The Miami Heat improved their 2011/12 NBA season record to 4-0 (second time in franchise history), defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 103-101 on Dec. 30.

The Heat came out strong against the Timberwolves, but a poor second quarter performance brought Minnesota back into the game. Miami regained control of the contest in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves refused to go down without a fight.

The Timberwolves actually had a three point lead with a little over a minute left in the game, but a strong move to the rim by LeBron James—who was fouled during the play—gave them a chance to tie up the contest. LeBron made the ensuing free throw, setting the stage for some final minute heroics.

Once again, Dwyane Wade who finished with 19 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds, stepped up when the Heat needed him the most, finishing a LeBron lob with a layup and giving Miami the two point lead. The Timberwolves had one last chance to tie up the game, but Wayne Ellington’s jumper bounced off the rim.

“I’m glad we played them early because later they’re going to be trouble,” Wade told reporters after the game. “So I think Timberwolves fans will have something to cheer about for a while here.”

Birthday Celebrant, LeBron had another dominant performance for the Heat, finishing with 34 points (game high), 10 assists and 8 rebounds. Chris Bosh also had a solid outing, putting up 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.

Norris Cole and Udonis Haslem scored the Heat’s only points off the bench. Cole put up 12 points and 4 assists, while Haslem finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds.

Miami’s next game will be on Jan. 1, when they host the Charlotte Bobcats at the American Airlines Arena. The Bobcats gave the Heat a tough contest on Dec. 28, and the next encounter between the two teams should be just as entertaining.

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:

Associated Press, “Late LeBron James-to-Dwyane Wade alley-oop secures Heat…”

Player and game information from ESPN

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

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That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade was in the starting lineup
against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night after being considered a
game-time decision with a sore left foot.

Wade tested his foot both at the team’s morning shootaround and before the
game to determine if he was ready to play. The injury bothered him in the game
at Charlotte on Wednesday, but not enough to prevent him from making the
game-winning shot to keep the Heat undefeated.

For the Timberwolves, veteran guard J.J. Barea missed the game with a
strained right hamstring. Barea hopes to return Sunday against the Dallas
Mavericks, his former team.

Second-round draft pick Malcolm Lee had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in
his left knee on Friday. He is expected to miss six weeks.

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MIAMI –

The Miami Heat hit the court Tuesday to prepare for their home opener against an angry Celtics team. 

Boston lost its opener to the New York Knicks, but it won’t lose star player Kevin Garnett against Miami. 

The NBA announced that it will not suspend Garnett for his semi-choke-hold after the loss to New York. 

The Dream Team is still on fire for its red Christmas in Dallas and ready for a big win.

“It’s a great way to open up the season at home for us and the fans,” said Heat star Dwyane Wade. 

The Heat vs. Celtics game kicks off at the American Airlines Arena at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

What do you guys think about this.

By Tom Ziller

– NBA Editor

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Dec 26, 2011 – At no point in the 2010-11 season did the Miami Heat look like that. The Heat had mammoth wins, brilliant performances, artful offensive assaults in the debut season of the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh triptych, but never did the Heat so thoroughly ruin a great team on the road on such a bright stage. The closest match is the Heat’s Christmas 2010 win over the Lakers in Los Angeles; that game was most notable for Chris Bosh crushing L.A.’s frontline.

This was different. This was a full-court assault by the Heat’s superior athletes that refused to allow the older, more craft than splash Dallas Mavericks to breathe. With Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion, the Mavericks never exactly look young. But they looked like a club you’d find at the Coral Gables YMCA against the new racing Heat. Any questions about whether the preseason talk about the Heat’s new up-tempo offense was just hype were excused for now. It’s real, and it made the Mavericks look awful.

Tom Haberstroh wrote a detailed analysis on the creation and early evolution of the Heat’s new offense last week. Erik Spoelstra, the Heat’s young and curious coach, visited Eugene, Oreg., to watch Chip Kelly’s Oregon Ducks work through their infamous spread offense. Spoelstra and his staff began translating it for basketball, focusing on using space and speed to create opportunities and mismatches. IT WORKED. The Heat played an up-tempo game — each team had 100 possessions; in 2010-11, the Heat averaged 90 per game and the Mavericks were at 91. They attacked the rim, which made the selection on the team’s long shots look a lot better.

The Heat scored 31 points on the break and 44 points in the paint. Add in the team’s 25 made free throws (15 of them from LeBron) and 69 of the Heat’s 105 points were scored at the rim or at the stripe, where free throws usually come on interior plays. That’s simply terrifying: the Heat look to be abandoning their long-jumper identity — one in which transition played a useful role but came too infrequently — in favor of something like an eternal invasion. They never stopped coming at the Mavs, not until they were up by 35 and called it a night.

The Heat have another down-tempo test on Tuesday: the Boston Celtics. We know Miami can bludgeon Boston in the half-court — we saw in the playoffs last season. But if the Heat can do to the Celtics’ still-stout defense what they did to the Mavericks, the NBA is in real trouble.

WARRIORS ON THE BRINK

The Golden State Warriors are in a terrible position. Stephen Curry, the third-year guard, is the team’s best player and best hope for a win any given night. Monta Ellis is a great scorer and a good passer, but Curry’s superior efficiency and court vision make him a much more valuable player. Curry, however, is injured. He turned an ankle on a Jimmer Fredette crossover on Tuesday, was considered a toss-up leading up to the Warriors’ Sunday night opener against the L.A. Clippers, and eventually played. He was awful. Chris Paul is a damned good defender, but he’s not “hold Steph Curry to 4-12 shooting with five turnovers” good. No one is.

The Warriors have to sit Curry to save their season, and sitting Curry could ruin their season. Both truths seem completely obvious right now, and only the good fortune of fast healing or a true joint renaissance for David Lee and Andris Biedrins can make either wrong. If Curry limps through a few weeks of action, this ankle injury could bug him all season long. The Warriors can’t afford a sub-optimal Curry. But if Golden State lets him heal for a few weeks, they could legitimately be a half-dozen games out of a playoff spot by the time he returns. Mark Jackson and the front office have all but branded a playoff bid as an expectation for this club. Given the state of the roster — this team might have the worst bench in the NBA, even worse than the L.A. Lakers or Memphis Grizzlies — that was a longshot as soon as the goal was created. But hobble Curry, and it’s over.

Coaches don’t tend to fare well when expectations aren’t met, but Jackson put himself in a bad spot by writing a check his team probably can’t cash. The coach seems to be tight with the front office, and no one thinks Joe Lacob will give two straight coaches one-and-out tenures. (Keith Smart coached the team last season and was fired to make way for Jackson. Smart had presided over a 10-win improvement.) But this is a bad situation to start Jackson’s coaching career, and unless Curry heals quickly, the season’s on the fast track to the lottery in Oakland.

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Read More: Jason Kidd (G – DAL), Chris Bosh (F – MIA), Dirk Nowitzki (F – DAL), Shawn Marion (F – DAL), Stephen Curry (G – GSW), Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers

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The Miami Heat ruined the Dallas Mavericks’ championship party, handing them a humiliating Christmas Day beat down. Dirk Nowitzki and company were all smiles prior to the game (Mavericks received their rings and hoisted the 2011 championship banner in the pregame festivities), but the smiles didn’t last long, as the Heat cruised on to the 105-94 victory. With the win, the Heat break their 14 game regular season losing streak to the Mavericks.

The Heat wasted no time against the team that ended their championship dreams last season, taking control in the very first half of the game and never looking back. By halftime, the Heat had a 21 point lead, and things only got worse for the Mavericks in the second half. The Mavericks did try to fight back in the final quarter, but by then, half of their fans had already deserted them and it was too little too late.

Solid defense has been a staple of the “big three” era Heat and they obviously haven’t lost a step. The Heat’s defense smothered the Mavericks throughout the game, holding them to 38 percent shooting from the field. Even Nowitzki had problems dealing with the Heat’s defense, converting on only 6 of his 15 attempts from the field.

LeBron James made an emphatic statement in Miami’s first game of the 2011/12 NBA season, dropping 37 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists against the Mavericks.

Dwyane Wade wasn’t playing around with the Mavericks either, finishing with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists of his own.

Miami’s improved bench played their part as well, putting up a combined 27 points and 23 rebounds against Dallas. Udonis Haslem in particular had a strong game coming off the bench, finishing with 9 points and 14 rebounds.

Expectations are high for the 2011/12 Miami team, but they seem to be up to the task. The Heat’s next game will be on Dec. 27, when they host the Boston Celtics at the American Airline Arena.

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

Heat Sign Shane Battier and Eddy Curry

Erik Spoelstra Signs Contract Extension with the Heat

Miami Heat Smashes Magic in Preseason Opener

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

Gotta run!.

Certainly, the 2010-2011 Miami Heat season did not end as well as the 2005-2006 season. However, it may have been the most memorable. The first year of the “Big Three” will definitely be memorable in the Heat’s history.

The Miami Heat’s LeBron James.
Wikimedia Commons

Moment #1. The Press Conference of the Big Three

The acquisitions of LeBron James and Chris Bosh and the return of Dwyane Wade brought these All-Stars to the Miami Heat. A press conference that was described as a “welcome party” brought out 13,000 fans to the American Airlines Arena to celebrate with the star acquisitions. Was this the moment that sealed the hatred of the other NBA teams and their fans?

Moment #2. The first regular season game of the Big Three

Arguably the most anticipated opener in Miami Heat history, the Miami Heat opened on the road against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics. Losing 88-80, the Miami Heat were led by LeBron James’ 31 points and 8 rebounds. The rest of the team brought limited contributions as Dwyane Wade was the only other Heat player in double figures with 13 points.

Moment #3. Big Three 30 Point Double Doubles

On March 27^th, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James each had at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the same game. The Heat were able to beat the Houston Rockets, 125-119, extending the team’s winning streak to six games. That had been the longest winning streak since the All-Star break.

Moment #4. Christmas Day in Los Angeles

During the NBA regular season, there may be no more anticipated regular season game, especially by the casual fans, than Christmas Day. These games usually are marquee matchups, and the Miami Heat and the defending NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, could not have been more anticipated. The Heat were able to win the game, 96-80, with Lebron James leading the team with a triple-double, ending with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Moment #5. Punching a Ticket to the NBA Finals

The Miami Heat were able to score a huge comeback win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals to beat the Chicago Bulls, 83-80, at Chicago’s United Center. The Heat won the series, 4 games to 1, and advanced to their first Finals appearance since the 2005-2006 season.

Edwin Alexander has been following the Miami Heat since their introduction to the NBA in the 1988-1989 season. He has attended many home games since and follows the team as one of his hobbies.

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Read More: Dwight Howard (C – ORL), Kevin Durant (F – OKC), Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder

With the NBA Lockout finally in the rearview mirror, a fast and frenzied free agency period and condensed training camp has begun, with NBA teams finally taking the floor for exhibition games beginning next weekend. The Orlando Magic and Miami Heat will spend their lockout-shortened preseason facing each other in a home-and-home-series beginning next Sunday, December 18th.

Once those warm-up contests are complete, both Orlando and Miami open the truncated NBA season on Christmas Day. LeBron, Wade and Bosh will travel to Dallas to take on Dirk and the defending champs in a midday contest. The Magic will travel to Oklahoma City to take on Kevin Durant and the Thunder in a primetime affair, with the biggest question being whether Dwight Howard will still be on the Orlando roster come tip time.

Magic and Heat Preseason Schedule

Sunday, December 18th: Orlando Magic at Miami Heat, 6:00 PM

Wednesday, December 21st: Miami Heat at Orlando Magic, 7:00 PM

For more Magic coverage, please visit Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation’s Magic blog. For more Heat coverage, head on over to Peninsula is Mightier, SB Nation’s Heat blog.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

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MIAMI—

They’re back!

Oh, there still are several procedural issues to be addressed, but LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat are headed back to court.

No, not antitrust court, or any of the other legal forums that have become so prevalent during the six-month NBA lockout, but to the playing court.

“We look forward to opening on Christmas Day,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said early Saturday morning. “We’re excited about bringing NBA basketball back.”

Shortly thereafter, from his Twitter account, Heat owner Micky Arison posted, “I must be dreaming.”

Barring a change from the schedule already in place, it couldn’t get any juicier for the Heat:

Starting Christmas afternoon.

Against the Dallas Mavericks, the very team that left the Heat’s Big Three two victories shy of a championship in the 2011 NBA Finals.

And, yes, a season-opening tip that will come only moments after the Mavericks receive their 2011 championship rings, a championship that turned a season of hope for the Heat into months of ensuing misery for the superstar-loaded roster that Heat President Pat Riley and Arison, the cruise-line magnate, had so dramatically created in July 2010.

As the sun rose Saturday morning, the massive matrix board at the front of AmericanAirlines Arena beamed: “Let’s Go Heat!”

After 149 days of often-rancorous talking, balking and media stalking, and after 16 hours of negotiations that extended into the wee hours, the parties involved reached an agreement in principle just after 3 a.m. Saturday.

The result is a 66-game schedule, down from the traditional 82, which opens Dec. 25. Pending expected approval of the agreement by simple majorities of NBA owners and NBA players, training camps and the free-agency signing period would open Dec. 9.

The Heat had been scheduled to open the season Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.

Fined $500,000 earlier in the lockout by the NBA for Twitter posts the league deemed in violation of its gag order, Arison seemingly could barely contain himself Saturday, posting at midday, “Excited about the tentative agreement and can’t wait 4 Xmas day hoops! Thanks to all Miami Heat fans 4 your patience and support. Go HEAT!”

Several Heat players also took to Twitter to express their relief.

LeBron James: “Man I just got up not too long ago and see we have a deal! I feel like my kids on X-mas day! So juiced!! Excited for the fans that stayed patient with us!”

Dwyane Wade: “In the words of the great Biggie Smalls: ‘It was all a dream.’ “

Mario Chalmers: “I’ve been waiting for this moment since June 12th. NBA fans we ’bout to be back.”

Dexter Pittman: “Me and my girlfriend just hooked back up — Basketball.”

That’s all the news for today.

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