CASPER
New member
MIAMI – For this home opener unlike any other, the Miami Heat deviated from the years-old script of having starters run onto the floor when their name was called.
Instead, in a darkened arena, each of the Heat first-stringers stood still as a spotlight shined upon them.
The message couldn't have been less subtle: All eyes are on this team, and they showed why Friday night.
Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, LeBron James had 15 points and seven assists and the Heat scored the first 14 points of the second half to turn a close game into a surprisingly one-sided 96-70 victory over the Orlando Magic.
"This is what we envisioned," James said.
The same couldn't have been said in the Magic locker room. Orlando has owned this series, winning 15 of the past 20 games against Miami before Friday — before Wade, James and Chris Bosh teamed up to form an instant title contender.
And the result was nothing short of shocking. The Heat held Orlando to its lowest point total since Dec. 2, 2005, and the 26-point margin matched Miami's biggest ever against the Magic. The 30.4 percent shooting effort was Orlando's worst since Nov. 3, 2003 — a span of 573 regular-season games.
"They came out, they threw an uppercut, and as a team we kind of went down," Magic center Dwight Howard said.
Oh, this was a knockout, all right.
Instead, in a darkened arena, each of the Heat first-stringers stood still as a spotlight shined upon them.
The message couldn't have been less subtle: All eyes are on this team, and they showed why Friday night.
Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, LeBron James had 15 points and seven assists and the Heat scored the first 14 points of the second half to turn a close game into a surprisingly one-sided 96-70 victory over the Orlando Magic.
"This is what we envisioned," James said.
The same couldn't have been said in the Magic locker room. Orlando has owned this series, winning 15 of the past 20 games against Miami before Friday — before Wade, James and Chris Bosh teamed up to form an instant title contender.
And the result was nothing short of shocking. The Heat held Orlando to its lowest point total since Dec. 2, 2005, and the 26-point margin matched Miami's biggest ever against the Magic. The 30.4 percent shooting effort was Orlando's worst since Nov. 3, 2003 — a span of 573 regular-season games.
"They came out, they threw an uppercut, and as a team we kind of went down," Magic center Dwight Howard said.
Oh, this was a knockout, all right.
