Who Needs LeBron? ~ A Miami Heat MyLeague Series (NBA2k15/PS4)

[Number999]

Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls agree to block-buster

The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls are bitter rivals with one another. They've faced each other in numerous playoff series and battles as well as one another usually despising one another. But sometimes, business is business and you put those things aside. Pat Riley and the Chicago Bulls Front Office did just that as they agreed to a mega-deal blockbuster on December 5th, 2016.

The Miami Heat have sent PG Shelvin Mack, PF Amar'e Stoudemire, and C Clint Barlow as well as a 2019 2nd round selection in exchange for PF Pau Gasol, PG Kirk Hinrich, 2018 Bulls 1st, and 2019 Bulls 1st.

The deal may seem shocking to many, and it sure is considering where these two teams come from... but let's take a look at why these sides did this.

Shelvin Mack > Kirk Hinrich, the Heat's main asset moving was a backup PG to Chicago. Some wonder why the Bulls would make such a move, but with Hinrich consistently being injured in the past and sometimes being unreliable, they didn't feel comfortable with him sitting behind their already often-injured PG star in Derrick Rose. Thus they made a move to get Shelvin Mack, who's a 3-point specialist and is just 26-years old and will fit in nicely with the Bulls.

Amar'e Stoudemire = Pau Gasol, the biggest names by far in the deal are sadly well past their primes. Go back 7 seasons and this is a block-buster of the century, but now it is mere contracts rotating these guys. Pau is a better player now since he can still shoot, but the reality is he is only a bit better than Amar'e. Why do the deal then? Amar'e has 1-year/5.02M remaining on his deal while Pau Gasol has 1-year/7.77M remaining along with 1.65M for the following season. It's an extra deal the Bulls didn't want, they dump Gasol and pick-up Amar'e who can be gone with a team option in the offseason.

The sad note for Bulls fans is that this move was primarily made to get the Bulls under the luxury tax, something you don't want to see out of your owner when your team made the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

Clint Barlow <<< 2018, 2019 Bulls 1sts. In order to make that move to get under the luxury tax, the Bulls had to give up something... that something ended up being 1st round picks in the 2018 and 2019 NBA Drafts. It's a hefty price to pay, but we all know how the Bulls can be. The reality is quite simple really... these picks are doubtful to be anything too major... with Derrick Rose in Chicago, he won't let the Bulls end up a lottery pick.

The reason the Heat made this move was simple. They pick up huge assets in the future where they otherwise lacked (and still lack for 2017 with 0 picks this year), but they dump a center who was a 2nd round pick for 2 1sts and he was getting pushed out of the rotation due to Willie Cauley-Stein exploding as a legit big and he wanted to test Free Agency this offseason... it all just aligned, and thus it led to a major block-buster move.

How will both teams fare now? Only the games will tell.

[Number999]

Heat don't look great in Pau's debut

Miami Heat at Phoenix Suns
Dec 6, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Miami (13-7)	20	28	30	26	104
Phoenix (9-13)	23	35	27	30	115

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Dwyane Wade	31	9-19	0-0	7-10	4	5	1	0	4	25
Shabazz Napier	36	7-19	3-8	7-7	0	7	3	0	3	24
Chris Bosh	28	8-11	0-3	1-1	6	0	0	4	2	17
TEAM TOTALS		39/92	6/19	20/24	48	20	7	6	15	104

Phoenix Suns
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Bryant Norton	32	9-19	2-2	5-5	5	4	0	1	2	25
Giogios Dourekas	33	3-9	0-3	12-13	8	5	0	1	3	18
Eric Bledsoe	32	6-13	1-3	1-2	6	9	4	0	1	14
TEAM TOTALS		35/80	8/17	37/43	56	22	10	5	15	115

Game Recap: Not the best way to kick off Pau Gasol's start as a member of the Miami Heat. He may have had a strong game getting 8 points and 7 rebounds in just 20 minutes of work, but sadly the rest of the Heat struggled to contain the Suns in the battle of the warm teams. This can somewhat be attributed to the fact the Suns killed Miami in the free throw battle but Miami can't look for that as an excuse, and they need to have a better shooting performance next time out.

Around the League:
Harrison back for Toronto ready to go
Bulls get past Raptors, win 100-92
Bucks have lost 5 in a row
Twolves have won 7 games straight

Bosh wins it in a thriller for Miami

Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets
Dec 7, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Miami (13-8)	23	23	25	34	105
Denver (12-9)	28	27	26	22	103

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Dwyane Wade	28	11-16	0-0	2-2	0	6	1	1	2	24
Chris Bosh	33	9-15	1-2	0-0	11	0	0	2	1	19
Willie Cauley-Stein	16	4-5	0-0	7-8	2	1	1	0	1	15
TEAM TOTALS		40/74	8/18	17/20	32	17	6	6	14	105

Denver Nuggets
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Ty Lawson	38	8-13	2-3	8-8	3	9	1	0	4	26
Arron Afflalo	30	7-10	3-4	2-2	3	4	1	0	2	19
Justice Winslow	17	4-5	0-1	4-4	0	1	1	0	1	12
TEAM TOTALS		34/68	5/13	30/36	37	24	7	2	16	103

Game Recap: CHRIS BOSH LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! After a huge 4th quarter, the Nuggets tied up the game with 18 seconds remaining at 103-103. Wade winded down the clock till about 5 seconds left, Bosh was fighting for position hard down low against Franklin Lynch for much of the time remaining, until finally getting in a spot to do a turn-around jumper and drilled the mid-ranger to silence the crowd and give Miami the win. A huge game for him, this now marks Pau Gasol's first win as a member of the Heat.

Around the League:
Clippers have won 5 games in a row
Blazers have lost 6 straight, trouble in Portland?
Steph Curry re-signs big-time in Golden State! 3-years/60.12M
Jared Saunders set for return for Memphis
Ibaka states he wants to sign long-term in OKC

Twolves survive 3OT nightmare vs Miami

Miami Heat at Minnesota Timberwolves
Dec 9, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Miami (14-8)	15	24	22	30	36	127
Minnesota (16-6)	24	18	20	29	39	130

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Dwyane Wade	43	13-26	2-3	1-3	4	7	1	1	8	29
Chris Bosh	47	12-19	0-3	4-4	17	2	4	0	1	28
Jamal Crawford	23	7-15	1-3	0-0	0	0	3	0	2	15
TEAM TOTALS		52/101	11/25	12/18	54	22	10	8	22	127

Minnesota Timberwolves
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Zach LaVine	54	10-21	3-8	5-6	9	11	2	2	4	28
Dwight Howard	37	10-15	0-0	2-5	13	2	4	1	0	22
Alan Campbell	46	7-16	1-2	4-4	7	9	2	0	2	19
TEAM TOTALS		51/114	7/25	21/31	61	32	16	5	13	130

Game Recap: What a game.... what a finish... the Minnesota Timberwolves survive a thrilling contest against the Miami Heat in Minnesota. A 3OT game, the game officially ended at 91-91 following a huge Dwyane Wade jumper leaving 1.2 seconds on the clock to tie it up, but LaVine missed the fading 3-pointer to win it. All 3 OT contests were thrilling, but the Heat while having leads here and there just could never close the deal late. They in fact had a chance to tie it but a Dwyane Wade 3-pointer just didn't get off in top before the buzzer. A huge victory for the Twolves, one thing is for sure with them and Dwight Howard and Andrew Wiggins... they're legit and they're no joke whatsoever in the Western Conference.

Around the League:
Burke's 29 leads Jazz to blast Thunder, 104-88
Twolves have now won 8 in a row as LaVine gets career-high 28 in win
Rubio scores career-high 32 as Hornets obliterate Clips, 105-68
Wizards have now last 5 straight
Eric Bledsoe will be back for the Suns vs Milwaukee

Heat blast Pacers for 15th win

Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat
Dec 11, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Indiana (14-8)	22	26	23	30	101
Miami (14-9)	33	25	30	29	117

Indiana Pacers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Paul George	42	9-22	3-7	8-10	6	6	1	0	2	29
Kristaps Porzingis	37	10-13	0-0	2-2	6	1	3	0	2	22
CJ Miles	31	3-6	1-2	5-5	0	3	0	0	0	12
TEAM TOTALS		36/73	6/18	23/27	26	21	8	2	10	101

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chris Bosh	33	11-19	3-5	5-5	7	0	0	1	1	30
Rob McMillian	20	6-8	2-2	6-6	2	2	1	0	1	20
Shabazz Napier	29	6-7	1-1	2-2	5	7	0	0	2	15
TEAM TOTALS		39/74	11/23	28/30	44	23	5	2	12	117

Game Recap: Paul George may have had an exceptional game of 29/6/6, but the Pacers didn't get much from anyone else besides him and Porzingis. The Heat had Chris Bosh lead the way to a blow-out in American Airlines Arena, padded by strong games by Rob McMillian and Shabazz Napier, the Heat shot 53% from the field and killed the Pacers on the rebounding glass which is really where Miami pulled ahead. The win gets the Heat their 15th on the season and is much needed following the rough loss last time out vs the Timberwolves.

Around the League:
Russell Westbrook gets 24/15/11 as Thunder beat Suns, 128-111
Al Horford to return for Hawks against the Suns
Ibaka re-signs with the Thunder for 2-years/26.79M
Swaggy P hits game-winner as Lakers survive Pistons in OT, 100-99
Mavericks have dropped 5 in a row

Heat come-back vs Knicks in MSG

Miami Heat at New York Knicks
Dec 13, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Miami (15-9)	20	16	22	32	11	101
New York (6-16)	13	18	32	27	9	99

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chris Bosh	38	10-25	3-7	0-0	12	0	2	0	1	23
Dwyane Wade	37	9-14	1-1	0-0	5	10	1	1	3	19
Rob McMilian	30	7-11	2-3	0-0	2	2	1	1	4	16
TEAM TOTALS		44/87	12/23	1/9	49	29	11	5	15	101

New York Knicks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Carmelo Anthony	52	14-27	9-15	2-2	19	3	1	1	3	39
Tim Hardaway Jr.	36	7-13	3-6	4-5	6	6	3	0	2	21
Enes Kanter	41	6-15	0-0	2-4	5	3	1	2	2	14
TEAM TOTALS		37/86	13/28	12/15	47	25	12	3	14	99

Game Recap: The New York Knicks with 2:05 remaining in the 4th quarter held a 88-82 lead. Coming down the other end, Chris Bosh drained a 3 in the corner. Melo responded with a lay-up, but finally off the top of the key from a Wade pass, McMillian responded with a 3 again. 90-88. After a huge stop, Bosh hit a jumper to tie up the game at 90-90. After a few possesions, Bosh missed the potential game-winner with 8 seconds remaining... on the in-bound, Lee Griffin defended Melo, in the post the ball got to him... tied up.. final seconds, BLOCKED! Lee sends it back! What a huge play and now we're headed to Overtime!

In overtime, the victory can really be attributed to just a few massive plays. The biggest coming when Miami got the ball with 44 seconds or so. They were winning 98-94, neither side had scored since 2:12+ left. Wade had the ball and killed the clock for all it's worth, he drove to the rim and kicked it out to Lee Griffin for 3.... BANG! 101-94!!!! LEE GRIFFIN FOR 3 IN THE CORNER? It was an improbable shot but he did in fact do it. Melo did all he could even scoring a garbage 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left to make it a 2-point game at 101-99, but it didn't matter... Miami had won the game! A huge victory on the word in Madison Square Garden, all thanks to a rookie in Lee Griffin stepping up to the plate when it mattered most.

Around the League:
Wiggins scores career-high 42 points in wins Grizzlies 121-96
Jeff Teague re-signs with Hawks for 2-years/18.21M
Jazz have won 5 in a row
Kevin Durant got a career-high 18 rebounds in win vs Warriors
Timberwolves have won 9 games straight

[Number999]

Lee Griffin emerging as fan favorite in Miami

It's not everyday you see 2nd round picks making major game-changing impacts.

Oh wait! The Heat had Clint Barlow do that for them last year. Now they have another guy stepping up to the plate and contributing in Lee Griffin. The 9th pick in the 2nd round, it's pretty easy to see why Griffin wasn't drafted. He lacks many core basketball skills that are hugely important.

But instead of focusing on the negatives, Pat Riley and the rest of the Miami Heat front office focused in on the positives he brought to the table. His freakish athletics for a guy his size at 6'7" is really un-seen even nowadays when there are so many guys jumping out of the gym. He's a high-flyer, he's got the size, and boy oh boy does he have the speed to go along with it.

Griffin doesn't get an abundant amount of minutes, but the last 2 games he's had season highs, and vs the New York Knicks last night he had the biggest game of his NBA career. In just 11 minutes of work, Griffin hit his 1st career 3-pointer that proved to be hugely clutch for Miami down the stretch. Yes it was padded with going 0-4 from the free throw line but as they say.. kinks!

Before that huge 3-pointer though, Lee Griffin assisted massively on the defensive end Carmelo Anthony playing power forward. Willie Cauley-Stein and Pau Gasol were both getting killed since they didn't have the speed or agility to guard Melo. In comes Lee Griffin, and he just so happens to shut-down Melo in the clutch as seen in the photo above.

There's still a LOT of work to be done with such a raw athlete as Lee Griffin is, but if he can work with the Heat's training staff and develop into the player they all believe he can be, watch out NBA!

[Number999]

Wade game-winner disallowed

Minnesota Timberwolves at Miami Heat
Dec 14, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota (19-6)	30	19	17	26	92
Miami (16-9)	28	15	25	23	91

Minnesota Timberwolves
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Zach LaVine	39	6-16	3-5	2-5	3	6	0	2	5	17
Alan Campbell	32	5-9	1-2	3-3	1	5	2	0	3	14
Andrew Wiggins	30	5-8	1-2	3-3	5	3	0	0	0	14
Anthony Bennett	33	5-7	1-1	2-2	8	3	0	0	2	13
Dwight Howard	30	4-15	0-0	5-8	13	0	2	3	3	13
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Evan Turner	23	2-5	0-1	2-2	6	1	0	0	0	6
Thaddeus Young	20	2-6	1-1	3-5	2	0	0	0	4	8
Gorgui Dieng	18	1-1	0-0	0-0	4	0	1	1	1	2
Nikola Pekovic	12	2-3	0-0	1-1	2	0	0	0	1	5
Kevin Martin	10	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Mario Chalmers	-- DID NOT PLAY --
JJ Barea	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Kevon Looney	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		32/70	7/12	21/29	45	19	5	6	20	92

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Shabazz Napier	33	3-11	0-3	1-2	4	3	0	0	4	7
Dwyane Wade	29	7-9	0-1	1-2	4	7	1	0	1	15
Luol Deng	28	4-5	0-1	0-0	5	2	2	1	2	8
Boris Diaw	31	1-11	0-3	2-2	3	1	2	0	0	4
Chris Bosh	31	9-14	1-4	6-8	5	0	0	1	0	25
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rob McMillian	22	2-6	1-2	2-2	6	4	1	1	2	7
Willie Cauley-Stein	18	3-5	0-0	0-0	4	1	1	4	0	6
Jamal Crawford	16	4-8	1-5	2-2	1	3	1	0	0	11
Pau Gasol	14	0-5	0-0	0-2	8	0	0	0	2	0
Kirk Hinrich	8	1-2	1-2	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	3
Lee Griffin	6	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	2
Anthony Tolliver	6	1-2	1-2	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	3
Aaron Brooks	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		36/80	5/23	14/20	42	21	10	7	11	91

Game Recap: With 8:54 remaining in the 4th quarter in the Heat's House, the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat was all knotted up at 72-72 until Alan Campbell drilled a 3-pointe that pulled them ahead finally.

After exchanging baskets various times, the Heat's Chris Bosh once again tied up the game at 80-80 following a jumpshot. With 6:55 left in the game, you knew each team would be going as hard as they could at one another considering how the last game ended between them two, essentially with Wade missing a crucial free throw with 4 seconds left that cost them the game. You knew the Heat wanted revenge, while the Twolves wanted to hold them off once more.

The Twolves run proved like they were ready to get it done. An Alan Campbell score, Wiggins layup, small Dwyane Wade response was the only points the Heat could muster up for the next 3 minutes. Another Wiggins layup, and then two Dwight Howard offensive rebounds leading to two easy layups gave the Timberwolves an astounding 90-82 lead with 3:11 left in the game. It appeared as though the dagger was finally done when Miami had no response for Dwight down low.

But only so you thought! Erik Spoelstra put out a lineup of McMillian / Wade / Diaw / Cauley-Stein / Bosh and the tides shifted. Wade gets fouled and he goes to the line and makes 1/2. Next possession Wade gets a jumpshot. The following one Bosh gets it again to make it a 90-87 game with 2:10 left. After another huge stop forced by a Rob McMillian turnover, Wade got into the lane and nailed a beauty of a jumpshot to cut it to a 1-point game.

The Heat didn't stop there, once again tightly clamped defense led to Miami getting the ball and slowing down the pace... Chris Bosh vs Anthony Bennett.... Wade feeds it to Bosh, turn-around and BANG! 91-90 lead for the Miami Heat! The crowd is erupting in the AAA center and now the Heat lead by 1 with 1:17 left in the game.

The Timberwolves were stopped once again, but as were Miami. Finally though, with 40 odd seconds left the Twolves got the ball... Wiggins, he's looking and gets around Diaw and tries a pull-up shot but blocked by Cauley-Stein! HOWARD REBOUND! BLOCKED BY BOSH WHEN HE GOES UP! HE GETS THE BALL AGAIN AND CONTESTED BY CAULEY-STEIN! DIAW SCOOPS UP THE REBOUND 29 SECONDS LEFT AND MIAMI IS STILL WINNING 91-90!

Heat ball... Wade gives it to Rob McMillian. He's killing all the clock left... he gets a screen from Stein, he drives to the open rim and SLAMS I- NO NO. HE MISSED THE DUNK. TIMEOUT TIMBERWOLVES. ROB MCMILLIAN MISSED THE DUNK THAT COULD HAVE GIVEN MIAMI A 3-POINT LEAD.

Down the other end... 4.3 seconds left. LaVine gets it on the in-bound, gets a screen from Bennett and pulls up close... BANG! 92-91 GAME! THE TIMBERWOLVES HAVE PULLED AHEAD! 1.3 SECONDS REMAINING IN THE GAME! WHAT A HUGE SHOT BY ZACH LAVINE TO PULL THE TIMBERWOLVES AHEAD!

Miami was ball-busted but no defeated... Diaw in-bounding... he's looking.. finds Dwyane Wade he cuts... Howard is there to contest but WADE NAILS IT AS THE BUZZER SOUNDS! HEAT WIN! HEAT WIN! Wait... they're going to review to see if he got it off in time... Wade and the Heat are amped up while the Wolves seemed stunned and in shock.

As they review... the ref... NO GOOD? WHAT? ARE YOU ****TING ME? ARE THE TIMBERWOLVES THE NEW DUKE OF THE NBA? ARE YOU ACTUALLY KIDDING ME? HOW DID THAT NOT COUNT? IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL LAYUP MOVE BY WADE AROUND HOWARD AND YOU DISALLOW THAT? YOU'RE HAVING A LAUGH REF. WHAT A JOKE.

[Number999]

Heat stave off buzzing Hornets

Charlotte Hornets at Miami Heat
Dec 16, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Charlotte (16-8)	34	17	13	21	85
Miami (16-10)	32	22	16	23	93

Charlotte Hornets
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Al Jefferson	37	10-17	0-0	3-3	13	2	0	1	1	23
Tyus Jones	16	6-7	4-4	0-0	1	2	0	0	4	16
Lance Stephenson	31	5-11	2-3	0-0	5	5	1	0	1	12
TEAM TOTALS		34/78	7/16	10/13	42	21	6	3	12	85

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chris Bosh	33	10-17	3-5	2-3	7	0	1	2	1	25
Dwyane Wade	30	5-8	0-0	8-8	4	10	1	1	2	18
Rob McMillian	29	4-13	2-4	0-0	2	3	0	0	2	10
TEAM TOTALS		32/74	8/17	21/28	43	23	6	8	13	93

Game Recap: After coming off a heart-breaking loss to Minnesota, it's good to see that Miami didn't let that stop them in their quest for getting back on track. Miami played strong defense after a fairly poor 1st quarter, and it led to a 93-85 victory. The Hornets did manage to bring it to a 4-point game with 53 seconds left at 89-85, but a Chris Bosh jumper over Big Al Jefferson sealed the deal for Miami. Unfortunately, during the game, Miami's Boris Diaw was a bit dinged up which is why he couldn't play down the stretch... he should be fine moving forward though.

Around the League:
Nikola Mirotic grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds for Bulls in win vs Knicks
Knicks have lost 5 games in a row
Jordan Hill out 2-4 weeks with hand fracture for LA
Magic have won 5 straight!!!
Len Collier will return for Detroit after dealing with hip issues

Heat's defense downs on Celtics

Boston Celtics at Miami Heat
Dec 18, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Boston (5-19)	18	15	24	17	74
Miami (17-10)	22	22	21	23	88

Boston Celtics
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson	18	5-11	1-4	4-4	0	0	2	0	1	15
Jeremy Lin	33	5-12	2-5	3-3	2	7	0	1	1	15
Avery Bradley	32	4-13	2-5	4-4	2	3	0	0	0	14
TEAM TOTALS		25/70	7/20	17/19	40	16	2	6	10	74

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Dwyane Wade	28	7-19	0-1	3-5	4	8	1	2	1	17
Chris Bosh	33	7-11	0-1	0-0	7	0	3	1	2	14
Pau Gasol	15	5-5	0-0	2-2	6	1	0	1	2	12
TEAM TOTALS		37/79	4/17	10/15	48	25	7	6	7	88

Game Recap: Miami's offense was nearly entirely even through all 4 quarters, but 22, 22, 21, 23 seems to be even enough for them. The main story though was Miami's defense showing up once again at home and this time it was against the damn Boston Celtics. While the final score may look like it wasn't really all that close, at one point the Celtics brought the game to 76-70 off of back to back Avery Bradley 3-pointers. But that's when Miami shut the door, scoring 5 baskets in the row eventually bringing the lead back up to 86-70 with 1:49 remaining. Strong defense and an all-around team effort on offense led to this 14-point victory.

Around the League:
Thunder have won 5 in a row
Lakers beat Warriors in close game, 105-103
Raptors winning streak now stands at 6 games
Afflalo's 29 lifts Nuggets above Hawks, 102-99

76ers too strong for Miami late

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat
Dec 20, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Philadelphia (16-10)	34	21	31	29	115
Miami (18-10)	32	29	20	26	107

Philadelphia 76ers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
KJ McDaniels	32	7-12	1-4	6-6	6	1	1	1	4	21
Brandon Knight	23	5-12	4-8	3-3	1	1	1	0	0	17
Tony Wroten	18	7-11	2-4	0-0	4	2	0	0	0	16
TEAM TOTALS		43/83	10/22	19/23	48	26	4	5	11	115

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Shabazz Napier	35	9-19	2-5	6-7	7	5	0	0	0	26
Chris Bosh	28	7-14	4-9	1-2	2	2	1	0	2	19
Dwyane Wade	36	6-15	0-3	1-2	6	6	3	0	2	13
TEAM TOTALS		41/85	7/21	18/21	39	31	8	2	8	107

Game Recap: Gah... the reason Miami couldn't win is simple... they couldn't get a stop when they badly needed one. No matter what they did. It would be an offensive rebound or a weird layup or an insane contested jumper that would fall... the 76ers found a way to score and Miami couldn't stop then. They did decent on the offensive end, but quite simply Philadelphia's bigs were too strong for Miami to handle which lead to them falling to 18-11 on the season.

Around the League:
Rondo to return for Grizz after dealing with sprained ankle
Hawks drop 5 in a row
Gerald Henderson gets career-high 10 assists in win vs Heat
Wilson Chandler traded to 76ers for Elden Washburn to Nuggets
MCW re-signs with 76ers, 3-years/27.79M

[Number999]

Jamal Crawford done for 2-4 months, fractured leg

Welp. It appears the Heat's heat-checker will be out of commission for a while.

Jamal Crawford injured himself in a game between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers on December 20th, 2016. Crawford only played 3 minutes before coming out of the game and heading to the bench.

It was later discovered that Crawford had a fractured leg. The time-table for recovery tends to vary, but essentially Crawford will be unavailable for the next 2 months at minimum with a possibility to be out for the next 4 months.

Even with the length of the injury, it is expected that Jamal Crawford will be back for the NBA Playoffs and be able to play substantial minutes when he does return to full health.

In the mean-time, the likes of Kirk Hinrich, Aaron Brooks, and Rob McMillian will be asked to step up minutes wise as the replacement for Crawford's elite shooting ability. Crawford up until the injury was averaging 7.1PPG, 1.1RPG, 1.8APG, all on 47%/79%/38% shooting. While it's a blow to Miami, there are many more significant players who could have gotten injured and suffered a much more major blow for the Heat.

[Number999]

Report: Heat intensely after Draymond Green

A report by the Sun Setinel's Ira Winderman the #1 reporter of the Miami Heat broke news earlier today on Twitter that was quite stunning for many followers of the NBA.

The Heat were or are reportedly intensely interested in the Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green.

The details are still filling themselves out, but the Heat seem to have major interest. The 26-year old is a very rare breed in the NBA nowadays. A 6'7" he has been asked to play power forward for the Warriors and has performed remarkably well despite him being slightly smaller than most NBA teams would prefer their bigs to be. With the NBA shifting out of bigs-focused way though, Green can play the 4 with little issue minus when he faces teams such as the Grizzlies who have Zach Randolph there.

The reason why the Heat want Draymond Green is because he would instantly catapult the Heat into a far better defensive and rebounding team. As seen by the Philadelphia game and numerous games in the past, the Heat even with their size improved now can still get bullied off the block and dominated down-low as Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel did.

Draymond Green provides an intense defensive focus and rebounding capability WITH his shooting from range that makes him a very desirable asset. The Warriors extend Draymond Green to a 4-year/28.87M deal in the past and at 7M, Green appears to be proving his worth even if it's not exactly on the offensive end where he's scoring just 8.3PPG this season.

The scenario of where the two sides have disagreements comes in the negotiating areas though. The Heat offered SF Luol Deng, PF Anthony Tolliver, and the 2 Bulls 1st round picks they received in the Pau Gasol/Amar'e Stoudemire deal for Draymond Green. It would be a tremendous pick-up for Miami, but Golden State turned them down. GSW wants either one of Rob McMillian or Willie Cauley-Stein in the deal in order to make it worth their while.

It's hard to disagree with GSW's stance. Green is just 26-years old and in replacement they would only be getting 2 1-year fillers at the SF/PF spots and 2 unknown 1sts. They want a developing young talent in return for a proven one that's already a defensive/rebounding stud.

Will Miami eventually bow into the Warriors' demands? It depends of course on how they continue the season, but as of right now it appears both Miami's Top 2 prospects and Draymond Green are staying put.

[Number999]

Rose clutch down stretch, Snell wins it

Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat
Dec 22, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Chicago (18-9)	23	27	24	25	99
Miami (18-11)	30	16	24	28	98

Chicago Bulls
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Derrick Rose	44	14-24	2-3	8-10	7	2	1	1	3	38
Nikola Mirotic	32	6-13	2-3	2-2	6	0	0	0	1	16
Joakim Noah	29	5-9	0-0	2-2	7	3	0	2	1	12
TEAM TOTALS		38/76	5/13	18/22	42	22	5	6	9	99

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chris Bosh	34	10-20	2-4	1-1	7	1	0	1	3	23
Shabazz Napier	34	8-8	4-4	1-1	4	5	1	0	1	21
Dwyane Wade	29	5-14	1-1	7-7	3	8	1	2	0	18
TEAM TOTALS		39/81	10/17	10/10	38	26	4	4	11	98

Game Recap: Yuiejhwgyuikew.... damn you Derrick Rose. The Heat at one point held a 86-83 lead with 5:50 left in the game but then the Bulls came back with a vengeance. The Heat eventually tied it all up at 93-93 thanks to Rob McMillian, but on the last possession when it was 95-95, Tony Snell leaned back for a fade and drilled a jumper. The Heat missed on the other end, and the Bulls walked away with a victory on the road. Back to back tough losses at home for Miami.

Around the League:
Griffin has bruised sternum, will play through it for LAC
JJ Redick re-signs with Clips, 2-years/8.01M
Jazz beat Nuggets on Burke's 27/9, 98-94
Zeller re-signs with Hornets, 2-years/15.43M

Heat generate simply incredibly comeback

New Orleans Pelicans at Miami Heat
Dec 24, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New Orleans (13-16)	28	29	17	13	87
Miami (18-12)	23	17	17	34	91

New Orleans Pelicans
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Anthony Davis	41	11-22	0-1	8-10	15	0	2	1	1	30
Marc Garcia	30	4-8	1-2	2-2	0	0	0	0	2	11
Jrue Holliday	32	5-11	0-2	0-0	2	3	1	0	1	10
TEAM TOTALS		30/80	3/18	24/27	45	15	6	1	11	87

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Dwyane Wade	33	9-14	1-1	3-4	7	13	1	1	6	22
Chris Bosh	33	8-13	0-2	2-2	10	0	0	1	4	18
Rob McMillian	17	5-11	0-3	2-2	2	3	1	0	0	12
TEAM TOTALS		36/75	7/20	12/14	44	25	5	3	14	91

Game Recap: DON'T EVEN CALL IT A COMEBACK!!!!! The Heat at one point trailed by 22 points in the 3rd quarter. But then Miami went on a run... can you even call it a comeback!?!? Dwyane Wade drilled a 3 in the corner with Anthony Davis guarding him. Then Boris Diaw drilled one later on. Before you knew it, Miami tied up the game at 76-76 after the game was 74-57 heading into the 3rd quarter. Down the stretch though, the Pelicans took a 1-point lead at 85-84 with 1:32 remaining in the 4th quarter. But, two Wade free throws gave Miami the lead. After shutting down Jrue Holliday, Wade ran down the clock and then kicked it out to Hinrich for 3... BANG!!!! PERFECT RELEASE! 89-85 game! Holliday responded quickly but Miami ran the exact same play again and Hinrich converted again. What a comeback and what a win for Miami!

Around the League:
D-Wade banged up with broken toe (will miss next 2 games)
Klay Thompson scores season-high 46 points in win vs Nets, 107-106
Russell Westbrook will return to lineup for OKC
Taj Gibson re-signs with Bulls for 2-years/6.71M
Rockets have won 5 straight
Spurs trade JR Smith+Jeff Ayres to Pelicans for Carlos Boozer+Robin Lopez

No Wade, no problem

Washington Wizards at Miami Heat
Dec 26, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Washington (13-20)	17	17	14	18	66
Miami (19-12)	14	17	29	24	84

Washington Wizards
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Cliff Alexander	36	5-15	1-4	4-6	6	1	2	1	3	15
Bradley Beal	31	5-12	0-3	0-0	4	2	2	0	4	10
Glen Rice Jr.	28	3-8	1-2	1-2	3	2	1	0	1	8
TEAM TOTALS		29/70	3/13	5/8	38	18	9	4	16	66

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chris Bosh	31	8-14	1-1	2-4	11	1	2	1	0	19
Rob McMillian	38	6-12	1-4	5-10	6	6	2	0	0	18
Luol Deng	35	5-10	3-5	0-0	10	3	2	1	1	13
TEAM TOTALS		31/67	9/19	13/25	43	19	9	3	14	84

Game Recap: Even though Dwyane Wade is side-lined with a broken toe, you wouldn't have known watching the game. Rob McMillian stepped up to the plate as a starter getting 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Chris Bosh got his usual double double and Luol Deng also stepped up with 13/10 of his own. But in reality, the reason Miami won was holding the Wizards to a mere 66 points in the game, never scoring more than 19 points in any individual quarter... great win!

Around the League:
Hornets have won 5 straight
Rubio racked up career-high 19 assists in win vs Spurs
Drummond got season-best 30 points in win vs Pacers
Pau Gasol has sore foot, will play through it
Anthony Bennett re-signs with Twolves, 3-years/28.47M
Ben McLemore re-signs with SacTown, 2-years/20.00M
Blazers have won 5 games in a row

Pistons blast Wade-less Heat

Miami Heat at Detroit Pistons
Dec 28, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Miami (20-12)	24	23	9	24	80
Detroit (19-13)	27	13	26	31	97

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Shabazz Napier	37	9-18	4-11	0-0	5	4	1	0	1	22
Chris Bosh	29	5-11	1-4	2-2	3	2	0	1	2	13
Rob McMillian	38	5-12	1-4	0-0	5	6	0	0	2	11
TEAM TOTALS		29/73	9/33	13/19	32	16	7	2	10	80

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Jennings	35	9-17	2-3	2-2	3	6	0	0	2	22
Greg Monroe	31	9-13	0-0	3-4	7	1	1	1	1	21
Len Collier	30	7-17	3-6	0-0	6	6	1	0	0	17
TEAM TOTALS		40/73	6/14	11/16	49	25	6	3	13	97

Game Recap: We knew Miami couldn't actually be solid without Wade... Detroit showed that. Of course the whole double bigs was kind of an issue but Detroit came out in the 2nd half and straight up dominated Miami. Props to Lucas Lucas for making the game-plan switch. As for Miami, they went 1-1 without Wade and now have a 20-13 record with him returning for the game on Christmas Day vs the San Antonio Spurs.

Around the League:
Bulls survive on Rose's 36 vs Bucks, 100-99
Zach Randolph re-signs In Memphis for 1-year/2.55M
Klay scores 42 as Warriors slip past Jazz, 112-111
Durant scores 46 as Thunder beast Hornets, 99-90
Jordan Clarkson out 2-4 months for Lakers with broken kneecap
Pistons have won 6 in a row