On Sunday, the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers are set to square off in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Before the season began, most people would have expected the Heat to be playing in the second round, but few would have thought that the Pacers would be here. After winning their respective first-round series in five games each, LeBron James and Danny Granger will lead their respective teams in a battle for the right to head
One of the NBA’s better rivalries of yesteryear will be renewed on Saturday when Carmelo Anthony’s New York Knicks take on LeBron James’ Miami Heat. If it goes to a seventh game, fasten your seat belts and prepare for some controversy. Remember, those who forget history are destined to repeat it. Is Bennett Salvatore working that game? Here are five factors that may determine the outcome of the series. THE HOMECOURT FACTOR: Those that have doubts about the Miami Heat’s championship
MIAMI – Pssst…want to know the biggest problem with the Heat’s halfcourt offense right now? It’s forwards Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier and Mike Miller. Haslem, Battier and Miller – the Heat’s second most-important trio behind the Big Three — are the reason
Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier are slowing the Heat's offense with their struggles.
So how many seasons are the Miami Heat going to act like the NBA championship is their birthright and merely a formality? Not one, not two, not three, not four … It’s sometimes hard to tell whether the Heat are bored, whistling in the dark or still trying to figure it out. But one thing is certain: the basketball they are playing right now is not good enough to win a title. “We all know we have to take a real big step forward as a
Could the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat in a playoff series? Well, they couldn’t a year ago, when they managed more than 91 points just once in five games and looked a tad long in the tooth. If Boston was to beat Miami, it appeared it would have to find a way to stall LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in transition and make every game a walk-it-up, grind-it-out affair, where the Celtics excel and the Heat are not exactly comfortable. The Celts
MIAMI – Nobody has reported this … until now. The last time Boston played Miami, the Celtics won so convincingly (91-72 on April 1) it prompted the Heat to call a players-only meeting. “Everybody who was here last year had something to say at that meeting,” guard Mario Chalmers told SheridanHoops.com. That April Fool’s Day loss at Boston dropped the Heat to 4-7 on the road since the All-Star break. It was time to address a truth, one first mentioned by coach Erik
MIAMI — Re-introduce yourself to the Miami Heat, still the NBA’s most hated team, but now they’re hated for a new reason – because it appears they don’t always play hard, because it seems as though they get bored, they coast. Somehow, this group, despite having the NBA’s third-best record at 37-14, is re-defining Heat Hate. Who knew there was an extra flavor of Haterade? “We’re a tale of two teams sometimes,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. And that’s exactly what makes people dislike
NEW YORK –The Chicago Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau and the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich each were named Coach of the Month for the second time this season, winning the award for games played in March. Thibodeau led the Bulls to a league-best 13-3 (.813) record including a league-leading 6-0 mark on the road, holding opponents to a league-low 43 percent shooting. Thibodeau recorded his 100th career win on March 19 at Orlando (86-59), his 131st game as head coach, becoming the fastest coach