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

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

Miami Heat Smashes Magic in Preseason Opener

Miami Heat Ruins Mavericks’ Championship Party

Miami Heat Improve to 4-0

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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.

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

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.

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

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.”

___

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

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

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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DALLAS —
It didn’t take long for Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to develop an early theme to this season.

In fact, it was a simple pregame act that set a symbolic tone, rather than the clever phrase or repurposed military reference that tended to inspire last season’s rallying cries.

Before the Mavericks had their brief, faintly emotional and surprisingly traditional banner-raising ceremony, the Heat quietly stepped away, heading to the hallways of the American Airlines Center rather than watch highlights of memorable Mavericks moments produced on Miami’s home floor.

It wasn’t a dismissive act. It wasn’t a defiant act. It wasn’t even an uncommon act.

It was simply an expression of what the Heat is at the moment: a team playing in the present and looking toward the future.

Reliving the past isn’t what this team wants to do, regardless if every outsider believes last season’s failure is what should motivate this group every moment of every game.

“It’s not about last season’s storylines,” Spoelstra said. “We already left last year behind.”

It’s not only an intelligent way to approach this second season of Mega-Heat, but it’s also largely true that this season should feel like a different experience for the Heat.

DIFFERENT FEEL

Last season was about learning each other and learning on the fly. It was about living up to mostly self-created expectations. It was about fighting off critics and adjusting to elevated scrutiny. It was as much about nonbasketball storylines as it was actual basketball.

This season has a different feel.

It’s about adjustments to last year, yes. But it’s not about redemption or attempting to right a wrong.

This is about growth and reaching a potential the team saw only flashes of last season.

And in this delayed opening game of the season, the one that didn’t start with a group of Heat players strolling down bitter-memory lane, the Heat displayed just how different this team can be.

“We played exactly how we wanted to play,” Chris Bosh said.

It’s a frightening thought that this team can say, with such short preparation time, that it played a game exactly as planned.

But you could see it from the start, with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade continuing the approach established during the preseason. A game dominated by a quick pace, aggressive attacks, ball movement and, of course, both LeBron and Wade spending extra time in the low-post rather than navigating through multiple defenders before even reaching the paint.

This was a team that clearly wasn’t concerned about external chatter, which affected last year’s Heat. This was just a team determined to perfect its style of play, and a few individuals determined to display shiny new elements of their game.

When you have those thoughts running through your head, it’s easy to shake off the past and concentrate on the right now.

“This was about us,” Spoelstra said. “About our journey.”

WHAT’S AHEAD

If this is the version of the Heat we’re going to see all season — and it’s impossible to determine considering how ragged the re-tooled Mavericks looked on a day that was as much about celebration for them as it was competition — then the rest of the NBA should’ve spent at least one brief moment shuddering on Christmas Day in anticipation of what’s to come.

Gotta run!.

NBA commissioner David Stern attended Sunday’s opener at American Airlines Center and spoke to reporters about the Heat, LeBron James and his public-relations bungling of Chris Paul’s trade, among other things.

Despite so many predictions of the Heat winning the championship, Stern cautioned against “mailing the trophy” to Miami before the season. Stern reminded reporters that he said the same thing last season, and the Mavericks surprised everyone with its run to the championship.

Stern hopes the lockout doesn’t interfere with the growth of the league, which celebrated one of its most exciting season’s last year. The Heat was at the center of the storm, and its three-star lineup stirred plenty of emotions around the league. Stern said the Heat’s collection of stars was good for the popularity of league.

“The Heat [is] interesting and a fun team, so they engender a lot of enthusiasm and following,” Stern said.

Always with an eye on his league’s top players, Stern said he’s looking forward to watching James mature emotionally this season. James has acknowledged personal growth during the offseason.

“I see a level of acceptance of maturity that’s fun to watch grow,” Stern said. “He’s clearly saying that he might have said a few things differently, and he’s going let his talent do the talking, and I think that’s pretty exciting. He’s got some pretty exciting talent.”

As for nixing the move of Paul to the Lakers, Stern said he did a poor job of communicating the reason for killing the deal. At the time, Stern’s only explanation for stopping the trade was “basketball reasons.”

“I don’t think it affected the integrity of the league,” Stern said. “I do think I could have done a better communications job coming out of it, but I elected not to. I think I didn’t get the point out … that I was acting as the owners’ representative, meaning the owner of the Hornets, and that’s something that was lost in the media frenzy.”

Odom ejected

Mavericks reserve Lamar Odom didn’t make the best impression with his new team Sunday. Odom, the former Laker, played just 13 minutes before being ejected for back-to-back technical fouls in the third quarter.

The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season, Odom was traded to the Mavericks during training camp. His wife and reality TV star, Khloe Kardashian attended the game. Odom was 1 of 6 from the field with four points.

“[Miami] hit a lot of tough shots [Sunday],” Odom said. “But we didn’t do a good job of getting back and rolling them out.

“You can’t meet those guys at the rim. They’re too athletic.”

Cole’s debut

Norris Cole: get used to the name.

The Heat’s backup point guard wasted little time introducing himself to NBA fans Sunday, playing nearly 24 minutes in his regular-season debut. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised the fearlessness of his rookie, who scored seven points on 3-of-8 shooting to go along with two rebounds, three assists and four turnovers.

By comparison, Heat starting point guard Mario Chalmers played 42 more seconds and scored three points with four assists, four steals and two turnovers.

“We have good veteran leadership here, so they made me feel comfortable on the court,” Cole said. “I didn’t really get nervous.”

Not much else going on in the NBA world today.

DALLAS —
Dwyane Wade did two things on the basketball court Sunday for the first time in his life.

First, there was the fantastically instinctual tip-pass, alley-oop from LeBron James that Wade finished with a two-handed dunk. Wade had never seen anything like it before Sunday, let alone participated in such split-second magic. Even the Mavericks’ fans had to gasp in awe after that one.

Then the buzzer sounded and Wade, for the first time, defeated the Mavericks on their home court during the regular season. The Heat’s 105-94 victory over the defending NBA champions was Miami’s first win in Dallas during the regular season since March 2002.

Wade downplayed the significance of the Heat’s win, calling it “just one game,” but he said nearly everything felt familiar about his team despite the long break during the lockout. That’s a good sign given the NBA’s frantic schedule between now and the playoffs, which will leave little time for practices.

“We’re a little bit more together,” Wade said. “We’re getting into our game a little. We’re just more comfortable with each other.”

Never was that familiarity more apparent than during the fast break in the third quarter that ended in the Chalmers-to-James-to-Wade alley-oop. The play already could be considered a contender for best of the season — never mind it occurring in the first game.

The sequence went like this:

Mario Chalmers stripped Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki and Wade gathered the loose ball to begin the fastbreak. Wade passed the ball back to Chalmers, who rushed forward across midcourt and lobbed an alley-oop to LeBron James, who was sprinting down the opposite wing.

The alley-oop was well defended, denying James the dunk. Instead of attempting a poor shot, James spotted Wade in his periphery and, in mid air, tipped a pass to his trailing teammate. Wade, uncovered, finished the play with a dunk.

“When [Chalmers] threw it, obviously Shawn Marion had great position, so I thought to myself, ‘Oh, wait. I know LeBron. I know how intelligent he is.’ I said, ‘Oh wait. I think he might tip it to me.’

“So, I kept running and he did. I’ve never been on the end of that one, so that was a first for me.”

James finished with six assists to go along with 10 rebounds and 37 points, 15 of which came in the third quarter.

He was 15 of 19 from the free-throw line and had two blocks and two steals.

The Heat led by 32 points entering the final period on a day the Mavericks raised their championship banner.

The Mavericks defeated the Heat in six games to win last season’s NBA Finals. Naturally, the circumstances of Sunday’s season opener provided a little extra motivation for the Heat.

The team remained in the locker room during the pregame banner-raising ceremony and then took the court with singular purpose: running the Mavs out of their own gym.

Wade finished with 26 points on 11 of 21 shooting. He had eight rebounds, six assists, a block and a steal. The 63 points provided by James and Wade — 60 percent of the Heat’s offense— was more than enough to make up for an off night for Chris Bosh, who had four points on 2 of 9 shooting in less than 24 minutes. Bosh managed seven rebounds despite being limited by foul trouble.

The Heat outrebounded the Mavs 51-31 and outscored Dallas 31-10 in fastbreak points.

“It was a good business-professional win for us tonight to get this thing started,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

“We understand that is going to be a wild journey for everybody with all the condensed games coming one after another.”

“It’s not about last year’s storyline; it’s not about anything else other than trying to establish our season on the right note.”

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