Bobcats at Heat
THE STORY: The Miami Heat don’t have much hope for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference anymore, but No. 2 is absolutely still in reach. The Charlotte Bobcats hung around as long as they could, but after being eliminated from postseason contention, the front office has some tough decisions to make about which players will still be around if and when the team is ever going to be able to make a deep run to the playoffs. The Heat will be showing the Bobcats what a championship contender looks like when the teams meet in Miami on Friday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SUN
ABOUT THE HEAT (54-24): As much as it would like to pass the Boston Celtics for the No. 2 seed in the East, Miami is more concerned at this point with keeping everyone healthy for the playoffs. That might mean sitting Dwyane Wade, who is nursing a bruised thigh, for the next couple of games. The Heat did not look much like a contender without Wade in the lineup on Wednesday, dropping a 90-85 decision at home to the Milwaukee Bucks. LeBron James did his best to keep Miami in it with 29 points and eight rebounds while Chris Bosh added 18 and seven. The Heat could be looking ahead to a nationally-televised date with the Celtics on Sunday.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (32-46): It looked like there was a light at the end of the tunnel earlier in the season when Larry Brown was shown the door and Paul Silas loosened the team up a bit as the interim coach. But the trade of Gerald Wallace to the Portland Trail Blazers robbed them of their most dynamic player and forced the team to rely too heavily on Stephen Jackson and D.J. Augustin. Jackson and Augustin are two of the few players on the Bobcats current roster that would even be rotation pieces for a contender like Miami, Chicago or Boston. Charlotte fell out of the race earlier in the week in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Most recently the Bobcats dropped a 111-102 decision at home to the Orlando Magic in overtime on Wednesday, getting outscored 15-6 in the final five minutes.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: James is averaging 30.9 points over the last 10 games for Miami while Mike Bibby has been held to two field goals in each of the last four. Gerald Henderson is averaging 14.2 points in 21 games since being moved in Charlotte’s starting lineup.
KEY STATISTIC: The Bobcats are the second-lowest scoring team in the NBA and have seen that average dip to 91.4 points over their last five games. The Heat are one of the stronger defensive teams in the league, limiting opponents to 95.0 points.
SEASON SERIES: Miami has taken all three meetings this season, winning by an average of 11.3 points. The Heat won the most recent meeting, 109-97, in Charlotte on Feb. 4 behind a triple-double from Wade - 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. James added 19 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
KEY INJURIES: CHARLOTTE: F Tyrus Thomas (knee); G Shaun Livingston (back); G Stephen Jackson (hamstring); F Eduardo Najera (back). MIAMI: G Dwyane Wade (thigh); F Udonis Haslem (foot).
LAST WORD: James became the eighth player in NBA history to score at least 2,000 points in seven straight seasons on Wednesday. He is the youngest of a group that includes Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson. James and Robertson are the only two players with at least six seasons of 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.