Wade and James star as Miami trounce the Cavaliers 117-90 – (Part 1)
There is very little any team in the league can do when the Miami Heat get their game flowing, let alone an embattled Cleveland outfit that is on the brink of conceding the NBA’s worst ever losing-streak.
On Monday night, the Wine and Gold faced an all too familiar foe, as they suited up to face their one time team-mate LeBron James. The two-time reigning MVP had showcased his softer side for his struggling former club pre-match. On the court however, the dazzling forward changed his tone pretty quickly, as he ran riot to hound the very club that once launched him.
The change of fortunes has been very drastic for the Cleveland Cavaliers. From being the first team that notched up 40 wins last season, this time around, the Cavs have become the first team to lose 40 games. After an 8-9 opening record this season, the Cavaliers find themselves in a wretched slump, which has seen them lose 31 of their last 32 matches.
Cleveland’s problems have been aggravated by the fact that many of their star players are missing. While Shaquille O’ Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas followed James’ path to leave the club, Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams, Leon Powe and Daniel Gibson are all on the sidelines due to various injury problems. In fact, their roster has changed so much that even James could not recognise many in the team, which he ditched last season.
Miami’s case is exactly the opposite.
After displaying bouts of offensive prowess in a marathon encounter against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night – the first time the Big Three got back together following a spate of injuries – the trio from South Beach were back to their offensive best as they combined to trounce the listless Cavs 117-90.
Dwyane Wade continued his excellent run following a two-match injury layoff. The prolific sharp-shooter pounded 30 plus points for the second consecutive night, scoring 34 on 13-of-21 from the field, and complemented it with seven rebounds and five assists. James wasn’t far off either. After being named the ‘Player of the Week’ for the second time in the month earlier in the day, the dazzling forward backed up his laurels with 24 points and eight assists.
Chris Bosh had 10 points and seven boards as Miami coach Erik Spoelstra took him off after just 26 minutes of play. His absence though didn’t mean much on the night as another ex-Cavalier, Zydrunas Ilgauskas fetched 12 points and 14 rebounds to fill the void. Eddie House, the hero of the last match against the Thunder, chipped in with 12 points while new found prodigy Mike Miller came off the bench to score a 10 point and 11 rebound double-double.
In an all round display, the Heat outplayed the Cavs in every department of the game. They out-rebounded the visitors 49-39, cleaned them up 15-13 on the offensive glass, had four more fast break points and thumped them 50-38 in the paint. The Heat coach was ecstatic after the game.
Erik Spoelstra said, "Every coach would love to see that 48 minutes of perfect basketball. We want to build those habits where we're not having blocks in games where there are empty possessions. We're working toward that. We know that we're capable of more."
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