NBA Preview: LeBron Brings the Heat to Cleveland

LeBron James won’t receive a warm welcome home from Cleveland fans tonight but the Heat can burn through Cavaliers on the court.

Don’t look now but the Heat are improving
Miami have not started the season the way a team with Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James ought to. After 19 games they stand at 11-8, only good for third in the Southeast division. Recent slip-ups by some of their rivals however mean this slow start may not harm their season too much. Victory tonight would finally bring Miami to a .600 record but they will have to do it in front of the most hostile crowd imaginable.

LeBron isn’t exactly popular in Cleveland these days, although apparently the folks in Akron still love him, and the Cavaliers’ fans have drawn up a detailed list of chants to let King James know exactly how they feel. Much like Brett Favre was when played in Green Bay with the Vikings last season, LeBron is now seen as a traitor in a city that once loved him.

While the crowd might get to LBJ, he has after all shown no shortage of childish behavior since moving to South Beach, it won’t be enough to make up for the talent gap between these two teams. The Heat have issues, particularly on interior offense and when it comes to defending outside and mid-range shots, but the Cavs don’t have the talent to exploit these holes. Even with D-Wade currently enjoying a rough patch, the Heat should still be strong enough to pull through in primetime. Bet on the Miami Heat as -5.5 favorites with Sports Interaction.

In Thursday’s other action…
Given the scale of the game in Cleveland, it’s no surprise that TNT are serving up a less star-studded game for part two of tonight’s doubleheader. Neither the Suns nor Warriors have .500 records but they both have talent capable of creating a high-scoring game. It’s been nearly five years since a game between Phoenix and Golden State didn’t involve both teams scoring at least 100 points each and I see no reason for the trend to stop now. Steve Nash remains one of the finest creators in the NBA and Stephen Curry of the Warriors is prone to making some elaborate assists of his own.

Defense has been a particular concern for the Suns in recent games, having lost five of their last seven while giving up 119.4 points per game. Golden State is enduring a1-6 slide at present but with Curry coming off a 32 point performance against the Spurs, I like the former Davidson standout to lead the Warriors to victory tonight. Bet on the Golden State Warriors as -2.5 favorites with Sports Interaction.