THEE OFFICIAL PLAYOFFS THREAD OF THE B2B NBA CHAMPIONS @MiamiHEAT

NBA currently has Heat opening vs. Bulls, at Lakers on Christmas

The Miami Heat will be getting their 2013 NBA championship rings in front of the Chicago Bulls. Their fans then will get to enjoy their Christmas dinner watching the Heat from afar, against the Los Angeles Lakers.

At least that's the preliminary word based on the nearly completed draft of the 2013-14 NBA schedule sent this week to teams and league broadcast partners, the Sun Sentinel has learned.

According to the preliminary schedule, which is subject to revision, the Heat will open their second consecutive championship defense on Tuesday Oct. 29 at AmericanAirlines Arena against the Bulls.

According to the all-but-finalized draft of the 2013-14 NBA schedule, the Sun Sentinel also has learned that the Heat will visit Staples Center on Dec. 25 to face the Los Angeles Lakers, a somewhat surprising scheduling move considering the Lakers lost center Dwight Howard to the Houston Rockets in free agency and there remain questions about the return timetable of guard Kobe Bryant from last season's torn Achilles.

The final 2013-14 NBA schedule is expected to be released next week. It is rare, practically unprecedented, for nationally televised games, such as opening night and Christmas, to be changed between the initial and final drafts of the schedule.

The full, official version of the 2013-14 NBA schedule is expected to be released Tuesday.

The Heat have had mixed results when receiving championship rings. They were blown out 108-66 on Oct. 31, 2006 by the Bulls at AmericanAirlines Arena, when they received their championship rings for defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals. Last season, the Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 120-107 on Oct. 30, in the wake of the pregame commemoration of their victory in the 2012 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

An added element of opening night, with the scheduling against the Bulls, would be the expected return of Chicago point guard Derrick Rose from more than a year of inactivity. After sustaining a severe knee injury during the 2012 playoffs, Rose missed all of this past season, including the Bulls' 4-1 loss to the Heat in the second round of the 2013 playoffs.

As for the Christmas plans on the nearly completed draft of the 2013-14 NBA schedule, it would be the Heat's fifth consecutive Christmas game, with four of those scheduled on the road, the lone exception last year's 103-97 victory over the Thunder at AmericanAirlines Arena.

This would be the 10th Christmas game for the Heat in the franchise's 26 seasons. When the draft of the currently circulating schedule is finalized, it would give the Heat a Christmas game every year since 2004 with the exception of 2008, when the Heat were coming off a 15-67 season. The Heat are 7-2 in their previous nine Christmas games.

Based on the NBA's schedule draft, it will be the third time the Heat play the Lakers at Staples Center on Christmas and their fifth overall Christmas game against the Lakers, having won the previous four, most recently Dec. 25, 2010 in Los Angeles.

It is rare for a defending champion to have to spend Christmas away from home, with the defending champion doing so only three times over the past 10 seasons. The Dallas Mavericks received their NBA championship rings at home on Christmas in 2011 before facing the Heat, when Christmas also was opening day because of the lockout.
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By Ira Winderman
South Florida Sun Sentinel
 
Opener vs. Bulls would be interesting.
And I love watching LeBron beat Kobe on Xmas :smokin

So does anyone else hope that Oden is atleast SOMEWHAT healthy and will sign with us? Lol
 
i think all champions should play the team the beat in the finals for the opening game and get their rings in front of the losers... make the pain last a little longer.. :lol
 
espn.com

In the wake of Dwight Howard’s departure, the Los Angeles Lakers have been looking forward to 2014, when their options could be wide with a deep free-agent class and perhaps as much as $50 million in salary-cap room.

But there could be another huge player in free agency next summer, another destination team with a championship pedigree: The Miami Heat.

That may be hard to fathom at the moment because the Heat currently have a payroll of more than $80 million and a large luxury-tax bill that forced them to waive Mike Miller last week. But as of now, there is a possibility that every player on the Heat roster could be a free agent next summer.

The Heat are an example of the difference between a team with a full cap as opposed to a team that is capped out.

That’s why it would be unwise to disregard the Heat’s options when it comes to looking at next summer. There’s a chance the Heat will have as much cap space as anyone to retrofit their team around the most-prized potential free agent, LeBron James, if he opts out of his contract as expected.

“When 2014 hits, we'll be ready to deal with that,” Heat president Pat Riley said after the season. “We're just going to keep everything very fluid ... we'll be prepared for anything, as we were in 2010."

The two-time champs know they will have 13 players back from this season’s title team for the 2013-14 season and Riley has made it clear he believes the status quo is the way to go as they attempt to establish a dynasty. But a year from now, the shape of the Heat roster is a bit of a mystery. Depending on the health of their core players and their competition for James, that could turn out to be a good thing. The roster is aging, but because of the flexibility of the contracts on the books, it’s not necessarily a roster they are locked into.

First, James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade all have opt-out clauses in their contracts. That represents a $61 million portion of the team’s salary cap for 2014-15. It is hard to predict what each player will do because much will depend on health, the success of the team and other variables. But all three very well could opt out to re-do their contracts to assure more guaranteed years.

All three are earning less than the maximum salary and it is possible they could seek raises. However, all three have already shown a willingness to work with the front office to structure their deals in a way that will allow more flexibility.

In addition, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, Ray Allen, James Jones and Rashard Lewis all are headed into the final year of their contracts. Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony and Chris Andersen all have player options. Norris Cole has a team option.

Even if Haslem, Anthony and Andersen bypass free agency next summer and the Heat, as expected, pick up Cole’s option, the team still could have in the neighborhood of $50 million to play with depending on what the Big Three decide.

The Miller amnesty release last week was unpopular with some players and many of the Heat’s fans. But it did more than save luxury-tax money, it also cleared extra cap space for the future. No matter how the Heat ultimately proceed, they will have an opportunity to revamp the roster following this season. If James decides to stay, he can be a drawing card for younger free agents as the Heat may look to replace some of their aging players.

Over the past three years, players have repeatedly taken less money to play with the Heat, often because Riley has been persuasive in contract talks. The team also has assistant general manager Andy Elisburg, who has proven to be a shrewd salary-cap manager during his long tenure with the team that has allowed the Heat to pull off some maneuvers that have shocked the league several times.

While several competitors will plot to poach James and perhaps Bosh, the Heat may be able to convince their stars to restructure their contracts in a way that would allow them to add another big name. Much of that may depend on Wade, who already showed a willingness to take the biggest pay cut to make room for teammates in 2010.

Bottom line, the Heat could end up being one of the most interesting teams in next summer’s already fascinating free-agent game. Not just as a protector of their championship roster but perhaps as a hunter for a player or two who could help them stay on top for the back end of James’ prime years.

Riley has dismissed rivals' transparent attempts to chase James or get into an arms race with the Heat because he’s confident in how the franchise has positioned itself in the short- and long-term.

"What one other team does, I think it doesn't have any bearing on what we're thinking about," Riley said. "We're a three-time finalist. We won back-to-back championships. We've got our entire core back, signed, opted-in, and we're tickled to death with that."




IN PAT WE TRUST
 
Mr Cashfl0w said:
I'm tired of watching LeBron beat the Lakers on Christmas Day
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I'll never get tired of it. Take those bums to the slaughterhouse.

As far as that post on the salary cap....you mean to tell me the Heat actually will have money, and FA's could go there??? This means #LOLAL will be preparing to max out Meeks and Sacre :rollin :lol they're preparing for nothing
 
i gotta agree witya h3at23, and it couldnt have happened to a a nicer cat

this is my #2 :D
[]



ANY WORD ON ODEN AT ALL ??????? not like it matter too much :-)
 
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LeBron James in Manila #WitnessHistory Tour






*its too bad they can't do :smokin things like this in the states without receiving endless backlash from the media and opposing fans :{
 
he's back in the gym




LeBron James" "Off-Season Is My REAL SEASON!!" #StriveForGreatness #basketballneversleeps
 
^ if Bron gets some consistency with that hook... My god. :x
 
Ira Winderman ‏@IraHeatBeat 3m
NBA source confirms to Sun Sentinel that Greg Oden will sign with Heat. Deal has not yet been signed, but no hurdles seen
 
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