By CHRIS PERKINS
FOXSportsFlorida.com Heat Writer
Jan. 13, 2011
When things are hot, as they are now for LeBron because of that unfortunate tweet he sent out Tuesday night, where are his friends/advisors?
Someone needed to urge LeBron to come up with a more plausible explanation for that ill-conceived tweet. The explanation he peddled during Wednesday's pre-game media session was laughable. He said someone sent the tweet to him and he simply passed it along. But he said the tweet also represented how he felt.
"It was just how I was feeling at the time," James said of the tweet, later adding, "It wasn't even a comment from me. It was someone who sent it to me and I sent it out."
Huh?
To briefly recap the incident in question, LeBron sent a tweet (a message on his Twitter account) on Tuesday night after the Lakers pounded the Cavs by 55 points that read: "Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!"
The term "karma" was a dig at Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who used the term in his own ill-conceived letter to LeBron after LeBron decided to join the Heat.
LeBron's people couldn't have prevented LeBron from sending the tweet that tweaked Gilbert and Cavaliers fans. They can't be with him 24/7.
But they could have work-shopped LeBron's explanation for this incident. His answer was ridiculous. He was just passing along a tweet someone sent him? Seriously?
That's the best he can do? And did his dog also eat his homework?
An explanation as weak as "I was just passing along a tweet" is a shot to LeBron's credibility. It makes it seem as though he's trying to weasel out of this one.
If LeBron sent the tweet, he should own up to it.
Either way, his people should have helped him out with an explanation, preferably the truth.
--The Clippers defeated the Heat, 111-105, Wednesday at Staples Center by staying aggressive. The Clips had 58 points in the paint as they continually went right at the Heat. The loss, of course, ends the Heat's 13-game road winning streak. Blake Griffin (24 points, 14 rebounds, six assists) was an absolute beast. Baron Davis (20 points) did damage at point guard. Eric Gordon (26 points) made life rough for Dwyane Wade (31 points). And once again Miami's bench was inadequate.
The Heat fell behind by 21 at 55-34 in the second quarter. That was a bad sign after the Clippers, who took the lead for good at 11-9, poured in 44 first-quarter points.
Miami was sluggish all night. It was never in sync. The Heat made a comeback attempt late in the third quarter and even got as close as 78-75. But the Clippers found their game and took an 86-78 lead into the fourth quarter.
There's nothing to worry about for the Heat, of course. They've still won 21 of their last 23 games. But Thursday's game at Denver will be tougher than Wednesday against the Clippers.
-- LeBron James (27 points, eight rebounds, six assists) and Chris Bosh (26 points, 13 rebounds) had good games.
-- Clippers center/forward Blake Griffin is the real deal. You didn't need me to tell you that, but this kid is so talented and athletic it's a treat to watch him. He has 24 consecutive double-doubles.
-- Every now and then Baron Davis will show flashes of that classic speed and quickness that made him one of the top scoring point guards in the league nearly a decade ago. It's good to see,
-- Sweet fastbreak dunk by Wade in the first quarter. It was kinda like he was going to lay it up and at the last second he decided he might as well dunk because he's right at the rim anyway.
-- Gotta say, however, those back-to-back dunks by Eric Gordon and Baron Davis that followed might have been better than Wade's dunk. Davis beat Wade downcourt badly to get his dunk.
-- Swingman Mike Miller got first-quarter minutes. Maybe coach Erik Spoelstra was serious when he said he was going to get more aggressive about getting Miller playing time. Then again, maybe not. Miller never got back in the game. He finished with three minutes.
-- Miami's defense got absolutely blistered in the first quarter. The Clippers' 44 points would indicate the Heat was torched, but consider the Clippers hit four three-pointers and scored 24 points in the paint. That's attacking from outside and inside.
-- The Clippers had 14 assists on their 17 first-quarter field goals. That's getting people involved.
-- Big Z was quick to jump in DeAndre Jordan's face after that hard foul against Chris Bosh early in the third quarter. But that flagrant foul against Blake Griffin later in the quarter was pretty bad. Wonder what made Z so feisty?
-- Eric Bledsoe's block on a LeBron attempted putback got replayed three times on the giant screen at Staples Center. The crowd was going crazy each time.
-- Keep an eye on this points in the paint stat. Opponents have been putting up some big numbers recently. The Clippers had 58.
-- I'll say it again: the Heat's bench needs to be more consistent.
-- Wade had one of his best attacking games of the season. Almost every field goal attempt was going to the basket. He had an ill-advised three-pointer in the fourth quarter but just about everything else was in attack mode. That's a good thing.
-- LeBron's left foot was twisted when he stepped on Baron Davis' right foot during a mid-fourth quarter drive. LeBron limped all the way to about the third row behind the basket, came back onto the court and hit a long jumper. But that foot/ankle might be sore Thursday at Denver.
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