Heat on Historic Run

[AU_Tiger_2000]

I haven't heard as much about this as I should (but I don't watch Sportscenter much anymore) but the Miami Heat are 9 games away from breaking the all time win streak record in the NBA.  Last night they were down by 27 in the third quarter before coming back to win.

Heat victories have come in all varieties during their historic streak. But this 24th straight victory, a 98-95 win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday in Cleveland, was downright cruel.

Cleveland led by 27 points at the 7:43 mark of the third quarter, at least in part because Miami spent the first two quarters oscillating between half-hearted execution and forced half-court action. Nothing was clicking for the Heat on either end, and it was clear from the start that Miami showed little concern for a lottery team missing three of its best players in Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao and Dion Waiters.

That disregard — coupled with an uncharacteristic off night — almost came to be Miami’s undoing, until a second-half supernova completely shifted the margin and momentum. Once the Cavaliers peaked at 67-40, they were shaken out of rhythm by a thunderous Miami run, and outscored 58-28 the rest of the way by the raw power of the Heat’s playing as the Heat so often do.

[LeBron fan rushes onto court urging return to Cleveland]

Over those final 19 minutes, a game’s worth of errors were undone. The sloppy passing that plagued the Heat throughout their brutal first half vanished, as Miami committed just three turnovers while scoring 18 field goals and attempting 18 free throws down the stretch. The rebounding battle — which had so decisively leaned in Cleveland’s favor early — flipped on a dime, as the Heat made up ground by picking up nine extra possessions via offensive rebounds.

That’s where LeBron James was wonderfully effective. Though James is a terrific rebounder, he bested even his own lofty standard by grabbing 10 boards — including six on the offensive end — during the comeback. To put that number in perspective, the Cavaliers as a team totaled just 11 rebounds in that same stretch after dominating the offensive glass to help build their lead in the first place. They crumbled offensively without the benefit of so many extra scoring chances. Even at its best, Cleveland is a team that relies heavily on outworking its opponents, and once that hustle was mitigated by an engaged Heat team, the lead dissipated and a streak-breaking venture withered away.

It’s unfair that Miami is this good, and that it could spot an opponent a 27-point lead before snatching it away. But that, more than anything, is the prevailing story of this season, as the Heat continue an improbable streak (they are now nine victories from matching the 1971-72 Lakers’ record of 33 victories in a row) by exploiting every bit of their advantage over the rest of the field. On some nights, even a half-measure from Miami will be good enough for an easy, double-digit win, and on this occasion a quarter and a half of superior play was all it took to mount an incredible reversal of fortune and create a chance to keep the NBA’s second-longest winning streak alive.

[Leak from scoreboard delays Heat-Cavaliers game]

Dwyane Wade struggled with just 11 points on 11 shots, but James marched all the way to a triple-double (25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists) to compensate. Miami gave up buckets to C.J. Miles (10 points, all in the first half), Tristan Thompson (18 points and eight rebounds) and Wayne Ellington (20 points, seven rebounds, four assists), but countered with a flurry of threes during a pivotal stretch and one of Mario Chalmers’ (17 points, 3-of-6 three-pointers) better performances of the season.

Every minute of Miami’s woe is met with an overwhelming response borne of honed talents and wise execution, good enough to top most every opponent and empirically so for the last 24. The Heat have beaten the league’s best, rallied from deficits as substantial as this one and stand as convincing title favorites. All that’s left for James, Wade, Chris Bosh and their teammates is the pursuit of history itself, and the impossible quest to break an unbreakable record.

[Snaggletiger]

I've been following it pretty close the last couple of weeks.  They've pulled the last 2 games out of dat' ass after big deficits on the road.  Boston had them dead in the water a few nights ago too and the Heat came back late and closed it out.

[Snaggletiger]

Up to 27 now.  Pretty amazing stuff.

[ssgaufan]

I hope when they are playing in their 33rd game of this streak, that they get fucking ass raped.  I put these overpaid bitches right next to the yankees in terms of teams I hate.

[Snaggletiger]

I hope when they are playing in their 33rd game of this streak, that they get fucking ass raped.  I put these overpaid bitches right next to the yankees in terms of teams I hate.

I'm detecting a hint of hostility towards the Miami Heat.

[GH2001]

I hope when they are playing in their 33rd game of this streak, that they get fucking ass raped.  I put these overpaid bitches right next to the yankees in terms of teams I hate.

The lakers payroll is 101 million and 18 million more than the heat. Just sayin...

[ssgaufan]

The lakers payroll is 101 million and 18 million more than the heat. Just sayin...

Can't stand those cry baby bitches either.  Hate the Patriots too.

[GH2001]

Can't stand those cry baby bitches either.  Hate the Patriots too.

I think also the bulls, clippers, spurs and celtics are all about in the same range as the heat on payroll - high 70s to mid 80s. The heat just get a lot of attention because of the big three.

The lakers are def the Yankees of the nba in terms of payroll.

[Snaggletiger]

All that aside, I'm a fan of teh NBA's and while I have no dog in the fight where the Heat are concerned, I love watching LeBron and D.Wade play. I've seen Wade throw two alley-oop passes this year to James that went the length of the court.  Rebound...fling it....slam! 

[AU_Tiger_2000]

I hope when they are playing in their 33rd game of this streak, that they get fudgeing ass raped.  I put these overpaid bitches right next to the yankees in terms of teams I hate.

I hope they get to the streak just so they can knock Wilt out of the record book.

[AUTiger1]

People still watch the In-Bee-eh?   Lolwut!

I have been keeping up with this and caught a few games.  Pretty damn amazing what they are doing.

[Buzz Killington]

I hope they get to the streak just so they can knock Wilt out of the record book.

I think they have already broken one of his records...

[Snaggletiger]

Oh-Va  Stopped at 27.  I thought the Heat would cruise last night with DWade back in the line up and Joakimoah Noah out for Da Bulls. 

[GH2001]

Oh-Va  Stopped at 27.  I thought the Heat would cruise last night with DWade back in the line up and Joakimoah Noah out for Da Bulls.

Easy to do when the refs call fouls for every little time a heat player touched a bull in the last 6 mins. Not a fan of either team but I hate it in fb or basketball when refs dictate the end of a game by not letting the players play. The fouls on lebron and battier at the end were just ridiculous.

[AU_Tiger_2000]

I didn't get to see the end, but watched the beginning and thought the Heat might be in trouble.  Carlos Boozer could have shot the ball out of his butt in the first quarter and it would go in. 

[AUTiger1]

Easy to do when the refs call fouls for every little time a heat player touched a bull in the last 6 mins. Not a fan of either team but I hate it in fb or basketball when refs dictate the end of a game by not letting the players play. The fouls on lebron and battier at the end were just ridiculous.

Gonna agree with GH here.  I watched a lot of it and damn the refs were awful.  I think you all know that my stance on the NBA is not very high so I don't care who wins what, but I did hate seeing the refs screw the Heat like they did last night.

[GH2001]

I didn't get to see the end, but watched the beginning and thought the Heat might be in trouble.  Carlos Boozer could have shot the ball out of his butt in the first quarter and it would go in.

Boozer got away with everything but anyone who barely touched him got called. Dude can't hit a FT to save his life though.

It seemed like anytime the heat had momentum at the end and were going to run away with it, there was an opportune foul that would "occur".