LeBron James stars as Miami Heat crush Orlando Magic 118-85: NBA preseason Recap
Miami Heat was the strongest team last season and did everything right before being massacred by Dallas Mavericks in the finals. Seven months down the lane, they are entering a new season, still as the strongest contenders out
there.
And on Sunday Night, they displayed a trailer of what is to come, by crushing Orlando Magic 118-85 in their preseason opener.
Magic were very much in the game by the end of the first half but after that, Miami changed gears. They outclassed their opponents in each and every facet, be it rebounds, points in the paint or shooting from the floor – Miami
scored 58.7 percent from inside the arc and a phenomenal 88.5 percent from the charity stripe.
The energy levels were extreme throughout the game and even the young players played their part to perfection. A satisfied Miami coach, Erik Spoelstra after the game added
"The adrenaline and energy was certainly pumping early on. Our starters set the tone. Then the young kids came in there and took advantage of the opportunity."
Miami outscored Magic 22-0 on fast break points which just sums up the difference between the pace at which both teams played. Stan Van Gundy, the Magic coach accepted that the Heat were on a whole different plane on the night;
"When you have a team outscore you 22-0 on fast-break points, they're clearly playing at a pace and an energy level higher than what you are," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "And we could not keep up."
LeBron James paced Heat with 19 points while Terrell Harris drained 16 points. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh both finished with 14 each.
For Magic, JJ Redick and Ryan J Anderson both scored game high 22 points each while Jason Richardson pounded 11.
Orlando finished the first frame with a 1 point 22-21 lead. In the second quarter, although they lost the lead early but still managed to stay within touching distance. They were behind at 43-44 with two minutes left in the frame
before Miami initiated a 9-3 run to end the frame at 53-46.
Next two quarters saw a mind blowing assault from Miami. Heat shot 71 percent in the second half and 82 percent alone in the fourth quarter, which saw the host pounding 36 points mostly from the bench.
James and Wade were more than happy on the bench in the final quarter out and when the game ended, LeBron sounded a warning;
"It's good to be back.”
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