Miami Heat, Basketball | featured news

The Heat have been scorching in February. So has LeBron James, who is on an incredible run -- even by his standards. Just how impressive? Rob Mahoney takes a closer look.

Will Bynum had 25 points and 10 assists, leading another spirited performance by the Detroit bench, and the Pistons beat the short-handed Miami Heat 109-99 on Friday night despite 35 points by LeBron James.

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul had double-doubles, with Paul keying a third-quarter spurt that helped carry the Los Angeles Clippers to a 107-100 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade says he felt numb as a child when he watched his mother inject herself with heroin. "My mom didn't know I had seen her shoot up," he said. Jolinda Wade managed to overcome her addiction. But her son's new book, "A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball," offers his perspective on her drug use for the first time.

No one can accuse Doc Rivers of being anything other than a pragmatist. It makes no sense for the coach of the Boston Celtics to worry himself with the Los Angeles Lakers and what goes on in the Western Conference when Rivers and his crew have to contend with the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat in their own conference.

With series MVP LeBron James leading the way with a triple-double, the Heat finish off the Thunder 121-106 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, now 2011-12 NBA champions.

It's there every day for LeBron James and the Heat - the sting of last year's NBA Finals loss. Two more wins and it will be a distant memory. James had 29 points and 14 rebounds, and the Miami Heat took a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals with a 91-85 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. Dwyane Wade had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Heat, who were in this same position through three games last year, then didn't win again against the Dallas Mavericks.

Kevin Durant delivered the fourth quarter LeBron James never could last year. So forget those NBA Finals jitters at the start. Durant and the young Thunder showed they have already figured out how to finish. Durant scored 17 of his 36 points in another nightmarish final period for James and his team, leading a Thunder storm that overwhelmed the Heat and gave Oklahoma City a 105-94 victory over Miami in Game 1 on Tuesday night.

The Miami Heat's win over the Boston Celtics to reach the NBA finals has drawn the highest preliminary television rating for an NBA playoff game on cable since records started being kept in 2003.