Heat Off in Miami

Hugs all around in Miami after
stopping a five-game skid.

After being a topic of conversation much of the past week and a half, the Miami Heat have ended their five-game losing streak.

The win comes at the hands of the two-time defending NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Heat have now improved to 2-0 against the champs this year, their first coming with a 16-point win on Christmas Day.

This was an almost must-win for the Heat given their recent stretch and record against the league's elite. With the game tied at 88, Miami went on a 6-0 run in the final two minutes of the game, giving them the 94-88 victory. Head coach Eric Spoelstra took a different strategy in the closing minutes, giving the ball to Dwayne Wade instead of LeBron James, something they should have done long ago.

Chris Bosh also stepped up and had a great game logging 24 points and nine rebounds in 38 minutes.

The Big Three for Miami scored a combined 63 points while using the three-point shooting of veteran Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers. Kobe Bryant gave it his best effort with 24 points of his own, matching the number on his back, but at one point had missed seven straight shots.

With Miami outscoring the Lakers in the paint 46-30, it was something nobody saw coming. The Lakers biggest advantage against most of their opponents is their size and length, that was not the case Thursday night in South Beach.

The Heat, being relatively undersized to Los Angeles, were able to get easy lay-ups down the stretch securing their 23rd win at home this season. The win ended an eight-game winning for the Lakers since the All-Star break. In the bigger picture, the game really means nothing for either team other than Miami has ended their losing streak and can get back to playing good basketball.

One thing is for sure, if this was a potential preview of a NBA Finals matchup, it should be a fight to the finish.