Hot Hot Hoops

BREAKING: Hot Hot Hoops switching over to SB Nation!

fernandez@hothothoops.com (Surya Fernandez) — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:50:07 GMT

It's been a great ride on the Bloguin network but it's time to grab our things and move on. We'd like to thank the Bloguin crew for their support for the past year or so.

The good folks over at SB Nation have made us an offer we couldn't refuse and so we'll be packing up our bags and switching over to their illustrious network in a few short weeks with an all-new HHH logo re-design and site makeover.

Of course, you'll still be getting all the great coverage you've come to expect from Hot Hot Hoops but we'll also be incorporating the writing staff from SB Nation's current Heat blog Peninsula Is Mightier into our fold so you'll get even more content when you need your Miami Heat fix.

While the new site is going through its chrysalis stage, Diego and I will be temporarily filing our reports on the Peninsula Is Mightier site before the all-new Hot Hot Hoops site emerges from its weeks-old cocoon into a glorious butterfly.

So to recap:

1) This isn't a goodbye, you'll just have to temporarily go to Peninsula Is Mightier for our usual Heat coverage while we put on our hard hats and design the new HHH site during the month of May. In the meantime, you can also sign up for an SB Nation account.

2) By the end of the month, you can simply go back to using the same www.HotHotHoops.com URL you've always used and you'll see our impressive new Hot Hot Hoops site with all new features, super-sized writing crew and hopefully a few new surprises here and there.

3) Go Heat!

Dominant fourth quarter puts Heat up 3-0

chiefdiego@gmail.com (Diego Quezada) — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:13:08 GMT

The Miami Heat held a slim 58-56 lead entering the fourth quarter in Game 3 of their first-round series against the New York Knicks. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade struggled mightily in the first half, and James had to sit the final seven minutes of the third quarter because of foul trouble. Both teams struggled to score and take care of the ball.

The final score was 87-70 in favor of Miami.

The Heat utterly dominated the fourth quarter against the Knicks 29-14 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. No NBA team has ever come back from such a deficit and won the series. The Knicks lost their 13^th consecutive playoff game, setting a new NBA record.

James scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, propelling the Heat to quickly blow the game out of the water. Miami increased the lead to 12 with six minutes left on a Mario Chalmers 3-pointer, and the lead crested at 19. Aside from a nice J.R. Smith dunk, the Knicks offered little in the fourth quarter while essentially playing for their season.

Prior to the game, Chris Bosh flew to Miami to witness the birth of his son Jackson in the early morning hours. He took a flight back to New York and arrived just in time for the game, starting for the Heat. Bosh only attempted five shots, and the Heat only ran a few plays for him. But Bosh did grab 10 rebounds in 37 minutes, helping close the rebounding deficit from 33-40 in Game 2 to 40-42 in Game 3.

New York’s 2010 free agent power forward signee missed the game after lacerating his hand after Game 2. But Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks’ 3-point shooters shot poorly from the field. Anthony took 23 shots to score 22 points and committed five turnovers. Both James and Shane Battier frustrated the former Syracuse standout.

As for the Knicks’ shooters, Steve Novak was a non-factor thanks to former Marquette teammate Dwyane Wade’s great defense. On one defensive possession, Wade sprinted to cover a wide-open Novak in the corner and gave him very little airspace, leading to a 24-second violation. New York shot just 4-of-20 from downtown.

James’ foul trouble led Wade to score 11 points in the third quarter, including nailing two 3-pointers. The 2006 NBA Finals MVP finished with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, four rebounds, four assists and five steals. But in the fourth quarter, James and Chalmers did most of the damage. James finished with 32 points on 9-of-21 shooting and 12-of-13 shooting from the foul line, eight rebounds and five assists. Chalmers finished with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field – he made three 3s in the fourth quarter. Mike Miller and Shane Battier combined to shoot 1-for-10 from 3-point land in the game, but Chalmers picked up the slack and made five triples.

The soon-to-be 3-time NBA MVP went on a scoring binge to open the fourth, but James also helped keep the Heat playing aggressively defensively up until the buzzer sounded. The Heat had a 14-point lead with four minutes left, but James met Anthony at the rim and blocked his shot cleanly on one possession. The referees incorrectly called James for the foul, but it sent a message to the Knicks. After Anthony’s second free-throw attempt caromed off the rim, Wade saved the ball from going out of bounds and crashed into his team’s bench. The game was already over then, but the Heat let the Knicks know that they weren't getting anything easily.

Miami will try to finish off the Knicks Sunday at 3:30 on ABC.

Chris Bosh welcomes new baby, status unknown for Game 3 vs Knicks

fernandez@hothothoops.com (Surya Fernandez) — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:07:32 GMT

Looks like the New York Knicks might not be the only team in this series that could miss their power forward due to circumstances beyond the basketball court.

Chris Bosh suddenly flew back to Miami overnight on the eve of Game 3 to be with his wife Adrienne for the impending birth of their child. The above picture is from Adrienne's Instagram account. She finally gave birth at approximately 9:00 AM EST.

It was thought that Chris Bosh would certainly miss out on the pivotal Game 3, where the Heat could take a commanding 3-0 lead or give the Knicks a glimmer of hope of getting back into the series with a feel-good win at their home in Madison Square Garden, but since the labor wrapped up relatively quickly and there doesn't seem to be any complications it's definitely within the realm of possibility that Bosh could hop right back on a private plane and suit up in time for the 7:00 PM tipoff.

In any event, congratulations are in order for the new family and an exciting new chapter in Bosh's life has just begun. Plenty of restless nights and diaper changes are on the horizon for the power forward. The Heat organization is all about putting family first and they certainly would understand if Bosh can't make it for Game 3 but it would be a fantastic story to tell his kid one day that dad was able to stick it to the Knicks right after the birth.

Heat fans will recall that Mike Miller welcomed a daughter Jaelyn into his family during last year's Eastern Conference Finals series against the Chicago Bulls. Jaelyn was born with a heart defect and had to remain hospitalized for two weeks while dad was playing in the NBA Finals. She has since recovered and is healthy now.

We'll find out soon enough what Bosh's status will be for tonight. Stay tuned.

With rotation set, supporting cast contributing

chiefdiego@gmail.com (Diego Quezada) — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:43:43 GMT

Prior to the start of the 2012 NBA playoffs, some worried about the Miami Heat’s rotation, which remained unsettled all through the regular season. Some saw that Mario Chalmers tapered off after the All-Star break, and wondered what that meant for the playoffs. Others expressed concern over the wide-open shots Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier missed, or Mike Miller’s health.

Now, no one voices such unease with the roster. Despite the Knicks’ turn of bad fortune – Iman Shumpert’s ACL tear and now Amar’e Stoudemire's self-inflicted hand laceration – the Heat have played exceptionally well to start the playoffs. Playing their best basketball since prior to the All-Star break, the ancillary players have made timely contributions thanks in part to Erik Spoelstra’s set rotation.

Spoelstra inserted Udonis Haslem into the starting lineup and moved Chris Bosh to the five after the Heat played the Boston Celtics April 10. Perhaps Spoelstra saw that Doc Rivers started his best big men in Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass and decided to do the same instead of worrying about positions and starting Joel Anthony or Ronny Turiaf. Aside from the starting unit, Spoelstra has primarily played Miller, Battier and Joel Anthony off the bench while giving Norris Cole and James Jones spot minutes. Haslem hasn’t played a lot this series, but that’s because Mike Woodson has gone extended stretches with only one big man on the court and four perimeter players. Although Haslem is a better rebounder than Chris Bosh is, Bosh is the superior player and deserves the playing time. If the Heat play a bigger team like the Indiana Pacers in the second round, expect Haslem to play much more. Even while playing just 20 minutes per game in the playoffs, Haslem has grabbed eight boards in each of the two contests.

But the Heat have seen the biggest boost from the perimeter players – Chalmers, Miller and Battier. Aside from starting the Heat’s two best big men, the new starting lineup allows the Heat to use the lineup of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Miller, Haslem and Bosh as early as the midway point of the first quarter. Miller has attempted an average of seven 3s in the first two playoff games. By contrast, he attempted three triples per game in the regular season. If Miller and Battier make those 3-point shots instead of passing them up, the Heat become a dangerous team.

After shooting just 34 percent from 3-point land during the regular season, Battier has shot 5-for-11 from downtown thus far. His 3 with fewer than three minutes left in Game 2 put Miami up 97-83 and shut the door on the game. Although Carmelo Anthony made some jumpers on Battier in the first quarter of Game 2, the former Syracuse standout was much less effective the rest of the way. All in all, Anthony took 26 shots to score 30 points, a ratio the Heat will take. Additionally, Miami didn’t have that extra wing defender to relieve James for stretches last season.

Meanwhile, Chalmers has averaged 12 points and 7.5 assists in Miami’s first two games. He scored Miami’s first six points of the fourth quarter in Game 2 and later made a corner 3 courtesy of a pass from Bosh for nine points in the final stanza of play. The most encouraging sign from Chalmers thus far is that he is playing as more than a 3-point specialist. He’s getting to the basket and drawing fouls. During his rookie season, Chalmers routinely drove in the lane and made floaters and layups. When Wade or James rested in Games 1 and 2, Chalmers has recognized his opportunity to attack.

The Heat have only held serve at home. Although Amar’e Stoudemire will likely miss the rest of the series, Games 3 and 4 will be more about the Heat than the Knicks. Will the Heat put out a shorthanded team on the road, or will Miami get complacent and end up letting the series extend itself? We’ll have to see how the Heat players perform on the road, but the quality production from the supporting cast stands as a good sign.

Heat seize commanding 2-0 series lead over Knicks with balanced attack

fernandez@hothothoops.com (Surya Fernandez) — Tue, 01 May 2012 03:11:36 GMT

The New York Knicks collectively played a solid game with Carmelo Anthony leading the charge with 21 first half points on 9-18 shooting en route to a 30-point night, Amare Stoudemire chipping in 18 points and Tyson Chandler with a much-improved game after playing ineffectively with the flu in the opening game of the series. Yet, it wasn't close to being enough to overcome the Miami Heat in the second half as the home team pulled away for a 104-94 decision that gives them the 2-0 lead that puts them in control of the series.

Such was the frustration after the Knicks lost their 12th straight posteason game, a stretch dating back to April 29, 2001, that a chaotic scene unfolded in the hallway outside the Knicks locker room at the AmericanAirlines Arena after Stoudemire punched the glass enclosure of a fire extinguisher immediately after the game. The corridor, used by a variety of people including members of the media, VIP ticket holders to the game, AAA staff and the Heat dancers, was completely shut off as Miami Dade paramedics rushed to the scene escorted by Knicks personnel. With a laceration to his left hand that likely required stitches, it appears highly doubtful Amare will play on Thursday night for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, a huge blow to a team that already lost Iman Shumpert to a torn ACL in Game 1 and with a hobbled Jeremy Lin still not ready to return from his injury.

The hoopla overshadowed the action in an entertaining game in which the Heat fended off every run the Knicks put together and comfortably held them at bay, with the last tie in the game at the midway point of the second quarter when the score was 39-39. Even with an improved gameplan that held LeBron to 19 points with just 8 field goals and got Carmelo back on track offensively, the Heat was never truly in danger of losing their lead in the second half as starters Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers combined for 59 points.

LeBron may have been held below 20 points but he made his mark in just about every other aspect of the game with 9 assists, 7 rebounds and solid defense against Carmelo, who needed 26 shots to get to 30 points. Wade was particularly aggressive from the start, scoring from a variety of moves towards the basket while practically ignoring his jump shot the entire series. Bosh also was solid, a welcome sign after a quiet opening game in which he only scored 9 points and was timid around the basket area.

Mario Chalmers was quite impressive in the fourth quarter, particularly during the opening minutes while LeBron rested, with 9 points on 3-5 shooting including a three pointer. Mike Miller and Shane Battier each scored 11 points and both went 3-5 from beyond the arc. The Heat kept their turnovers to a minimum with just 8 for the game and tallied 28 assists while the Knicks only had 15, but they were outrebounded 40-33.

"It's a good team win," said Erik Spoelstra. "A lot of guys contributed on both ends of the court. And so ultimately what we talked about is that we did what we were supposed to do. We're already trying to leave this game behind. We've got a couple of days to decompress and then get back to it and try to regenerate this energy and focus."

Game 3 is Thursday night at 7:00 PM in New York.

Heat easily blow out Knicks 100-67 in Game 1

fernandez@hothothoops.com (Surya Fernandez) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:13:36 GMT

The Miami Heat began their quest to win a championship with a sizzling blowout victory over the New York Knicks 100-67 in the opening game of their first-round series. LeBron James was practically unstoppable on offense, scoring 32 points in as many minutes of play to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists, but he also made his mark on defense as well. Dwyane Wade contributed 19 points on a variety of moves towards the basket while strangely not relying on his jumper. Shane Battier also had a fantastic first half on both ends of the floor that caused the Heat fans to give him a standing ovation at the AmericanAirlines Arena. The fans were at their loudest on a day where the Heat came out with plenty of energy to start out with and kept it up throughout no matter what the score was.

"Obviously it was a good win," said Erik Spoelstra after the game. "Our guys had a noticeable look in their eyes the last 24 hours. When you get started in a tough, competitive series like this, in some ways it's better to start without an extra day of prep time to over-analyze and paralyze yourself with too much information. We wanted to just get back to the basics and play to our identity. For the most part, we have to do that by being aggressive and attacking. But we also understand that they're an extremely dangerous team and that's the thing about a long series, that whatever happens we have to be emotionally capable and strong enough now to put it to the side. Now we have 48 hours and it's our responsibility to make sure we have the same look coming into game two."

The Knicks were competitive in the first quarter, largely on the strength of 10 points from Baron Davis (who didn't score a point afterwards) and some careless turnovers from the Heat, but the Knicks essentially lost the game in the second quarter by only mustering 13 points against a suffocating Heat defense. Knicks coach Mike Woodson couldn't really figure out exactly what went wrong so quickly for the Knicks' offense beginning in the second quarter.

"I wish I could explain it. I thought we played well and we came out ready to play the first six minutes. We were playing pretty well and then all hell broke loose. I think we wanted to do so well in the first game and we were playing so quickly that we kind of got out of rhythm. You got to give (the Heat) credit, their defense was solid throughout the whole game. But it's just one game, we've got to bounce back."

Carmelo Anthony was continuously hounded by LeBron James and Shane Battier but was also guarded at times by Mike Miller as well on a forgettable night where he only shot 3-for-15 and closed with just 11 points. LeBron was pleased with the Heat's defensive effort against his good friend but warned the success might be short-lived.

"Our strategy, our system worked for game one but he's a great player and he's going to make adjustments like all great players do. We've got to be ready for him in game two."

Not helping matters for the Knicks was the sudden loss of rookie Iman Shumpert, who crumbled to the floor in pain after attempting a crossover dribble move after crossing the half-court line and blowing out his knee. He will undergo an MRI to find out the severity of the injury. With news that Derrick Rose tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the postseason, the playoff picture has dramatically been altered because of injuries. For the Heat, the blowout gave LeBron and Bosh a chance to rest the entire fourth quarter while Wade played several minutes before being subbed out for Norris Cole. With the second game of the series in just 48 hours, the three stars were only needed for around 30 minutes each - enough to shake off some rust after playing sparingly during the last two weeks of the regular season.

The game didn't exactly replicate the bitter rivalry from a decade ago but still featured plenty of trash talking and hard fouls. LeBron was hit from behind by an over-aggressive screen courtesy of Tyson Chandler that was classified as a flagrant-1 foul. "I got hit with a blind pick," explained James. "It's all right. But I've been hit harder than that, I've played football." Mike Woodson was also hit with a technical foul for arguing a call with an official in the third quarter and Carmelo got one 14 seconds later as well. Amar'e Stoudemire and Udonis Haslem were hit with a double technical for jawing at each other while Haslem was walking to the free throw line after getting fouled.

"My technical foul, I have no idea what that was for," said Amar'e. "Udonis is a friend, we're both Floridians and we were just doing a little trash talking in the playoffs. We didn't say nothing provocative. He says he's going to make his two free throws and I said you're not and then we got a double tech."

Game two of the series is on Monday April 30 at 7:00 PM as the Heat look to take a 2-0 series lead before the series shifts to New York.

Ticket deals for Heat - Knicks playoff series

fernandez@hothothoops.com (Surya Fernandez) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:12:38 GMT

After last year's disappointing end to the season against the Dallas Mavs, the Miami Heat look to restart their run to the NBA championship as they open up the playoffs against the Knicks starting on Saturday afternoon. It's been over a decade since these two rivals faced each other in the playoffs and while Knicks fans are hoping for an upset, and as you can see by the ticket prices, fans in New York are willing to pay big bucks to see their Knicks back in action in the playoffs and gunning for their first playoff victory in more a decade, a mind-blowing gap of of more than 4,000 days.

With tickets selling for 85% higher up north, there are plenty of great deals available for Heat fans. As of now, there are hundreds of seats available for games 1 & 2 for less than $100, but with ticket prices going up now is the time to buy. If you'd like to watch the Heat's first step towards a title, click on the link below for the best deals available. You don't want to be stuck without a ticket to one of the hottest rivalries in the NBA!

Series link - http://tiqiq.us/Aic

Heat looking forward to Knicks playoff series, not backwards at old rivalry

fernandez@hothothoops.com (Surya Fernandez) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:43:28 GMT

The mood was light at the Heat practice at the AAA on the eve of their first game of the playoff series against the New York Knicks. See what Erik Spoelstra and Chris Bosh had to say about the series on video and also check out the transcript below of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade's thoughts on entering the postseason together for the second time...

LeBron James

On the team’s mounting injuries at the end of the regular season...

Going into the postseason, we’re a confident bunch. We’re excited. We have a comfort level so I don’t think it’s much of a concern. As far as fatigue with CB, he may get a little fatigued not playing as much as of late but I don’t feel like it’s any concern as far our game plan.

Is there a concern about any loss of rhythm?

I don’t know, we don’t know really until you get out there. I could tell you we’re right back in the rhythm we were in but you don’t know, we haven’t been out on the court in a couple of weeks but I’m confident that we are.

On entering the postseason again....

It’s exciting. I’m excited about this opportunity. I’m excited for the whole season, always have been in my career. This is my seventh time being in the postseason and it’s another challenge. I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I’m looking forward to seeing our fans tomorrow afternoon and try to put on a show for them.

On the bench players getting more playing time at the close of the regular season...

They benefitted a lot. They got an opportunity to go out there and play significant minutes, more than they’re accustomed to. But we have a veteran ball club, it’s not like we have young guys playing significant minutes besides Norris and Terrel. We have veteran guys that have played big minutes. Those guys are looking forward to the postseason as much as we are.

On prepping for the playoffs...

I think this is the best part of the season. Guys have extensive time to study an opponent, study an individual matchup, study a team’s likes and dislikes. This is when the students come out, this is when your books out and get into the film room and actually hone in on someone’s pros and cons and things like that. At this level, you have to know it and you want to know it so you can try to have an advantage over your opponent. But everyone is doing it, it’s just who does it harder and who does it more consistent throughout the end.

On getting ready for the Knicks with such little time to prepare...

Mentally I got in on them. I didn’t go through the books or the film sessions but mentally I started to think about the Knicks, the match ups, their personnel, things like that. So my mind had already started working. I kind of put more emphasis on them than Philly because I had Philly in the back pocket from last year in the postseason so I knew I could always resort to that.

Dwyane Wade

On Heat fans and the playoff atmosphere at the AAA...

A lot of people say a lot of things about the Miami fans but our fans have been great. They’ve been great for us all year and we know it’s going to turn up a notch. They turn up a notch just like the players do when the playoffs come so we look forward to the atmosphere.

Overall thoughts on the upcoming Heat vs Knicks series....

It’s going to be a very entertaining series, a very physical series. You’re going to have some stars being stars and have some great role players being great role players. It has everything you want. It’s great for the game of basketball, it’s great for this rivalry to continue so for us I think it’s great that we start off with a team that really makes you focus and understand you have to play your best to beat them. I think that’s great for us to come in the first round to not have any letdowns. We’ve got to come in right away early, knowing we’re playing a very good team.

Any loss of rhythm from taking this much time off?

I think we’ll be alright. Obviously, throughout a playoff series and throughout a whole playoff run, you’re going to have ups and downs and you’re going to have different adjustments you got to make. So we’ll deal with whatever comes our way. We have enough talent, enough veteran guys that can deal with it all. I’m not really worried about the continuity, it’s just guys getting back into a rhythm and the flow and tomorrow is about letting our energy take us more so than about the execution starting off the game. We’re going to start with the energy that’s going to be in this building.

On the Heat vs Knicks history and if he has any favorite moments from the rivalry...

Since it seemed like the Heat was on the losing side of a lot of those, it’s not really my favorite being a Heat myself. (I liked) the competitive nature of those series. One of my favorite (moments) is when Riley went back to the Garden and seeing him get on the court and celebrate the boos. That was kind of awesome.

On the significance of this series...

Once the ball tips off, it’s a series we’re both trying to win. Obviously, it makes great headlines and it makes everyone in the organization really tune in to what’s going on. All their hard work that they’ve been doing all season, it’s kind of like they’re looking at us like, ‘All right, go out and get it done for us’. But you know, once the ball tips up it’s another game and a very talented, a very willing opponent that we have to take it possession-by-possession, game-by-game.

Hot Hot Hoops Podcast - 2012 Postseason Preview

fernandez@hothothoops.com (Surya Fernandez) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:50:28 GMT

With the postseason rapidly approaching, Hot Hot Hoops has another podcast ready just for you and this one focuses squarely on the playoffs, of course.

Join me, Surya Fernandez, and fellow HHH writer Diego Quezada as we break down the New York Knicks versus Miami Heat first round playoff series in depth along with a look into player matchups, the Heat's shortened postseason rotation, strengths and weaknesses of the Knicks and much more.

We also do a mini-analysis for every other first round series in the Eastern and Western Conference complete with predictions for each matchup.

Click on the link below to download the podcast file. (Alternate "streaming" player link will be up shortly...)

Play (direct link)

Wizards blow out shorthanded Heat

chiefdiego@gmail.com (Diego Quezada) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:14:39 GMT

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all sat out the Heat’s regular season finale against the Washington Wizards Thursday night in advance of Saturday’s start to the playoffs against the New York Knicks. Dexter Pittman, who scored a team-high 12 points Tuesday against the Boston Celtics, also sat out with a slight right hamstring strain. Additionally, Erik Spoelstra limited the minutes of starters Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller, Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem, only playing them in the first and third quarters.

Do I need to say anything more?

The Heat struggled to find any sort of offense, losing to the Wizards 104-70 to close the season 46-20. Miami shot just 36 percent from the field, turned the ball over 22 times and allowed the Washington Wizards to shoot 55 percent from the field and rack up 30 fast-break points. Miami’s regular-season winning percentage roughly equals that of last season. The Wizards played their last game of the season with urgency, and the Heat seemingly played it only trying to keep everyone healthy. But during a third-quarter sequence, Eddy Curry inadvertently stepped on Miller’s foot, leading the 6-foot-8 small forward to limp to the bench. But the role player for the Heat will be fine for the start of the playoffs.

Curry started for the Heat, and actually made the first basket of the game. He quickly became Miami’s go-to scorer, but the Heat fell behind quickly and never caught up to Washington. He finished with 10 points and made six trips to the foul line, getting deep post position and converting layups. He didn't move very well, and seemed to foul his opponents rather than actually attempt to block shots at the rim. Curry doesn’t have the offensive game he had when he was in his prime, and it is puzzling to wonder why Pat Riley did not cut him and sign a point guard in his place after the Heat signed Ronny Turiaf.

Turiaf returned from an eight-game absence to face the team he played on to start the 2011-12 season. He played some nice defense and had a blocked shot. Even though Udonis Haslem and Chris Bosh will start in the playoffs, Turiaf and Joel Anthony will likely receive some playing time off the bench for some energy and shot blocking in the frontline.

As far as the other rotation question – the point guard situation – Norris Cole played well, scoring 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. He made some nice layups in traffic, but those shots are usually ill-advised attempts when one of the Heat’s stars is one on the floor. Cole also turned the ball over four times. It remains to be seen whether Cole will have a spot in the rotation in the playoffs. Terrel Harris shot a dismal 1-of-9 from the field, and his string of sub-par performances to end the season likely mean that he won't get any playing time during the postseason.