It’s here! The regular season! And the Miami Heat get it started with the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night.
Heat (0-0) vs Hornets (0-0)
Place: AmericanAirlines Arena
Time: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: Sun Sports FL
After missing the playoffs last season, the Miami Heat are poised to be back in the mix for the Eastern Conference title. They start their run Wednesday night, against a Charlotte Hornets team already missing Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The Heat are healthy and ready to go, except for Amar’e Stoudemire who is inactive. Here’s to another season of Heat basketball!
Matchup to Watch: Al Jefferson vs Miami’s Bigs
Al Jefferson has apparently given up fried chicken and lost 20 pounds, which will make him more agile on the floor. That means a more interesting matchup against the ultimate stretch-big Chris Bosh. In the past, Jefferson has been able to use his size to bully the Heat down low. Now, with Hassan Whiteside in the paint and Bosh stretching bigs out of the paint, Jefferson shouldn’t have as much of a good time as he did before. Let’s see how he deals with Bosh and Whiteside in his new frame.
X-Factor: Gerald Green
Is it any surprise that Gerald Green, the team’s unofficial swing guy, may do enough to swing this game? The Hornets starters are pretty solid, but their bench is, well, not so solid. Especially in the backcourt. Backing up at 2-guard is Jeremy Lamb. He’s not good. Green is, or more accurately, can be, good. Lamb has no hopes of guarding Green and if his shot is falling, he can help Miami build on leads during second-team action periods.
Time To Shine, Luol Deng
Luol Deng didn’t have a good preseason. In fact, he was Miami’s worst player, according to NBA.com (not including John Lucas III, who didn’t make the team). Deng hasn’t lived up to his contract since signing with the Heat, but hoping he does is an exercise in futility. At this point, he just needs to be better than rookie Justise Winslow. Deng will be matched up with P.J. Hairston and Marvin Williams Wednesday night, and will have an opportunity to school them. Now’s the time to play your game, Luol. Time to step up.