HEAT
Intended or not, team made statement Saturday
Despite the Heat attempting to downplay the win over the Lakers, LeBron James' triple-double and the strong defensive play cannot be ignored.
miamiherald.com
Posted on Monday, 12.27.10
BY JOSEPH GOODMAN
jgoodman@MiamiHerald.com
LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James insisted Saturday that the Heat's victory against the Lakers was not a ``statement game.''
``We're not trying to make a statement to anyone,'' James said.
Of course, that's not entirely accurate. During the fourth quarter of the Heat's 96-80 victory against the Lakers, James directed a few pointed statements at Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. The two perennial All-Stars exchanged a series of holiday pleasantries -- or trash talk, depending on your perspective -- as they jogged down the court at Staples Center. In so many words, James was letting Bryant know that the Heat was having a very merry Christmas.
After the game, both James and Bryant chose not to divulge the conversation.
``Just asked him what he got for Christmas,'' Bryant said.
Said James: ``We're just two competitors -- two guys just trying to will their team to victory.''
Fair enough. James' performance spoke for itself. He recorded his third triple-double of the season -- 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. As for Bryant and his Lakers?
``We always suck on Christmas,'' he said.
Now, that's a statement.
ROLE REVERSAL
The direction of the NBA's two most-visible franchises at the moment likely will continue to be the focus of the league now that the Christmas showdown is complete. After back-to-back blowout losses, the Lakers (21-9) are experiencing similar turmoil to what the Heat survived a month ago. Meanwhile, the Heat is on fire.
Winners of 14 of its past 15 games, the Heat (23-9) was 3 ½ games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks and four games ahead of the surging Orlando Magic on Sunday in the Southeast Division.
The Heat returns to action at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday against the New York Knicks at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spoke of trust and poise after Saturday's victory. Before the game, Spoelstra's dry-erase board in the team's locker room highlighted the phrase ``band of brothers.'' Early on this season, building trust among the Heat's Big 3 wasn't easy, but Spoelstra said those difficult times have contributed to the unit's cohesion.
``I don't think people understand that for all three of us, it was a difficult adjustment to make than what we're used to,'' Dwyane Wade said.
James, Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 69 points Saturday. The three players have scored 70 or more points 12 times this season. In the month of December, James is fourth in the league in scoring (26.1 points per game), Wade is fifth (25.6 ppg) and Bosh, averaging 19.1 ppg, is 13th among league forwards in field-goal percentage (52.1).
`A HEAVY LOAD'
``There's no question that [Wade, James and Bosh] carry a heavy load but the balance and the poise and the trust that we've been trying to build is to create a game where we use their talent to make the game easier for the team, but also for each other,'' Spoelstra said. ``That is a tough balance -- where they can be who they've been for years and been so successful with that and yet strike a balance to have a trust and move the ball.''
Have the Big 3 bought in entirely to the trust factor Spoelstra often espouses -- not to mention his demanding defensive schemes? Again, James made that statement Saturday without having to say a word.
Postgame news conferences usually double as a fashion show for the 6-8 forward. On Saturday in Los Angeles, where image is everything, James wore a simple hooded sweatshirt.
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