By: Pedro Heizer It’s been a while since Heat fans watched Dwyane Wade take over an NBA playoff game. At 31, it looks like father time has finally caught up with Wade, who staggered during Miami’s championship run last spring and wasn’t called upon to carry the Heat in any of their conference finals or Finals games, LeBron took care of all that. You have to go all the way back to Games 4-6 of Miami’s 2012 second-round series against the Pacers to find a playoff stretch when Wade looked like Wade. The peak was a 41-point, 10-rebound performance in

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By: Matt Blue

Relax, I’m only kidding. But unfortunately the national media isn’t.

What this article is really about is the unprecedented and shameful media coverage being directed at the Miami HEAT coming off a Game 1 loss to Chicago. We are talking about confirmation bias, distortion, fear based tactics and unreasonable assessments coming from bloggers, reporters and attention seeking websites.

You would expect this kind of sensationalism from tabloid publications such as the New York Post or the New York Daily News, not from well-respected news outlets with decent reputations.

Apparently, this is a best of 1 series not a best of 7 series where the first team to 4 wins will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

On this site we like to talk about the facts and we actually like to maintain perspective.  After all, this is a HEAT team that had won their last 41 of 44 games and that not too long ago went on a 27 game winning streak.

It’s also not unusual for a defending champion to lose at home in the playoffs. Five of the last ten NBA champions have rapidly started a series with a playoff loss at home. Champions always overcome obstacles and battle through adversity. It happens to the very best. Remember when the HEAT had their backs against the wall last year when they trailed Indiana 2-1, fell 3-2 Boston, and lost the first game of the 2012 NBA Finals?

You can remember when everyone was writing them off by saying that “the formula wasn’t working. The HEAT didn’t have the right chemistry to win a championship.” You can easily recall those proclamations. What is going on right now is actually pretty similar.

The noise is absolutely exacerbating.  However, that’s all it is. It’s all noise, noise and even more noise.

Therefore, it’s basically the HEAT and the city of Miami vs the world’s most illogical buffoons. NBA writers are trying to create an atmosphere of misery around the team. These are individuals that thrive on attention, drama and negativity.

The proper perspective on the HEAT’s game 1 performance would be this.  The HEAT played a terrible game and still almost won. They were still able to give themselves a chance to win.  Even LeBron admitted that they missed a myriad of uncontested shots and they were able to get good looks. Now are you really going to bank on Miami missing open threes and wide open layups in consecutive games?

The fact is they absorbed Chicago’s best punches and kept their poise. History and logic tells us that this will be the worst basketball Miami will play in the entire playoffs. You are talking about the deepest, most talented and the most prideful team in the NBA.

Now Chicago has Miami’s full and undivided attention. So this would be a reasonable analysis if you are covering the HEAT. I think they have done enough to warrant this kind of benefit of the doubt. They are the defending champions.

On the other hand, let’s give credit where credit’s due. Chicago played smart and efficient basketball. They were energized right from the start. They were ready to run through a brick wall. The HEAT is used to getting a team’s best effort. After all, it’s not too hard to get up to play Miami.

Chicago is a team that believes they can beat anybody. Head coach Tom Thibodeau always emphasizes that they have enough to win. He has established himself as one of the league’s best coaches. So it’s obvious that the HEAT has their work cut out for them. But they have been through this before. This is nothing new to them.

While this type of hyperbolic madness and hysteria is nothing new for the HEAT’s most belligerent critics.

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By: Pedro Heizer

It’s no secret that Chris Andersen has clearly been not only a huge boost to the Miami Heat, but he’s also become a fan favorite.

The Birdman has been providing Miami the energy and size off the bench that they have been missing since the days Alonzo Mourning came off the bench for Shaquille O’Neal.

In the 2013 postseason so far, Andersen is averaging 10.3 points, 6.3 rebounds per game on 14.3 minutes per game.

Andersen, who averaged 4.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on 14.9 minutes per game in the regular season, is a veteran player who can literally fly across the court, defend the rim, grab rebounds, and even score when needed. Andersen is the full package, and it will benefit Miami if they can resign the 34-year old center.

So far in the 2013 postseason, Andersen is averaging 10.3 points, 6.3 rebounds per game on 14.3 minutes per game.

The problem Miami will run into when they want to resign Birdman will be money.

As we know, Andersen was picked up mid-season on a minimum contract and is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Ideally he wants to stay with the Heat, according to reports by Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida.

Mark Bryant, agent for Chris “Birdman” Andersen, said his client wants to re-sign with the Heat this summer.

“We’re certainly hopeful,’’ Bryant told FOX Sports Florida about Andersen re-signing with the Heat. “But he’s going to finish this task first (of trying to win a title with Miami). But, absolutely, he has embraced (being with the Heat).’’

However, as with everything in the world of sports, it comes down to money. As taxpayers, the most the Heat likely will offer him is the taxpayer’s midlevel of about $3.2 million. Another team could come over the top and bid more than that. If it’s significantly more, he would have to consider it.

Then again, we can’t forget that Miami has a knack of signing players at a bargain (ie. Ray Allen, Udonis Haslem, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh) with the promise of winning the ultimate prize.

In the end, the Birdman has made a nest down here in South Beach on a team where his role is defined and he can win rings.

He stays with the Heat.

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By: Pedro Heizer

Dwyane Wade has made a living out of proving people wrong. He’s been doubted from High School to the Pros, and all those times he has come out on top and proved his doubters wrong.

Remember when the season started and ESPN disrespectfully placed Wade at number eight in their NBA Player Ranking? Remember when Wade was coming back from his offseason knee injury and the so-called experts said he was past his prime? Remember when fans decided to turn their back on our beloved MV3 and proclaimed him a liability and should be traded for younger pieces?

At the start of the season, Wade was averaging career lows in almost every category, 17.1 points per game, 4.8 assists per game, and 4.5 rebounds per game.

What people didn’t understand was that this was to be expected from a 31-year old coming off a knee surgery, but fans wanted results, and quick.

Since that dismal first month of the season, Wade’s numbers have steadily gone back to Wade-like numbers and quietly, Wade is having his most efficient shooting season of his career.

During the 19-game win streak, Wade is shooting a career-best 54 percent and averaging 24.2 points and 5.6 assists per game. Wade has also been especially clutch late in games, shooting 61 percent in the fourth quarter since the start of February.

Wade also extended his streak of games with at least one steal to 23 in a row last night.

Because of his terrific week, Wade was awarded by the NBA as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first time this season.

During the week of March 4-10 Wade averaged 25 points per game on 60 percent shooting from the field and 88 percent shooting from the line. The 10-year NBA veteran also averaged five assists, four rebounds and 3.5 steals over that stretch.

The former Finals MVP started the week off with a 32-point, 10-rebound performance in Minnesota March 4. He then finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Miami’s dramatic win over Orlando March 6 before scoring 23 points on Sunday against Indiana.

At 31, Wade has been able to evolve his game without sacrificing his aggressive style that made him one of the most explosive players in the league early in his career. “My role is just different now. I ask myself would I rather do great things on a bad team and average 27 points per game or average 22 and be on one of the best teams.”

Wade has never been the type of player to play all 82 games in a season. Due to his aggressive style of play, he’s bound to be bruised up on a nightly basis. What must be noted is Wade’s resilience and willpower to always come back stronger than the previous time.

During the 2007-2008 season in which Heat fans saw Miami go 15-67, Wade was shut down with more than two months to go on the season because of injuries.

People had counted him out then, but with the help of his personal trainer Wade played in the 2008 Olympics and led the “Redeem Team” in scoring.

He came back to the Heat for the 2008-2009 season and had an MVP-type season.

“There are moments that you never want to be doubted,” Wade said. “For the most part, I go through a point like that every year the past few years. I understand that for me when I’m healthy, there’s not much you can say because I can affect games in many different ways.”

So far in March, Wade is having the best month of the season, averaging 23.7 points and six assists per game while shooting a season, and career best 57 percent from the field. Needless to say, Dwyane Wade is back.

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