Greg Oden returns as Miami Heat look past losing streak

Former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden returned to competitive action for the Miami Heat, as the defending NBA champions lost their third game in a row.

The Heat took a battering from the Washington Wizards, losing 114-97. LeBron James summed up the differences between the teams after the game:

"“We just came out too lax. They were playing at another speed, they were playing at like 15, and we were playing at like seven. I don’t even want to give us that much credit. I think we were playing at like five. They were running by us in the first quarter.”"

The highlight for the Heat was the return of Oden, who made his first appearance in a regular season game for 1,502 days – back on December 5, 2009. For a sense of perspective for how long ago that was: LeBron was still playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After three microfracture surgeries on his knees, it is impressive that Oden is even playing again.

"“Marking success for me is walking onto a court and just walking off healthy. No matter if it is one minute or two minutes. My dream is to be able to play basketball, and if I can go out there and do it, run up and down, and come off the court again healthy, that’s goal one. Goal two is going into my second game and walking on and walking off.”"