.500 is now a distant memory. Sure the Heat are only two games above the average mark, but believe, trust me, this team is anything but average. When the season ends, and the Heat are the second playoff seed (just like last year), the Eastern Conference is going to be shaking in their proverbial boots.

One of those Eastern Conference teams just got smoked in Miami. The Chicago Bulls got slaughtered 103-70. The main killers were Shaq (24 points, 9 rebounds and 8 dimes), and Old Man Eddie Jones (23 points, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks). Who knew Eddie still had it in him! He has been more than anyone could have expected since the Heat signed him a couple of weeks ago. The crowd loves this guy. He gets an "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie" chant every time he drills a three.

Miami clamped down on "D" holding the Bulls to only 27 second half points. Oh, and James Posey drew six offensive charges, if you need him. Zo had four blocks in only 11 minutes of playing time. Everyone was getting into the act. Jwil had two steals to go along with seven assists and five points. Even Walker showed some defense with two blocks. His 10 boards, 14 points and five assists weren't bad either.

Basically, the entire league is in serious trouble. If the Heat are going to play this well without their best player, just think about how deadly they are going to be when he returns. I can name about 15 teams who don't want to think about that right now.

That's pretty pathetic.

But that's the way it has been for the NBA Champs. Injuries, lack of focus and uninspired play prevented Miami from looking anything like a championship team. Just when things started to turn for Heat, their best player, their "Superman", D-Wade went down with a dislocated shoulder. To some scribes and bloggers, the season was over. Finished.

The Heat had different ideas. Instead of packing it in, they decided to step up. Particularly, Shaq. He's looking more like the Shaq from the Lakers. The Shaq who won three championships. Not the 35-year-old Shaq who looks soft, fat and old. He's gone back to his ghetto game, and just at the right time.

Miami defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 88-81. The Heat were led by Eddie Jones, who had his coming out party since rejoining Miami a couple of weeks ago. He finished with 21 points, 4 for 7 from downtown. Shaq had another soild game, 14 points and 9 boards. On a side note, the Heat sustained another injury. This time it was Jason Kapono who suffered a high ankle sprain. Dorell Wright will be filling in for Kapono until he returns.

The win puts Miami (30-29) in the sixth playoff spot, and only 3 1/2 games out of first place in the Southeast Conference. The Heat are making their playoff push at the perfect time. The league is ripe for the taking. They have a favorable schedule with a ton of home games. Wade has decided to delay sugery, and is hoping to be back in a couple of weeks for the playoffs. If he is able to get anywhere near what he was before the injury, the Heat will be the team to beat all the way through the playoffs for the East.

Not only are the Miami Heat going to be in the playoffs, they are going to win the Southeast Division.

Who is going to stop them? The Wizards? The Magic? Please.

Miami went to D.C. had lunch with the Prez, and then punched the Southeast Division leaders in the mouth, hand cuffing them to 83 points (22 points below their average) and holding Agent Zero to only 15 points (0 for 8 from 3).

Jwil and Shaq led the Heat with 23 points each as Miami took it to Washington on offense and denied them on defense. The three-headed monster of Posey, Payton and Jones did a great job of frustrating Gilbert Arenas and forcing him into bad shots. Udonis Haslem came back from the dead to put up an impressive double/double, 12 points, 16 rebounds (7 were offensive). All in all, an excellent team effort.

The Heat are currently in second place in the Southeast, and are only 3 1/2 games out of first. With the next five games at home (one of those against Washington), and the majority of the remaining games against sub-.500 teams, Miami is in excellent position to take back what's theirs. First place.

I was there along with Brian from depressedfan.com, in Section 344, Row E, which by the way, are great seats. Our pregame warm ups were just as impressive as the game itself. Combined we put away three foot-long hot dogs, one 24 oz Coke, one 32 oz Coke, two jumbo hot pretzels and one large bucket of French fries from Ranch 1. Now that's how you get ready for a Knicks/Heat game!!!!

The first three quarters were a complete yawn. For the most part, the Knicks led. Jwil was keeping the Heat in the game with 3's, he finished with 15 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds. In the fourth, the Heat regained the lead led by Jason Kapono, who once again struggled in the first half. He hit some 3's, but did most of his damage with 12-foot jumpers. He finished with 24, but had three turnovers, all were costly and all led to points for the Knicks.

Eddy Curry was taking it to Miami the entire game. Even Brian was impressed with his double/double. He finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds. The Heat couldn't stop him, and he lived at the line. Actually, the Knicks entire team lived at the line. They were 30-39, compared to Miami's 5-8.

In the fourth, Starbury woke up and blew up the Heat. The Garden came alive with every basket he made. He hit some big 3's, scored on a couple of three-point plays and drove to the hole for easy lay-ups around Shaq's old, big body. Steph finished with 25. In the end, he and Crawford were too much for the Heat and the Knicks came away with the win.

The Heat lost this game because of two things; they didn't finish at the end of quarters, and the Knicks proficiency from behind the arch. In both the first and second quarters, New York ended the quarter with an unanswered three. That's the difference in the game.

Pat Riley says that since Dwyane Wade is out with a dislocated shoulder, Miami has to become more of a defensive team. That's exactly what they were against the Cavs. They held them to only 38 points in the first half. They completely shut the Cavs bench down, and held Le Bron to only 29 points.

The Wade-less Heat were methodical and deliberate on offensive. Walk the ball up the court, throw it into Shaq, if no double team comes, Shaq dribbles twice and puts up a shot. If the double comes, Shaq throws it out to the perimeter and the ball gets passed around until a open shooter is found. It's very boring to watch, but get used to it because that's how the rest of the season is going to be until Wade gets back.

Through three quarters, Shaq was the only Heat player scoring consistently. Finally, in the fourth, other players started to contribute. Gary Payton and Walker chipped in with some nice assists, Alonzo Mourning had 15 points and Pocket Fulla Posey had some key baskets. Jason Kapono, who did his best impression of me through the first three quarters, going 1-11, started to hit some shots in the fourth. He hit a couple of deep jumpers and then nailed a deep three in the corner. He finished with 17 points.

Tomorrow the Heat will be in New York to face the Knicks. I will be there, live and in person along with BBF owner and president, Brian. You know, for someone who hates the Knicks, Brian sure attends a lot of their games. This will be his second of the year. If anyone is interested, we will be signing autographs for 30 minutes before the game in front of Section 349.

Pistons

Cavs

Raptors

Heat

Knicks

Bulls

Wizards

Pacers

They got their revenge to the tune of 112-100.

The Mavs have the best record in the league at 45-9, and when they took the floor against Miami they looked like the best team in the NBA. Both teams had a lot of energy in the first quarter, but in the second, Dallas blitzkrieged the Heat. They outscored Miami 39-21.

Miami trailed at half time 65-42. It's the second night in a row the Heat allowed an opponent to score in the 60's in the first half.

The Heat struggled to score without D-Wade. They dumped the ball into Shaq on almost every possession. Shaq did what he could, but he's still not in shape. He often fumbled the ball and settled for lay-up attempts instead of going to his ghetto game and dunking everything within five feet of the rim. He was active again though, for the second night in a row. He finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds.

Jason Williams was back in the starting line up for the first time in weeks. He looked good running the team, but the Heat looked confused on offense. It's obvious they need a couple of practices to figure out how they are going to play without Wade. Williams finished with 13 points and four assists. 

A big problem for Miami in these last two games is the play from the power forward position. Udonis Haslem and Antoine Walker have given them nothing. Haslem had some points in garbage time, turned the ball over several times and missed several easy baskets. Walker was ejected late in the third quarter for a hard foul on Dirk Nowitzki. Walker finished with two points.

The Heat will take on the Cavs on Sunday. Between now and then, they need to figure out where they are going to go on offense. Shaq's the number one option, but when he's doubled or not hitting his shots the Heat need to identify a second scorer. Their best options are either Kapono or Jwil. Both players need to take advantage of this opportunity, and show the league what they are capable of.

Pat Riley made his return to the team after missing several weeks with hip and knee operations. The Heat came into the game with a .500 record and seemingly had momentum in their favor.

Miami started the game slowly and their defense was non-existent. The Rockets came out looking more like the Suns. Everyone was getting in the act for the Rockets and they jumped out to a quick lead.

Too much D-Wade in the first half for the Heat. He was 5-15 and turning the ball over every time he touched it. Udonis was absolutely invisible in the first half along with Kapono.

Tracy McGrady started hot hitting his first four shots, but pulled his groin in the first quarter and left the game for a couple of minutes. He came back and continued to be effective. He finished with 32 points.

Rockets led 63-48 at halftime.

In the third, the Heat showed more defensive intensity. Wade was more under control and made some fantastic three point plays. There is no one better in the game at drawing the foul and making the basket. 

The Heat started the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run cutting the deficit to nine, 89-80. Wade was starting to take over the game. He was feeling it. With about nine minutes left in the game, Wade reached in on Shane Battier trying to strip the ball and got his arm jammed. He doubled over in pain holding his left arm. He went to the bench and the training staff went to work on him.

If you have seen enough Heat games, you know that Wade does this type of thing often. It's an act. He uses the opportunity to catch his breath and make the refs think that he's getting killed on floor. I thought Wade was faking it. The cameras showed Wade grimacing in pain and sitting on the bench not moving his arm.

Then they got out the wheelchair.

It was obvious that Wade was really hurt.

Wade had X-rays taken at the Houston arena on his shoulder and they were inconclusive. So he was placed on a stretcher and taken to a local Houston hospital for more X-rays and diagnosis. He will not travel with the team to Dallas tonight. He is reported to have a dislocated shoulder.

The diagnosis for the Heat is not good. Without Wade, they are going to be in serious trouble. They will still make the playoffs, but in order for them to even get out of the first round, they are going to need him.

The Heat will repeat.

Knicks will make the playoffs. (I have said it all year.)

Sixers will get fifth pick in the draft.

What else matters? Everything else is pretty straight forward. I can't wait to do the baseball predictions!

The night started in Las Vegas with Dwyane Wade winning the Skills Competition. He beat out Kobe Bryant, who couldn't make a chest pass. I guess maybe he should have went to college to learn the basics of the game instead of going right into the NBA. King James and Chris Paul didn't even try in the competition and were knocked out in the first round. Wade is the first player to ever repeat in the Skills Competition.

Jason Kapono won the 3-Point Shootout contest, tying a record set by Mark Price with 24 points in the final round. He beat out the other two qualifiers Gilbert Arenas and Dirk Nowitzki.

Kapono shot first in both rounds of the contest. In the first round, he scored a strong 19 points. It put a lot of pressure on the other guys. Damon Jones, Mike Miller and Jason Terry quickly choked, falling far out of the competition. Gilbert Arenas went "hibachi" and lit up the basket and crowd with 21 points. Nowitizki followed with a score of 20.

Kapono started again in the second round and was just killing it! He made 16 of his last 18 baskets. When his score of 24 was announced, Arenas and Dirk knew it was over. Dirk made a feeble attempt and finished with 10. After two racks, Arenas knew it was over and on his final rack, he started shooting one-handed.

Both Kapono and Wade won $35,000 for their efforts. Money well earned.

It's a big day in Miami. Not only did they finally reach the .500 mark, but also Pat Riley announced earlier today that he will be back as head coach after All-Star Weekend.

The Heat put a show on in Miami tonight. It opened and closed with D-Wade dominating the first and fourth quarters. Flash led all scorers with 35 points. Defense also starred in the 104-85 victory over the Portland Trailblazers. The Heat set a season high record with 14 blocks. Shaq had five, Zo had four and Flash had three.

The game wasn't a complete blowout. Give the Trailblazers credit. They played a very competitive game. The first three quarters were very close, but the Heat pulled away in the fourth and outscored the Blazers 31-15.

The game opened with Wade picking up where he left off on Sunday against the Spurs. He came out firing and scored 15 in the first quarter. Brandon Roy not only kept the Blazers in the game, but on top. He practically matched Wade's 15 with 13 of his own in the first. Roy cooled off considerably after that, finishing the game with 15 points.

The contest was back-and-forth from there with the Heat pulling away in the fourth. Wade got the team going with a number of jumpers. Zo energized the crowd with some amazing blocks that led to fast break baskets for guys like Posey, Walker and the Heat's newest addition, Eddie Jones. You could tell in the fourth, that the Heat were really enjoying themselves. They were making the extra pass, finishing on the break and playing tough D.

Riley will be back next week, as well as, Jwil. Ron Rothstein has done an excellent in job in Riley's absence. He amassed a record of 13-9 during 22-game stretch. Riley will be coming back to a team that has turned the corner, and is ready to defend it's championship. Adding Jwil back to the starting lineup will free up Dwyane Wade and allow him to focus more on getting to the hoop and not worrying about setting up his teammates.

I think I might be smelling another championship!

Question No. 1.

Let me start by saying that your love affair with Philip Hughes has got to stop. I have never heard someone talk so much about a pitcher they have never seen pitch. This guy will hopefully stay in the minors all year until the September call-ups. The less I see of Hughes, the better. If he's the Yankees' future, like you and a lot of the local media types claim, than I don't want to see the guy rushed up to the majors.

I'm going to guess that on opening day, Torre is going to start Wang. It will probably be the only move that Torre will make all year that I will agree with.

Torre's starting five in order will be Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Pavono and Igawa. Based on what I currently know, I'm going to have to agree. I will say this though, I'm expecting a big year out of Pavono (15+ wins) because no man can possible be as worthless as he's proven so far. And I'm expecting Pettitte to be a HUGE bust. This isn't the NL. This isn't the same media that covered the Yanks when the Yanks could do no wrong, and he was never that good to begin with. So I wouldn't expect that starting rotation to be the same come September.

Question No. 2.

This is kind of a tricky answer, but I really don't believe there is anyone on the Yanks that can handle the pressure that surrounds the team on a regular basis. That's right, not even Jeter!

Buster Olney was right when he wrote "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty", it's over. The Yanks aren't going to be able to get back to it's winning World Series ways anytime soon. The pressure from the fans, media and players themselves have taken on a life of their own. It's a much different atmosphere than what surrounded the team during the 96'-00' run. Pettitte's about to find that out. Back then there was hope. There was admiration. Pride.

That's all gone now. First place isn't good enough anymore. 100 wins isn't good enough. Division Champions aren't good enough. All that matters is a World Series Championship. When your entire season is based on the ultimate prize, you can't win.

Question No. 3.

To Bernie,

I have hated you from day one when you showed up on the baseball diamond wearing glasses. I want you to know that you are a heartless, emotionless, selfish, most over-rated artist/robot that has ever played the game and no one outside of the Tri-state area even knows who you are. Go die!

Part 3 

Alright, Mike. You are next. See if you can answer these questions three.

     1. Tell me why Joe Torre should be coaching this team after going six years without a championship, and will he be back next year?

     2. If this current team is missing something (i.e. player, manager, GM, intensity, youth), what is it?

     3. For the last several years, the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry has reached an all time high. Especially after the 2004 choke job by the Yanks that reversed the curse. Is the rivalry still as strong as ever? Are the Sox still the Yankees' number one competition. If not, who is? Finally, does the regular season even matter anymore?

Check out the answers to these questions and more at greenpinstripes.com. 

Friday night the Cavs snapped the Miami Heat's five game winning streak, preventing the Heat from reaching the .500 mark, and before the Heat had time to cry about it they had to deal with San Antonio Spurs. Shaq, Wade and Kapono stepped up and the Spurs were unable to flop their way to a victory. They lost 100-85.

It was a nice win for the Heat, who came out with a lot of energy. Shaq got Miami going by scoring, pretty much at will, and holding his own on defense. Kapono was the man in the first half for the Heat on offense. He came out jab stepping, quick shooting and taking to the rim. He's really stepped up as a third scorer while Jwil's been out with a torn oblique. Wade struggled in the first half. He was trying to get himself going, but most of it resulted in foul shots. Miami went into halftime trailing by one 46-45.

In the third, Miami got it going. With help from the bench, Miami was able to take the lead for good and take control of the game. Shaq was strong. He sat at the end of the third and wasn't needed for the rest of the game. He had 16 points and seven rebounds in only 25 minutes.

This was Eddie Jones' break-out game with the Heat. He finished with 12 points and made some key plays offensively and defensively. He's going to be a bigger addition than I originally thought. He's basically the exact same player as James Posey. They even look alike! Walker had a nice game too, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds.

The fourth quarter was all about D-Wade. He took over. It was very Jordan-like. He scored 18 in the quarter and absolutely dominated the Spurs. With about 6:30 left in the fourth, Wade had two blocks on Tony Parker that basically made my year. On the first block, Parker weaseled his way into the paint for a lay-up attempt. Wade, came out of nowhere and blocked his shot sending it to half court. The Heat blew a chance to capitalize on the fast break. They quickly turned it over and the Spurs quickly moved the ball up court giving Parker a one-on-one opportunity against Wade. After a quick move, the little Frenchman tried for another lay-up only to have it once again blocked! Wade got the ball, dribbled it up court, went up for a shot, and tried to make a quick pass that resulted in a turnover. It wasn't Wade's only one. He had six turnovers. Only one away from Friday night's stellar seven.

You think this team misses Jwil?

YES!

Not really.

Heat win 91-79. Not much more to report.

The Celtics reek. I mean, they are a joke. Me and two of my friends could beat them. Al Jefferson is the only player on that team that has any kind of game. Boston has won 12 games this season and after watching them lose to the Heat tonight, I'm surprised they have won that many.

The Boston Celtics have a ton of problems. Their team is full of pieces that don't fit the puzzle. Guys like Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair. Doc Rivers is an over-rated coach, who seems like a nice guy, but has never been able to win anything at the professional level. Captain of the Titanic, is ex-Celt Danny Ainge. He has made nothing but questionable moves ever since he has taken over the GM position. The once proud organization is about to hit rock bottom and everyone needs to go. The NBA should really consider contracting them. 

However, the biggest problem with the Celtics is their announcers. Hands down.

If you have watched a Boston Celtics game you have had to deal with Mike Gorman, Tommy Heinsohn, and if you are lucky, Bob Cousy. The three worst announcers I have ever heard, at any level, for any sport. It's like watching a game and listening to Mr. Magoo and his two brothers call the game. Now I have nothing against old people, BUT these geezers have to go. They don't pay attention, Gorman and Heinsohn spend the game picking Cousy's brain, which there isn't much left of, listening to him wax poetical about the glory days, and cheer for the Celtics, making them the biggest homers in professional sports.

It all just makes you hate Boston even more. I guess there isn't anything wrong with that.

Miami dominated the Bobcats from start to finish on their way to a 113-93 victory. It's the Heat's fourth win in a row, and are now only two games under .500. 

D-Wade led the team with 27 points, 12 assists and 4 turnovers. But Shaq was the real stand out in the game. This was, without a doubt, Shaq's best game of the year. He finished with 22 points on 10-14 shooting in only 21 minutes of action. Shaq was active and aggressive the entire game. It looks like his conditioning is coming along.

The Heat were still playing without starting point guard Jason Williams. He was dressed for the game, and could have played, but Miami never needed him. Chris Quinn got the first start of his NBA career because Gary Payton had been suspended for one game for the two technical fouls he picked up on Saturday night. Apparently, he didn't exit the court quickly enough after getting ejected, so he got a suspension. Quinn did a nice job filling in for the Mitten. He finished with 14 points and 5 assists.

Honestly, I hope Payton doesn't come back. Chris Quinn isn't John Stockton, but he's decent and makes good decisions. He's also very feisty. He fights for everything he can get.

What was so impressive about this game was the way the Heat led the entire game, and never let the inferior Bobcats get close. That's what big time teams do. They dominate crappy teams, and play tough with good teams. Ok, so the Heat haven't played tough with good teams yet, but this is still a step in the right direction. Not only did they blow the Cats out, but they had a lot of fun doing it. There was all sorts of ball movement, slam dunks, fast break baskets and fantastic shooting. They finished the game shooting a gaudy 62%.

Wednesday night Miami takes on a Pierce-less Boston Celtics team. The Celts have lost 14 in a row, and if all goes well the Heat will make it 15. If they keep getting efforts like tonight, first place shouldn't be far away.