The Miami Heat kicked off 2012 with a dominant performance against the Charlotte Bobcats, walking away with the 129-90 victory on Jan. 1.

The Heat took control in the very first quarter of the second encounter between the two teams this season, building up an 18 point lead in the opening twelve minutes. Miami kept their pace up in the second quarter, increasing their lead to 28 points by halftime. The Heat continued their dominance in the second half of the game, handing the Bobcats their most lopsided loss of the season.

Miami’s offense was firing on all cylinders against the Bobcats, shooting 60 percent from the field. The Heat were even more successful from beyond the arc, converting on 64 percent of their attempts from long range.

Forward Chris Bosh led Miami against the Bobcats, shooting 69 percent from the field. Bosh finished with the only double-double of the game, putting up 24 points and 10 rebounds against the Bobcats.

Dwyane Wade was the second highest scorer for the Heat, putting up 22 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds. LeBron James had his lowest scoring game of the 2011/12 NBA season, but he was still effective for the Heat, shooting 60 percent from the field and finishing with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.

Mario Chalmers was lights out from beyond the arc, going 4-4 from long range. Chalmers missed only one shot against the Bobcats, walking away with 16 points and 5 assists.

Miami’s bench had their best performance of the season against the Bobcats, finishing with a combined 43 points and 17 rebounds.

Rookie Norris Cole had another solid outing for Miami, putting up 16 points (shooting 75 percent from the field), 9 assists and 3 steals. Udonis Haslem also gave the Heat some quality minutes coming off the bench, finishing with six points and nine rebounds.

Miami’s next game will be against the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 2, and they should be able to keep their undefeated record intact.

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:

Player and game information from ESPN.com

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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

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

Heat 103, T’wolves 101

MINNEAPOLIS — Dwyane Wade wasn’t about to let the Minnesota Timberwolves spoil LeBron James’ birthday.

Wade hit a jumper from the wing, then scored on an inbounds pass from James with 4.6 seconds to play to lift the undefeated Heat to a 103-101 victory over the Wolves on Friday night.

Playing on a sore foot, Wade finished with 19 points, while James had 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds on his 27th birthday.

Ricky Rubio had 12 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, and Kevin Love had 25 points and 12 boards for the Timberwolves, who led 100-99 with 55 seconds to play.

But Wade hit a jumper and then lost Rubio on an inbounds play to make the winning bucket, one game after beating Charlotte with a last-second shot.

It was a crushing defeat for the upstart Wolves, who had the mighty Heat on the ropes all fourth quarter thanks to Rubio’s brilliance. The Spanish rookie fed open teammates for easy buckets and hit a 3-pointer with 2:28 to play that gave them a 98-94 lead.

But James scored on a crucial three-point play and Anthony Tolliver missed two key free throws in the final minute to give Wade a chance to steal it.

Bucks 102, Wizards 81

MILWAUKEE — Brandon Jennings scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half to lead Milwaukee over winless Washington. Jordan Crawford led Washington (0-3) with 24 points.

Mavs 99, Raptors 86

DALLAS — Reserve center Ian Mahinmi scored a career-high 19 points, Dirk Nowitzki contributed 18, and the reigning NBA champion Mavericks rallied for their first win of the season.

Jason Terry added 17 points for the Mavericks (1-3).

Andrea Bargnani scored 30 points for the Raptors.

suns 93, Hornets 78

NEW ORLEANS — Hakim Warrick scored 18 points in a reserve role, and Phoenix won for the first time.

Channing Frye added 10 points and 16 rebounds for the Suns. Carl Landry led New Orleans with 17 points.

hawks 105, nets 98

ATLANTA — Jeff Teague scored 22 points, Joe Johnson added 21 and the Atlanta Hawks won their third straight.

Deron Williams finished with 23 points and rookie MarShon Brooks added 21 to lead the Nets who have dropped three straight.

celtics 96, pistons 85

BOSTON — Jermaine O’Neal scored 19 points as Boston won its home opener.

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston and Paul Pierce had 12 in his debut after being sidelined with a bruised right heel.

Greg Monroe had 22 points for Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

pacers 98, cavs 91 (OT)

INDIANAPOLIS — Danny Granger scored nine of his 22 points in overtime to help Indiana beat Cleveland.

Granger shot just 5 of 17 in regulation, but was 3 of 5 in the extra period.

Rookie guard Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 20 points in his best game so far, but missed a layup that would have won the game at the end of regulation.

magic 100, bobcats 79

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dwight Howard had 20 points and 24 rebounds, Ryan Anderson scored 23 points, and Orlando won its third straight.

Corey Maggette led Charlotte (1-2) with 20 points.

jazz 102, 76ers 99

SALT LAKE CITY– Derrick Favors scored a career-high 20 points and added 11 rebounds in his first start for Utah, and the Jazz beat Philadelphia in their home opener.

Favors started at center for Utah in place of Al Jefferson, who did not play because of an inflamed right ankle.

Playing LeBron James any day of the year is enough to make most opponents break out in cold sweats in the middle of the night.

Be one of the unfortunate teams to get a game against King James on his birthday, and you know you’re in for a long night.

James turned a ripe old 27 on Friday, and the Miami Heat star says he always plays with a little extra juice on his birthday.

“My birthday and my mom’s birthday are the two days I feel real, real good about playing basketball,” James said on Friday morning after the team’s shootaround. “I’ve had the luxury of having games on my birthday and my mom’s birthday so we’ll see what happens.”

That could be bad news for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The undefeated Heat play at Target Center in the fifth time in James’ nine seasons that he has played on his birthday.

In four previous birthday games, James has averaged 35.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He’s also shot 55 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range.

So what gets into him on those days?

“You know my birthday when I turned 15 or I turned 9, when I was growing up, it wasn’t the best of days on my birthday,” he said. “To see where I am today, and to be able to turn 21 and be in the NBA and turn 22 and now turn 27 and be a part of this league, it’s a testament. It’s also I’m very humbled that I am able to be here and I’m very blessed.”

James’ best birthday performance came in 2009 when he had 48 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a victory over Atlanta while he was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s also the only time he’s headed home for his birthday cake with a victory.

James had 38 points and seven assists in a loss to Miami in 2008, 33 points and nine boards against Chicago in 2006 and 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a loss to Indiana as a rookie in 2003.

“It’s amazing how many games he gets on his birthday, I’ll tell you that,” Heat star Dwyane Wade said. “He’s had a lot of games on his birthday. The schedule works that way.”

James is playing some of the best basketball of his career early this season for the Heat, who are coming off a disappointing NBA finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks last season. He’s averaging 32.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists in his first three games, and has developed a low-post game to boot.

“He’s been playing exceptionally well,” Wade said. “He’s in a different mind state right now. I expect him to continue the mind state he’s in.

“You can’t always know what that is going to result to, but he always enjoys certain moments. It’s a special moment when you get an opportunity to play on this day. The biggest thing is to try to come out and lead us to a win.”

James said the best birthday present he ever received was the Hummer SUV his mother bought him when he turned 18.

The Timberwolves had their own birthday treat for James when they shut down guard J.J. Barea for the game with a strained right hamstring. The super-quick Barea hurt the Heat in the NBA finals last season and was a major reason the Mavs were able to pull off the upset.

Asked if he will miss chasing Barea around, James didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely not.”

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Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski.