Under the HEAT Lamp
The HEAT lamp is a look at what’s going on with the Miami Heat, around the NBA and in the South Florida sports scene in general.
LeBron James Samsung commercial has a sequel. After getting an intimate look into LeBron and his family in his last Samsung commercial, we’ve moved on into the Heat locker room. Again, this commercial shows a side of LeBron that we don’t see on a day-to-day basis. The commercial, which features Birdman, Coach Spo and Rio, shows LeBron joking, learning and practicing. Another big winner for both Samsung and James.
Dwyane Wade can still be a beast. We’ve been told over and over that Wade’s knee recovery is a process. While Heat fans everywhere have wanted to believe it, there have been many in the media who have proclaimed Wade done. Wade’s effort against the Magic on Saturday give hope that the former is true. He put on a vintage performance of drives, dishes and great defense. Heck, he even went 9-10 from the free throw line.
Greg Oden updates from the Heat. ****crickets****
Udonis not starting – Heat not starting slowly. For those who wish to get into advanced analysis, it’s really Occam’s Razor here. Check out my article: The Heat Have A Udonis Problem. He’s a great leader for our team, but let’s hope Coach uses him as a defensive spark instead of a starter.
Cleveland is recruiting LeBron. First they love him, then burn his uniform in effigy and write Comic Sans fonted hate mail, now it’s I love you again. Cleveland is back to recruiting LeBron as he returns for this year’s first Cleveland area match-up. I’m not sure what they should focus on in recruiting him. The fact that their new face of the franchise has NEVER been healthy for a full season. Or maybe the fact that in a recent players only meeting that same face of the franchise reportedly had said face bashed in (go team unity). How about they brought back the coach who failed to help LeBron to his first title and then was unceremoniously booted from Los Angeles. Wait, I know, maybe promote your new GM, who’s drawing comparisons to David Kahn (seriously, Google David Kahn). No, I think they’re going to push the fact that Dan Gilbert still owns the Cavs, maybe he’ll even send him a nice Comic Sans letter this time.
LeBron looks to bring MLS franchise to south Florida. LeBron met with David Beckham about the possibility of bringing soccer back to us. Also, Savannah James has opened up a juice bar in Mary Brickell Village. More ties that bind.
AROUND THE NBA
Derrick Rose blows out another knee. Today Rose had surgery, and to the surprise of no one, he’s out for the rest of the season. Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of this season. The Bulls just can’t match up to the Heat in a seven game series being so Rose-centric.
Any time a marquee player goes down with an injury, the whole league suffers. But for me, after watching Rose sit healthy on the side line while his teammates fought through illnesses and injury in their valiant attempt to dethrown the Heat, I really am not oozing sympathy.
I need some help here from an English major. Is it IRONY that after Derrick Rose continued to cash in on shoe sponsor money by doing a commercial about basketball being everything he has lost another season of playing basketball because he wouldn’t give up the shoes that helped cause his injuries? Next seasons Adidas tag line: PLEASE DON’T MAKE A CUT.
Paul George proclaims himself best perimeter defender in NBA. I guess he can say what he wants, but the reality is that he has Roy Hibbert guarding the rim behind him. This allows for much more freedom to press. Actually, the only time I remember him having to guard anyone without Hibbert’s help, he gave up a game winning playoff layup with 1.5 seconds on the clock. I think the jury is still out on him being better than LeBron.
Chris Paul wants nothing to do with Tony Allen. Maybe its because of the Matt Barnes tweet about not backing up his teammates, but Paul (notorious for mixing it up) had not a thing to say or do about Tony Allen’s intentional kick to his face. Matt Barnes is a real key to this team, the phony tough guys that rule the roost over there (from coach Rivers to Paul to Jordan and Griffin) should all pitch in to pay whatever fines Barnes incurs when he keeps them from being punked.
And in South Florida Sports News
Jimmy Johnson wins another NASCAR title in Homestead. He may end up being the greatest stock car racer of all time. But don’t you think it would be better for the sport if they crowned their champion somewhere more rednecky? Just saying.
The state of Wisconsin is ruining South Florida sports. Bud Selig let Jeffrey Loria buy the Marlins. Even though Loria had such a horrendous history as the owner of the Montreal Expos, he was given the opportunity to ruin baseball in yet another city. Bud, the former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, and Wisconsin resident, has driven a stake through the hearts of Miami baseball fans.
Then there’s Joe Philbin, coach of the Miami Dolphins. He was the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, even though he didn’t even call the plays or run the offense. Labelled a brilliant offensive mind, the Dolphins have failed to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter 7 times this year. What the hell is this Wisconsonite doing at half time, watching Matlock?
Did you know that South Florida had a hockey team? Came as quite a shock to me, the Florida Panthers, I guess they play out in Sunrise. Someone told me you could get lower level seats for like 5 bucks a person on Stub Hub. Now, how do I get to Sunrise again?