| Away |
Home |
| Miami |
San Antonio |
| Heat |
Spurs |
| 43-18 |
Record |
50-11 |
| (5th of 30) 110.8 |
Off Rtg |
111.2 (3rd of 30) |
| (5th of 30) 102.8 |
Def Rtg |
103.9 (7th of 30) |
| (18th of 30) 91.4 |
Pace |
92.3 (16th of 30) |
| (9th of 30) 101.9 |
Pts/G |
103.4 (6th of 30) |
| (6th of 30) 94.5 |
Opp Pts/G |
96.6 (11th of 30) |
| Likely Starters |
| Mario Chalmers |
PG |
George Hill |
| Dwyane Wade |
SG |
Manu Ginobli |
| LeBron James |
SF |
Richard Jefferson |
| Chris Bosh |
PF |
Tim Duncan |
| Erick Dampier |
C |
DeJuan Blair |
| Mike Miller |
6th |
Gary Neal |
| Matchup Series 0-0 |
| AT&T Center |
| 9:30 PM EST |
| Sun Sports / 790 AM |
| Injury Report: |
| Heat: U. Haslem (out indefinitely) |
| Spurs: T. Parker (2-4 weeks) |
.
A night after a disappointing loss to the Orlando Magic, the Heat head to Texas to take on the league record-best Spurs for a battle of the anti-thesis. The Miami Heat have just begun their path to an NBA legacy that is yet to fully come to fruition. There is still the matter of a time continuum that will bring experience, synergy and the right supporting cast to mold our history. The Spurs on the other hand have already blossomed and succeeded, having walked the path of consistent contention and proudly become owners of 3 championship trophies in the last 10 years.
Miami can only hope to flourish in following a similar path to the greatness the Spurs have achieved over the last decade. Their Big Three were once younger, greener teammates growing together and getting accustomed to each other's tendencies much like our trio today. Now, they handle business on the court professionally while they maintain
a chemistry unlike any other. Only time can get us there. For now, we witness two teams in different stages of their lives, a lifelong Spurs core taking on a greener Heat for an interesting test of clashing backbones.
The Heat have not shown much in their ability to defeat the elite teams and have recently faltered against the top Eastern Conference squads, falling to the Celtics, then the Bulls, Knicks and most recently the Magic. Taking on the best of the West is a nice change of scenery and one that could hopefully spurn a steady run of solid performances in the tough upcoming schedule.
Quick Notes:
- Miami is currently 14-16 against teams above .500 and 1-8 against the powerhouses. Good time to start piling on some numbers on the winning side.
- Spurs have won a franchise-record 21 straight at home, the longest since James did it in Cleveland in 08-09.
- Luckily for the Heat's guards, San Antonio is without speedy PG Tony Parker who is out with a calf injury.
