Defending NBA champion Miami Heat improve to 3-0 in preseason
By Brad Rowland
On a night that was “highlighted” (or lowlighted) by an apparent ankle sprain on the part of Charlotte’s Al Jefferson, the Miami Heat improved to 3-0 on the preseason with an 86-75 victory over the Bobcats.
Before we even begin, I will fully acknowledge that preseason records mean virtually nothing, but that doesn’t discount every bit of what happens on a preseason NBA court.
Lebron James had, by far, his best preseason output of the season thus far in this game. The “king” scored 20 points (on 8 of 14 shooting) in just 25 minutes, and his all-court game was in midseason form, as he contributed 4 rebounds and 2 assists to go with a game-high +10 rating.
The “dream” preseason from Chris Bosh (lol) came crashing down a bit, as the power forward cruised to a 7-point, 3-steal game in his 22 minutes. Coming into the game, Bosh was (easily) the leading scorer in all of the NBA in preseason, and the All-Star big man was averaging over 39 points per 36 minutes on the court. It’s tough to glean too much from that, but if anything, it’s a positive to see Bosh more assertive in the early going.
Perhaps most importantly, the newly-acquired Michael Beasley (fresh off of a wild incident the previous night) performed like a real, live NBA player in the win. The former #2 overall pick scored 13 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 19 minutes of floor time, and hopefully, this is an indication of what’s to come.
Wins and losses mean very little this time of year, but it would be tough for the Miami Heat to look better than they have in the preseason.