Heat vs. Cavaliers: Video Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Grades
LeBron James returned to his former home for the first time this season on Friday night as his Miami Heat dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-87 in an impressive road win at Quicken Loans Arena.
Cleveland had only 38 points at halftime and only received 49 points from their starting lineup for the entire game.
Miami improved to 24-7 overall and 12-5 on the road, which is quite impressive. The Cavaliers fell to 11-17 and are three games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Tweets of the Night:
Brian Windhorst, a Miami Heat writer for ESPN, tweeted about the impressive road trip the Heat have wrapped up.
"Heat beat Cavs 111-97 to finish road trip 5-1. All five wins were by 15+ points. It's only February but they are playing very well.
"
Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel tweeted about the length of boos LeBron James faced from his former fans in Cleveland.
"Eighteen sustained seconds of booing for LeBron, through Chris Bosh's introduction but ending before Joel Anthony's, because who boos a Canadian?
"
Must-See Highlight:
Watch Mario Chalmers' awesome alley-oop pass to LeBron James.
Grades for Heat's Key Players
Dwyane Wade: B+
Heat guard Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and was quite efficient on 7-of-10 shooting. Wade is the leader of the Miami offense, and when he's playing well, his teammates feed off his energy.
Wade also shot well from the free-throw line, hitting on 7-of-9 attempts. If the Heat are going to win close games on a consistent basis this season, they must shoot well from the free-throw line as a team.
LeBron James: B
LeBron James played a very good game for the Heat, especially on the offensive end where he scored 28 points to lead the team on 11-of-19 shooting.
It was a complete effort from James, who also chipped in five rebounds and five assists for the Heat in their rout of the Cavaliers. James is at his best when he's filling up the stat sheet at both ends of the floor, which is what he did on Friday night.
Grades for Cavaliers' Key Players
Antwan Jamison: C
Cavaliers forward Antwan Jamison had a horrendous night shooting the basketball, converting on just 5-of-11 shots from the field.
He only scored 13 points in 30 minutes for the Cavaliers, who really needed some scoring from the front court since Omri Casspi chipped in just four points. Jamison only grabbed four rebounds, which is far too few for a power forward of his caliber.
Ramon Sessions: B
Backup point guard Ramon Sessions was one of the bright spots for the Cavaliers on Friday night, scoring 15 points in 27 minutes of play.
Sessions shot 5-of-9 from the field and also led the team with five assists. Sessions' name has come up in trade rumors involving the Los Angeles Lakers, and he showed how effective he can be off the bench Friday night against Miami.
Deciding Factor: Points from starters
The Heat got 80 points from their starting five Friday night, which nearly outscored the entire Cavaliers team total of 87 points. Wade and James combined for 50 points, while Chris Bosh added 16 points with a team high 12 rebounds.
Only two Cleveland starters, Jamison and rookie point guard Kyrie Irving, scored in double digits against the Heat.
Stat of the Night: 39.5%
The Cavaliers shot an abysmal 39.5 percent from the field on Friday night, which can be attributed to two things—the outstanding Miami defense and too many three-point attempts by the Cavaliers.
You cannot beat an elite team like the Heat by converting on only 30-of-76 shots. The league average for field goal percentage is about 44 percent.
The Cavaliers are ranked 23rd in field goal percentage, and tonight's performance certainly won't help their place in the league stat rankings.
Game MVP: LeBron James
LeBron James contributed a bit of everything to the Miami Heat, leading the team with 28 points while also adding five assists and five rebounds. He also chipped in a steal and a block.
The most impressive part of James' game was his efficiency. He shot over 50 percent from the field and converted on all three of his free throws. He also turned the ball over just twice.
When James is at his best, he's aggressive and attacking the basket consistently instead of settling for jump shots, and on Friday night, he was showing the intensity that his coaches want to see from him.
What's Next?
The Cavaliers will stay at home for their next game on Sunday, when they'll battle the Sacramento Kings, who have the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 10-19. Miami will host their Southeast division and in-state rivals the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon.
