Heat Leave Nets Tangled Up After 20 Point Victory
BROOKLYN (CBSMiami) – Brooklyn Nets forward Reggie Evans said the Heat's 2012 title should come with an asterisk because of the shortened season. Thursday night, the Heat showed Evans what a real champion looked like with a 105-85 blowout of Evans' Nets team.
Heat superstar LeBron James took the high road when asked about Evans' comments, saying, "I let my game do the talking."
The Heat has repeatedly done that against the Nets in recent years. The Heat currently owns a 13-game winning streak against the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. The victory Thursday night also was the third consecutive time the Heat have swept the season series.
The Nets have even less hope when they play a team featuring LeBron. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a team with James on it has beaten the Nets 17 consecutive times. Needless to say, Evans' comments were the last thing the Heat needed before taking the court in Brooklyn.
"When we're playing at a high level, that's what we're capable of doing," said James, who acknowledged being annoyed by Evans' comments to the Daily News. "So we showed tonight what we're capable of, both defensively and offensively. The whole package, everything, we had it going tonight."
Miami allowed the Nets to tie the game up heading into halftime, but then killed any hopes Brooklyn had by outscoring them 36-14 in the third quarter. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Heat's big three of LeBron, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade could relax on the sideline.
"It's the first (game in the) arena, had some good old-fashioned smack talk before the game, it was great," Bosh said. "Guys were motivated tonight. We're trying to find a way to bring that energy every night."
Bosh's last statement should strike fear in the hearts of coaches around the NBA. If the Heat are truly focused in on defense and motivated to play, there's arguably not a team in the league that can give Miami a run for its money, although Oklahoma City and San Antonio would be close.
In the 20-point victory over the Nets, Miami allowed Brooklyn to shoot just 44.9 percent from the field and 29 percent from behind the 3-point line. Miami shot 52 percent from the field and 58 percent from downtown. Miami did struggle at the free throw line, hitting just 57.1 percent of shots from the charity stripe.
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