MIAMI (AP) – LeBron James got his trophy, and then he and Dwyane Wade made sure the Miami Heat got a win in Game 1.

James scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his first game as a three-time MVP, Wade finished with 29 despite struggling from the floor, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 95-86 to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday.

Chris Bosh scored 13 points for Miami, but left late in the first half with a lower abdominal injury and did not return. The Heat outscored Indiana 25-16 in the fourth, with Wade and James combining for 22 of those points.

David West and Roy Hibbert each scored 17 points and combined for 23 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 10 points each from Darren Collison and George Hill.

Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

The Heat never led by more than two until 9:20 remained in the game, when a layup by James gave Miami a 76-72 edge. Wade added another basket about 30 seconds later, and the margin eventually reached eight when James made two free throws with 7:52 left.

Back came Indiana, which got within 86-85 on a 3-pointer by Hill with 4:51 left after Miami went cold again. But one big flurry – capped by a dunk from James in transition and Wade coming from behind to block a shot by Paul George at the rim about a half-minute later – gave the Heat some breathing room.

Wade and James scored 20 straight Miami points in the fourth, a string ended by a free throw from Joel Anthony with 1:05 left. After Hibbert missed a jumper on the next Indiana possession, James connected with 31.8 seconds left for a 95-86 Miami lead, and it was soon over.

Wade shot only 8 for 23 from the field, and the Heat missed all six of their attempts from 3-point range – a first in team playoff history. But the Heat held a 45-38 rebounding edge, and allowed Indiana to make only 11 of 31 shots after halftime.

Danny Granger shot 1 for 10 for Indiana, scoring only seven points.

Commissioner David Stern was on hand to present James with his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony that was capped by the Heat star telling fans how “electricity” was going to be important throughout the playoffs.

One team came out electrified – and it wasn’t Miami.

The Pacers trailed for only 56 seconds in the first half, never down by more than a basket. Indiana opened the game with an 11-4 run, held Miami to 37 percent shooting in the first two quarters, and rode the strength of a 19-6 edge in bench scoring to take a 48-42 lead going into halftime – surviving some foul trouble as well.

Of the 10 players Indiana coach Frank Vogel used in the first half, seven had at least two fouls, and Hill had three.

But by then, Miami had a bigger problem to address.

The Heat announced during halftime that Bosh would not return because of a lower abdominal injury. Bosh shot 6-for-11 in the first half, the last three of his points coming with 1:06 remaining after a dunk while getting fouled by Hibbert. Bosh remained down for a few moments, then got up slowly and made his free throw.

While going back down to the defensive end, Bosh started limping and grabbing at his midsection. He eventually fell to his knees in pain, and was replaced by Ronny Turiaf with 43.6 seconds left. Bosh was grimacing as he headed to the Heat locker room for evaluation, as his wife covered an anguished look on her face while watching from courtside.

Even with Bosh out, things started going Miami’s way in the third quarter. The Heat held the Pacers to 31 percent shooting in the period, and Anthony’s dunk off an assist from Wade tied the game heading to the fourth at 70-all. And the foul trouble compounded for Indiana early in the third, when Hill ran over Mario Chalmers with 8:26 left.

Hill was trying to get to the Pacers’ bench area to call timeout. Chalmers got in front of him near midcourt, held his ground and referee Scott Foster called Hill for the charge – his fifth foul, as Vogel argued otherwise. Vogel was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for comments he made last week about how he believes the Heat flop too much in efforts to get calls from referees.

“He was just manipulating the refereeing or trying to,” Stern said in a televised interview during the game. “I would have fined him much more than our office did. But I tell you what, I think it’s a legitimate concern. Some years ago, I told the competition committee that we were going to start fining people for flopping and then suspending. … It’s not a legitimate play in my judgment.”

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

MIAMI — LeBron James got his trophy, and then he and Dwyane Wade made sure the Miami Heat got a win in Game 1.

James scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his first game as a three-time MVP, Wade finished with 29 despite struggling from the floor, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 95-86 to open their Eastern Conference semi-final series on Sunday.

Chris Bosh scored 13 points for Miami, but left late in the first half with a lower abdominal injury and did not return, with the Heat saying he was scheduled for an MRI to determine the extent of the problem. The Heat outscored Indiana 25-16 in the fourth, with Wade and James combining for 22 of those points.

Wade and James outscored Indiana 42-38 in the second half.

“It’s a battle and we know, regardless of being at home, being away, who we’re playing, what round, it’s tough to win in the playoffs and you have to fight for every single possession,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And that’s what it was.”

David West and Roy Hibbert each scored 17 points and combined for 23 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 10 points each from Darren Collison and George Hill.

“I thought we were just on our heels a little too much,” West said.

Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

The Heat never led by more than two until 9:20 remained in the game, when a layup by James gave Miami a 76-72 edge. Wade added another basket about 30 seconds later, and the margin eventually reached eight when James made two free throws with 7:52 left.

Back came Indiana, which got within 86-85 on a 3-pointer by Hill with 4:51 left after Miami went cold again. But one big flurry
capped by a dunk from James in transition and Wade coming from behind to block a shot by Paul George at the rim about a half-minute later – gave the Heat some breathing room.

Wade and James scored 20 straight Miami points in the fourth, a string ended by a free throw from Joel Anthony with 1:05 left. After Hibbert missed a jumper on the next Indiana possession, James connected with 31.8 seconds left for a 95-86 Miami lead, and it was soon over.

“Definitely not our best game,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “We didn’t shoot it very well. … It came down to execution in the fourth quarter and you’ve got to give credit to Miami’s defence.”

Wade shot only 8 for 23 from the field, and the Heat missed all six of their attempts from 3-point range – a first in team playoff history. But the Heat held a 45-38 rebounding edge, and allowed Indiana to make only 11 of 37 shots after halftime.

Danny Granger shot 1 for 10 for Indiana, scoring only seven points.

“I don’t know if he’s going to have a huge offensive series,” Vogel said. “When you have to guard the MVP for 38 minutes, it takes a lot out of your offensive game.”

Commissioner David Stern was on hand to present James with his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony that was capped by the Heat star telling fans how “electricity” was going to be important throughout the playoffs.

One team came out electrified – and it wasn’t Miami.

The Pacers trailed for only 56 seconds in the first half, never down by more than a basket. Indiana opened the game with an 11-4 run, held Miami to 37 percent shooting in the first two quarters, and rode the strength of a 19-6 edge in bench scoring to take a 48-42 lead going into halftime – surviving some foul trouble as well.

Of the 10 players Vogel used in the first half, seven had at least two fouls, and Hill had three.

But by then, Miami had a bigger problem to address.

The Heat announced during halftime that Bosh would not return because of a lower abdominal injury. Bosh shot 6-for-11 in the first half, the last three of his points coming with 1:06 remaining after a dunk while getting fouled by Hibbert. Bosh remained down for a few moments, then got up slowly and made his free throw.

While going back down to the defensive end, Bosh started limping and grabbing at his midsection. He eventually fell to his knees in pain, and was replaced by Ronny Turiaf with 43.6 seconds left. Bosh was grimacing as he headed to the Heat locker room for evaluation, as his wife covered an anguished look on her face while watching from courtside.

“It’s unfortunate Chris went down,” Wade said. “But we told him, `Be healthy. We got `em.”

Even with Bosh out, things started going Miami’s way in the third quarter. The Heat held the Pacers to 31 percent shooting in the period, and Anthony’s dunk off an assist from Wade tied the game heading to the fourth at 70-all. And the foul trouble compounded for Indiana early in the third, when Hill ran over Mario Chalmers with 8:26 left.

Hill was trying to get to the Pacers’ bench area to call timeout. Chalmers got in front of him near midcourt, held his ground and referee Scott Foster called Hill for the charge – his fifth foul, as Vogel argued otherwise. Vogel was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for comments he made last week about how he believes the Heat flop too much in efforts to get calls from referees.

“He was just manipulating the refereeing or trying to,” Stern said in a televised interview during the game. “I would have fined him much more than our office did. But I tell you what, I think it’s a legitimate concern. Some years ago, I told the competition committee that we were going to start fining people for flopping and then suspending. … It’s not a legitimate play in my judgment.”

NOTES: Wade is appearing in his 18th playoff series with Miami, one more than Alonzo Mourning for the most in Heat franchise history. … The fans in Miami booed when a foul was given to George in the fourth quarter – his fifth – and not assessed to Hibbert. Had the foul been on Hibbert, it would have been his sixth personal. George fouled out about 2 minutes later. … It was Miami’s 13th straight post-season win at home against East opponents.

By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer

MIAMI (AP) – LeBron James got his trophy, and then he and Dwyane Wade made sure the Miami Heat got a win in Game 1.

James scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his first game as a three-time MVP, Wade finished with 29 despite struggling from the floor, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 95-86 to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday.

Chris Bosh scored 13 points for Miami, but left late in the first half with a lower abdominal injury and did not return, with the Heat saying he was scheduled for an MRI to determine the extent of the problem. The Heat outscored Indiana 25-16 in the fourth, with Wade and James combining for 22 of those points.

Wade and James outscored Indiana 42-38 in the second half.

“It’s a battle and we know, regardless of being at home, being away, who we’re playing, what round, it’s tough to win in the playoffs and you have to fight for every single possession,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And that’s what it was.”

David West and Roy Hibbert each scored 17 points and combined for 23 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 10 points each from Darren Collison and George Hill.

“I thought we were just on our heels a little too much,” West said.

Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

The Heat never led by more than two until 9:20 remained in the game, when a layup by James gave Miami a 76-72 edge. Wade added another basket about 30 seconds later, and the margin eventually reached eight when James made two free throws with 7:52 left.

Back came Indiana, which got within 86-85 on a 3-pointer by Hill with 4:51 left after Miami went cold again. But one big flurry – capped by a dunk from James in transition and Wade coming from behind to block a shot by Paul George at the rim about a half-minute later – gave the Heat some breathing room.

Wade and James scored 20 straight Miami points in the fourth, a string ended by a free throw from Joel Anthony with 1:05 left. After Hibbert missed a jumper on the next Indiana possession, James connected with 31.8 seconds left for a 95-86 Miami lead, and it was soon over.

“Definitely not our best game,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “We didn’t shoot it very well. … It came down to execution in the fourth quarter and you’ve got to give credit to Miami’s defense.”

Wade shot only 8 for 23 from the field, and the Heat missed all six of their attempts from 3-point range – a first in team playoff history. But the Heat held a 45-38 rebounding edge, and allowed Indiana to make only 11 of 37 shots after halftime.

Danny Granger shot 1 for 10 for Indiana, scoring only seven points.

“I don’t know if he’s going to have a huge offensive series,” Vogel said. “When you have to guard the MVP for 38 minutes, it takes a lot out of your offensive game.”

Commissioner David Stern was on hand to present James with his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony that was capped by the Heat star telling fans how “electricity” was going to be important throughout the playoffs.

One team came out electrified – and it wasn’t Miami.

The Pacers trailed for only 56 seconds in the first half, never down by more than a basket. Indiana opened the game with an 11-4 run, held Miami to 37 percent shooting in the first two quarters, and rode the strength of a 19-6 edge in bench scoring to take a 48-42 lead going into halftime – surviving some foul trouble as well.

Of the 10 players Vogel used in the first half, seven had at least two fouls, and Hill had three.

But by then, Miami had a bigger problem to address.

The Heat announced during halftime that Bosh would not return because of a lower abdominal injury. Bosh shot 6-for-11 in the first half, the last three of his points coming with 1:06 remaining after a dunk while getting fouled by Hibbert. Bosh remained down for a few moments, then got up slowly and made his free throw.

While going back down to the defensive end, Bosh started limping and grabbing at his midsection. He eventually fell to his knees in pain, and was replaced by Ronny Turiaf with 43.6 seconds left. Bosh was grimacing as he headed to the Heat locker room for evaluation, as his wife covered an anguished look on her face while watching from courtside.

“It’s unfortunate Chris went down,” Wade said. “But we told him, ‘Be healthy. We got ‘em.”

Even with Bosh out, things started going Miami’s way in the third quarter. The Heat held the Pacers to 31 percent shooting in the period, and Anthony’s dunk off an assist from Wade tied the game heading to the fourth at 70-all. And the foul trouble compounded for Indiana early in the third, when Hill ran over Mario Chalmers with 8:26 left.

Hill was trying to get to the Pacers’ bench area to call timeout. Chalmers got in front of him near midcourt, held his ground and referee Scott Foster called Hill for the charge – his fifth foul, as Vogel argued otherwise. Vogel was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for comments he made last week about how he believes the Heat flop too much in efforts to get calls from referees.

“He was just manipulating the refereeing or trying to,” Stern said in a televised interview during the game. “I would have fined him much more than our office did. But I tell you what, I think it’s a legitimate concern. Some years ago, I told the competition committee that we were going to start fining people for flopping and then suspending. … It’s not a legitimate play in my judgment.”

NOTES: Wade is appearing in his 18th playoff series with Miami, one more than Alonzo Mourning for the most in Heat franchise history. … The fans in Miami booed when a foul was given to George in the fourth quarter – his fifth – and not assessed to Hibbert. Had the foul been on Hibbert, it would have been his sixth personal. George fouled out about 2 minutes later. … It was Miami’s 13th straight postseason win at home against East opponents.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

MIAMI – LeBron James got his trophy, and then he and Dwyane Wade made sure the Miami Heat got a win in Game 1.

James scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his first game as a three-time MVP, Wade finished with 29 despite struggling from the floor, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 95-86 to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday.

Chris Bosh scored 13 points for Miami, but left late in the first half with a lower abdominal injury and did not return, with the Heat saying he was scheduled for an MRI to determine the extent of the problem. The Heat outscored Indiana 25-16 in the fourth, with Wade and James combining for 22 of those points.

Wade and James outscored Indiana 42-38 in the second half.

“It’s a battle and we know, regardless of being at home, being away, who we’re playing, what round, it’s tough to win in the playoffs and you have to fight for every single possession,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And that’s what it was.”

David West and Roy Hibbert each scored 17 points and combined for 23 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 10 points each from Darren Collison and George Hill.

“I thought we were just on our heels a little too much,” West said.

Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

The Heat never led by more than two until 9:20 remained in the game, when a layup by James gave Miami a 76-72 edge. Wade added another basket about 30 seconds later, and the margin eventually reached eight when James made two free throws with 7:52 left.

Back came Indiana, which got within 86-85 on a 3-pointer by Hill with 4:51 left after Miami went cold again. But one big flurry — capped by a dunk from James in transition and Wade coming from behind to block a shot by Paul George at the rim about a half-minute later — gave the Heat some breathing room.

Wade and James scored 20 straight Miami points in the fourth, a string ended by a free throw from Joel Anthony with 1:05 left. After Hibbert missed a jumper on the next Indiana possession, James connected with 31.8 seconds left for a 95-86 Miami lead, and it was soon over.

“Definitely not our best game,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “We didn’t shoot it very well. … It came down to execution in the fourth quarter and you’ve got to give credit to Miami’s defence.”

Wade shot only 8 for 23 from the field, and the Heat missed all six of their attempts from 3-point range — a first in team playoff history. But the Heat held a 45-38 rebounding edge, and allowed Indiana to make only 11 of 37 shots after halftime.

Danny Granger shot 1 for 10 for Indiana, scoring only seven points.

“I don’t know if he’s going to have a huge offensive series,” Vogel said. “When you have to guard the MVP for 38 minutes, it takes a lot out of your offensive game.”

Commissioner David Stern was on hand to present James with his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony that was capped by the Heat star telling fans how “electricity” was going to be important throughout the playoffs.

One team came out electrified — and it wasn’t Miami.

The Pacers trailed for only 56 seconds in the first half, never down by more than a basket. Indiana opened the game with an 11-4 run, held Miami to 37 per cent shooting in the first two quarters, and rode the strength of a 19-6 edge in bench scoring to take a 48-42 lead going into halftime — surviving some foul trouble as well.

Of the 10 players Vogel used in the first half, seven had at least two fouls, and Hill had three.

But by then, Miami had a bigger problem to address.

The Heat announced during halftime that Bosh would not return because of a lower abdominal injury. Bosh shot 6-for-11 in the first half, the last three of his points coming with 1:06 remaining after a dunk while getting fouled by Hibbert. Bosh remained down for a few moments, then got up slowly and made his free throw.

While going back down to the defensive end, Bosh started limping and grabbing at his midsection. He eventually fell to his knees in pain, and was replaced by Ronny Turiaf with 43.6 seconds left. Bosh was grimacing as he headed to the Heat locker room for evaluation, as his wife covered an anguished look on her face while watching from courtside.

“It’s unfortunate Chris went down,” Wade said. “But we told him, ‘Be healthy. We got ‘em.”

Even with Bosh out, things started going Miami’s way in the third quarter. The Heat held the Pacers to 31 per cent shooting in the period, and Anthony’s dunk off an assist from Wade tied the game heading to the fourth at 70-all. And the foul trouble compounded for Indiana early in the third, when Hill ran over Mario Chalmers with 8:26 left.

Hill was trying to get to the Pacers’ bench area to call timeout. Chalmers got in front of him near midcourt, held his ground and referee Scott Foster called Hill for the charge — his fifth foul, as Vogel argued otherwise. Vogel was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for comments he made last week about how he believes the Heat flop too much in efforts to get calls from referees.

“He was just manipulating the refereeing or trying to,” Stern said in a televised interview during the game. “I would have fined him much more than our office did. But I tell you what, I think it’s a legitimate concern. Some years ago, I told the competition committee that we were going to start fining people for flopping and then suspending. … It’s not a legitimate play in my judgment.”

NOTES: Wade is appearing in his 18th playoff series with Miami, one more than Alonzo Mourning for the most in Heat franchise history. … The fans in Miami booed when a foul was given to George in the fourth quarter — his fifth — and not assessed to Hibbert. Had the foul been on Hibbert, it would have been his sixth personal. George fouled out about 2 minutes later. … It was Miami’s 13th straight post-season win at home against East opponents.

MIAMI (AP) – LeBron James got his trophy, and then he and Dwyane Wade made sure the Miami Heat got a win in Game 1.

James scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his first game as a three-time MVP, Wade finished with 29 despite struggling from the floor, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 95-86 to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday.

Chris Bosh scored 13 points for Miami, but left late in the first half with a lower abdominal injury and did not return. The Heat outscored Indiana 25-16 in the fourth, with Wade and James combining for 22 of those points.

David West and Roy Hibbert each scored 17 points and combined for 23 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 10 points each from Darren Collison and George Hill.

Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

The Heat never led by more than two until 9:20 remained in the game, when a layup by James gave Miami a 76-72 edge. Wade added another basket about 30 seconds later, and the margin eventually reached eight when James made two free throws with 7:52 left.

Back came Indiana, which got within 86-85 on a 3-pointer by Hill with 4:51 left after Miami went cold again. But one big flurry – capped by a dunk from James in transition and Wade coming from behind to block a shot by Paul George at the rim about a half-minute later – gave the Heat some breathing room.

Wade and James scored 20 straight Miami points in the fourth, a string ended by a free throw from Joel Anthony with 1:05 left. After Hibbert missed a jumper on the next Indiana possession, James connected with 31.8 seconds left for a 95-86 Miami lead, and it was soon over.

Wade shot only 8 for 23 from the field, and the Heat missed all six of their attempts from 3-point range – a first in team playoff history. But the Heat held a 45-38 rebounding edge, and allowed Indiana to make only 11 of 31 shots after halftime.

Danny Granger shot 1 for 10 for Indiana, scoring only seven points.

Commissioner David Stern was on hand to present James with his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony that was capped by the Heat star telling fans how “electricity” was going to be important throughout the playoffs.

One team came out electrified – and it wasn’t Miami.

The Pacers trailed for only 56 seconds in the first half, never down by more than a basket. Indiana opened the game with an 11-4 run, held Miami to 37 percent shooting in the first two quarters, and rode the strength of a 19-6 edge in bench scoring to take a 48-42 lead going into halftime – surviving some foul trouble as well.

Of the 10 players Indiana coach Frank Vogel used in the first half, seven had at least two fouls, and Hill had three.

But by then, Miami had a bigger problem to address.

The Heat announced during halftime that Bosh would not return because of a lower abdominal injury. Bosh shot 6-for-11 in the first half, the last three of his points coming with 1:06 remaining after a dunk while getting fouled by Hibbert. Bosh remained down for a few moments, then got up slowly and made his free throw.

While going back down to the defensive end, Bosh started limping and grabbing at his midsection. He eventually fell to his knees in pain, and was replaced by Ronny Turiaf with 43.6 seconds left. Bosh was grimacing as he headed to the Heat locker room for evaluation, as his wife covered an anguished look on her face while watching from courtside.

Even with Bosh out, things started going Miami’s way in the third quarter. The Heat held the Pacers to 31 percent shooting in the period, and Anthony’s dunk off an assist from Wade tied the game heading to the fourth at 70-all. And the foul trouble compounded for Indiana early in the third, when Hill ran over Mario Chalmers with 8:26 left.

Hill was trying to get to the Pacers’ bench area to call timeout. Chalmers got in front of him near midcourt, held his ground and referee Scott Foster called Hill for the charge – his fifth foul, as Vogel argued otherwise. Vogel was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for comments he made last week about how he believes the Heat flop too much in efforts to get calls from referees.

“He was just manipulating the refereeing or trying to,” Stern said in a televised interview during the game. “I would have fined him much more than our office did. But I tell you what, I think it’s a legitimate concern. Some years ago, I told the competition committee that we were going to start fining people for flopping and then suspending. … It’s not a legitimate play in my judgment.”

NOTES: Wade is appearing in his 18th playoff series with Miami, one more than Alonzo Mourning for the most in Heat franchise history. … The fans in Miami booed when a foul was given to George in the fourth quarter – his fifth – and not assessed to Hibbert. Had the foul been on Hibbert, it would have been his sixth personal. George fouled out about 2 minutes later. … It was Miami’s 13th straight postseason win at home against East opponents.

(© 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)

NEW YORK —
Consider this one a stay of execution.

The Heat was afforded every conceivable advantage on Sunday at Madison Square Garden but Miami still couldn’t put away the bandaged and beleaguered Knicks, losing to New York 89-87 in Game 4 of the best-of-7, first-round series.

Miami is up 3-1 in the all-but-over series. No team has ever lost a playoff series after leading 3-0 and Game 5 will be played Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena, where the Heat had the best home record this season in the NBA.

But it’s not over yet and the Heat still hasn’t defeated the Knicks in a postseason series since 1997. It felt oh-so close for most of Game 4 but the Heat fell apart in the end.

Trailing by two points on the game’s final play, Heat guard Dwyane Wade lost his dribble while driving to the basket and instead settled for a desperation three-pointer that clumsily caromed off the front of the rim as time expired.

“I kind of lost it and when I lost it, it kind of forced [me] the other way,” Wade said. “I actually had a good shot. I thought it was going in. Just a little bit short.”

Wade shrugged off the game’s final play, saying that the Heat accomplished its goal in New York of taking 1 of 2 games at Madison Square Garden. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra opted to put the ball in Wade’s hands for the final play of the game rather than involving LeBron James. While Wade bumbled through the final possession, James stood idly by in the corner before gravitating to the elbow. He wasn’t anywhere near the ball.

James’ explanation of the final play: “I knew that, for the most part, that [Carmelo Anthony] was going to try to deny me, so we came out on the timeout going pick-and-roll with D-Wade and [Chris Bosh], knowing they were going to make a switch,” said James, who finished with 27 points, four assists and four rebounds. “I feel like he got in the lane and didn’t have a good look initially and he ended up dribbling the ball for a three. “For me, personally, I would love to have the ball. As a team, we all win games together and we all lose games together. That is all that matters.”

They might have lost it together but much of the blame goes to Wade, who not only botched the final play but also went 4 of 11 from the free-throw line. He finished with 22 points on 4 of 11 shooting. To his credit, Wade was strong in the fourth quarter (11 points) before missing the final shot.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Wade said. “We just wanted to give ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter. We were right there.”

Thanks to James.

He might have vanished mysteriously on the final play but James was great in the final two minutes of the game. His three-pointer with 1:16 to play tied the score at 84 after Mike Bibby drilled a three-pointer from the corner to give the Knicks a three-point lead.

Carmelo Anthony, who finally decided to show up in the playoffs on Sunday, then matched James with a clutch three of his own. After a game filled with woefully poor outside shooting from both sides the barrage of three-pointers in quick succession by Bibby, James and Anthony gave a dreadful game the potential for a fantastic finish.

It was a great finish, but first the Heat had to make two crucial errors to give the Knicks its first postseason win in 11 years.

The first mistake, an egregious backcourt turnover by Bosh following a 20-second timeout, gave the Knicks the ball with a three-point lead and 40.9 seconds on the clock. New York called its own 20-second timeout before Anthony was fouled by Shane Battier while in the act of shooting a three.

Anthony finished with 41 points, the most of any player in this first-round series, but came close to being labeled a postseason choker when he missed his first two free throws. Anthony made the final foul shot to put the Knicks ahead 88-84.

James had an answer.

He dribbled straight into the teeth of the Knicks’ defense following Anthony’s made free throw, spun past Knicks center Tyson Chandler, drew a foul and then flipped in a layup. It was the sixth foul for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and James made the continuation free throw to cut the Knicks’ score to a point.

Amare Stoudemire, playing with a bandage over his lacerated left hand, missed the second of two free throws to with 14.9 seconds left to set the stage for Wade’s miss at the buzzer. Stoudemire, who missed Game 3, returned to the series with 20 points and 10 rebounds. While Stoudemire returned from his injury, the Knicks lost another player for the series when Baron Davis went down with a dislocated kneecap.

The Miami Heat will try to close out their first round series against the New York Knicks, when the two Eastern Conference powerhouses meet on May 6. The Heat haven’t lost a single game to the Knicks this year, and I don’t think their Sunday encounter will be any different.

Simply put, the Heat have completely dominated the Knicks in the first three games of their series, shooting 48 percent from the field, while holding their rivals to a 39 percent field goal conversion rate. The Knicks’ injury problems have certainly been a factor in the way things have gone down, and there’s a pretty good chance they won’t have the services of Amare Stoudemire for Game 4.

Miami fans couldn’t be any happier with the “big three,” as they have lived up to expectations, carrying their team to three consecutive victories. LeBron James continues to defy critics – who say he isn’t able to perform in the fourth quarter, dropping 17 points in the final quarter of Game 3 to secure the Heat victory.

Guard Mario Chalmers has also been a bright spot for the Heat, averaging 14.3 points and 5 assists per game in their first three playoff games against the Knicks.

Obviously, the Knicks have no intentions to go down without a fight, and the Heat will have to bring their A-game for Game 4.

“We’re just trying to come in, take each game as its own game at a time and not look at it like we’re up 3-0,” Dwyane Wade told reporters about the Heat’s upcoming game. “This is the fourth game. We’ve got to come in and play this game. And you can’t think about anything else. After that, if we take care of business and do our job, then we get some rest and get ready for the next series. But it’s a big game and we’ve got to approach it that way.”

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “Heat-Knicks Preview”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

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NEW YORK — LeBron James had more turnovers and fouls than baskets, and still the Miami Heat were ahead.

James didn’t like having to sit, but he sure liked what he saw.

“I’m not a guy who’s in foul trouble a lot, so it was difficult for me to sit down early in the third,” he said. “But we have a great supporting cast. Our defense was tremendous in the third quarter. It allowed us to go into the fourth quarter with a lead.”

Then James came back and increased it.

James scored 32 points, including eight straight to start the fourth quarter and break open the game, and the Heat took a 3-0 series lead, sending the New York Knicks to an NBA postseason-record 13th straight loss, 87-70 on Thursday night.

James had 17 points in the final period for the Heat, who held the short-handed Knicks to eight field goals in the second half and will go for the sweep Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

“He just has to stay with it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He had some turnovers, he had some mistakes but he was able to keep his head in it.”

Wade added 20 points for the Heat and Mario Chalmers had 19, hitting consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter when the Heat finally brought some beauty to what had been an ugly game.

Wade was forced to go the whole third quarter while James was limited to just 4 1/2 minutes by fouls. Wade had 12 points in the period, knowing the two-time MVP would be coming back with fresh legs.

“I thought probably sitting over there that whole third quarter was probably good for him, because he came right in right away and got right at it. He didn’t waste any time,” Wade said. “He’s never really in foul trouble, so I thought it was good for him.”

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points but shot 7 of 23 for the Knicks, who are playing without Amare Stoudemire, Jeremy Lin and Iman Shumpert and needed a super effort from Anthony that he didn’t come close to providing.

“When you can’t score the basketball, that makes the game extremely hard, no matter how much defense we go down there and play,” Anthony said.

The Knicks broke the record set by Memphis from 2004-06. They haven’t won a playoff game since April 29, 2001, Game 3 of a best-of-five series against Toronto.

No NBA team has overcome a 3-0 deficit.

Playing their first playoff game at Madison Square Garden, Miami Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade made it a memorable one. After Wade scored 12 of his 20 points in the third quarter to help Miami take the lead for good, James scored 17 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter to help the Heat finish off an 87-70 win over the Knicks on Thursday, pushing New York to the brink of elimination from the 2012 NBA Playoffs. “I just wanted to make plays to help our team win,” James said. “We had a great supporting cast, and a great player like D-Wade, who made shots and kept us afloat, and our defense was tremendous in the third quarter.” Miami now leads the series 3-0, with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Carmelo Anthony had 22 points to lead the Knicks, who led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter, but couldn’t sustain their performance into the second half of a game they played without both Amare Stoudemire (lacerated hand) and Iman Shumpert (torn ACL and lateral meniscus). “We couldn’t find it,” Knicks head coach Mike Woodson said. “Their defense was awfully good. You have to give them credit. Third quarter, they fought. Offensively, we just didn’t have it. We were so stagnant.” The Knicks took an early 4-1 lead on a pair of Baron Davis free throws and a Landry Fields putback, but the Heat responded with an 10-0 run, eventually taking a 19-10 lead with 4:07 left in the first quarter. The Knicks responded with a 9-0 run to close out the first quarter, leaving the teams tied through 12 minutes. New York proceeded to score the first five points of the second quarter, then continued the run, taking a 28-20 lead with 8:13 remaining in the second quarter. By the time Wade’s layup made it 28-22, the Heat had been held without a field goal for 10:09. Miami continued to battle back, cutting the lead to 28-27 behind three James free throws and a Mario Chalmers jumper, but Fields drilled a three and assisted on a J.R. Smith dunk to spark a 9-0 run. Trailing 40-29 with 1:44 left, Miami closed out the half on a 7-0 run, with Chris Bosh, James and Wade all connecting to cut the Knicks’ lead to four at the half. In the third quarter, the game of runs gave way to a tightly contested slugfest, with the Knicks shooting just 3 of 15 from the floor, but staying close with nine free throws in the frame. Still, the Heat was able to surge ahead behind Wade’s 12 points in the quarter, taking a 58-56 lead into the final 12 minutes. “It seems like we can’t score the ball right now,” said Anthony, who connected on just 7 of his 23 shots from the floor. “That is the toughest part right now. Tonight, we played phenomenal defense for most of the game.” James took over to open the fourth quarter, scoring eight consecutive points to give Miami a 66-56 lead with 10:37 remaining. The Knicks got back to within seven points on an Anthony jumper with 7:01 left, but a Wade layup and a pair of Chalmers threes put the Heat up by 15, allowing them to coast to the victory. “It was a good team win,” Miami head coach Erik Spolestra said. “Coaches like those kind of wins, where you are not necessarily playing well, and certain parts of the game were ugly. On the road, you like to see your team show some resiliency and toughness to get back into it, and guys made big plays in the second half.” The Knicks, who haven’t won a home playoff game since April 22, 2001, are hoping to show some resiliency and toughness of their own when Game 4 tips off. “We believe,” Anthony said. “Our heads are high. Our confidence is still high. We are not moping around, hanging our heads. I am not allowing us to do that. We have a couple of days to get right, and Sunday is another chance to get out there and win a basketball game.”NOTES: Bosh did not arrive at Madison Square Garden until 5 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. He returned to Miami on Wednesday after learning that his wife, Adrienne, had gone into labor, and returned to New York after his son, Jackson, was born at 3 a.m. on Thursday morning….A day after becoming the first Knicks player to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, center Tyson Chandler blocked two shots in the first quarter, including a stuff of Udonis Haslem on the game’s first possession….Former Knicks Bernard King, Earl Monroe, Larry Johnson and John Starks were in attendance for the game, as were New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, New York Jets offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson and New York Mets pitcher Jonathon Niese.

LeBron James had 32 points and eight rebounds, Norris Cole added 16 points and the Miami Heat pulled away in the final minutes to beat Houston 97-88 on Sunday night and eliminate the Rockets from postseason contention.

Mike Miller scored 11 for injury-depleted Miami, which still has a mathematical chance of catching Chicago for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Joel Anthony added 11 for the Heat on 5-for-5 shooting.

Chandler Parsons scored a career-high 23 for Houston, which led by as many as 13 in the first half. Parsons tied the game at 83 with a layup late in the fourth, before James’ 3-pointer sparked an 8-0 run that put Miami in control.

Goran Dragic scored 16, while Courtney Lee and Patrick Patterson had 14 apiece for the Rockets. Luis Scola scored 12.

The Heat played without starters Dwyane Wade (dislocated left index finger), Chris Bosh (leg muscle fatigue) and Mario Chalmers (flulike symptoms). Backup center Ronny Turiaf missed his seventh straight game while recovering from a hamstring problem.

It’s unclear if Wade _ who after getting hurt on Saturday said he will be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs next weekend _ will play in either of Miami’s two remaining regular-season games, at Boston on Tuesday and at Washington on Thursday.

Miami would like to have Bosh and Turiaf back for at least a portion of that road trip, and Chalmers is listed as day-to-day. He was a late scratch from Miami’s starting lineup on Sunday.

So it was yet another pieced-together starting lineup that Miami sent to open the game, the 16th different one for the Heat this season _ and their seventh in their last seven games.

And things didn’t start well.

The Heat missed their first six shots and trailed 23-10 after Scola made a hook shot with 3:54 left in the opening quarter. Houston’s lead was still double digits at 38-28 with 6:59 remaining until halftime, before Miami used a 17-6 run to take a one-point lead at intermission. Miller’s 3-pointer with 25 seconds left gave the Heat their first _ and only _ lead of the half, 45-44.

Parsons had his second-best scoring quarter of the season in the third, finishing with 12 of Houston’s 25 as the Rockets took a 69-66 lead into the fourth. Back and forth it went, the game being tied on four separate occasions in the final quarter, the last of those coming when Parsons drove on James for a layup and his 23rd point, setting the season best for the rookie.

On the next possession, James took aim from the left wing and hit a 3-pointer over Parsons to put Miami up for good. And after a steal by Shane Battier, Miller added another 3 from the right corner 24 seconds later to give the Heat what was then their biggest lead at 89-83.

Playing back in his home state for the first time as a pro, Parsons finished 10 for 13 from the floor. He spent four seasons at Florida, appearing in 142 games and averaging 10.2 points before the Rockets grabbed him in the second round of last year’s draft.

NOTES: Miami finished the regular season 28-5 at home, the second-best percentage in team history. The Heat will finish no worse than tied for the NBA lead in home wins this season. … Houston’s Kyle Lowry did not play and is expected to sit the Rockets’ regular-season finale against New Orleans as well. He missed 15 games after the All-Star break because of a bacterial infection and struggled since returning. … Udonis Haslem had a game-high 11 rebounds for Miami.

MIAMI – If the Suns could freeze time, it would have been at 7:28 of the fourth quarter in the game they played Tuesday night at Miami.

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Suns at Heat game photos | Box score | Twitter updates

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They would be hard-pressed to feel better about themselves than at that moment. The all-bench lineup had given the Suns a 90-80 lead over the Heat when Sebastian Telfair penetrated the lane and beautifully flicked the ball to the opposite wing for a Shannon Brown 3-pointer that had the starters doing the scurry off the bench usually reserved for reserves.

That turnaround from an early nine-point hole to leading by 10 in crunch time would have been a moment to savor for a while. Instead, they had to swallow blowing the lead by allowing a 17-0 Miami run, and it went down like a bitter pill without water. The Suns’ four-game win streak and flirtation with a winning record went down in a 99-95 loss to Miami at American Airlines Arena.

“I don’t take anything out of it but a loss,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “The moral victory thing is long gone. We have to have wins. We put ourselves in a position, and we let it slip away. The biggest disappointment is that we did get stops, and they got the ball back on rebounds. That can’t happen in the guts of games.”

It was a game like the Suns’ March 7 visit to Oklahoma City that showed the Suns’ capabilities and their frailties. At Oklahoma City, the Suns led by 16 with 16 minutes to go in the game and submerged in a similar flood of errors at both ends to another elite team.

The Suns withstood an early 17-8 hit from Miami and actually led for most of the second half until a scoreless stretch of 6:21 gave it all away. Miami ranked second in the league in defensive field-goal percentage this season, holding teams to 42.4 percent. The Suns took advantage of Miami’s aggression to be shooting 53.1 percent at the time of the 90-80 lead, but they missed their next nine shots and made three of their 20 turnovers during the scoreless run.

Miami plays aggressively with its trapping on pick-and-rolls, but the Suns had counters set up to space the floor and rotate the ball quickly.

“I didn’t make enough plays in the fourth quarter,” said Nash, who had 10 assists and seven turnovers. “They were attacking me hard. It was the little things. It was the hustle plays, the rebounds, and the layups that would’ve given us a chance to close them out.

The Suns had not committed that many turnovers in a game since before the season’s 12-3 turnaround put them back in the playoff hunt.

Those late turnovers all led to points, but the Suns were also fouling after getting caught out of position in transition after misses. “I’m disappointed, because I thought they put us on our heels and we stopped attacking,” Gentry said. “We just can’t turn the ball over in crucial situations.”

Chris Bosh led Miami with 29 points, but Wade overcame a poor shooting game (6 for 17) to get seven of his 19 points during the 17-0 run. LeBron James, playing with an injured elbow, still had 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The Suns (23-23) have to turn around Wednesday night and play at Orlando. “We’ve played well on the road against two championship-caliber teams in their buildings,” Suns forward Grant Hill said. “When they turn it up, we didn’t do a good job. Instead of thinking you having it under wraps, that’s when you have to fight.”

View from press row

Grant Hill is the Suns’ best defender who normally is assigned to the opponents’ best player. That usually means LeBron James with Miami, but the Suns staff switched it up without Jason Richardson as a Dwyane Wade matchup option. Hill started on Wade, with Shannon Brown later taking him. Dudley did admirable work staying in front of James, who still got a dose of Hill. Unlike all three stars going off on them at Oklahoma City, Chris Bosh was the only one to score big Tuesday.

Report

Key players

Miami’s Chris Bosh made 12 of 16 shots for 29 points, 13 of which came in the first quarter.

Key moment

Leading 90-80 with 7:28 to go, the Suns did not score for the next 6:21.

Key number

15 Miami points not scored in the paint or at the free-throw line.

PHILADELPHIA —
Say this for Friday’s game: Even when the Heat is playing some of its worst basketball of the season, it can still defeat the 76ers.

The Heat led the Sixers by 29 points before nearly giving it all back in an 84-78 victory at the Wells Fargo Center. Miami (32-11) has defeated the Sixers (25-19) 10 consecutive times in the regular season and 14 of 15 times overall.

That’s the good news.

The bad news continues for the Heat, which managed to snap a two-game losing streak despite being outrebounded 54-42. The Heat, just 5-4 since the All-Star break, has been outrebounded in three consecutive games and plays the Magic and Dwight Howard on Sunday.

“What does this game prove?” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra asked rhetorically after the game. “It’s not about personnel for us. We proved that in the first half.

“If we play with a real sense of toughness and urgency and a commitment to our identity, we can play this game at a high level against any team.”

To a degree, Dwyane Wade seemed to disagree with his coach’s premise. Wade had 11 rebounds but finished with 12 points, two points shy of a season low.

“It is what it is,” Wade said of the Heat’s size inside. “There’s nothing we can do about it. We have the team we have. We’re not the biggest team. We got to try to continue to have guys try to step up and rebound the ball.”

Wade went so far as to call the Heat “not the most athletic team.”

“We’ve got a few athletic players, but we’ve got a lot of other guys who aren’t as athletic,” Wade said. “If we lose that edge, it can sway very quickly the other way, and it was a tale of two halves, no question about it.”

A 13-0 run capped by a three-pointer from James Jones gave the Heat a 57-30 lead at the end of the second quarter. The Heat shot 54.8 percent from the field in the first half and 57.1 percent from three-point range. What’s more, the Heat outrebounded the undersized Sixers 30-19.

The third quarter felt like a different game. The Sixers outrebounded the Heat 20-4 in the quarter and outscored the Heat 26-12. The Heat led by as many as 29 points in the second quarter, but a dunk by center Nikola Vucevic, who started in place of Spencer Hawes, cut the Heat’s lead to 67-53.

“They used their crowd’s energy to get back into the game,” Wade said. “The biggest thing they did was they hit the boards and got aggressive on the defensive end and got some turnovers.”

No question, the Sixers fans seemed to have something to do with the comeback. The crowd partied and cheered throughout the Heat’s first-half blowout and then cheered their team back into the game in the second half. Even movie star Will Smith, co-owner of the Sixers, was standing and dancing when the game seemed out of reach for the home team.

But Philadelphia kept slowly chipping away at the Heat. A 12-2 run in the fourth quarter — highlighted by three-pointers from Evan Turner and Jodie Meeks — cut the Heat’s lead to five points with 6:27 left to play. The Sixers outscored the Heat 48-27 in the second half and won the second-half rebounding battle 35-12. That’s the portrait of a team either giving up or not caring.

“Take nothing away from them, but we got to do better,” said Udonis Haslem, who seemed like the only player mildly interested in closing out the game through most of the fourth quarter. “We’re talking about winning a championship, and that second-half effort wasn’t good enough if we want to be champions.”

Haslem finished with 10 points and eight of them came in the fourth quarter. His back-to-back jumpers with less than five minutes to play kept the Sixers from seriously challenging the lead at the end of the game.

“We can take some good from the second half or we can take all the bad from the second half,” said LeBron James, who finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. “We will learn from the mistakes we had [Friday night], but that won’t take away from being on the road in a really good building and against a really good team and winning this game.”

James’ clutch jumper with 1:05 left gave the Heat a six-point lead, and he made a pair of free throws with 18 seconds left to ice the victory.

“It’s never good to give up a 20-something-point game, but it’s good to see when you need to and they make a game out of it that you can keep the lead and win, and we can do that,” James said.

CHICAGO —
If anyone thinks the Miami Heat will walk over the Chicago Bulls in this year’s Eastern Conference playoffs like it did last year, they haven’t been paying attention this season.

For casual fans just getting up to speed with the season, the Bulls on Wednesday provided a preview of what could be an exciting postseason series between the two best teams in the East. Without their best player – point guard Derrick Rose, the reigning MVP – the Bulls defeated the Heat 106-102 at United Center.

The Heat (31-11), which has now lost two in a row overall and four straight on the road, entered with a five-game win streak against Chicago, including last year’s Eastern Conference finals. All of that dominance seems like ancient history after the Bulls exacted revenge in Chicago with Rose (strained groin) watching the game in a suit. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 71 points and the Heat still lost.

James had 35 points and Wade 36 but their teammates struggled against the Bulls’ relentless pressure, managing just 31 points between eight players. Chris Bosh had 12 points on 3-of-15 shooting. It was a not-so-subtle reminder of Bosh’s 1-of-18 performance in Chicago last season.

The Heat played well late in the game – Wade scored 19 points in the final period – but each time the Heat would cut into the Bulls’ lead, Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau would call a timeout and the Bulls would score immediately following the break.

The Heat trailed by as many as 17 but cut the lead to two with six seconds to play on two three-pointers by James Jones. But Kyle Korver and John Lucas III combined to go 6 of 6 from the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds to ice the game.

UNLIKELY HERO

Lucas III – the victim of a spectacular dunk by James in the earlier meeting between the teams – scored 24 points off the bench, including 11 points in the fourth quarter. Guard C.J. Watson started for Rose and finished with 11 points.

“We know him [Lucas] well,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told the Associated Press. “That was probably part of it. We were one of the teams that cut him. He’s a tough-minded player. That’s a good story line for a lot of young players out there that don’t have the mental toughness to stay with it. I don’t know how many times that kid has been cut, but it’s made him tougher.”

Even when the Bulls literally were tripping over themselves, they still managed to score on the Heat in the third quarter. On one play, Lucas III lost his balance but managed to roll the ball to Omer Asik, who fell awkwardly to the rim for a layup.

Ronnie Brewer’s three-pointer with 4:06 left in the third quarter put the Bulls ahead 72-57 and Watson followed with a 15-footer to complete a 10-2 run. The Heat lumbered through the rest of third quarter before James provided a spark with a few what-the-heck three-point attempts. James made two three-pointers and Norris Cole added a three of his own to cut the Bulls’ lead to 79-70.

The Heat trailed 81-70 entering the fourth quarter.

KEY SECOND-QUARTER RUN

The Bulls (36-9) broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring the Heat 34-19. Led by Watson, the Bulls shot 50 percent from the field and 3 of 5 from three-point range in the quarter. In the period, Watson was 3 of 4 from the field and 1 of 1 from behind the arc to lead the Bulls with nine points.

It wasn’t a good sign when the Bulls’ second team went on a 9-0 run early in the second quarter. It only got worse from there.

Luol Deng re-entered the game and immediately sank a three-pointer to increase the Bulls’ lead to 12 points. Joakim Noah added to the energy in the second quarter with a series of an excellent plays. First, he bounded high into the air to block Wade from behind, near the basket. Moments later the former University of Florida center was dunking over Joel Anthony, waving his fists in the air and screaming.

The dunk gave the Bulls a 42-30 lead. Next, it was Lucas III’s turn to carry the team in Rose’s absence. He reeled off seven straight points in less than a minute, giving Chicago a 49-34 lead with 2:22 left in the third quarter.

“We’re like a brotherhood,” Lucas told the AP. “When one brother goes down, we have their back.”

The Miami Heat struggled against the Orlando Magic on March 13, losing their second straight game at the Amway Center.

The Heat came out firing on all cylinders against the Magic, taking an eleven point lead into halftime. Unfortunately for the Heat, they weren’t able to get anything going in the third quarter, getting outscored by 10 points.

Both teams went back and forth in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for some fourth quarter theatrics. Unfortunately, Dwyane Wade missed the potential game-winning shot, forcing the game into overtime.

The Magic took control in overtime – aided by some controversial calls, walking away with the six point victory.

“The third quarter we did not play our best basketball,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “We gave them life, gave them an opportunity to get back into the game. … We had opportunities in the fourth quarter and overtime but we weren’t able to capitalize on them. The rebounding really was a factor in this game.”

Rebounding was certainly a factor in Miami’s loss, with the Heat getting out-rebounded by 10. Udonis Haslem — who is usually a strong rebounder for Miami — finished with only three rebounds against Orlando.

Dwyane Wade led Miami’s offense against Orlando, finishing with a game-high 28 points. He also added 6 rebounds and 5 assists to the stat sheet.

Chris Bosh also played well against the Magic, putting up 23 points and 8 rebounds.

LeBron struggled with his shot, shooting 35 percent from field. But he still found other ways to help his team, pulling down 11 rebounds and dishing out eight assists.

Miami’s “big three” definitely did their part against the Magic, but they didn’t get that much help from their bench. For the third straight game, Miami’s bench struggled on the court, putting up a combined 16 points and 7 rebounds.

Miami’s next game will be against the Chicago Bulls on March 14. The Bulls are currently at the top of the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings (leading the Heat by 2 ½ games), and the Heat will be in for another tightly contested game.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Joseph Goodman, “Miami Heat falls to Orlando Magic in overtime”

Player and game information from ESPN

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