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

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Season Length: 82 games
Playoffs: 7-7-7-7
Quarter Length: 8 minutes
CPU Quarter Length: 12 minutes
Difficulty: All-Star
Draft Classes: Mario
Rosters: Default

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Heat set to defend NBA Championship in 2012-13



The Miami Heat have celebrated it, they have savored it and now it is time to defend it.

The 2012 NBA Champion Miami Heat will return to the floor in a full 82-game season looking to build on last year's success and continue on their way to becoming a dynasty. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has emphasized playing even faster this season, and that should be made possible as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and most of last year's Heat team are back in the mix.

Miami has added sharpshooter Ray Allen, from the rival Boston Celtics, to the mix as well as veteran forward Rashard Lewis, making Miami one of the deepest and most lethal teams in the league.

The quest to become a dynasty begins after a final preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow night, and Miami cannot wait to get their title defense underway.

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Report: Heat looking into signing Oden



Greg Oden may be made of glass, but that is reportedly not stopping the Miami Heat from being interested in signing him.

Hours before tipping off against the Los Angeles Clippers in their final preseason match of 2012-13, the Miami Heat have reportedly reached out to center Greg Oden to discuss a potential contract. The 7-foot, 285-pound center has endured his fair share of injuries since entering the league, but Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reportedly believes Oden could be worth adding to Miami if the price is low enough.

While adding Oden would give the Heat a towering presence down low, he could also slow them down. It will be interesting to see how things develop.

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James leads Heat past Clippers in final preseason game



The Miami Heat finished off their preseason preparations by claiming a 101-91 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. LeBron James led the way for the Heat with 20 points and 10 assist. Meanwhile, Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 26 points. Chris Bosh and Ray Allen each scored 10 points in the game.

The Clippers were trailing for much of the encounter but Blake Griffin, who scored 20 points and had 6 rebounds, and Los Angeles could not finish off an impressive comeback effort in the third quarter to fall in their final exhibition.

Key Stats

Miami Heat

LeBron James 20 pts, 10 ast, 6 reb
Dwyane Wade 26 pts, 6 reb, 13-18 fg
Shane Battier 15 pts, 6-7 fg, 3-4 3pt
Chris Bosh 10 pts, 6 reb
Ray Allen 10 pts, 1-3 3pt

Los Angeles Clippers

Blake Griffin 20 pts, 6 reb
DeAndre Jordan 14 pts, 10 reb
Lamar Odom 13 pts, 6-8 fg
Caron Butler 11 pts, 5-13 fg
Chauncey Billups 11 pts, 2-10 fg

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Spoelstra opens up about Oden interest



The Miami Heat are indeed interested in free agent center Greg Oden, but head coach Erik Spoelstra said signing him is far from a foregone conclusion.

In his post-practice press conference, Spoelstra admitted that he and team president Pat Riley had discussions with Oden about possibly signing him. Oden admitted he was open to joining Miami and it did not matter to him if he would be seen as a bit of a project given his well-documented injury issues.

"We spoke to Greg recently to gauge his interest in coming here," said Spoelstra. "Everything was positive and he was really enthusiastic about getting back on the court, even if it was not immediately."

Still, the Heat do not have much in the way of spending money and there is a concern of whether Oden can fit into the team's expected fast-paced, position-less style.

In any case, Spoelsta said you can expect the team to make a signing in the coming days.

"We're not done adding pieces to our roster yet," said Spoelstra.

The Miami Heat open up their 2012-13 season on Tuesday, Oct. 30, against rivals Boston Celtics.

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Heat surprisingly sign Harrellson



Talk about news coming out of nowhere.

Two days after head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted he was interested in signing center Greg Oden, the Miami Heat agreed to a one-year deal with center Josh Harrellson. The contract for the 23-year-old is estimated to be worth $473,000 with neither player nor team having options at the end of it.

The 6-foot-10, 275-pound Harrellson is being seen as a potential project for the Heat, and he fits the mold of their free-flowing and fast-paced style of play better than Oden would have. But Oden is still a free agent and there is a chance Miami could still sign him before the season starts in two days.

Harrellson will wear the No. 55 on the Heat and is the 13th player on the roster.

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Spoelstra releases depth chart



Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is 24 hours away from seeing his team start its championship defense, and he released a depth chart following the conclusion of an intense preseason camp.

The five starters include Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh while some of the key players expected to contribute off the bench are Ray Allen, Udonis Haslem and Rashard Lewis.

Here is the complete depth chart (players' numbers in parenthesis):

PG: Mario Chalmers (15), Norris Cole (30)

SG: Dwyane Wade (3), Ray Allen (34)

SF: LeBron James (6), Mike Miller (13), James Jones (22)

PF: Shane Battier (31), Rashard Lewis (9)

C: Chris Bosh (1), Udonis Haslem (40), Joel Anthony (50), Dexter Pittman (45), Josh Harrellson (55)

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Allen helps inspire Heat to late rally vs. Celtics



As if the Boston Celtics and their fans could not dislike Ray Allen any more.

The Miami Heat got their title defense off on the right foot, and Allen played an integral part in helping them complete a late rally to knock off rivals the Boston Celtics, 94-92, in the season opener at the American Airlines Arena.

Allen burned Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and the rest of his former teammates with a 14-point performance that included 4-4 shooting from three-point range. Three of those shots came in the fourth quarter of an exciting first game of the season that saw Miami fight back in the final few minutes before closing out the game.

Allen was not the only one to contribute to the late comeback, which saw Miami erase a deficit that was as high as 17 points during one stretch in the third quarter. LeBron James started the season where he left off in the last one, scoring 30 points and having four steals. Dwayne Wade added 23 points (which included the 15,000 point in his career) and Chris Bosh had 12 of his own.

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers' face during the fourth quarter was that of disbelief. His Celtics had jumped out to great start in the game, with the Heat having no answer for Garnett, who finished with 16 points on 7-11 shooting, for much of the first half.

But Miami found a way to claw back into the game despite trailing for all but the last two minutes, with James' aggressive drives to the basket and Allen's sharpshooting from three-point land helping make Miami's remarkable comeback possible.

Key Stats

Miami Heat

LeBron James 30 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk, 6 to
Dwyane Wade 23 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast
Ray Allen 14 pts, 4-4 3pt, 5-6 fg
Chris Bosh 12 pts, 5 reb
Mario Chalmers 2 pts, 9 ast

Boston Celtics

Kevin Garnett 16 pts, 4 reb, 7-11 fg
Brandon Bass 16 pts, 8 reb
Paul Pierce 11 pts, 3 stls
Rajon Rondo 10 pts, 19 ast
Jason Terry 10 pts, 2-5 3pt