Star-studded Miami Heat to make debut tonight
It’s probably fair to say that this won't be your average pre-season game, especially when tickets are selling online for $250 for a game that doesn’t even count.
The star-studded Miami Heat will take on the Detroit Pistons tonight at 7 pm in Miami. It will be the first opportunity for fans to see the superstar trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade,
and Chris Bosh in action on the court. The Heat have been the talk of the league all summer-long ever since James decided to team up with his two buddies to make a serious run at numerous NBA championships over the next few years. James is excited for his
Heat debut in a game that will be covered by two television crews, not the norm for a pre-season match.
"We're ready to play the game," said James, the two-time reigning NBA MVP. "We're going to let the game do a lot of the talking. We know we've got to answer a lot of questions every day
from you guys, but when we get out on the court, it's all business."
While there is a lot of attention surrounding this game, it may end up being a little anti-climactic. The pre-season is generally used as an opportunity for coaches to give minutes to
some of their less-proven players, to figure out rotations, and to test out plays. Erik Spoelstra, coach of the Heat, will have 19 players available to him tonight, meaning four of them will be cut. This means he’ll likely play many players not named James,
Wade, and Bosh, in order to evaluate them. He also has to solidify the starting line-up which should include point-guard Carlos Arroyo and centre Joel Anthony. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t excited to coach his three All-Stars for the first time.
"I want these guys to enjoy it," Spoelstra said. "As much of a reward as we can give them playing in front of our home fans, I want them to do that. I want them to play the right way,
the way we've been trying to establish this week, but they've been working extremely hard. I think they're just looking forward to playing against someone else right now."
Perhaps Wade gave the clearest sign that the All-Star trio won’t get a whole lot of playing time.
"Get there early," Wade advised those attending. "Not planning on being on the court too long."
Attendance at the two Heat pre-season games played at home last season was 10,064 and 10,096. For tonight’s game, expectations are that the arena will draw in 19,600 fans, putting the
American Airlines Arena at capacity.
"The energy coming from the crowd, their emotion, it's going to boost our energy and our emotions," said Heat forward Udonis Haslem. "But we still understand that it's a pre-season game.
We're not going to do everything right. We have some kinks to work out and this is the time to do it."
The Pistons, who will be playing their first game of the season as well, are well aware that the atmosphere for tonight’s game might make it feel like a play-off game.
"Everybody can't wait," said Pistons guard Richard Hamilton. "I think the whole NBA, the fans, everybody's excited about what they got in Miami and they can't wait to see how those guys
play together."
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