LeBron James is not playing against the Bobcats. He is playing against the shadow of the man sitting on the Bobcats’ bench in street clothes and whose logo is probably third most visible in Time Warner Cable Arena (behind the Bobcats and old Hornets gear).
James gave that man, Michael Jordan, a quick stare down as he breaked for an open dunk and put the finishing touches on a 98-85 blowout win for the Heat in Game Three against the Bobcats.
For the first time all series, the Heat’s defense swarmed and dominated the Bobcats and blew the doors off the building. They woke up and put points on the board in a hurry, building a 20-point lead in the second half. That was their largest lead in the series and the Bobcats just could not stop the Heat.
Everything worked for Miami. The team made 9 of 18 3-pointers and got out on the break thanks to stops. Al Jefferson had a big first quarter but was relatively quiet the rest of the game as the Heat’s defense adjusted.
Really, for the first time all series, the Heat’s defense was at its swarming, trapping best. The Bobcats were forced into mistakes and kept from running their offense for long stretches. This is the Heat that everyone expected to see.
So even though Miami shot 43.4 percent from the floor, they blew the doors open on this one. LeBron James scored 30 points and Dwyane Wade had 17 for the Heat. Charlotte got 20 points from Jefferson.
Charlotte heads to the brink of elimination now. The team has thrown many of its best punches and Miami has taken them in stride it would seem.
