INDIANAPOLIS -- Maybe Larry Bird's advice was misunderstood.
In a game that will be remembered mostly for three flagrant fouls, including one blatant cheap shot by Miami deep reserve Dexter Pittman, the Heat reclaimed control of this chippy conference semifinal behind a swarming defense that produced the sort of chaos fast-break points on which Miami thrives.
So now what do we do? Should we say that this was "just Game 4" and "just the second round," and downplay LeBron James' one-man obliteration of the Pacers? Should we say he is lucky he didn't have to hit a game-winning shot? Should we play the Fun With Stats game and point out the Heat only outscored the Pacers by four points with LeBron on the floor, while they were plus-17 with Mario Chalmers?
INDIANAPOLIS -- The missed shots piled up, and Dwyane Wade was at a loss to explain the problem. For two days Wade had stewed over his abysmal five-point, 2-for-13 performance in Game 3. He sought treatment for his sore legs from the Heat trainers, sought counsel from his former college coach, Tom Crean, in nearby Bloomington. The extended break between games was a nightmare for Miami, said head coach Erik Spoelstra, perhaps for no one more so than Wade, who was on the arena floor two and a half hours early on Sunday, firing up jump shots and running through drills with a Heat assistant coach, desperately trying to work away the problem.
INDIANAPOLIS -- All season long, Frank Vogel has hammered home a message, one simple, easy to understand: We're good.
The chastising chatter that often surrounds LeBron James grew loud again Tuesday night, the questions about heart and poise and that game of hot potato that he sometimes likes to play late in games.
LeBron James raised the heavy bronze MVP trophy high above his head Sunday afternoon, a validation of a season well done. No one takes more flak than LeBron these days, but no one played better in these last wild, unpredictable four months than him. He was the best, joining the rarified air occupied by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Moses Malone as three-time MVP winners. He was the best, which he left no room for doubt of in a brilliant 32-point, 15-rebound, five-assist effort in Miami's 95-86 win over Indiana.
The third-seeded Indiana Pacers enter this second-round series as the clear-cut underdog against the No. 2 Heat. Miami has more playoff experience, the two best players in the series and a home-court advantage made more significant by its NBA-best 31-5 home record through the regular season and first round. Although the Pacers won four straight in their first-round matchup with Orlando after dropping the first game, they frequently allowed an overmatched opponent missing star center Dwight Howard to come back from large deficits. Similar lapses in intensity will be fatal against the Heat, who thrive on swift bursts of momentum.
For a season shortened by a lockout, the Knicks' felt like it lasted a lifetime. But the team's mercurial campaign was finally taken off life support Wednesday, when Miami overpowered New York for a 106-94 win and a 4-1 series victory.
MIAMI -- This should have been just another lost night for the Knicks, who have suffered plenty of them over the last 11 years, but it turned into something far more troubling when forward Amar'e Stoudemire slashed open his left hand by slamming it in frustration against a glass-encased fire extinguisher on his way to the locker room Monday following the Heat's 104-94 win.
MIAMI -- This was a big day for the Heat, who controlled everything within their reach and benefited from the worst kind of luck. Derrick Rose is out of the way, sadly, and the Knicks provided little resistance in their playoff-opening 100-67 bludgeoning Saturday.
NEW YORK -- This was no New York nick. This was a full-blown laceration, a wound that left a trail of blood, necessitated stitches and, depending on your sources, almost divorced a finger from the rest of a left hand. Three days had elapsed since Amar'e Stoudemire stalked off the AmericanAirlines Arena court in Miami and decided to fight the glass encasement shrouding a fire extinguisher -- the glass won decisively, as glass tends to do when pitted against bare human flesh.
It's fitting, given how crazy this New York season has been, that none of the three games these two teams played in the regular season -- all Miami wins -- have much relevance now. One Miami win came in late January, before the Jeremy Lin craze and with Carmelo Anthony out nursing injuries. A second came at the height of the Lin madness, just before the All-Star break. And the last came with Amar'e Stoudemire out and Anthony shifting to power forward.
This story appears in the April 30, 2012 issue of Sports Illustrated. Buy the digital version of the magazine here.
NEW YORK -- A few Miami Heat players were wandering through the renovated catacombs of Madison Square Garden on Sunday morning when it dawned on them they had no idea where they were going. "Can you help us find our locker room?" one asked a security guard. It was an amusing exchange and an appropriate metaphor for a team that has appeared lost as visitors for the past two months.
BOSTON -- Is the Eastern Conference becoming a three-team race? Last week the Celtics generated their first signature win of this cluttered season, beating Miami, a contender at full strength. On Sunday, they celebrated Easter with their first win against the agonized 76ers. This one was a 103-79 beating that will make the Heat and Bulls wary -- for the moment, at least.
The Miami Heat needed to beat Oklahoma City on Wednesday night, even if they say they didn't. One of 66, just playing to get better, blah, blah, blah. Blowout losses to Indiana, Boston and the Thunder in the last two weeks had kick started the questions about Miami's vulnerability, had forced Erik Spoelstra to make a change in the starting lineup, had caused the hordes of Chris Bosh critics to plug his name into the trade machine and tweet out prospective deals. They needed it, and they got it, edging Oklahoma City 98-93, evening the season series and ending it. For now.
BOSTON -- The opening tip hopped in high, slow arcs as Rajon Rondo ran back to meet the ball. He watched it bounce as he settled underneath it. Then he let it bounce off his head.
More than 11 weeks since the launch of training camps and already the NBA has celebrated midseason with the All-Star break. In any other year, the 11th week would find most teams having played 25 games of an 82-game schedule -- and 30 percent of the season is usually too early to draw conclusions.
MIAMI -- How long could it go on? The story of Jeremy Lin had everything going for it but perspective. He had grown so popular so quickly because he didn't look like an NBA star, whether he was brushing up against strangers on the sidewalk one month ago or working out for skeptical coaches and scouts for months before that.
LOS ANGELES -- In the seven months since the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat devised a faster offense, built a deeper roster and dispatched many of the distractions that hounded them last season. They appeared more comfortable, more cohesive, and more stable than their pre-lockout selves. But in the past 48 hours, on a turbulent trip through California, they experienced some disturbing Finals flashbacks.
These were the games Chris Bosh gave up, horse-traded for the right to wear the same jersey as two of the game's elite. For seven seasons in Toronto, Bosh was the man, the leading scorer and rebounder the final five seasons he wore a Raptors uniform. Offense, defense, everything ran through him. He walked away from all that, surrendering, by choice, individual glory for the chance to be a part of history. Bosh isn't an afterthought in Miami, but he's not the first, second or, occasionally, the third option there, either.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama saluted Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks on Monday as NBA champions who staged a season-ending charge to beat LeBron James and the vaunted Miami Heat and claim their first title with a "heart that's the size of Texas."
SI.com's NBA writers give their predictions for the 2011-12 season.
When Miami generated leads of 35 points at Dallas on Christmas and then 20 points against the Celtics two nights later, the Heat looked like inevitable champions. They were on the verge of turning the next six months into a parade of full-court sprints.
1. The NBA lockout goes on and on ... In July, as forecast, NBA owners locked out the players, and for two months the two sides barely negotiated at all. Once talks resumed on a new collective bargaining agreement, they were able to progress toward a deal while also giving the impression that irreconcilable differences were keeping them apart. The problem? The owners had trouble agreeing among themselves on the terms of a new deal, and the same was true of the players -- which in turn gave each side very little room from which to compromise.
Wasn't this what last year was supposed to look like for Miami? You know, when they were supposed to cruise through the season without experiencing a losing streak, set the single-season record for victories and leave a path of devastation along their route to an NBA title? The form Miami showed for most of Sunday's 105-94 rout of defending champion Dallas in Sunday's opener came about a year later than expected, but it was nevertheless chilling to see how much better the Heat looked compared to the retooling defending champs in a rematch of their Finals matchup.
This week's issue of Sports Illustrated features my annual predictions for the coming season. Please allow me to explain myself ...
Assuming Chris Paul is paying attention to the post-lockout treasure map as he plans an exit from New Orleans, it should be clear by now that the "X" that marks his fortunes is nowhere near New York.
As the NBA lockout enters its fifth month and the gap between the split of basketball-related income and the disagreement over key points in the economic system threaten to implode the labor talks again this weekend, team executives have started to seriously consider what they once believed to be unthinkable: What if the league scuttles the entire season?
The Miami Heat forward marries Adrienne Williams over the weekend with team and executives present
You know this is an inverted time for basketball when a 6-foot-4 point guard is expected to go No. 1 in the NBA draft, held June 23 in Newark, N.J. If the Cavs indeed select Duke freshman Kyrie Irving, it will be the third time in four years that the top pick was spent on a point guard of Irving's height or smaller.
It's never too soon to start thinking about next season (assuming there is one, of course), and the online gambling site Bodog has the early lines on the favorites. Miami (5-to-2) leads the field, while Toronto (150-1) is the longest of the long shots. Here's a look at the top six contenders on the board and our view of their chances of winning the championship in 2012, with the caveat that the effect of the new collective bargaining agreement on roster decisions is obviously a huge unknown.
I am conflicted about LeBron James these days, and not in the way most of you are conflicted, where you wonder whether he should be tarred then feathered, or feathered then tarred. But in the wake of Dallas Mavericks 4, LeBron And the Forces of Evil 2, I think we have to paraphrase one of LeBron's lines:
MIAMI -- The NBA has seen behind the curtain, removed the mask. For all of their nine-figure contracts, for all of their All-Star appearances, MVP trophies and off-the-wall athleticism, the Heat are beatable. Not by a collection of stars or a group of gifted me-first players. But by a team.
MIAMI -- One was arriving. The other was leaving. In each case, their clothes described the man.
updated: Mon Jun 13 2011 09:01:00
Fans in Dallas, Texas, celebrate the Mavericks' NBA championship victory.
These NBA Finals have affirmed what I have suspected for a while: People who criticize the NBA don't actually watch the NBA.
The Mavericks are returning to the arena where they surrendered a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA Finals, and that's not a bad thing. Without those events, Dirk Nowitzki may not be in the position he is in today.
DALLAS -- The question raised to LeBron James on the morning of Game 5 was whether the evening's performance would define him. Hours later comes the answer, following a 112-103 loss in which James contributed two points in the fourth quarter. The answer is no -- not yet.
DALLAS -- Can Pat Riley get 1984 out of his head? We're not talking about the novel. We're talking about an enduring series that seems to be renewing itself now that the Mavericks have evened the NBA Finals with their 86-83 comeback victory against Miami in Game 4.
DALLAS -- It should go without saying that the Mavericks need to make a stand Tuesday in Game 4. They've yet to play a strong game overall in the NBA Finals, and they've still had chances to steal all three games.
After their stunning comeback victory in Game 2 of the Finals, the Mavericks look to maintain their momentum as the series shifts to Dallas for Game 3. SI.com's five NBA writers analyze the top storylines for each team heading into Sunday's matchup (8 p.m. ET, ABC).
The two opening games of the Finals have confirmed what we knew already. We knew Miami was more athletic and superior defensively, and we knew the Dallas was the more cohesive team based on its years together and its refusal to give in this season as it has so many seasons before.
MIAMI -- They have come so far, this Heat team. It cut through the adversity of a South Beach sized bullseye on their backs and solved the problem of having three superstars willing to sacrifice their games but not having the slightest clue how to do it. The maturation of the Miami Heat has been slow, steady and complete. Well, almost.
MIAMI -- I will bet you all of the money in my pocket -- not much, I admit, but it's all I've got -- that Pat Riley felt the same acidic, clammy, bass-drum-beating-in-his-skull feelings that he felt in 1984. This is something he would rather not recall, but here it was in front of him Thursday.
Billy Hunter emerged from these laborious labor talks with rare optimism, even picking the word "hopeful" to describe the chances of his National Basketball Players Association and the NBA landing a new collective bargaining agreement before a lockout ensues July 1.
So the NBA finals have begun, but is anybody outside of South Florida rooting for the Heat? In fact, it's hard for anybody outside of South Florida to like the Heat fans, inasmuch as they all come wearing white, so a Heat home game, like last night, looks like a dentist convention or an agricultural rally of Cuban Communists in Havana.
MIAMI -- The opening statement goes to the Heat. Now we wait for the rebuttal from Dallas, in spite of owner Mark Cuban's refusal to speak.
MIAMI -- The Heat struck first in the 2011 NBA Finals, muscling out an ugly, 92-84 Game 1 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks and Heat return to the Finals for a rematch of 2006 but under much different circumstances. Miami, replete with its stars in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, garnered as many fans as enemies when the three joined forces last summer and went on to plow through the East this postseason. Dallas, with Dirk Nowitzki and a revamped supporting cast, surprised with a sweep of the Lakers and an all-out dominant run in the West. So what can we expect in this Finals sequel? Five SI.com NBA writers analyze how each team got this far and what lies ahead in the Finals.
I have a feeling about these Dallas Mavericks. I think it's finally their time. I know that's not the prevailing sentiment. The general consensus seems to be that the Miami Heat have finally figured out how to play together, how to finish close games properly, how to handle animosity they brought upon themselves with LeBron James' decision-with-a-capital-D and the absurdly premature, over-the-top welcoming celebration they threw for themselves that featured smoke and lasers and platforms rising up out of the stage and pretty much everything except Cirque du Soleil acrobats.
Every once in a while, a man has to say something controversial, no matter what people think. Be bold, defy convention, risk offending people. Today is my day. Are you ready? Here we go:
The Mavericks and Heat are set to meet in a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals. Game 1 is Tuesday in Miami, where the Heat are 8-0 in the postseason. Dallas, meanwhile, has won five consecutive road playoff games.
One of the best things about this rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals between the Heat and Mavericks is the credible arguments on behalf of each team. Who is the more valuable player, LeBron James or Dirk Nowitzki? Does Miami have the edge because of the star power among James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, or does Dallas hold an advantage based on depth of talent across the rotation? Will the Heat defense dominate the series, or will Nowitzki prove impossible to guard?
CHICAGO -- This is why there can be no doubt anymore of the Heat's championship potential. They came, they stunk, they won.
CHICAGO -- The Heat have been the hungriest team for the last three games, but that could change now that the Bulls are facing elimination on their home floor.
In the annals of sports marketing, there have been some sensational lousy ideas. A glowing hockey puck. A Disco Demolition Night. The XFL. Reebok's Dan and Dave campaign.
MIAMI -- Memories of LeBron James' previous postseasons come to mind as you watch Derrick Rose. Someday Rose will make the big jump shots down the stretch, as James has learned to do. Someday Rose will be setting up his teammates to be heroes, as James did Tuesday for Chris Bosh and Mike Miller.
MIAMI -- The Heat look as if they're steadily pulling away in this Eastern Conference final, beating Chicago a second straight time to take a 2-1 lead going into Game 4 on Tuesday. Here are some observations from Miami's 96-85 victory:
CHICAGO -- The Evil Empire doesn't exist.
CHICAGO -- They were headed down the same wastrel path to a fifth straight overall loss to the Bulls and a 0-2 deficit in the Eastern Conference finals. The ball would come off Chicago's rim and the Heat would not, could not, control the defensive rebound. Within six minutes the Bulls already held a 7-0 advantage in offensive boards and a 9-3 rebounding lead overall.
CHICAGO -- If you think Miami won't respond to its humbling 103-82 loss in Game 1 against the Bulls, then you haven't been paying attention. Throughout this season Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh have been exposed, and they wouldn't have reached the Eastern Conference finals if they hadn't learned from those embarrassing times.
CHICAGO -- Wasn't Miami supposed to have a dominating 2-to-1 advantage in stars? The Bulls turned that weakness into an oppressive strength in their 103-82 win in Game 1 on Sunday. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James won't have any chance in this Eastern Conference final if they continue trying to go 2-on-5 against this stifling defense.
The Eastern Conference finals creates a matchup of recent MVPs -- Derrick Rose vs. LeBron James -- that nobody would have predicted a year ago. They embody this rejuvenated era of open-court dunking, slashing drives and an insatiable talent for creating any kind of shot.
As the second round nears its conclusion, four SI.com NBA writers take stock of some of the biggest playoff storylines.
MIAMI -- Where he stood showed how much everything had changed. The basket was 25 feet away, a distance that used to be his weakness. His new teammates were coming out to congratulate him. His new arena and the only fans who love him were louder than they'd been last summer.
MIAMI -- Will the new replace the old? Will nature have its way?
BOSTON -- A city-silencing, game-tying three with two minutes left. A hesitating, long-striding, left-handed leaning drive in the final minute of regulation. A fallaway rainbow buzzer-beater to open the overtime. A catch from Dwyane Wade that he drove into the lane to create a layup for Chris Bosh, Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance. A backbreaking charge drawn near the three-point line against Paul Pierce.
BOSTON -- Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo will try to play with one good arm, and backup Delonte West will try to overcome an injured left shoulder. Shaquille O'Neal will try to massage his injured leg into shape for another 8-12 minutes, and Paul Pierce will try to push through the variety of injuries he appears to be suffering.
Old NBA Axiom No. 101 holds that a playoff series doesn't start until the road team wins a game.
The Lakers have been my default choice to reach the NBA Finals. I'd been assuming we'd see them meet either the Celtics or Heat in June, a dreamy matchup that would build on the tremendous following the league has been creating all season.
MIAMI -- The opposing trends couldn't have been more obvious. The younger Heat were peaking, and the older Celtics were breaking down. LeBron James (35 points) and Dwyane Wade (28) were seizing control of the biggest moments, while Paul Pierce (13 points) and Ray Allen (7) were being used as fourth-quarter decoys.
MIAMI -- The long-running trend for the Celtics -- now in their fourth year since acquiring the Big Three -- is that they tend to respond in the biggest games, and Game 2 here Tuesday night is one of those situations. The Celtics don't want to depend on winning four out of five games against a rival contender that is younger, more athletic and possibly hungrier, given the abuse some of its players have suffered against Boston for the last several years.
MIAMI -- The stars are out here in South Beach.
The first round provided few helpful clues about Boston as it swept the decimated Knicks, but the four wins did give point guard Rajon Rondo the opportunity to reassert command of his team. The Heat benefited by being pushed all-out to overcome the tenacious 76ers, whose incessant running won't be duplicated by the elderly Celtics. The regular season offered mixed signals: The Celtics dominated overall (3-1), but Miami ran them off the floor in their most recent meeting.
Chris Bosh approached the Miami Heat locker room Wednesday night expecting to revel in the first playoff series win of his eight-year career. Did his teammates celebrate with him?
"Now we move onto a series that everybody will be excited about,'' said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
Celtics-Heat. Coming soon to a television screen near you.
The Philadelphia 76ers used a 10-0 run in the final 1:30 of the game to shock the Miami Heat and stave off elimination, winning 86-82 to force a Game 5 in South Beach on Wednesday. Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday both hit clutch three-pointers in the Philly run, and rookie Evan Turner added four of his 17 points, including two at the free-throw line, to ice the game.
PHILADELPHIA -- Imagine this: Miami -- yes, The Decision-making, premature-celebrating, shoulder-bumping Heat -- is the only title contender to have avoided drama in the playoffs' opening round. "Right now," said LeBron James after the Heat had seized a 3-0 lead over the 76ers, "I just think our comfort level's at an all-time high."
After a weekend of competitive basketball, the Heat won a laugher on Monday, blowing out the 76ers 94-73 to take a 2-0 series lead. Miami's Big Three combined for 64 points, while the Sixers shot only 34 percent from the field.
In their highly anticipated playoff debut, Miami's Big Three combined for 63 points, 33 rebounds and 11 assists to stave off a late Philadelphia run for a Game 1 victory -- despite getting blitzed by the Sixers 31-19 in the first quarter. After flipping the script in the second and utilizing the stifling defense it's boasted all season, Miami never again relinquished the lead and held on to a key first win in its quest for a title.
The two have met only once since Nov. 26, when Miami rallied for a 99-90 victory and Philadelphia dropped a season-low 10 games under .500 at 3-13. But that game marked a turning point for the Sixers, especially with the emergence of guard Jodie Meeks as a key rotation player. Meeks scored 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three-point range, and coach Doug Collins made him a permanent starter less than week later. Since that November loss, the Sixers have gone 38-28 behind a strong defense, solid bench play and smaller lineups featuring Sixth Man Award candidates Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams.
One hundred and fifty years ago this week, our nation split apart. One of these years, we'll get back together again. In the meantime, you can't get Americans to agree on ANYTHING, no matter what it is, except ...
Several playoff matchups appear to be in place, but there is much to be decided over the final four weeks of the season.
Here's what I heard while on the road lately ...
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