When the Big 3 formed in Miami in the summer of 2010, there was a lot of excitement having Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh on the same team. Fans and people around the league alike knew that if the Heat assembled a decent bench, they would be unstoppable. So Heat management went out and signed sharpshooter Mike Miller to a five year contract worth 30 million dollars. Mickey Arison and Pat Riley believed that the Big 3, combined with Miller, Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers, Big Z, and Magloire, would lead them to the NBA championship.
As soon as the season started, it looked bad for the Heat. Haslem, the emotional leader, broke his foot and was out indefinitely and Miller, who was supposed to be the open guys knocking down threes, was all sorts of banged up. Throughout the entire season, he either tried to play or re-aggravated one of his broken thumbs or bum shoulders. His aggressive style of play is what makes him the player that he is, but Miller was barely able to play at all in his first season with the Heat. It seemed as everything was going wrong for him.
Between injuries and not being able to contribute to the team, Miller had another issue to deal with on the side. During the 2011 NBA Playoffs, he was given the news that his 6lb. baby daughter, Jaelyn, was struggling to breathe. He rushed between the hospital and the Chicago Bulls series to be by her side. His good karma of donating one million dollars to a South Dakota hospital came back around and his daughter was pronounced healthy. Miller had the best game of his career in that series because he was on such an emotional high and did it for her.
Then the season ended and more problems began for Mike Miller. The lockout was supposed to help him get healthy, but instead, he ended up getting a sports hernia and needed surgery to repair it. His future with the Heat was in jeopardy because of the new amnesty clause created in the CBA. Miami was allowed to get rid of his contract if they wanted to, but the Heat saw the aggressiveness and fight that Mike Miller and kept him. And if one game shows it, it would be last night against the Spurs.
In his first game back from the sports hernia surgery, Miller made everyone in the Heat organization remember why they paid him to play. He went 6 for 6 from three point range, 4 rebounds (including two offensive), and +12. Miller was back to his old self and is well-deserving of it. Hopefully this is only one of the awesome games that Mike Miller will play in Miami, but the story of his amazing comeback and love for his family is something that is unforgettable. Pat Riley not only got an amazing player, but an amazing person and a fighter, and his scrappy style of play will benefit the Heat for years to come.
Is Chris Bosh the Team’s MVP?
During all of the Big 3 talk, Chris Bosh always gets lost in the conversation. Critics call him a 3rd wheel and make fun of him for going from 1st option to 3rd. Some say he was an All Star just because he was the only player Toronto had. But the truth is, after all of the criticism and jokes, Bosh has become this team’s unspoken leader. He has truly embraced his role as the 3rd option and is the reason the Heat are getting by with all of the injuries.
LeBron may be the 2nd leading scorer in the NBA and D-Wade is a former Finals MVP, but both of them don’t have the heart that Bosh does. Bosh never got caught up in the Big 3 and didn’t go out signing endorsements and bringing attention to himself. The only thing Bosh has done is bring his passion to be a champion to Miami. Bosh gave up being a star to be a third-wheel and win championships. His passions show when he plays and pounds his chest and screams. Losing in the finals hurt him. He cried and took the heat (pun intended) for it. When the season ended, he vowed to come back better than ever and worked out hard. Bosh worked on his shot and bulked up little and it has paid off, BIG TIME.
This season Bosh has stepped up his game and embraced his role even more. Through all of the injuries and issues, Bosh has come out every night and given it his all. When both Wade and LeBron were out, it was Bosh who led the Heat to a triple overtime victory against the Hawks. In wins, Bosh averages 23 points and in losses only 18. Even on his bad nights, he still brings his energy and scores. People don’t realize it, but Bosh is 8th in the league in scoring, which is more than Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki, who are considered two of the best power forwards in the game.
Bosh has always been widely criticized because he was a follower and came to a contender, but the truth is that he has become a leader on the contender. He plays with passion and hunger, but will never get the respect he deserves because he is a finesse power forward and not a banger. If the Heat win it all this year, Bosh will be the guy who keeps everyone together to get there.
The New Yorkers are playing the role of snow birds, as Carmelo, Tyson and Amar’e come to Miami on Friday looking to right their ship against the rising wave of the Heat. This premier match up promises to be a must-see, and with the average price of tickets available above $300, there’s clearly demand to be front and center.
Now you can, but for much, much less: Through our ticket partner TIqIQ, you can essentially pick your price via the TiqIQ “make an offer” feature from Score Big.
For Friday night’s game, a “1 star” seat that usually goes for $140+ (after all the shipping and handling fees) can be scored for an offer of about $60. But you need to make a fast break for this ticket deal, as it expires at 7pm on Thursday! Make your offer today right here: http://tiqiq.us/74F
Tonight at 7:30, the Miami Heat will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time this season. While this game is important for Miami to win, it is even more important to LeBron James. This was the team he was supposed to bring titles, but left to Miami to get them with his friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Tonight will be a game full of raw emotions and a young, feisty, and talented Cavs team.
The Cavs have great young players in the number one pick of the NBA Draft, Kyrie Irving, and the fourth pick, Tristan Thompson. Irving has become the player they expected and leads the team in scoring. Thompson is developing, but has shown flashes of his talent. Cleveland also has three seasoned veterans in Antawn Jamison, Anderson Varejao, and Anthony Parker, all of whom are the only players still currently on the team that played with LeBron. Expect a feisty game where the Cavs go in with a David vs. Goliath mentality. This would be a big win for their city and team, and all of the players know that.
As for the Heat, expect a complete LeBron James takeover. Everyone knows how he turns it up when he plays the Cavs, but imagine him playing the Cavs without having to share the ball with Dwyane Wade. He will be doing the slashing that the team lacks without Wade and opening up shots for everyone else. Hopefully, the Heat will knock down the open shots that they get.
Tonight will be a David vs. Goliath matchup, but Goliath will win. Coach Spo gave the team the day off yesterday and everyone is rested. Players had the time to take care of their bumps and bruises and are ready to play. They won’t be fatigued and they will play some of their best basketball. The Cavs will fight, but when LeBron decides to take over, the game will be over.
Last night the Heat suffered what Shane Battier called their first “clunker.” The definition of clunker is a thing that is totally unsuccessful and that is exactly what the Heat’s performance against the Bucks was last night.
LeBron gave a typical LeBron performance with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. He only missed one out of thirteen free throws and played 37 minutes. The rest of the team, however, played terribly. Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers combined for 35 points, but the stat that described their game was the turnover column. Bosh had 8 and Chalmers had 6 of the Heat’s 22 turnovers. The Heat is averaging 18.25 turnovers in losses this season and 15.54 turnovers in victories. Turnovers are the reason the Heat ever lose.
You have to wonder why Spo doesn’t play Norris Cole more. He played 13 minutes compared to Mario Chalmers’ 35, and only had one turnover. Cole is more similar to Wade, and when Bosh can’t hold onto the ball, the Heat need another scoring option that can. Cole should be that guy because he is extremely good at running the pick and roll.
Also, the Heat shot very poorly from the field. 37% from the field and 25% from 3-point land. Bosh and James shot well, but Chalmers took 14 shots and only made 4. James Jones, the NBA 3-point champion last year, went 1 for 4 (all 4 shots were 3s), Shane Battier 1 for 3, and Mike Miller didn’t even attempt a 3 in 19 minutes of play. Spo needs Miller to shoot because that is what he is there for.
The Heat can’t shoot 25% from 3-point range and commit 22 turnovers and expect to win. No matter how many star players you have, the key to the game is dominating the game by controlling the ball and getting open shots. Miami gets a pass on this one because they were tired and it’s understandable that they played sloppy. But if this continues, the Heat will have more random losses to average teams that they should not be losing to.
The Heat are 6-0 without Dwyane Wade in the lineup this season, which has prompted many people to say that the team is actually better without Dwyane Wade. Well the truth is, they are crazy. To say that a team is better without a Finals MVP and a team leader is wrong.
LeBron and Bosh now have the ability to play more freely. They have more freedom to make the decisions that they want to. LeBron does not have to worry about who gets the ball during the 4th quarter and can do what he did in Cleveland by taking over the team. Bosh is now more of a scoring option and is hitting his shots, which is why he is scoring so many more points.
The reason the Heat are playing so well is because they are finally able to show their depth. Joel Anthony and Mario Chalmers have been playing like legitimate NBA starters and look very comfortable. Mike Miller is back and better than ever and Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem, and James Jones are getting more action. And with the pleasant surprise Eddy Curry was against the Lakers, Spo may have found his new backup center. The Heat are deep this year and that is what is carrying them.
Dwyane Wade is a team leader and of course the Heat are better with him. The Heat are unbeatable in games when all of the Big 3 play well. They are at the Thunder’s level when they only have two of their all stars on the floor. Dwyane Wade may not be the best player on the team, but he wants to win as badly as anyone else. His desire will take the Heat far and his leadership will help LeBron mature.
A couple of days after debuting their new black and white jerseys, the Miami Heat will play the 76ers tonight wearing their throwback Miami Floridians jerseys as a tribute to the ABA team. Whenever you look good, you play good, so hopefully these new uniforms will have the Heat playing like they did against the Lakers the other night. Oh, and if you’re wondering, Jackie Moon will not be attending this game.
Enjoy the pictures. I know I did.
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Heat average home game ticket price: $223
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AllUCanHeat Supports Freedom
Hey guys, I usually am not going to be someone that gets involved with politics. I am not a big on politic, today, however, AllUCanHeat is joining other sites in a virtual strike to protest two proposed laws in the United States, called SOPA and the PROTECT IP Act. On January 24th, the U.S. Senate will vote on the PROTECT IP Act to censor the Internet, despite opposition from the vast majority of Americans.
Please support AllUCanHeat and the freedom of speech around the internet today and sign this petition. We would love your support!
You may have heard ESPN talking all day about the Heat struggling saying things like:
“Have they not learned anything from last year?”
“LeBron still can’t perform in the 4th quarter.”
My friends, do not worry. There is a simple solution to this madness.
The Heat are struggling for 2 reasons and fortunately for them, it is something they have complete control over.
First, free throws. The Heat missed 28 free throws in their past two games. Just hitting half of these would have changed the game completely. These will start falling eventually.
Second is turnovers. They turned the ball over 40 times in the past two games. Most of them were bad decisions and not caused by the other team. Again, eliminating just a few of these turnovers will make a huge difference. If the Heat can take more shots than their opponents, they have a great chance of winning because of their offensive abilities. 20 turnovers a game will not get you a win no matter who you are because you give the other team an opportunity to have more shots. The more chances you have to shoot, obviously the higher the probability of scoring.
These are two things the Heat can control. They struggled last year in the middle of the season and came up only 2 games short of a championship. No worries, Heat fans!
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