On the Road to History -- Miami Heat (NBA 2K13 Association)

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Heat beat Bucks despite Ellis' red-hot performance



The Miami Heat saw up close and personal why the Milwaukee Bucks are one of the top NBA teams currently, but they also showed the Bucks why they are the defending champions.

The Heat handed the Bucks their second loss of the season, defeating them 109-99 at the American Airlines Arena. Monta Ellis led all scorers with 42 points in a nearly unstoppable performance, but Miami came out on top behind LeBron James' 21 points and 13 assists.

The hosts came out flying, with Mario Chalmers making up for his recent turnover troubles by scoring 10 of his 19 points in the first quarter. He was perfect from the field in the first half before cooling off in the second.

As good as Miami's offense was, the Bucks never let the lead grow too big. Ellis was an absolute monster in the game, scoring on all types of moves and plays while also contributing with five rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

The Heat's defense may have had issues containing Ellis but the offense had no problem scoring, and that proved to be the difference in the game. Dwyane Wade scored 14 points and had seven assists while Chris Bosh enjoyed a strong showing with 20 points and seven rebounds.

James pulled down his 5,000th career rebound in the victory.

Key Stats

Miami Heat

LeBron James 21 pts, 4 reb, 13 ast, 4 to
Chris Bosh 20 pts, 7 reb
Mario Chalmers 19 pts, 3 ast, 3 to
Dwyane Wade 14 pts, 7 ast

Milwaukee Bucks

Monta Ellis 31 min, 42 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 4 stls
Samuel Dalembert 14 pts, 7 reb, 6 or
Beno Udrih 9 min, 10 pts, 3 ast
Brandon Jennings 10 pts, 10 ast

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Miller returns after short injury spell



It turns out Mike Miller's back injury was not as serious as first thought.

The Miami Heat's depth was bolstered on Friday, as Miller returned to practice with the team ahead of their Saturday game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Miller did some simple work in Thursday's light session, but he took full part on Friday.

"We're happy that Mike's lower back injury has healed so quickly and in no way did we rush him back," said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra after Friday's practice. "We've given him full examinations and the medical staff has given him the green light. He will be in for tomorrow's game."

JAMES FACES FORMER TEAM

Saturday's home game against the Cavaliers will pit LeBron James against his former team, and the reigning league and NBA finals MVP admitted he is looking forward to it. Not because he wants to punish them, but because he enjoys the experience.

"I've already played against Cleveland many times, but it is always a fun game," said James. "They have some good young talent that can punish us if we're not careful, so we'll need to be sharp. You know they'll be looking for the upset."

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James, Heat crush Cavaliers to stay perfect at home



LeBron James showed no remorse against his former team, and the end result was a big win for the Miami Heat.

The Heat improved to 11-2 and stayed perfect at home after crushing the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-87 at American Airlines Arena on Saturday thanks to a masterful performance from James, who scored 28 points, dished out 12 assists, and had nine rebounds.

James was stellar and the Heat led for much of the game, but there was a stretch in the third quarter where the Cavaliers made things interesting. Dion Waiters scored nine of his team-high 18 points in that quarter, but Cleveland had no answer for the player its fans used to adore and Miami pulled away in the final stanza.

James was a monster throughout the game, coming one rebound shy of a triple-double, and his only real struggles came from three-point land. James was 1-of-8 from downtown in what was otherwise an impeccable performance.

It was the LeBron James show on Saturday, but he had help from both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Wade scored 22 points and Bosh added 17.

Key Stats

Miami Heat

LeBron James 28 pts, 9 reb, 12 ast, 12-21 fg, 1-8 3pt, 1 blk
Dwyane Wade 22 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast
Chris Bosh 17 pts, 5 reb, 2 stls
Shane Battier 12 pts, 4-5 3pt
Rashard Lewis Lewis 10 mins, 9 pts, 4 reb

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dion Waiters 18 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 4 stls
Michael Redd 13 pts, 6 reb, 3-9 3pt
Anderson Varejao 12 pts, 10 reb, 5 or
Kyrie Irving 11 pts, 8 ast
16 offensive rebounds

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Heat prove too much for sputtering Spurs



If the San Antonio Spurs were looking to upset the Miami Heat while trying to bounce back from their slow start to the season, they failed miserably.

The Heat improved to 12-2 on Thursday, closing out November with a 90-70 victory over the 7-10 Spurs at American Airlines Area. Chris Bosh was the game's leading scorer with 25 points, and he added nine rebounds in a game where he outplayed San Antonio power forward Tim Duncan.

Bosh was active from the first quarter and it was somewhat surprising how much success he had in the paint against Duncan. Still, Bosh made the most of his looks against the struggling Spurs.

Miami's inside game was not limited to just Bosh, however. Udonis Haslem came off the bench and also had success in the paint, scoring a season-high 12 points while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field.

Making matters worse for the Spurs was that two of their star players could not get going offensively. Duncan shot 2-of-8 from the floor for four points and had six rebounds, while Tony Parker struggled mightily with six points on 3-of-17 shooting and four turnovers. Manu Ginobili showed up, however, as he contributed with 24 points.

With San Antonio struggling so mightily on both sides of the ball, Miami's duo of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had easy but efficient nights. James scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. Wade scored 13 points and delivered eight assists.

Unlike most of the other games so far in this season, Miami did not surrender a plethora of offensive rebounds against San Antonio and the Heat also cut down on their turnovers in this one. In fact, a main reason why the scoreline was not worse was because the Heat's three-point shooting was poor aside from Ray Allen's performance.

Key Stats

Miami Heat

Chris Bosh 25 pts, 9 reb, 2 blk
LeBron James 17 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast
Dwyane Wade 13 pts, 8 ast, 5 to
Udonis Haslem 12 mins, 12 pts, 3 reb, 6-6 fg

San Antonio Spurs

Manu Ginobili 24 pts, 4-6 3pt
Dejuan Blair 9 pts, 5 reb, 3 stls
Tony Parker 6 pts, 7 ast, 4 to, 3-17 fg
Tim Duncan 4 pts, 6 reb, 2-8 fg

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James earns East's Player of the Month award



LeBron James has picked up where he left off last season, and the NBA has taken notice.

James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November after helping guide the Miami Heat to a successful 11-2 month. James averaged more than 22 points per game to be among the league leaders in that category and his defense was also stellar.

"It's always flattering and a great honor to be win this award, but I just want to help this team win," said James following the Heat's practice on Friday. "We've started the season out well but there's more work to be done. Hopefully, we can keep on rolling like this."

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard was the Western Conference player to win the award.

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Big Three shine in Heat's narrow win vs. Nets



Chris Bosh dominated the first quarter. Then Dwyane Wade took his turn bossing the second quarter. Then it was the LeBron James show.

Still, the Miami Heat somehow managed to have to wait until late to secure a victory.

The Heat moved to 13-2 on the season after narrowly defeating the Brooklyn Nets 106-102 in a game at the American Airlines Arena that saw Miami's Big Three take control. The Heat's three superstars combined for 79 points and 18 rebounds, which was enough to oust a Nets team that almost completed a late comeback.

Bosh started the game with a big 12-point first quarter, helping Miami's offense deal with the absence of Wade. The Heat's starting shooting guard had picked up two quick goals in the open two minutes of the first stanza and was forced to the bench.

Wade bounced back in the second quarter, scoring 14 points while Brooklyn's key starters struggled. Both Kris Humphries and Deron Williams shot poorly, though they finished the game with improved second halves that almost saw them bounce back from a big deficit.

Joe Johnson led the way for Nets with 29 points and Gerald Wallace added 25, but James made sure Miami would stay on top. James scored 12 of his points in the third quarter and came up with several defensive stops. Still, the game came down to Miami making its free throws after Brooklyn got within striking distance of the late 11-point lead.

Key Stats

Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade 32 pts, 8 ast
Chris Bosh 23 pts, 3 reb
LeBron James 24 pts, 7 reb, 12 ast, 2 stls, 3 blk, 2-2 3pt
Rashard Lewis 8 min, 3 pts, 4 reb

Brooklyn Nets

Joe Johnson 29 pts, 13-27 fg
Gerald Wallace 25 pts, 7 reb
Deron Williams 17 pts, 19 ast, 6-22 fg, 1-8 3pt
Kris Humphries 10 pts, 11 reb
14 offensive rebounds

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Second-quarter outburst sees Heat fend off Wizards



The Miami Heat were not the better team in the second half of their game against the Washington Wizards, but their big first-half lead allowed them to head back home with a win.

The Heat beat the Wizards 97-88 despite Washington growing stronger as the Tuesday game wore on, improving to 14-2 on the season. Chris Bosh led Miami with 24 points and seven rebounds. LeBron James contributed by being nearly flawless, scoring 21 points on 10 of 11 shooting. The lone miss from the field came on his only attempt from distance.

After a tight first quarter, the Heat jumped out to a big lead after outscoring the Wizards 30-16 in the second stanza thanks in part to some pinpoint shooting from three-point land. That gave Miami, who again struggled on the boards by surrendering 15 offensive rebounds, a big lead that would prove to be enough.

Miami could not replicate that type of performance in the second half. After have just one turnover in the first half, Miami coughed up the ball eight times in the second half, which allowed the Wizards to get back into the game. Bradley Beal and John Wall each scored 18 points for the Wizards, but they never were able to take the lead from the Heat.

Dwyane Wade added 17 points for Miami and he had two big blocks. Ray Allen had 13 points off the bench on 4 of 4 shooting.

Key Stats

Miami Heat

Chris Bosh 24 pts, 7 reb, 2 stls
LeBron James 21 pts, 12 ast, 10-11 fg, 0-1 3pt
Dwyane Wade 17 pts, 3 ast, 2 blk
Ray Allen 13 pts, 4 reb, 4-4 fg
Udonis Haslem 4 pts, 7 reb
1 to in 1st half, 8 in second half

Washington Wizards

Bradley Beal 18 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stls
John Wall 18 pts, 4 reb, 7 ast, 2 stls
Emeka Okafor 12 pts, 6 reb, 4 or
Nene 11 pts, 11 reb, 6 or
Kevin Seraphin 9 min, 10 pts, 4 reb, 2 or

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Heat turn down Knicks trade offer on verge of duel



The Miami Heat and New York Knicks just could not wait to make headlines.

A day before the two teams square off at the American Airlines Arena, the Heat turned down a trade offer from the Knicks that would've sent point guard Raymond Felton and center Marcus Camby to South Beach for point guard Mario Chalmers and small forward Mike Miller.

The Knicks made the offer with the thought that Miami might accept after the opening weeks of the season have revealed them to need some help on the inside, but Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said they could not part with two of their key role players.

"Rio and Mike are two players who knock down shots and relieve some pressure off of LeBron (James), Dwyane (Wade) and Chris (Bosh)," said Spoelstra. "They were big reasons as to why we won the title last season, and we wouldn't give them up. This trade offer should make tomorrow more interesting."

Other Notes From Around the League:

-Power forward Tony Battie retires after 16-year career
-The Boston Celtics are openly shopping shooting guard Jason Terry.
-The Memphis Grizzlies received shooting guard Dahntay Jones from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for power forward Darrel Arthur and a 2014 2nd round pick in the first trade of the season.
-The Knicks signed power forward Kenyon Martin to one-year deal worth $1.60 million.
-The Indiana Pacers re-signed power forward Tyler Hansbrough to a four-year deal worth $10.71 million.