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

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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.

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.

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SI.com: Heat Convincing In Victory

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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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NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — Hundreds of Miami Heat fans left their presents at home to spend Christmas Day watching the Heat in the first official game of the season.

Fans packed Miller’s Ale House on Northeast 163rd Street in North Miami Beach, Sunday, to watch the Miami Heat take on the Dallas Mavericks. “Open your gift and then come to the sports bar,” said Heat fan Eric Veizga Jr. “We’ve been craving basketball and it’s finally here.”

Many patrons didn’t mind leaving their homes on Christmas Day to cheer on the Heat. “Well we did the family thing last night so today it’s me and my dad, hanging out, having some beers. We’re still doing the family thing I guess,” said a Heat fan.

Restaurants geared up for the big day, knowing the game would bring in the crowds. “Of course we weren’t going to miss a chance to have everyone here for the Heat game, ” said Trent Prichard of North Miami Beach Ale House. “Everybody loves to come out. As you can see we fill up for all of the Heat games.”

As the Heat’s lead in the game became bigger, the crowd became louder, showing signs that basketball fans were more than ready to get the season started. “I’m pretty excited, you know, basketball is something we look forward to, it’s a big part of our life,” said Heat fan Yali Goldenberg.

With the blow out win Sunday against the reigning champions, Heat fans are confident this is Miami’s season to win it all. “Honestly, I see them losing not that many games. I think they’re going to do very great this year. They look like they’re hungry, they’re ready for it,” said Heat fan Alex Bello.

The Heat’s home opener is on Tuesday Dec. 27 against the Boston Celtics.

(Copyright 2011 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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

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