Sunday, October 31, 2010

Heat Beats Nets' ; Ends unbeaten start with easy victory 101-78


James scored 20 points, CBosh and DWade were close behind, and the Heat ended the Nets unbeaten start with a 101-78 win on Sunday.
Bosh finished with 18 points and Wade added 17, both getting most of them in Miami's dominant first half before sitting out the fourth quarter. James played a little of the final period and added seven rebounds and seven assists.


It was the most impressive offensive performance yet for the Heat, who have won three straight since beginning their new era with a loss in Boston on opening night. Miami shot 68 percent in the first half, when its Big Three combined for 41 points - one fewer than New Jersey - and the stats only lowered when the reserves took over toward the end.
Brook Lopez scored 20 points in the Nets' first loss this season before new owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who watched his third game this week before heading back to Russia.
The Nets followed their 12-70 finish from last season by opening with victories over Detroit and Sacramento - an especially good start since they set an NBA record by dropping their first 18 games of 2009-10.
But those are lottery teams. Miami is a powerhouse.
The Heat were coming off their first big victory, overpowering rival Orlando 96-70 on Friday night in their home opener. Coach Erik Spoelstra said before Sunday's early start he hoped there would be no hangover.
Nothing to worry about.
Even with James picking up a pair of early fouls, the Heat made 10-of-14 shots (71 percent) in the first quarter, building a double-digit lead less than halfway through the period en route to a 29-18 cushion after one.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who followed James from Cleveland to Miami, started the second quarter with a flurry, and the lead was up to 18 after a dunk by James. The Nets couldn't do much to cut into it and the Heat led 58-42 at halftime.
James made his first visit to a team he met with during free agency. He admitted Sunday he would change some things about the process if he had the chance - he didn't specify what they were - but reiterated he's comfortable he made the right decision.
The New Jersey Nets were the first team to sit down with James and believed the new direction they promised under Prokhorov gave them a chance. Lebron praised the organization before the game but fans apparently haven't forgiven, booing the former crowd favorite during introductions and the first few times he touched the ball - though there were loud cheers when he threw down a couple of powerful dunks.
Arroyo had 12 points for the Miami Heat, who broke 100 points for the first time and finished at 54 percent from the field.

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