesn’t scratch the Spoelstra surface, though. For that, you’re better off seeking exhibits and deposing witnesses. Such as Zach Lowe‘s recent splendid read on the Heat’s evolution into the Swiss watch-slash-monster-truck of NBA offenses:

These Heat look almost nothing like the 2010-11 version that melted away against Dallas in the Finals, and they don’t even look much like the team that took the floor for the bulk of their championship campaign last season. The Heat, more than anything else, are a story of slow and fitful evolution — a reaffirmation that the regular season really does matter, and that true basketball chemistry is a fragile thing that almost always requires patience, time, sacrifice, and deep knowledge of teammates.1

The Heat have almost totally reinvented their offense over those three seasons, and in the process they’ve done something very rare: taken a good offense and transformed it into something almost historically great.

That at least starts with Spoelstra, young enough yet wise enough to know what he doesn’t know. So says David Fizdale, the Heat assistant who’s an expert witness because he’s been at Spoelstra’s side all five seasons in Miami after working previously for Atlanta and Golden State.

“Every year he’s gotten better since I’ve been with him,” Fizdale said. “He challenges himself to get better. He’s never satisfied with where he is as a coach. He rarely gets credit. And the best part about him is, he doesn’t want any of the credit. You can’t say that about a lot of coaches in this league. He is one guy who really would prefer to coach and no one know who he was.”

Fizdale admitted that Spoelstra did savor the Heat’s title beyond the moments on court or in the trophy presentation. “He finally relaxed and got to sit back and smile and enjoy the fruits of his labor,” the assistant said. “Now, he’s not the type who’s going to sit there for a long. Probably a couple weeks after that, he was meeting with Billy Donovan or [John] Calipari or Chip Kelly [now of the NFL Eagles] or one of these guys. He’s always seeking knowledge and ways he can apply it to this team.”

Any time squeezed in there for, y’know, gloating? Spoelstra certainly earned the right.

“No. No way. Never ever,” Fizdale said. “He’ll never take the credit, he’ll never throw things in people’s faces because that’s not who he is. He’s competitive as hell. Wants to win everything. But not the type of person who, after he beats you, will gloat about it.”

Battier scoffs at any suggestion Spoelstra has it easier because of the Heat’s star power. “I’d beg to differ,” he said. “At this level, not only do you have to worry about the X’s & O’s, you have to balance egos. And the egos in this locker room are big. Global icons. It takes a person with a strong personality.”

Battier and Fizdale see the Pat Riley influences in Spoelstra, both in the gym and as a motivator. Then there’s a little Stan Van Gundy in there, and bits and pieces gleaned from those other coaches, maybe even from other sports.

In particular, Fizdale talked of Spoelstra’s ability, even his drive, to adapt and innovate to personnel and to various roster tweaks. “He understood these guys were a different monster,” Fizdale said. “And every year a team is a little different. He has always adjusted his tactics and his personality to that.

“You got to make talent mesh. Individually, those guys are going to the Hall of Fame. But they’re guys who were used to getting the ball 100 percent of the time. Now that’s been chopped into pieces.

“With the way he’s built our offense, he’s also developed those Hall of Famers in some way. Where you see them doing a lot more cutting, a lot more posting, more reading and reacting. It says something that these guys are having career years from a field-goal percentage standpoint. It’s not just that they went to the gym and started shooting 1,000 shots. It’s the structure that he’s put out there and the quality of shots they’re getting. The fact that they’re probably getting more easy baskets than they’ve ever gotten in their careers.”

Divvying up the percentages of credit for that interests Miami less than seeing that it continues into June.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (37) /

Safe Now To Stop Hating The Heat?

March 28, 2013  ·  4:55PM




CHICAGO — Twenty-seven seconds remained on the game clock and on the Miami Heat’s 27-game winning streak. At that point, finally, so deep into the Chicago Bulls’ surprising victory Wednesday, a chant went up lustily from many in the sellout crowd of 23,014. “End the streak! End the streak!”

Granted, the whole thing would have been edgier and more impressive had the Bulls’ fans done their chant 27 seconds before tipoff. The fans were neither cocky nor delusional enough to do it that way, though. But it was fun for them and fitting punctuation to another long night of booing whenever this team invades that house.

But then, that’s Chicago, the city LeBron James tormented back in his Cleveland days and snubbed when he had the chance to sign in July 2010. It’s the city that Dwyane Wade still considers home, where he still roots for the Bears, even as he wins a couple championships down in Florida. It’s one of the diehard markets of pro basketball, where passions for its team run much deeper than any general interest in the NBA overall.

Hate the Heat? Yeah, folks in the stands at United Center hate the Heat, same as those in Boston or Philadelphia. But then, they can work up lots of dislike for lots of teams, from the nondescript road shows from Phoenix or Toronto to the Boy Scouts of Oklahoma City.

Many of the league’s less-rabid precincts, however, seem to be softening a little on the Heat. Maybe it’s a matter of time – we’re 33 months removed from James’ fateful decision and the silly smoke-and-mirrors arena welcome, all puffed up with boasts and self-satisfaction. Maybe it’s the trials they’ve endured – sputtering from the start, a lost opportunity in the 2011 Finals vs. Dallas, an out-of-sight, out-of-mind lockout and finally, a little redemption.

Maybe it was the 27 victories in a row over 52 days and the sense that this wasn’t only about them, their rings, their bank accounts and their egos. They were elevating themselves before everyone’s eyes and giving back something to the game’s history with their pursuit of the 1971-72 Lakers’ record streak.

Maybe it’s the snapping of that streak, another sign of Miami’s mortality and, unintentionally, a hands-off approach to that all-time record.

Dwyane Wade (by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Dwyane Wade (by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Maybe it’s the way they play, the perfection within all those X’s & O’s, the snapshot of an all-timer (James) at the peak of his powers and the pecking order that has developed in which a Shane Battier or a Norris Cole can be as important, in a moment, as any of the Big 3.

Or maybe it’s the lower profile overall after winning, in what at least can pass as humility, that finally has turned some of those frowns the Heat used to elicit upside-down.

Sorry to burst your toxic bubble, if you haven’t been paying attention.

But these Heat are not hated the way they used to be.

“The vitriol is dialed down,” Battier said Wednesday in Chicago, about nine hours before the streak got snapped. “In talking to guys who were here two years ago, it’s definitely dialed down. I wouldn’t say we’re loved. But I think people appreciate the style of basketball we’re playing and appreciate us more as basketball players instead of as just personalities.”

Those around the Miami team on an everyday basis can attest to the shift in responses it evokes. Ethan Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post has traveled throughout the NBA covering this iteration of Heat and has noticed the shift.

“Yes, dramatically,” Skolnick said. “When we went to other cities before, the hardcore cities – New York, Chicago, Boston – you expected [the team to get harsh receptions]. You didn’t expect in Atlanta and Memphis and Portland to hear the receptions this team would get.

“Now when we go to those cities, the boos turn to cheers at a certain point. There are enough Heat fans that it starts to drown out the negativity. And I think there’s an appreciation for the team that didn’t exist before.”

That suggests a couple of possibilities: Are Heat fans, old faithful or newly minted, crowding through the turnstiles to swing the audible sentiment? Or have fans of rival teams taken their feet off the Miami team’s throats?

In Cleveland last week – jilted Cleveland! – the noise at The Q mostly was boos every time James touched the ball. But when he hit a few clutch shots or threw down YouTube-worthy dunks, many cheered the athletic wonderfulness as if he still was one of theirs.

“Now Oklahoma City didn’t turn,” Skolnick said, “but a lot of the smaller markets have, we’ve noticed, like Milwaukee … We sort of say the ‘boos’ turn to ‘oohs.’ “

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, asked about the shift in fans’ attitudes, launched into a stump speech about his players’ willingness to sacrifice – salary, playing time, stats, whatever – and the possibility that folks might respect that. But no, that didn’t seem to quite fit. In fact, the farther Spoelstra went down that path, the greater the chance that people might renew some disdain for the Heat. As in: Yeah, yeah, yeah, tell us about it.

Finally, the question was put to him bluntly: Is your team hated less now?

“I think that already changed last year,” Spoelstra said. “But who knows? I hope basketball aficionados appreciate these guys for the way they compete on a night-in, night-out basis and for how unselfish they are.”

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (15) /

Riley’s Thread Ties Streak Record Chase

March 27, 2013  ·  9:57AM

If the Heat finally run their win streak to 34, break the record of the legendary 1971-72 Lakers and plant their flag in the pages of history, it will likely be the result of something spectacular done by LeBron James. Or heroic by Dwyane Wade. Or timely by Chris Bosh. Or perhaps out-of-this-world unexpected by the likes of Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers.

But making it all happen will have been Pat Riley, the link to past and present. As much as anyone in the game over the past four-plus decades, he’s the thread you cannot pull without some part of the NBA story unraveling — from the Showtime Lakers to the Slow Time Knicks to the South Beach Shuffle.

This steamrolling monster is his creation, a plan so bold and audacious that nobody really thought he could pull it off, and it all grew out of an intense drive that is belied by the image of slicked-back hair and designer suits.

The truth is, he’s always been far more Arm & Hammer than Armani, the Schenectady, N.Y., street tough who absorbed the work ethic of a father who toiled for 22 years in baseball’s minor leagues.

On that historic Lakers team with Hall of Famers Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich, Riley was a member of the supporting cast, but no less vital to the cause.

“He’s tenacious,” West said recently in a conference call with reporters. “I’d say to him in practice, ‘Go beat the hell out of Goodrich, I’m tired.’ ”

He’d been a high school star and his Linton team took down mighty Lew Alcindor and Power Memorial in 1961. He starred for Adolph Rupp at Kentucky when the Wildcats lost to the first all-black lineup from Texas Western in 1966 and was the No. 7 overall pick in the 1967 NBA draft by the expansion San Diego Rockets.

But by the time he was part of that famous Lakers roster, Riley was like a circus mouse trying to avoid getting trampled by the elephants. He used his wits to survive, sheer hustle to make his presence felt and overall relentlessness to carve out a nine-year NBA career.

“He definitely wanted to play more,” West said. “But it was a special group of guys and, like all of us, he understood that.”

Sure, he would never have won those four championships as a coach in L.A. without stars named Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. He wouldn’t have headlined on Broadway without a marquee star in Patrick Ewing. He wouldn’t be sitting in the middle of this 21st century media-frenzied hullaballoo today without the overpowering phenomenon that is now LeBron. Yet his own past has taught him the value of the cast of formidable role players he has brought to Miami in Battier and Ray Allen, Chris Andersen and Norris Cole.

Miami draws attention for its glamor — James taking the express elevator to the top floor to hammer home the dunk in Orlando or flushing and then scowling at Jason Terry in Boston — but the Heat have become the only team to seriously threaten the 33-game win streak because of a defense that is ferocious, hungry and unforgiving, like their architect.

For all that he has done on the many sidelines and the various front offices, maybe nothing defines him like the 1985 NBA Finals, when the Celtics blasted his Lakers 148-114 in Game 1 in what became known as the Memorial Day Massacre.

Before his team took the floor for Game 2 at the old Boston Garden, Riley repeated words that had once been spoken by his father:

“The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back … Some place, sometime, you are going to have to plant your feet, stand firm, and make a point about who you are and what you believe in. When that time comes, you simply have to do it.”

The Lakers won Game 2 and eventually the series, defeating the Celtics for the first time ever in the postseason to claim one of their most significant championships.

At 68, that drive and resolve are the rhythms that beat at his core, the occasional awkward dance steps on YouTube jammin’ to Bob Marley notwithstanding.

So when James and Bosh were both heading toward free agency three years ago and most NBA teams were scrambling for a way to get their hands on one of them, Riley’s plan was the bigger, bolder and bodacious one. An old friend who’d stopped by for a visit in Miami during that time recalls stepping into a darkened office where Riley sat, half-lit by the beam of a single desk lamp as wisps of smoke from a cigarette rose past his face.

“He reminded me of Col. Kurtz from Apocalypse Now,” said the friend. “Who knew what was going on inside that head?”

Now we know as we watch his awesome creation keep marching on.

“I’m happy for my friend, Pat Riley,” said West, “who was able to do it as a player and is able to replicate it as an executive.”

The thread through history with ties that bind.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (11) /

Heat Thrive With ‘Best Supporting Cast’

March 26, 2013  ·  11:02AM





ORLANDO – One of the unintended benefits of a team plowing through week after week of a 27-game (and counting) win streak is the collective strain it puts on not just a team’s superstars, but also it’s supporting cast.

And in the case of the Miami Heat, that would be, as All-Star forward Chris Bosh coined it, “the best supporting cast in the business.” Bosh was, of course, speaking about the cast surrounding reigning MVP LeBron James, a group headlined by Dwyane Wade and himself.

But those three superstars have the added benefit of leaning on what has developed into the best cast of veteran, high basketball IQ specailists in the business. From stalwarts like Udonis Haslem, Ray Allen and Shane Batter to Mike Miller and Chris “Birdman” Andersen to Norris Cole and occasionally James Jones or even Joel Anthony, the Heat found ways to tap into their resources at the right time throughout this streak.

It’s a delicate balance, knowing who to go to, and when. But it’s a luxury that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff have cultivated for the past three seasons. And for a team that will need every player to defend their title, this streak and the finish of this regular season could prove to be crucial in ensuring the reserves are ready for that grind.

“They are gaining more and more confidence,” Spoelstra said. “They really are. It doesn’t really matter which group we have out there. They take it to heart that they want to put together good minutes on the scoreboard. Those guys are just stepping up and giving us good minutes.”

Great minutes, actually, in spurts.

Cole scored a season-high 15 points and led seven scorers off the bench in Sunday’s win over Charlotte, the first of two straight games the Heat played without Wade, who sat out with a sore right knee. Cole (3-for-4), Allen (4-for-5) and Battier (2-for-5) lit it up from distance as the Heat used an 11-for-13 barrage from 3-point range to subdue the Bobcats.

Miller started in place of Wade Sunday and played 22 minutes in the win over the Bobcats. That’s the exact same number of minutes he played in the 10 games before that, and looked comfortable doing it. He started again Monday night against Orlando, making three of his six shots from the floor in 20 minutes against the Magic.

He attempted a total of four shots in those 10 games prior to his Bobcats start, but didn’t hesitate Sunday night, uncorking a couple of 3-pointers in the opening minutes of that game.

“My view was to just fill in,” Miller said. “But you can’t be shy. My motto is to let it fly. That helps our team, when our shooters are aggressive it opens up lanes for everybody else.”

Cole, Andersen and ex-Magic All-Star Rashard Lewis (11 points, courtesy of a 3-for-5 shooting effort from long-range) provided the boost the Heat needed to get win No. 27, outscoring the Magic reserves 42-15. The Heat are 26-1 this season when its reserves outscore the opposition’s.

“It’s just knowing your role and knowing what’s needed,” Battier said. “It’s the way we’ve worked all season long and right now it’s the perfect complement to what we’re doing offensively. Our main goal on offense is to create space to allow our best guys the room they need to operate. The only way to do that is to put shooters around them. So when we get the open looks, we have to make shots. It all has to work together.”

Making sure the bench was ready was of critical importance for Spoelstra, though he wouldn’t have forced the issue down the stretch of the regular season. Not with the type of veterans the Heat have.

“They’ve already had a body of work,” he said. “They’ve been called upon at times this year, and they are keeping themselves ready. The most important thing is all the work they’ve been doing behind the scenes. You could whither away on the sidelines by not playing if you didn’t have the right attitude. But our guys come in every single day. They do their conditioning and they also stay in it mentally. They do it every day.”

You win 27 straight games and everybody has to bring it — the superstars and the “best supporting cast in the business.”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (17) /

What They’re Saying: On The Heat Streak

March 26, 2013  ·  10:40AM




Seven games away from setting an NBA record for most consecutive wins in a season, the Miami Heat are the talk of the sporting world. The defending champions have not lost  a game since a 13-point setback in Indiana on Feb. 1 and have a chance — in some people’s minds, at least — to run the rest of the regular-season table.  Their winning streak, the second-longest in league history, stands at 27 games.

NBA.com dispatched our game reporters to talk to those around the NBA who have seen the streak close up. Here’s a sampling of what people are saying:

On the streak | How the Heat are winning | What makes Miami so good? |
Difference from last season’s team? | Chances at winning out? | How to stop the streak? |
Any weaknesses in this crew? | Juggernaut team a good or bad thing?

On the wonder of the streak …

Kevin McHale, coach, Houston Rockets: “The thing I’ve always been impressed about long winning streaks is the fact that you keep your concentration long enough to do it. You win 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 in a row, and you run into a bad team, and it’s late in the year, that’s usually when you stumble. I know the teams I played on went on a lot of 10, 11, 12, 13, 14-game streaks, and then we’d play a bad team, none of us would be ready, and they’d be all juiced up for us. You do get bored [when you're on a great team] a little bit, and you get complacent, and you start taking for granted you’re going to win. You need to lose one or two, and then you get refocused and play. But, as I’ve said all along — I know you guys don’t believe it — but actual human beings play this game. That’s just what happens.”

Ralph Lawler, announcer, Los Angeles Clippers: “I remember when the Los Angeles Lakers won 33 straight games in the 1971-72 season, it’s a record that I thought would never be broken. For the Heat to be approaching the mark, it’s extraordinary. Everyone is paying attention. Winning in the NBA is not an easy thing to do, and when you do it on a consistent basis, the pressure mounts. I think the players for the Heat understand what’s at stake. You can’t shut off the lights and say I’m not aware of what’s going on. LeBron James and his teammates might attempt to deflect talk about the winning streak to the media, but on the team plane and team bus, it’s all the buzz. If the Heat win 30, 31, or 32 games in-a-row, gee whiz, people will start to talk about them being world-beaters.”

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder: “It’s hard to win basketball games in this league and to win ’em in a row is even harder and over 20 is really tough, so we don’t have any hate in our blood over here. We give respect when it’s due. But I would say we’re not worried about what they’re doing, it’s just that all we’re focused on is us. But every time you turn on the TV you hear it and once you really sit back and look at it, it’s impressive.”

Marreese Speights, Cleveland Cavaliers: “If you can’t get excited about playing Miami, then you’re not a basketball player. Everyone around the league is watching you because they’re all keeping an eye on them. [Those] are the games you love to play.”

George Karl, coach, Denver Nuggets: “They’ve won a lot of close games. Sacramento almost beat them, they had a close game with Philadelphia, a one-possession game. It’s a pretty amazing [streak]. Thirteen is a lot [the Nuggets had a 13-game streak and the time], so you double that … it’s pretty impressive.

Daniel Gibson, Cleveland Cavaliers: “When they go into every city, people want to see them. It’s exciting for all of us. They’re playing at such a high clip, you can’t help but want to watch them play.”

Patrick Beverley, Houston Rockets: “Winning streaks are always fun to be a part of, but it is tough when you see one team win so much … No one is scared of these guys, but I think most of the league respects the way they’ve handled their business.”

Scott Brooks, coach, Oklahoma City Thunder: “I’ve never seen it in my lifetime, I mean I know the Lakers did it in the 70s but I wasn’t following the NBA in the early ’70s. But just to do what they’re doing now with the parity that we have in the league it’s pretty amazing. There’s so many games that you have to have everything go right to win. The travel, the back-to-backs, the injuries you have to overcome, the foul trouble, the turnovers, just everything about it and to win 25 straight games … give them credit because they have the mental ability to have the mindset to do that night in and night out, that’s just pretty phenomenal.”

On the way the Heat have won during their streak …

Matt Bonner, San Antonio Spurs: “The Heat have been impressive in that they’ve won in all types of fashion. They’ve won close games, blowouts. They’re rolling. Playing great. Everybody wants to be the team that’s going to break their streak, and that’s what makes it impressive, too. They’re getting everyone’s best shot.”

Gibson: “It definitely shows how focused they are because they have to come in every night prepared. It’s very tough to do because you also got to have a little luck with you because guys have to stay healthy, and everybody has to be clicking.”

Jerry Stackhouse, Brooklyn Nets: “It can be tough building a streak. When you’re constantly trying to find motivation, you can get some mental fatigue. But I think with it being so close to the end of the season and they’re trying to go into the playoffs on a high note, I don’t think it’s as tough a task. If it was earlier in the season, you feel like you’ve got so many games left and you’re not going to win them all, so this might be a good night to just chill out. I just think it comes down to their execution late in games. They trust each other. They’ve been together a while, enough now to know what to do. Their confidence is high.” (more…)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (48) /

March Madness … Miami Heat Style!

March 24, 2013  ·  11:29AM





MIAMI – March is the month of Madness for college basketball fans around the world. Rarely has it served a similar purpose for NBA fans.

“March is kind of a funky time in the NBA,” said Heat forward Shane Battier. “Once you hit April you start smelling the playoffs a little bit.”

But the Miami Heat, with a huge assist from the Denver Nuggets, are doing their best to change that. The Heat’s winning streak is a whopping 25 games, second best all time in the NBA, and could be 26 before the nightly news ends if they handle their business against the Charlotte Bobcats this evening at AmericanAirlines Arena (pregame 5:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV).

Some of the craziest and best moments of the Heat streak, which began Feb. 3 in Toronto, have come this month.

Payback wins over would-be Eastern Conference challengers New York (March 3) and Indiana (March 10) as well as dramatic finishes against Orlando (March 6) and wild comeback wins over Boston (March 18) and Cleveland (March 20) have all come during the 13 games the Heat have won this month.

The Heat haven’t exactly breezed through the competition during this streak. They’ve had to work for almost every win, which is what makes Heat coach Erik Spoelstra smile with the Bobcats and Magic up next before a Monday trip to Orlando kicks off a four-game road trip, with stops in Chicago Wednesday, New Orleans Friday and San Antonio Sunday, to finish off the month.

“However it is happening, teams are coming at us,” he said. “That’s a good thing. We can’t sleep walk into a game. We have to bring it. We have to play well at both ends. We have to dig. We have to earn wins. And we’re playing against our opponents’ best games. That only helps. That sharpens you. The more you get tested in this league, the better you get, as long as you handle it the right way. I like it. I like that every game we’re getting tested.”

The Heat have embraced everything about this streak, everything from the sluggish starts and dramatic finishes to the seemingly endless supply of questions about the streak itself and the chase to catch and surpass the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers’ record 33-game streak.

“It is awesome,” Dwyane Wade said. “It is cool. If you think about it, there are teams in the league right now that don’t even have 25 wins for the season. You have to be thankful and very blessed to be in this situation right now and enjoy it while you have it.”

That doesn’t mean they’ve lost sight of what will define this season for them for years to come. Heat big man Chris Bosh said a recent discussion with a friend about the streak record compared to a championship provided him with what should be an obvious choice.

“I’m going to take the championship every time,” Bosh said. “You don’t get a plaque or a ring or nothing for 34 in a row. You get a record that will probably be broken one day. Records are meant to be broken. But championships last forever.

“Someone was telling me it’s way cooler to win 34 [in a row]. I’m like, ‘Man, please! Get out of here with that. They won’t be throwing confetti for that. I’ll guaran-damn-tee you that.’ ”

When word spread that Jerry West and other members of the Lakers’ 33-game streak team gushed about this Heat crew and wished them well in their quest to break the streak, Wade didn’t buy it.

“I don’t believe it,” Wade said and then laughed. “I don’t believe it.”

Resident hoops historian LeBron James, however, had a different reaction.

“I just appreciate it,” he said of the praise from West and others. “I appreciate the history. For them to say they are pulling for us to get the streak, that’s cool. I respect the game and I respect the guys who paved the way for me and the rest of my teammates. That is a cool thing [for them to do], but we have a long way to go and cannot focus on that right now.”

No, they can’t. The immediate focus is Charlotte, the rest of this month’s schedule — which includes those two road traps in Chicago and San Antonio — and trying to finish off their version of March Madness in style.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (6) /

Heat Need No Help Staying Humble As Streak Continues To Grow

March 23, 2013  ·  11:47AM





MIAMI – Find any team in any sport that’s won as much as the Miami Heat have the past two months and it would be easy for said team to develop a certain sense of entitlement.

That’s just the nature of the success beast, even when you are fighting against such things.

Rolling up 25 straight wins, the second-best streak in NBA history, would be cause for celebration anywhere else but here. The Heat tried that premature celebration thing three years ago and it blew up in their faces in The Finals, when the Dallas Mavericks ruined their parade plans.

So the reminders to stay humble and focused on the task at hand are already ingrained in this bunch, from Erik Spoelstra and his detail-oriented coaching staff to a locker room full of players, from superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade all the way down to its most recent addition Chris “Birdman” Andersen.

“All you have to do is look at our first halves the last couple of games,” veteran forward Shane Battier said. “We have room to improve. By no stretch of the imagination are we playing our best basketball right now. We are winning ballgames, but we have a lot of room for improvement.”

Room for improvement for a team that hasn’t lost a game since Feb. 1?

Sure, whatever you say Shane.

Then again, when you have a Charlotte team with the worst record in the league coming to town Sunday as you prepare for win No. 26 in the streak, you stay focused by any means necessary.

“We have a coaching staff that will tell us,” Chris Bosh said. “We just have guys who really stay on each other and nobody gets ahead of themselves. We know that you have to stay humble. If you have success, you take it in stride.”

That doesn’t mean the Heat have shed any of the core confidence that made them champions last season.

“We expect to win every game,” Bosh said. “”I’ve always expected to win every game. And now we’re actually winning every game.”

Winning every game in all kinds of ways. The comebacks have been a bit dramatic of late. The Heat’s low energy starts are a concern, but as James put it, “I’d rather come out the way we’ve come out and finish strong than come out strong and finish weak.”

That’s sound logic when you can change a game in an instant with a play on either end of the floor. But players play and coaches coach. And no coach worth his whistle is going to suffer through the sluggish starts the Heat have without going back to his tool box to try to fix it.

“It’s an area we need to address,” Spoelstra said. “This team has shown that now for three years that when there’s a particular aspect of the game we’re not playing the way we are capable of, we address it. We show up. We work on it and we try to improve on it. Hopefully, it will change on Sunday.”

Even if it doesn’t change Sunday, it has to change. The playoffs are coming and sluggish starts won’t get it done in the postseason.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in HT News / Comments (82) /

< Older Entries
Newer Entries >