By Ethan J. Skolnick

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

MINNEAPOLIS — The Heat better be awake Friday night.

For a change, the Minnesota Timberwolves feature some talent, including a lighter but no less relentless Kevin Love and two prized rookies, forward Derrick Williams (the No. 2 overall pick) and Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio, who already has shown court vision few in the NBA can match.

They have a proven offensive scheme, one being implemented by former Rockets, Blazers and Warriors head coach Rick Adelman. Oh, and they have old friend – and now close-cropped – Michael Beasley, who has struggled from the perimeter thus far.

Here’s what to zero in on Friday night while watching Miami (3-0) play the Wolves (0-2) at the Target Center:

• What does a day of rest do for the Heat?

Miami looked weary Wednesday night in Charlotte while playing its third game in four days. That manifested itself mostly on the boards, where the Heat got beaten down. It was the first time in franchise history that Miami won with at least a 20-rebound deficit.

The Heat got into Minneapolis early Thursday morning but had a full day to recover, with Erik Spoelstra making practice optional. Most players participated, although Dwyane Wade (sore foot) skipped it. No worries. He’ll go tonight.

• Can Udonis Haslem find his range?

The Heat forward has been active thus far, and appears fully healed from last season’s foot surgery. But his shooting stroke has been off the past two games. Haslem missed three of his four jumpers Wednesday, all from 15 to 20 feet. He now is 2-for-13 overall the past two games. He’ll play heavy minutes again Friday night, with Minnesota often using a small but agile front line. His primary job: Block out Love, who led the league in rebounding last season with 15.2 a game, including 4.5 on the offensive boards.

• Will Wade or LeBron James finally hoist a three?

Understand, this is not to suggest that either should. Still, it’s been remarkable that both players have resisted the temptation to unleash a single shot from beyond the arc.

James’ offensive efficiency through three games has been staggering – he is shooting 59 percent from the field. And even though Wade struggled against Charlotte, shooting 5-for-13 from the field, 10 of those shots came from inside the paint.

• How does Spoelstra manage the perimeter rotation?

If not for Wade’s minor foot injury, James Jones might not have played a minute Wednesday, and that’s after sinking six three-pointers in the first two contests. Instead, Spoelstra has been expanding Shane Battier’s workload.

In 20 minutes against the Bobcats, Battier didn’t score, but he blocked three shots and played a role in slowing the rotund but skilled Boris Diaw.

One of Battier’s contributions was even more subtle: He was camped out in the corner on Wade’s winning drive, and defenders were no more likely to leave him than if Jones had been in that spot.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
The nicknames came in bunches on Tuesday night: Cole Train, Stone Cole, Ice Cole. After his breakout game in the Heat home opener, Heat point guard Norris Cole found himself the center of attention in the NBA.

ESPN highlighted his performance. He was interviewed after Tuesday’s game by TNT. On Twitter, Cole picked up at least 10,000 followers between Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. For a rookie from Cleveland State, it was a lot to digest in a short amount of time.

“From a social media standpoint, it was kind of crazy,” Cole said.

Seated beside his locker in Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena before Wednesday’s game, Cole tried to put the previous day into perspective.

“I understand that last night was last night in the NBA,” Cole said. “Now I’m focusing and moving forward. [Tuesday] was a stepping stone and I now I want to move in another direction of getting better and helping the team get better.”

Rookie rivalry

Pitted against Cole on Wednesday was a rookie guard who is no stranger to fame. Kemba Walker, the former University of Connecticut star, was named college basketball’s national player of the year last season after leading the Huskies to the national title. Cole was named the Horizon League’s player of the year.

Cole said the moment he realized that he could make it in the NBA was the first time he played against Walker. It was the summer of their senior seasons at a skills camp hosted by Nets guard Deron Williams.

It was a camp for the best young point guards in the country. It didn’t take long for Cole to realize he belonged.

“The first day,” Cole said. “As you get out there and start competing you get a feel for where your skill level is at.”

Cole and Walker never played against each other in college but the two guards met up again the next summer at the predraft camp in Chicago.

“We were together most of the camp and we were just going hard,” Walker said. “I know he’s a hard worker just from being with him that whole week and I could just tell that he wanted to get better and that’s what I wanted to do, too.”

SPLITTING TIME

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra reiterated the importance of both Cole and Mario Chalmers to the Heat’s plans this season. Cole is the offensive sparkplug suited for the Heat’s plans to push the pace of the game. Chalmers’ versatility allows him to provide sparks with his defense.

The Miami Heat won their third game in four days, walking away with the 96-95 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats on Dec. 28.

The Heat’s tough schedule finally started catching up to them. Miami’s players looked a step slower during the game, but they did manage to turn things around down the stretch.

Charlotte came out firing on all cylinders, outscoring the Heat by 12 points in the first quarter. The Heat played better in the second quarter, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Bobcats from adding three more points to their lead.

Whatever Erick Spoelstra told his players during the halftime break definitely worked, as the Heat came out strong in the third quarter, frustrating the Bobcats with their stifling defense. Miami finally took their first lead of the game, halfway through the fourth quarter. Both teams traded buckets from that point on, but Dwyane Wade stepped up to the plate in the final seconds of the game, kissing the ball off the backboard and giving the Heat a one point lead.

LeBron James had another monstrous performance for the Heat, finishing the game with 35 points (game high), 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Chris Bosh was right behind LeBron, putting up 25 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks against the Bobcats. Miami also got a nice boost from Mario Chalmers, who had 15 points and 4 assists against Charlotte.

Dwyane Wade on the other hand had a relatively quiet game, leaving with 10 points and 4 assists, but he did make the most important shot of the day.

Miami’s bench didn’t have their best performance of the season, finishing with a combined 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Heat will get a day off, before visiting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 30. The Timberwolves have struggled in their first two games of the season (going 0-2), and the Heat should be able to get their fourth straight win against them.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 15 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Wade expects other NBA teams to copy Miami Heat

Miami Heat Rookie Norris Cole Prepares for 2011/12 Season

Erik Spoelstra Signs Contract Extension with the Heat

Miami Heat Smashes Magic in Preseason Opener

Miami Heat Ruins Mavericks’ Championship Party

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Miami Heat will look for their third straight win of the season, when they face the Charlotte Bobcats on Dec.28.

The Heat played excellent basketball in their first two games of the season, smashing the Dallas Mavericks in their season opener. The Heat played another tough team in their second game of the season, defeating the Boston Celtics 115-107 on Dec. 27.

Miami did get a little sloppy in the second half against the Celtics, but rookie Norris Cole stepped up in the final moments of the game, giving the Heat their second win of the season.

“He’s [Norris] earned their respect,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “Even though it’s been a short period of time, about three weeks, because he’s pure, he’s all about the team. He’s mature and he gets them the ball. You’re always a popular guy when you find people when they’re open.”

Cole certainly looks like another NBA star in the making, and Heat fans can only hope he keeps it up throughout the season.

The Bobcats beat the Milwaukee Bucks by a point in their season opener, and they’ll be in for a serious jump in competition when they face the Heat tonight.

It’s no secret the Heat are the most hated team in the NBA, and LeBron James and company are playing with chips on their shoulders. With a season under their belt, the “big three” understand every team in the league is gunning for them, and they’re determined to make a statement every time they step on the floor.

“We’re not the hunted,” Chris Bosh told reporters. “We’re still the hunters. Absolutely, the way I see it, it’s like a kill or be killed mentality. The enemies are out there and you’ve got to get them before they get you. You know, Chicago, Boston, Orlando, New York. They’re all good teams in our conference. We’ve got to get them before they get us. I like to be ambitious and strike first, put other guys on their heels.”

Miami made their statement loud and clear in the first two games of the season, and I expect another dominant performance against the Bobcats.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 15 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Michael Wallace, “Hunted or not, Heat make early statements”

Dan Burch, “Heat-Bobcats Preview”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Wade expects other NBA teams to copy Miami Heat

Miami Heat Rookie Norris Cole Prepares for 2011/12 Season

Erik Spoelstra Signs Contract Extension with the Heat

Miami Heat Smashes Magic in Preseason Opener

Miami Heat Ruins Mavericks’ Championship Party

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

By Jim Litke, Associated Press

That deflating sound you hear is the suspense beginning to leak out of the NBA season.

Yes, it’s only a few days old, but a fifth of the schedule has already been erased by the lockout and if Miami figures out how to attack zone defenses, it’s over. No team is going to beat the Heat then. In the opener they blew out a Dallas team that came back to steal the finals by gumming up Miami’s offensive machine with a zone. On Tuesday night, they outlasted a Boston team that deployed the same defense in the second half to avoid getting run out of the gym. Though the Celtics clawed back within three points at the 2-minute mark, in the eight quarters the Heat have played, they’ve trailed for only 14 seconds. Get used to it.

Miami has already fixed the problems that were so apparent when LeBron James and his super sidekicks, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, made their debut together against Boston to kick off the 2010 season. They can play sustained, ferocious defense and they’re even more opportunistic — and spectacular — than they were in transition by the end of last season. Even so, Miami coach Eric Spoelstra used some of his free time during the lockout to pick the brains of some of the country’s best coaches — Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Kentucky’s John Calipari and Oregon football coach Chip Kelly, who runs a particularly hectic version of the no-huddle spread offense — looking for ways to rev up Miami’s attack. The lessons appear to have taken. The faster pace and extra space on the floor means more room for James, Wade and Bosh to take advantage of individual matchups, which plays into Miami’s strength.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers didn’t need to consult the scoreboard at halftime to convince him of that. He watched the finals, saw how well a zone worked for the Mavericks, and despite a commitment to man-to-man defense from the outset of his NBA career, began working on the scheme over the summer. Boston unveiled its version in the third quarter, while the Heat stood around and settled for jumpers, and the Celtics slowly climbed back into the game. An 18-6 run over the final 6 minutes of the period — Miami helpfully misfired on its last eight shots — brought the Celtics to 91-83. That margin seemed comfortable enough, though, until former Heat guard Keyon Dooling scored seven straight points to cut it to 108-105 with 2:02 left.