Dwyane Wade, LeBron James battle it out as Miami Heat beat Cavaliers
By Cory Sanning
The Miami Heat came up strong against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as Dwyane Wade and LeBron James battled it out.
Like years past, the Miami Heat’s success is predicated on effective team defense and timely baskets. They also haven’t dropped a home game to a LeBron James-led team since he took his talents back to the shores of Lake Erie.
On Tuesday night, both of those trends would manifest themselves as the Heat hosted James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kelly Olynyk scored a game-high 19 points and James Johnson and Josh Richardson rallied 15 points each, as Miami stymied Cleveland at home, 98-79.
Dwayne Wade recorded 12 points and four blocks as the Heat held the Cavaliers to a season-low in points, at just just 36.8 percent shooting.
LeBron James was the high-man for Cleveland, notching 18 points in his return to South Florida.
One of the more balanced team efforts of the season, the Heat took control of this game from start to finish and never took their foot off the gas pedal.
It was evidently clear from the get-go who the more physical team was, with Miami holding Cleveland to just 18 and 16 points in the first and second periods, respectively.
"“We did a great job,” Wade said. “One of our best defensive games since I’ve been here, for sure.”"
The Cavaliers, despite the struggles, had recorded 120 or more points in four consecutive games. And despite being without Kevin Love for the second half with concussion-like symptoms, they attempted to crawl back in it, outscoring the Heat 25-20 in the third, but it was no use.
The win marked Miami’s 14th consecutive home win over the Cavaliers, a place Cleveland has not won at since 2010.
"“This just shows the type of defensive team we can be,” Goran Dragic said."
Wade’s step-back jumper with just over 17 seconds left in the third was the shot that sealed the deal, and Miami coasted in the fourth to a critical win as they attempt to make one last push in the conference standings.
"“That’s why he is who he is,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said, speaking of Wade."
Since James has gone back to Cleveland, the Cavaliers have yet to sweep the Heat in a regular season series, despite Miami missing the postseason in three of the last four years.
The vast majority of those games at AmericanAirlines Arena have been blowouts in favor of the home team, even with Cleveland at full strength in past contests.
James has yet to top 30 points in one of those contests since Christmas Day in 2014, when he and Wade renewed their back-and-forth rivalry on the court after being teammates for four years.
Despite not scoring much, Wade’s two blocks on James received standing ovations from the crowd, one of his better defensive games of the season as well.
At 36-years-old, it may have been the final time these two will go at it against each other, with Wade not making it clear regarding his intentions on playing next season.
With the playoffs inching ever-so close, the Heat are entering a critical stretch that could either lead to them pulling off a first round upset or packing their bags for an early vacation.