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Never known to mince words, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has an interesting take on so-called “statement” games like the one his team faces Sunday against the Miami Heat.

“I always call B.S. on that,” Van Gundy flatly said. “After the game is usually when you call them statement games. It's usually easy to say after the game. You don't make statements. You either win or you lose. It's a regular-season game. They don't give you any more credit for one than the other.”

Leave it to Van Gundy to attempt to knock as much steam off what's become one of the more heated rivalries in the NBA. But the fact remains that a victory Sunday against the Heat would speak volumes for the Magic's development and direction this season.

A week ago, Orlando was in the midst of potentially franchise-crippling trade speculation involving center Dwight Howard. Had the most dominant big man in the game been dealt at Thursday's trade deadline, the Magic likely would have immediately stumbled from third place in the East standings to possibly among the teams fighting for one of the final playoff spots.

Now, with Howard committed to Orlando through the end of his contract next season, the Magic believe they have enough in place to make a run and contend with conference front-runners Chicago and Miami.

After beating the Bulls and Heat in the past nine days, the Magic are now 1-1 against Chicago and 2-1 against Miami this season. Only one other team -- the Milwaukee Bucks -- has defeated the Heat twice. And although regular-season results didn't prove to mean much once the playoffs arrived last season, the Magic's formula for relative success could hold up in certain postseason matchups.

“We're going to show it,” Howard said of trying to make a run down the stretch. “I'm going to make sure these guys are fired up every night to where we believe we can win. And everybody has to feel the same way. We all have to believe we can do it. That's the message.”

That message is even more specific when it comes to facing the Heat, who have won 12 consecutive games at home.

“The next game is going to be very important,” Howard said. “We haven't played good in Miami. They turn it on when they play at home. We have to be able to weather the storm early and play our brand of basketball. That's why we were able to beat those guys [in Orlando]. We just have to be able to take that on the road.”

Howard destroyed Miami in the Magic's two home victories by averaging 24.5 points and 24.5 rebounds. Two of his league-best eight games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds have come against the Heat. But he was barely a factor offensively in Miami's 90-78 home victory between those two games. The Heat's interior weakness and recent rebounding struggles would appear to play right into Orlando's strengths. In addition to the rebounding woes, the Heat also rank among the worst teams in the league in giving up 3-pointers. That, too, is a Magic specialty.

In the three meetings, the Magic have shot 33-of-99 from 3-point range and have outrebounded the Heat by 10 boards per game. Despite that level of success against a Heat team that ranks in the league's top five in overall defense, Van Gundy also has legitimate cause for concern.

“They have a great system and they work at it,” Van Gundy said. “They have phenomenal strength and quickness. They cover a lot of ground. Their quickness, their overall length and the fact that they know what they're doing and work their [tails] off at it … nobody can cover as much ground as their guys.”

The Heat have forced Orlando into 55 turnovers that have led directly to 69 points in the three games. Because Miami counters Orlando's size and strength with relentless perimeter pressure spearheaded by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Van Gundy tweaks his philosophy when facing the Heat.

“I go into most games really thinking 75 to 80 percent in terms of defense [and] 20 to 25 percent offense,” Van Gundy said. “Against the Heat, offense becomes a lot more important than what it normally is. The one difference for us, maybe as opposed to some other people, is our offense is much more important against them than it is against most people. If you have bad offensive possessions against Miami, particularly if you turn the ball over, you pay virtually every time.”

As a result, the approach for Orlando is predicated on Howard making the smart reads when he sees double-teams coming. It also requires the Magic's perimeter players to make the right passes inside to Howard and anticipate weakside help coming to disrupt his rhythm.

But more than anything else, Orlando must also get the level of support that limits it from being a one-dimensional team. On Tuesday, the Magic weathered a turnover-induced 20-0 Heat run in the second quarter by getting a strong finish from point guard Jameer Nelson, who had 25 points and was 4-of-7 from 3-point range.

In the first meeting of the season, forward Ryan Anderson provided the outside touch to complement Howard's inside force. Anderson had a team-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Orlando knocked down 17 of 42 attempts from beyond the arc.

“If we can play to our game, especially defensively, we feel like we're a team that can go to the Finals,” Magic forward Glen Davis said. “The East is tough. Miami is tough. They take the little things you do wrong and turn them into big things, and they're gone. We can't hurt ourselves and let them get away from us. It takes all of us to do it.”

Regardless of Sunday's outcome, Van Gundy won't make too much -- or too little -- of the result. He knows the Heat won't, either.

“Whether you're 3-1 or 2-2 against them isn't going to make any difference if you end up playing them in a playoff series,” Van Gundy said. “If we win, I don't think they're going to all of a sudden have no confidence if they play us in a playoff series. That's just not the way it works.”

ORLANDO – Even in election years, the Miami Heat typically don't make a habit of campaigning for their players when it comes to consideration for individual NBA awards.

So it's a good thing LeBron James' candidacy speaks so profoundly for itself these days.

The fact LeBron is likely a frontrunner for his third Most Valuable Player award in the midst of the most efficient season a player has had in NBA history is a no-brainer. But it's the legitimate case he's making for another of the league's highest honors that's a bit mind-boggling.

Move over, Dwight Howard.

Maybe next season, Serge Ibaka.

Why? Because LeBron should be on his way to defensive player of the year accolades this season, too. Perhaps no stretch of play can underscore LeBron's value on the defensive side of the ball more than his potential assignments over these next two games.

On Tuesday in Orlando, LeBron is almost certain to spend a few possessions trying to slow Howard, the league's most dominant center. Not only did LeBron survive the last time he drew that assignment, he held his own in Miami's home victory in February. And LeBron's encore Wednesday night will likely be a late-game stare down with reigning MVP Derrick Rose.

Allow that to sink in for a minute. In a span of two games on consecutive nights on the road, LeBron, a 6-8 small forward by definition, will likely be asked to defend the NBA's best big man as well as arguably its top point guard.

It's a dynamic task. But LeBron has made ordinary work out of extraordinary assignments like this all season as the Heat's de facto point guard and emergency center. Stretching one's versatility in such extreme roles would garner an Oscar if this were the Academy Awards.

And in basketball, it should get you the rare double take of end-of-season hardware. Only two players in league history have won MVP and defensive player of the year awards in the same season. Hakeem Olajuwon was the last to do it following the 1993-94 season. Michael Jordan was first during the 1987-88 season.

“I would love to do it,” James said. “I take as much pride in defense as I do in offense. And that's every night. It doesn't matter what Coach says my matchup is before the game. I know it's going to be more than that (certain player). And I've got no problem with that. It would mean a lot to be considered.”

Discussing his own standing among potential candidates is an uncomfortable conversation for LeBron. He'd almost rather talk about things he'd do differently in handling his decision to leave Cleveland for Miami as a free agent in 2010.

So when asked if he believes he should be considered for defensive player of the year, LeBron quickly steered the discussion up the Florida Turnpike toward Howard, who has won it three consecutive seasons.

“We've got a monster in Dwight Howard not too far from (Miami),” James said. “You take him off that team, there's nothing there. You get to the hole every time. He's definitely won it for a reason.”

That's no shot at the Magic. Instead, LeBron was simply going above and beyond to praise the defensive dominance of their franchise centerpiece – a player who is also involved in extensive trade speculation and could be facing the Heat in Orlando for the final time amid Thursday's deadline.

While LeBron won't match Howard's rebounding or Ibaka's shot-blocking totals for Oklahoma City, neither of those players – nor anyone else in the league – can pull off what the Heat's catalyst has done on a routine basis this season.

LeBron has defended everyone from Camby to Collison, from Pau to Chris Paul. This week, he's headed from Dwight directly to D-Rose. It's part necessity because the Heat are short on reliable depth at the center position, which is something team president Pat Riley is contemplating how to address.

But it's also all desire on LeBron's part. He came relatively close to winning the top offensive and defensive awards with the Cavaliers in 2009, when he won his first of consecutive MVPs and finished second to Howard for defensive player of the year.

During that season, James had 137 steals, 93 blocks and stole four first-place votes from Howard on the way to being named to the NBA's All-Defense first team. But not even in that season was LeBron required to play anywhere at any given time on such a regular basis as this season.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he spent significant time meeting privately with LeBron last season about embracing the burden he would have to carry in Miami defensively. This season, the communication is less verbal, and sometimes all it takes is a nod between the two.

“We went through a lot of the ramifications and teaching points last year, so this year it's much more efficient,” Spoelstra said. “Frankly, we need him to be the most dynamic defensive player in the league for us to be successful. It changes from game to game. Sometimes we need him to be the head of the defense. Sometimes we need him to be the back line, a free safety. He has that type of ability, but also the mindset to do it. Most guys wouldn't have that mindset or commitment.”

Spoelstra then paused briefly for impact.

“And, of course, we still require that he have the offensive load to be able to score and get everybody else involved,” Spoelstra continued. “So there's quite a bit on his plate. But we've been through a lot to get to this point.”

And this point also is where LeBron allows his performance to do the pontificating. He has friends lobbying on his behalf. Heat guard Dwyane Wade told the Associated Press last week that he hopes to see LeBron pick up both awards. Wade wants to attend both press conferences for historical value.

“He's doing things that probably nobody else in the league has ever been asked to do,” Heat forward Chris Bosh said of LeBron's defensive requirements. “I mean, really, who is doing that?”

Jordan left somewhat of a blueprint, and James isn't too far off the path statistically. During that 1987-88 season, Jordan shot 53.5 percent and averaged 35 points, 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.6 blocks. By comparison, LeBron's field goal percentage (55.2), rebounds (8.4) and assists (6.6) are higher this season, although his scoring (27.7), steals (1.8) and blocks (0.8) are lower.

Overall, it's on par. But LeBron knows it's not all a numbers game.

“I don't get the 15 rebounds a game, the three-and-a-half blocks as well,” he said. “That plays a big part in defensive player of the year.”

So does accurate and honest perspective.

Since 1995, only two perimeter players have won defensive player of the year: Ron Artest (2004) and Gary Payton (1996). For LeBron to receive strong consideration, it'll require an appreciation for his work against point guards as well as his ability to bang in the paint. Of the two chores, LeBron said it's more difficult to defend quick guards because he must fight through screens.

But battling in the post isn't exactly a consolation.

“It's not fun. Not fun at all,” James said. “If I'm fronting a (big) guy for 16 seconds of the shot-clock, then I'm pretty much not going to make it up the floor (on offense). So I'll let D-Wade and C.B. take care of that. I just try to do whatever it takes to help our team win.”

If this keeps up, voters should do whatever it takes to acknowledge LeBron's two-way, on-court stump speech.

MIAMI - Dwight Howard wore stylishly, sophisticated spectacles as he dressed and prepared to leave AmericanAirlines Arena on Sunday after the Orlando Magic had their four-game winning streak snapped.

This time around, the NBA's most dominant big man certainly lacked 20-20 vision against the Miami Heat. How did the Heat solve their biggest problem against Orlando?

Easy. They went small.

A week after carving through the Heat with 25 points and 24 rebounds in a home victory, Howard ran into a more rugged defensive effort Sunday and was relatively contained as Miami cruised to a 90-78 win. The Heat extended their winning streak to six consecutive games, all by a double-digit margin.

Miami improved the league's best record to 25-7 and hasn't lost a game since that 102-89 setback on Feb. 8 in Orlando. In that game, there were no answers for stopping either Howard's inside play or the Magic's shooters, who nailed 17 3-pointers on 42 attempts.

The Heat made some minor adjustments to tame Orlando's inside and outside threats this time. Howard was guarded by as many as five different defenders, and the Heat mixed single coverage with varying double-team efforts from different angles. Howard was limited to 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, but finished with a game-high 15 rebounds.

Miami also held the Magic to a rather pedestrian 37.9-percent shooting on 3-pointers, with Orlando missing 18 of 29 attempts.

"What they did do well tonight was they clogged the paint up and forced me to pass the ball out," Howard said. "It was pretty good defense. They just played harder than us."

Sunday marked only the second time in the past 20 games that Howard attempted 10 or fewer shots. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said his strategy was to mix up the coverages on Howard, and Miami gambled by playing smaller but quicker defenders on him in key stretches of the game to obstruct passing lanes inside.

At times, that led to 6-foot-8 Udonis Haslem - who is undersized even at power forward - taking on the Howard assignment. LeBron James, at 6-foot-8 and 260 pounds, also had a shift or two against Howard. Orlando was unable to exploit the matchup as Howard, Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu combined for nine of the team's 15 turnovers.

Spoelstra acknowledged the Heat got away with a few risky moves.

"Our guys were committed, and much more disciplined in this game," Spoelstra said. "All of us were disappointed the last time we played them. We had so many breakdowns. We didn't really give ourselves a chance. Our activity level throughout (Sunday's) game was very good, very consistent."

It seems like years ago that the Heat got blasted by the Magic in Orlando, but it actually happened within the past two weeks. And the Heat, who have won by an average of 18.8 points over their last five games, remember it well.

Should the Heat care where Dwight Howard eventually takes his talents this season? Was the Feb. 8 loss a much-needed wake-up call for the Heat? Is it a surprise to see LeBron James and Dwyane Wade's league-leading productivity?

In another installment of Heat Index's 3-on-3 series, our writers give their takes on the story lines before the Heat (24-7) take on the (20-11) Magic.

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1. Fact or Fiction: Heat would rather see Dwight stay in Orlando?

Tom Haberstroh: Fact. The Magic haven't paired Howard with another star in years and the Heat should enjoy it while it lasts. It might come to an end at the trade deadline. Dealing with Howard is bad enough, but then worrying about Kobe, Deron, Derrick or Dirk, too? That's not an exciting scenario for Miami, even though they have three stars of their own.

Michael Wallace: Fiction. The farther west he goes, the better for the Heat. Still, it's not like Miami fears Dwight. The Heat have had a relatively good handle on Dwight for the most part. It's Orlando's shooters playing off of Howard who have given the Heat absolute fits.

Brian Windhorst: Fact. Howard is a monster to deal with and the Heat have problems at center. But they probably like their chances against the Magic in a seven-game series. If Howard goes to another contender, be it the Lakers, Mavericks or even Bulls they may not feel the same way.

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2. Fact or Fiction: The Orlando loss was a blessing in disguise.

Haberstroh: Fact. They might look back on that 13-point Feb. 8 loss in the same way they did the "Bumpgate" Mavericks loss in the last regular season. Sure, it could be just a random placemarker in the season, but it seems the Heat made real strides defensively after the downtown downpour in Orlando.

Wallace: Fiction. There are no moral victories or blessing-in-disguise losses for the Heat. Orlando was simply the best team the Heat played on the trip. A loss there isn't anything to be ashamed of. That said, best believe the Heat want to avenge last week's loss.

Windhorst: Fact. The Heat apparently had gotten a little out of focus after some home victories. Starting out on a long road trip, they didn't play that game with much intensity. Then they plowed through the next five opponents.

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3. Fact or Fiction: It's surprising that LeBron/Wade are 1-2 in PER.

Haberstroh: Fact. It seems like yesterday that the 30-year-old was a lock for a down season with nagging injuries, but it's time I learned not to doubt the ageless D-Wade. His minutes have been down due to a combination of blowouts and caution, but Wade is averaging a league-high 37.8 points per 48 minutes this month. And what a surprise, LeBron is second with 34.8 points. Stunning numbers.

Wallace: Fiction. They are two of the top five players in the league. They also traditionally are two high turnover guys. But what that 1-2 ranking in efficiency says to me is that Wade and LeBron are simply making the game that much easier for one another. They impact every possession when they're on the court together.

Windhorst: LeBron at been in the top three in PER for years but Wade is playing some fantastic basketball. It's remarkable how well they're shooting. The Heat have obviously had trouble getting these two to fit together. They've never been better together than last 3 weeks.

Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prosepctus, in his case for Dwight Howard for MVP, captures a sentiment that's been gnawing at me as the argument over MVP has become more and more contentious over the past few weeks. Those who value advanced analytics have made the empirical case against Derrick Rose, while proponents of Rose's candidacy have noted his impact in Chicago's outstanding season and an individual game that has, by any account, grown tremendously:

My greatest sadness about the MVP debate this year is that it has been reduced to stat geeks against Derrick Rose, which hasn't helped either side. Look, Rose has had a fabulous year. I enjoy watching him attack a defense as much as anyone. And it is absolutely unfair that he's taken a barrage of criticism from statistical analysts because of an MVP campaign that he's had no role in orchestrating outside of his play.

The tenor of this year's discussion about MVP has grown toxic, not just because there's a lack of unanimity like last season, but because the debate has been drawn along ideological lines.

Sports, by and large, is a constellation of arguments: Who's the Greatest of All Time? Who do you want taking the last shot? Should there be a designated hitter in baseball (apropos of nothing, both LeBron and, more vociferously, James Jones said no last week in the Heat locker room). And arguments, by their very nature, are oppositional: My conclusion makes more sense than your conclusion.

This season, the dispute over MVP has grown uglier, because it's degenerated into a dispute about methodology. We're not just impugning each other's choices, but the way we perceive the world. That, in and of itself, doesn't have to be a bad thing. An exchange of ideas generally makes the world a better place, but some of the Rose-James and Rose-Howard debates I've overheard and read in recent days aren't so much a contrast of the players' attributes as a condemnation of those doing the arguing: Do you stat geeks even watch the games and observe the results, or do you just consult your spreadsheet to draw conclusions? Meanwhile, if you listen to the extremes on the other side, you'd think Rose was putting up Arenasian numbers this season.

What are we really arguing about here? If I support LeBron James for the MVP Award, what I'm essentially saying is that Rose is a dynamic talent who just happens to be the second, third or fourth best player in the world. How insulting. Rose-over-James offers the same construction. These disagreements might be contrasts in methodology, but at their very heart, they're about taste, and taste is a very personal quality.

I've argued with friends for "Some Girls" over "Let it Bleed" and "Beggars Banquet" (somewhat unsuccessfully, but I'm a sucker for middle-late Stones), and for "Blueprint" over "The Black Album" and "Reasonable Doubt" (more successfully), but we always seem to arrive at the same place:

Artistry invites diverse tastes.

"Let it Bleed," my third favorite Stones album, is freaking phenomenal -- and so is Derrick Rose. Ranking them behind a top choice doesn't discount that affection at all.

Drawing conclusions from anecdotal evidence provided by taxi drivers, old friends and bartenders can be dangerous. But we don't need a full demographic survey to know that the NBA's regular season has captured the attention of people who were previously disinterested in pro ball -- certainly before mid-May.

The television ratings are conclusive. Ratings are up 27 percent on ESPN and 38 percent on ABC over last season. And it's not just the Heat driving interest. Strip away Miami games and ratings are still up 17 percent over last season on ESPN. The nation's economy is sluggish and much of the United States has endured a brutal winter, conditions that tend to keep folks inside and in front of their sets.

But there's a more likely diagnosis for the uptick in interest: The league is more competitive and its storylines more fascinating than ever. And much of that can be attributed to a revitalized Eastern Conference.

It's not just that superstars have relocated or that the overall strength of the conference has increased. Sure, competitive balance always makes for a more interesting landscape, but what's emerged is far more riveting than that. The current Eastern Conference reads like a good novel.

For the first time in a long while, we have a scrap heap atop the standings of teams that have carved out compelling identities. The upstart Chicago Bulls have established themselves as a squad with a high collective basketball and emotional I.Q. -- a team that has fully bought in and doubled-down on the defensive philosophies of the rookie savant coach who paces the sideline. Watching the Bulls' confidence grow over the season has been hugely entertaining.

You can't ask for a better incumbent power than the Boston Celtics. The C's are struggling right now -- just as they did a year ago at this juncture of the season -- but there isn't a team more serious about the business of basketball than the Celtics. That level of austerity has repeatedly victimized and intimidated playoff opponents, no matter how much raw athleticism, star power and camaraderie those opponents bring into a series.

Fair or not, the Heat elicit more hate than any team in NBA history. The late-80s Pistons more readily embraced their loathsomeness, but nothing compares to the venom the Heat attract from detractors. Maybe that's a manifestation of the Internet and the several million ways fans can convey their disgust for the Heat, but like our editor here says, that hate is the salt in the ocean that is the 2010-11 NBA season. Even though that ire doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, I appreciate it as an essential feature of the story. The NBA needs villains as a narrative vehicle and LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have served admirably in that capacity.

The Magic's gutsy but desperate attempt to hang in the ranks of the East's elite has made for good theater. Some nights, Howard's presence under the rim and the precision of their inside-out half-court scheme look like the machine that hummed through the bracket in 2009 (and the first two series in 2010). The Magic's precariousness coupled with the ingenuity of their combustible coach make Orlando the wild card as the No. 4.

For dramatic purposes, it's good for the 5-through-8s to carry some intrigue, and no team has offered more than the Knicks. Carmelo Anthony's protracted story continues to swirl, as the success of his former team outshines what's transpired on the west side of Manhattan since the trade. After crawling through the wilderness for the better part of a decade, Knicks fans unleashed a barrage of boos on their team Wednesday night as the seconds ticked away on another home loss.

The reclamation project in Philadelphia has coaches studying film furiously to identify exactly what Doug Collins has injected into the bloodstream of his squad. The Heat might not say it aloud, but they'd much rather try to score buckets against New York or Atlanta than grind out games against the Sixers' quick, athletic and responsive defense. Even poor Atlanta, wallowing in its lost potential, will every once in a while show flashes of that team we fell in love with when they scrapped with Boston as the No. 8 seed in the 2008 postseason.

Arguing about the best (or worst) sports cities in North America is a timeless parlor game, but New York, Boston and Chicago are unquestionably in a select group -- old, ethnic cities that place a premium on civic pride (which is different than boosterism). These cities serve as national reference points. They aren't places I want to live -- I hate it when my contact lenses freeze onto my eyeballs -- but their relevance as NBA destinations draws in impartial fans and excites the more diehard ones.

The East has been building momentum for a few seasons, but its full-scale relevance has finally arrived. It's no longer the NBA's alternate reality -- but its actual one.

ORLANDO -- Some say the Heat need an elite center to counter Dwight Howard and legitimize their championship-contention status. On Thursday, Miami demonstrated why that isn’t necessary.

The Heat beat the Magic on top of LeBron James’ brilliant 51-point performance, but lost in the marvel of James was that the Heat silenced Howard in the second half on his home court. The Heat, a team that is supposedly fatally flawed at the center position, limited the highest-scoring pure center in the NBA to just two field goal attempts in the second half -- and he missed them both. What’s more, Howard didn’t even muster a shot attempt in the final 17 minutes of the game.

How did the Heat do it?

By defending him as a team, not as a one-on-one matchup. The truth is, while Heat centers Erick Dampier and Joel Anthony did a fine job keeping Howard out of the paint, the bulk of the credit belongs to the Heat’s network of help defense that hounded Howard all night.


“They made sure every time I got the ball I saw a crowd,” Howard said after the game. “And I was supposed to pass the ball out just trusting my teammates. That’s all you can do.”

Even when a crowd didn’t meet Howard right away, Erik Spoelstra made it a priority to swarm him in the post before he had time to create an open look on the block.

“Defensively, we were very active covering the paint, disrupting Howard as much as you can,” Spoelstra said. “For the most part, we were pulling triggers and helping out our centers as much as possible when the ball was going in [to the post] so it wouldn’t be a one-on-one opportunity for him.”

Now, most teams would love to deploy this team-wide strategy of helping and recovering. But it’s easier said than done. The Heat have the privilege of James, who’s built like a power forward but moves like a point guard, lurking on the weak side, not to mention Dwyane Wade -- one of the best shot-blocking guards ever -- waiting in Howard’s periphery. It’s rare to find wings who possess the quickness to help on Howard down low without spreading the defense too thin and the strength to provide shot contests one would expect from a big man.

The result was that Howard rarely got a shot off that wasn’t strongly contested by several Heat players. Take, for example, Wade’s second quarter block on Howard. The Magic ran a play that had previously tripped up the Heat on a couple occasions early in the game.

Gilbert Arenas passed the ball to Howard in the high post and then joined his three other teammates on the perimeter. It’s at this point where Hedo Turkoglu, guarded by Chris Bosh, came from the top of the key, took the handoff from Howard and curled to the right side. By setting this rub screen on Bosh, Howard forced Dampier to come out and cut off Turkoglu’s lane to the rim. Once Dampier left Howard, the Magic center dove to the rim.

On previous possessions, Howard received an open look as the rotation underneath didn’t come in time. But on this occasion, Turkoglu fed Howard the ball under the basket, and the only thing standing between Howard and the rim was Eddie House. Easy bucket, right? Wrong. Wade, standing 6-foot-4, parachuted in from behind and swatted Howard’s layup with two hands.

So even when Howard thought he has an open look, he didn't. Later in the second quarter, James followed Wade’s lead and sent Howard’s layup into the seats, after Dampier surrendered an open look near the rim.

What's impressive for the Heat's defense is not the number of Howard's shots they blocked, but the number of shots Howard never even got a chance to take. The Magic ran pick-and-rolls to get Howard open, but their big man subsequently met either Bosh or James on the roll to the rim. Anthony, who received the unenviable assignment of guarding Howard for 20 minutes on Thursday night, was especially grateful for his teammates.

“You can’t just guard him one-on-one,” Anthony said. “It’s definitely a team effort. Having the guards there on the weak side slowing him down on those pick-and-rolls when he rolls to the rim while the bigs are out there, that's huge for us.”

Saying the Heat don’t have anyone to stop Howard misses the point. The first 42 minutes of the Thursday’s game against the Magic illustrated why the Heat can be stifling on defense without a classic center's presence anchoring the paint. Basketball is not a game decided by the results of individual matchups as it is, say, in the sport of baseball. The key for the Heat is that they have wings who are athletically and mentally capable of helping defend like big men. It’s a big reason why the Heat are one of the top defenses in the league and the best protectors of the rim.

As the Heat have shown, protecting the paint is not accomplished by a lone individual. It’s a team-wide effort.

Taking advantage of Orlando's thin front line
Magic starting power forward Brandon Bass sprained his left ankle in Monday's game against Memphis, an injury that will keep him out of Thursday night's game against Miami. That leaves an already-thin Orlando frontcourt even more depleted, with Dwight Howard, Ryan Anderson and a hobbled Malik Allen as the only true Magic big men. How can the Heat expose this lack of depth? "It would obviously be ideal if we can get Dwight Howard into foul trouble," Erik Spoelstra said following the Heat's Wednesday practice. Spoelstra qualified this statement by saying that he doesn't anticipate his team necessarily posting up the Magic to draw the fouls. His preferred strategy is to scramble the defense by getting the Magic off-balance and out of position, then unleashing his attackers -- LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh -- to the rim, though the Heat might also post Bosh up selectively.

Dealing with Dwight Howard
Though Heat center Erick Dampier has played sparingly in recent weeks, he's likely to play meaningful minutes as part of the Committee to Contain Dwight Howard. "What's going to happen, more likely, is that it'll be a three-center game," Spoelstra said. "[Howard] commands so much attention that it's hard not to get into foul trouble, and that's the luxury that we have." Whoever is out there for the Heat at the 5 will still have to contend with Howard, both on the block and in pick-and-roll situations. One of those Heat centers, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, described the challenge of defending Howard down on the block. "He's got enough to be the best center in the league as far as I'm concerned," Ilgauskas said. "You just try to prevent that first dribble. When he puts that shoulder down, you just have to meet him, take the first hit and try to push him as far as you can and get him into his hooks. If you can make him shoot his hooks -- he's gotten a lot better, but you have to limit his dunks because that's a 100 percent shot." Difficult as Howard is to slow in the low post, he might be even more lethal on pick-and-rolls. "When Dwight rolls to the hole, we have a team defense, so the guys have to check him and protect until I recover," Ilgauskas said. "Guarding pick-and-rolls and guarding Dwight -- one guy can't do it. You have to have team defense."

Will we see point-less lineups?
When it comes to Heat-Magic games, Mike Miller and Hedo Turkoglu could potentially send the point guard position into extinction. Sure, Jameer Nelson and Mario Chalmers will get the starting nods, but there’s a good chance that their ball-handling skills will become superfluous over the course of the game. Say Miller enters the game for Chalmers -- does Stan van Gundy trust Jameer Nelson to guard Dwyane Wade? On Sunday, Oklahoma City coach Scotty Brooks was comfortable letting 6-foot-3 Russell Westbrook take on Wade defensively, but Nelson needs heels if he wants to stand that tall. But the Magic can counter. If they can stomach some misfires on the offensive end, they can go with Gilbert Arenas. Or they could go unconventional and let Turkoglu take over point guard duties. Turkoglu’s positional flexibility becomes essential when the Magic go head-to-head with the Heat, and we could see the first Redick-Richardson-Turkoglu-Anderson-Howard lineup of the season. Basketball junkies everywhere won’t want to miss it.

Reversing the settle trend
Sometimes the best way to grade the effect of a defensive post presence is to ignore the box score all together and bust out the shot chart. And from the looks of it, the Heat appear to feel a bit skittish about entering Howard’s domain. How can we tell? In their first meeting, the Heat fired off a season-high 37 long 2s from 16-23 feet, according to Hoopdata.com. And in the second matchup, the Heat chucked up another 28 shots from just inside the arc. Those numbers rank above their norm of 25 attempts (which leads the NBA). Living in the midrange area is typically a losing strategy, and that’s a big reason why Howard is so disruptive even if he’s not blocking shots; he forces teams to settle for looks in the most inefficient area on the floor. But the Heat are improving in this department as they incorporate Miller into the lineup. The Heat are recognizing the rising opportunity cost of taking a bad shot, and they’ve started to consistently run their sets past the first option.

Jason Richardson vs. Dwyane Wade
Richardson isn't your prototypical shooting guard and he presents unique challenges, even for a capable defender like Wade. In addition to being one of the best rebounding wings in the league, and a potent option coming off curls and pin-downs, Richardson loves to post up opposing 2-guards. Though he's gotten off to a slow start in that capacity in Orlando, he has consistently ranked among the better post-up guards in the league in recent years. "He's a guy who's very strong, very physical and very athletic who can get his shot," Wade said. "You stick to your principles. Our scheme is never one-on-one. You always have to see other guys and I'm a pretty good post defender, and my biggest thing is to make a guy take a turnaround shot so I can contest it." In some sense, Richardson has emerged as a bellwether for the Magic. He has been slumping of late, but if he's able to get good looks in the half court, the Magic become much more difficult to defend. On the other side of the ball, Wade has a decisive advantage. He's far too quick for Richardson to stay in front of one-on-one. Orlando is one of the best help defenses in the league and will need every bit of assistance to keep a hyperaggressive Wade from slicing through its defensive front line -- even with Howard waiting at the rim.

Every time Miami plays Orlando, we’ll be reminded about this fact: the Magic have Dwight Howard and the Heat don’t.

But it goes deeper than that. The Heat’s hole at the 5 position seems more pronounced against Orlando since the Magic employ the best center in the game. Howard is well on his way to his third straight Defensive Player of the Year award, not to mention an average of 22.2 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.

And the Heat? Well, they feature a slew of serviceable centers in Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Joel Anthony and Erick Dampier, but they aren’t exactly powerhouses down low. Ilgauskas started out this season playing behind Anthony, but they switched spots ten games into the season and Spoelstra has played Ilgauskas in the starting unit ever since.

But the starter designation may be nothing more than a label. Spoelstra treats his center rotation not unlike a baseball manager treats his bullpen; he’ll choose his center depending on the matchup. This strategy works because the centers are distinctly specialized. If Spoelstra needs height and shooting, he’ll tab Ilgauskas. If he needs energy and basket protection, he’ll call on Anthony. If he needs someone to take up space down low and lay out some stiff screens, he’ll send Dampier onto the floor.


On the surface, the Heat’s front line doesn’t appear to be all that intimidating because they don’t have a household name who anchors the paint. But their soft reputation doesn’t hold much water. In reality, teams have struggled mightily to score at the basket against the Heat. A typical team converts 63 percent of their field goals at the rim, but against the Heat frontcourt, that conversion rate plummets to just 58 percent. That’s the lowest opponent field goal percentage league-wide according to Hoopdata.com -- even lower than Orlando’s.

It goes without saying that the Heat’s big men have a lot to do with that. Dig deeper and we find more eye-opening nuggets. Guess which team leads the NBA in defending post-ups? According to video data from Synergy Sports Technology, it’s the Heat. Opponents shoot just 38.1 percent on post-ups against the Heat and score merely .74 points per post-up play, even if we include the trips to the charity stripe.

Don’t believe the data? Just watch how the Heat protect the basket; it’s never a one-on-one endeavor. Under Spoelstra’s defensive system, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are free to float in and out of the lane to disrupt the post. And they’re enabled with that roaming license because they can cover an enormous amount of ground with their speed and length. Their roving doesn’t spread the defense thin.

Furthermore, with the 6-foot-8, 260 pound James flanking Bosh, the Heat essentially deploy two power forwards on the court. So if you try to shoot over the 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas – which in and of itself is a tall task -- you better be prepared to shoot over Bosh and James as well.

And don’t be fooled by Anthony’s height either. The springy center may stand just 6-foot-9, but what you may not know is that he’s one of the best shot blockers in the NBA. In fact, he averages more blocks per minute than Howard himself. He moves laterally as well as he does vertically. He’s also a top-notch defender in the pick-and-roll, something that isn’t graded in the box score. For that, we’ll go to Synergy, which tells us that screeners shoot just 22 percent (15-for-68) after rolling to the basket against Anthony, which is the lowest conversion rate in the NBA for any individual defender. Even if we include the points accrued on trips to the foul line (which happens often with Anthony), he still ranks as one of the best defenders in the pick-and-roll. And in the NBA, pick-and-roll defense may be the most important skill for a big man on that end of the floor.

With that said, the Heat’s lack of production out of the center position can’t be ignored. Between Ilgauskas, Anthony, and Dampier, the Heat receive just 8.9 points per game from the center slot. That's by far the lowest scoring contribution in the league and nearly 3 points fewer than the 29th ranked Detroit Pistons according to numbers from hoopsstats.com. In fact, a Heat center has scored more than 10 points in a game just five times this season -- and they all came from Ilgauskas.


But with that said, is the scoring famine that big of an issue?

While it’s certainly a talking point, the magnitude of concern may be overstated. First, let’s consider the unique circumstances of this Heat team. Heading into the 2010-11 season, everyone wondered how LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were going to share the ball amongst each other. They each were the primary scoring option in their previous NBA lives. But that armchair discussion overlooked this critical factor: two other players had to play next to them as well.

So the centers aren’t putting up big point totals mostly because they aren’t getting the opportunities. And if you are going to steal shots from James, Wade and Bosh, you better make it worth it. As veterans, the centers understand their role and never hijack the offense. Ilguaskas will shoot a jumper after a pick-and-pop; Anthony will only shoot when the ball is served on a platter next to the rim, and Dampier, in the rare event he plays, will stick to putbacks. The Heat’s trio of centers don’t see a lot of shots -- their 7.4 attempts per game is the league’s lowest -- and that’s by design; Spoelstra wants the ball in the hands of his superstars.

Ultimately, the Heat are doing just fine without the luxury of a star center. While the casual fan calls them soft, the team’s stellar basket protection and post defense suggest otherwise. The real test will come during the playoffs, but up to this point, the Heat's committee of centers has demonstrated that the conventional wisdom isn’t really wisdom at all.

After being asked whether he thought he was worthy of an All-Star bid this season, Chris Bosh looked away and pondered the question. For a moment, it appeared he was searching for a selfless, diplomatic answer.

Then he responded with a devious smile.

“Of course.”

Bosh knows his numbers are down this season -- at least, the numbers that everyone talks about. Bosh is averaging 18.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 51.3 percent shooting this season, far cries from the career highs he enjoyed in 2009-10 for the 40-win Toronto Raptors. So maybe it’s no surprise that he ranks fifth in All-Star voting among Eastern Conference forwards behind LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire and Paul Pierce.

But to him and many others, being an All-Star isn’t about lofty per-game averages and flashy aesthetics; it’s a reward for playing winning basketball.

“I know I’m not the most popular player out there,” Bosh said after Saturday’s game. “I just concentrate on playing solid basketball. That’s what All-Stars do. Whatever it takes to help this team to win, that’s what I’m going to do.”

It’s a different tune from what he’s played in the past. As of now, Bosh says there are no plans to don a cowboy hat and dress like a car salesman in another YouTube All-Star voting campaign, as he did in 2007.

“I’ll keep my cars to myself right now,” Bosh said Friday.

This season, Bosh is letting his game speak for itself -- and his game certainly deserves the All-Star nod. Sure, Bosh’s per-game averages don’t scream superstar, but his overall contributions are certainly All-Star-caliber.

Among Eastern Conference forwards, only James has tallied more win shares than Bosh this season, according to Basketball-Reference.com. In fact, Bosh ranks seventh in the NBA overall.

What are win shares, you ask?

Win shares is an advanced metric that estimates how many wins a player contributes to his team, combining both offensive and defensive value. In 2010-11, Bosh’s play has translated to 5.1 wins so far, topping the totals for Pierce (4.6), Garnett (4.3) and Stoudemire (3.5) -- all of whom lead Bosh in fan voting.

Also bolstering his candidacy is that no other player has been a part of winning basketball more than Bosh this season. The Heat's starting power forward leads the NBA in plus-minus, with the Heat having outscored opponents by 322 points while he’s on the floor. James and Manu Ginobili are tied for second with a plus-289 rating on the season.

Standing in Bosh’s way is that his biggest strides this season are subtle. Although strong rotational work and pick-and-roll coverage are important to the ultimate goal of winning, dazzling help defense doesn’t exactly send fans sprinting to the All-Star ballot box. But Bosh has vastly improved in these areas this season, a requirement in Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s airtight defensive schemes demanding quick footwork and team-focused habits.

The knock on Bosh, of course, is that he’s soft as Charmin Ultra. But the truth is that he’s stopping opponents in the post. Overall, the power forward has allowed only 47 points on 67 post-ups against him this season, according to Synergy video data -- a rate that places him ninth among the league’s 62 qualified big men. He ranks even better in one-on-one isolations.

Bosh’s conservative style of play doesn’t lend itself to fan adulation, unlike that of his more electric competition. Stoudemire masks his deplorable defense with thunderous dunks, and his 26.4-point scoring average grabs our attention even though it’s spurred by outrageous shot volume, not efficiency. Garnett doesn’t have eye-popping numbers, but his visible intensity makes his strong defense more captivating to audiences. People pay to see their theatrics as much as their talents.

Given that it’s unlikely that Bosh will leapfrog Garnett, Stoudemire and Pierce in the fan voting, Bosh probably will have to rely on the coaches' vote to earn a bid. As part of league rules, each coach must fill out a ballot selecting two guards, two forwards and a center, with the top seven vote getters winning a spot on the team in addition to the starters whom fans select. With a weak lot of shooting guards, there’s a good chance that, for the second year in a row, the East’s All-Star bench will be dominated by big men. That boosts Bosh’s chances at landing a spot. Unless coaches harbor serious anti-Heat resentment, Bosh should garner more support than other forwards in the field, such as Josh Smith, Wilson Chandler or Carlos Boozer.

In the end, Bosh is still playing All-Star basketball if the criteria are based on merit. He’s not putting up the same gaudy per-game numbers as we’re accustomed to seeing, but then again, Stoudemire and Dwight Howard are the only Eastern Conference players to beat Bosh’s scoring and rebounding averages. Bosh has a more complete game now in ways that aren’t obvious to the casual fan watching the highlight reels. But the sharpened eyes of opposing coaches can see his development. That alone may be all that matters.

Reports indicate that the Magic have upended their roster in two separate deals with Phoenix and Washington, acquiring Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, Gilbert Arenas and Earl Clark while sending out Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, a 2011 first-round pick and a few shekels.

The Magic and Heat will be fighting for supremacy in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division and could very well encounter each other in a postseason series. What does the turnover in Orlando mean for that matchup?

Orlando gets stretchier in the backcourt
Jason Richardson has been one of the most underrated shooting guards in the league for a good while. By some measurements, he was a top-five player in the 2010 postseason during Phoenix's exciting romp through the Western Conference. Richardson's true shooting percentage is a career-high 57.4, and he's a 42 percent shooter from beyond the arc. He's a far more lethal threat from long range than Vince Carter, is one of the fiercest rebounding guards in basketball and is a menacing post player. Gilbert Arenas' marksmanship has fallen off, but if we assume he'll take some of his minutes away from Chris Duhon, he represents an upgrade in that respect. And for all of Hedo Turkoglu's failings since he departed Orlando during the summer of 2009, he still commands respect from long range. Like Richardson, Turkoglu is shooting at a 42 percent clip from 3-point range, and his true shooting percentage of 56.7 this season is the second-best of his career. Incredible as it is, in the 6-foot-10 stretch hybrid category, Turkoglu's numbers best Rashard Lewis' as well as Mickael Pietrus', who is also on his way out.

The Heat have the length and discipline to chase these shooters off the line, but they'll have to be even more attentive now. Richardson, in particular, is a bear to defend coming around curls. And because he's second only to Landry Fields and Dwyane Wade as an offensive rebounder at the 2, Wade will have to be extra-careful about leaking out in transition, lest he give up second-chance points to the aggressive Richardson.

Stan Van Gundy's blue game card is more to his liking
Orlando's attack has always been predicated on flexibility in the pick-and-roll. Turkoglu has never been more valuable than he was in Van Gundy's system, where he could work as a popper with Jameer Nelson or a perimeter guard, or as the ball handler with a stretch big. Lewis was often Turkoglu's dance partner, but Ryan Anderson, who figures to inherit some minutes now that fellow stretch 4 Lewis is being shipped to Washington, will be a fine apprentice. Brandon Bass, who should move into the starting lineup as the Magic's power forward, adds another dimension as an expert roll man. All of this leaves Van Gundy with innumerable options to run his stuff. Pick any combination: Nelson-anyone, Turkoglu-Bass, Turkoglu-Howard, Richardson-Turkoglu, you name it.

The Heat's pick-and-roll coverage has been some of the best in the league, but Miami's task just got a little tougher. Chris Bosh, in particular, has his work cut out for him. The days of keeping an eye on Rashard Lewis out on the wing are over. Brandon Bass is more of a Paul Millsap analog, the kind of bruising power forward who eats up space and gives Bosh fits. LeBron James, who will draw Turkoglu, also must be prepared to both defend the ball and chase Turkoglu through screens, a job James can more than handle.

What happens when Dwight Howard picks up his third foul at the nine-minute mark of the second quarter?
With Brendan Haywood phoning it in with Dallas, Marcin Gortat had emerged as arguably the best backup center in the NBA. He was the consummate insurance policy for the occasionally foul-prone Dwight Howard. When Van Gundy wanted to maximize his frontcourt brawn, he'd even play Howard and Gortat together for stretches. With the Polish Hammer moving to Phoenix, the Magic are left with Anderson and rookie Daniel Orton as their backups for Howard. It's possible Magic GM Otis Smith has something in the works to acquire another big body, and he'll need one to contend.

In this respect, the Heat's oft-maligned center rotation catches a break. If Orlando opts to assign Anderson meaningful minutes at the 5, we'll likely see a scenario similar to Friday night's game at New York, during which the Heat went smallish. Gortat was by no means a huge difference-maker, but he afforded Van Gundy the luxury of not having to give up much on the glass when it was necessary to sit Howard.

Before the Orlando Magic faced off against the Miami Heat on Oct. 29, the conversation surrounding the matchup centered on Dwight Howard's ability to exploit the Heat's front line. Nearly everyone said, "Who is going to stop him?"

Yet few bothered to ask how the Magic would score on the perimeter against LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, two of the best wing defenders in the NBA.

In the first half of their initial meeting in Miami's regular-season home-opener, Orlando got a lot of production from Howard but little from the likes of Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter and others. Howard was dominant in the first two quarters. He executed to near perfection on the low block and displayed an array of lefty and righty hooks, spin moves and jump shots.

Unfortunately for the Magic, Howard was a one-man show because head coach Erik Spoelstra elected not to double-team the big fella in the low post and instead concentrated on stopping the perimeter attack.

Let Howard get his and stop everyone else on the Magic's roster.

It's a strategy similar to the one the Boston Celtics employed to beat Orlando in the 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. In the Heat's case, Wade shut down Carter while James acted as a rover on defense, using his elite athleticism to make it nearly impossible for Orlando shooters to get clean looks from the perimeter.

The strategy worked, as the Heat were able to pull away from the Magic in the third quarter, thanks to a barrage of shots from James and Wade. The Magic posted their worst offensive night in more than two years, as they fell 96-70 in Miami.

What can Orlando do differently this time around?

They should have two overriding priorities on offense:

The first is to attack -- that's Nelson's job.

He must be aggressive offensively to take advantage of his matchups against Carlos Arroyo and Eddie House. Although the Heat rank fourth in defensive efficiency this season, their defense tends to break down when there is dribble penetration to the interior. That's something Nelson can do with effectiveness -- so long as he's on the attack.

For Orlando, one way to create havoc in the lane is by executing its pick-and-roll with Nelson and Howard. This "1-5 pick-and-roll" facilitates much of Orlando's ball movement in the half court. The play starts, usually, with Nelson at either of the hashes on the wing. From there, Nelson will use Howard's screen to create space for himself to attack the paint and force the defense to react. This is where Orlando is potent offensively, because if he's successful turning the corner, Nelson has a variety of options to choose from. Sometimes he can pull up for a 3-pointer or a midrange jumper, or as has been the case more often this year, Nelson can dash into the lane and put up a leaning fadeaway that he's quietly mastered (ask the New Jersey Nets and Indiana Pacers).

The defense must also account for Howard and the Magic's platoon of 3-point shooters. Howard acting as a moving target on pick-and-rolls is nearly impossible to stop, while players such as Lewis, J.J. Redick and others can provide the requisite perimeter scoring from drive-and-kicks and ball reversals.

As a reference point, Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets ran staggered pick-and-rolls, pick-and-pops, you name it, in their win against the Heat. Nelson isn't the same caliber of point guard as Paul, but with the added benefit of Howard there's no reason why he can't do some of the same things in pick-and-roll situations against Miami.

Aside from Nelson -- and by extension, Howard -- Lewis is the second crucial piece to the Magic's offensive game plan.

His involvement offensively is vital because he, along with Nelson and Carter, helps balance Orlando's inside-out attack with Howard in the middle.

What can head coach Stan Van Gundy do to ensure Lewis is used properly?

Against the Heat, it's tricky because Lewis won't be effective playing at the small forward position against James. As such, Lewis needs to spend a majority of his time at power forward, where Bosh won't offer as much resistance.

For Lewis, pick-and-pops are going to be key. The absence of Udonis Haslem puts a ton of pressure on Bosh to contain Lewis defensively, and that's something that Van Gundy needs to exploit. Bosh's pick-and-roll coverage isn't sterling (the same could be said about the rest of the Heat, data via Synergy Sports Technology).

When it comes down to it, the Magic need to run pick-and-rolls as much as possible to beat the Heat in their grudge match Wednesday.

The Hornets created the blueprint with similar personnel.

Orlando needs to follow suit.

In the Miami Heat's first loss of the season, the Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo had 17 assists. On Friday, Chris Paul had 19 assists, just the fifth player with at least 19 assists against the Heat, and the first since Andre Miller had 20 on Dec. 8, 2006.

Dwyane Wade committed a season-high seven turnovers, and much of the credit goes to Marco Belinelli. The offseason acquisition forced five of Wade’s seven turnovers and did his best to keep Wade off the free throw line, where he scored 13 of his game-high 28 points.

The Heat still have not allowed 100 points in a game this season, but on Friday the New Orleans Hornets shot 49.4 percent from the floor and scored 50 of their 96 points in the paint. Both were season-highs against the Heat in their first six games.

The Heat have been at their best when they have been efficient in the half-court. In four wins, Miami has shot 47.9 percent from the floor and scored 87.8 points in its half-court offense. In two losses, the Heat have shot just 36.7 percent from the floor, scoring 71.0 points.

Emeka Okafor's 92.3 field goal percent (12-13 FG) is the highest in Hornets' franchise history for a player who took at least 13 shots.

Elsewhere in the NBA:
Anderson Varejao joins Zydrunas Ilgauskas (2007-08) as the second Cleveland Cavalier in the last 25 seasons to go 10-for-10 from the floor.

The Cavaliers have won eight straight road games against the Philadelphia 76ers. That's tied for the fourth-longest road win streak any team has ever had against the 76ers. However, that's not even the Cavs longest road win streak against Philadelphia. From 1991-97, Cleveland won 12 straight games in Philadelphia.

Dwight Howard (30 points, 16 rebounds) now has 23, 30-15 games since his rookie season in 2004-05. That's by far the most in the NBA during that span. Next on the list are Yao Ming and Zach Randolph, each with 12.

From the Elias Sports Bureau: With seven assists on Friday, John Wall has 38 in his first four games, only Oscar Robertson had more (40) in his first four games. However, Wall has committed 17 turnovers in the last two games after turning it over just three times in each of his first two games.

Editor’s note: This is the first installment of Hoop Schemes, in which TrueHoop editor Kevin Arnovitz takes apart NBA strategy and puts it under a microscope.

MIAMI -- The throat-clearing has been loud and painful to listen to at times, but the Miami Heat are starting to show glimpses of how they're going to win basketball games.

Despite all that offensive firepower on the wings with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the Heat have established their trademark early as a stubborn, menacing defense, one that can cover for an offense that's still feeling itself out and occasionally susceptible to an unusual combination of anxious deliberation and hero ball.

"Right now the most important thing is the guys understand, one, our identity is the defensive side of the floor," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Secondly, get to know each other what we're trying to do offensively. That will take some time."

That stingy defense kept them in a game at Boston they had little right to be in, then clamped down on Philadelphia, yielding only 87 points in 95 possessions. On Friday night against Orlando -- the 2nd most efficient offensive outfit in the NBA last season -- Miami was dominant. After a reasonably effective first period, Orlando couldn't find anything in the half court over the final three quarters. For a team that understands entry angles, ball movement, how to stretch defenses and -- most important -- a team that has a deep sense of self-awareness about what they want to achieve on every possession, Orlando appeared desperate.

Last season, the Orlando Magic averaged 24.1 shots per game at the rim – a smidgen below the league average of 26.5. On one occasion during the regular season, they generated as few as 12 shots in the immediate basket area, and logged a season-low total of 11 attempts at the rim in their humiliating Game 3 conference semifinal loss at Boston. Against Miami on Friday, the Magic attempted only seven shots in the basket area and not one of the team's collective five assists led to points at the rim.

Ever since the Heat began to fill in their roster behind James, Wade and Chris Bosh, we've heard that their most profound vulnerability is thin personnel up front. Tout the Big 3 all you want, said critics, but how can you possibly go to battle in the Eastern Conference -- and potentially against the Lakers -- with a frontcourt composed of the power forward from the worst defensive team in the league last season (Bosh), an undrafted, unimposing stilt who has quick feet but little girth (Joel Anthony), a noble but undersized power forward (Udonis Haslem), a few pokey oldsters off the bench (Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamaal Magloire, Juwan Howard), and an uninitiated rookie (Dexter Pittman)?

Given all that, the logical question is: How did the Heat defy the skeptics and limit Orlando to four field goals at the rim?

Help and Recover
Here is a textbook set where Miami -- with its bedrock defensive principle -- stifles Orlando's go-to stuff:

• [1st quarter, 12:00 mark] Opening possessions aren't always the best exhibit for examination because defenses are fresh and, in a game against an arch rival, amped up. But the Heat's D here offers an instructive look at just how active and intuitive their defensive instinct are.The Magic start their set with Dwight Howard (guarded by Joel Anthony) and Lewis (Bosh's man) at the left and right elbows respectively, with Vince Carter and Quentin Richardson situated on the right side. Orlando does a good job getting into the set quickly. Lewis curls around counterclockwise, getting an off-ball screen from Howard en route to his favorite spot on the left side of the perimeter. Miami anticipates the action beautifully. When Lewis swings around the screen, Anthony picks him up immediately, while Bosh moves down to take Howard.
  
  Nelson shuttles the ball to Lewis and this seems like a golden opportunity for Lewis to hit Howard -- now with a mismatch -- down on the block. But before he can, Wade has moved off Richardson to get between Howard and the hoop, which provides enough help to allow Anthony and Bosh to recover. That rotation by Wade along with the quick recovery by Anthony renders an entry pass by Lewis impossible. Meanwhile, Wade quickly darts back to rejoin Richardson in the weak side corner.
  
  Miami has extinguished the Magic's first option on the set and, with 14 on the shot clock, Orlando explores option 2 -- a reversal to the wings on the other side of the floor, which starts with Carter now holding the ball with James in front of him. Against a weaker, slower defender, Carter might be able to go one-on-one. Against James at this point in Carter's career? Forget about it. Howard steps up to give Carter a screen and, again, the Heat make life difficult for the Magic. James chases Carter along the arc, while Anthony shadows him. But who has the rolling Howard? It's Wade, again, providing timely help, giving Anthony enough time to drop back onto Howard in the paint.At this point, Wade returns to Richardson and gets there just as Carter pushes a pass over to the Magic's new small forward. With Wade harassing him and only :06 remaining on the shot clock, Richardson steps back for an awkward, contested 3-point attempt that isn't close. Four white jersey wait poised underneath for the rebound.So here we have a possession where all five Magicians touch the ball -- something coaches the world over preach as virtuous. Yet the Magic are never able to sniff the paint. Credit the Heat's defense, which makes a smart decision at every turn.
  
  

Pick and Roll Defense
On the surface, the pick and roll -- a staple for Orlando (and most NBA teams for that matter) -- is a perimeter action. But for a team like Orlando, that tactic is often the portal to working the ball down low to Howard and also getting Nelson and Carter into the lane with dribble-penetration. Here's an example of how effectively Miami defended one of the most fluid pick and roll attacks in basketball:

• [2nd quarter, 5:47 mark] This is one of Orlando's bread-and-butter sets, something they've tormented the league with for the better part of three years. It all starts with a high Lewis screen for Nelson. But Chris Bosh steps up off the screen while Carlos Arroyo does a nice job staying between the ball and Lewis, preventing a potential pass to the popping Lewis at the arc. But Arroyo's work isn't over. Bosh recovers onto Lewis, but as Arroyo scampers to recover onto Nelson -- who has dribbled to the right sideline with the ball -- Howard runs interference, then rolls toward the paint. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Howard's man) has to pick up Nelson outside the arc on the switch. Arroyo, stuck with Howard as the big man incurs into the paint, leaps in the air as Nelson telegraphs that he wants to hit Howard with an entry pass. This isn't a fail-safe defensive tactic (Arroyo looks like the short kid at the concert back in the crowd trying to see the stage), but Arroyo is disruptive enough that Nelson can't really make that entry, so the Magic point guard moves the ball to Lewis, who's on his left at the top of the arc.Bosh guards Lewis on the perimeter, long arms in the air, active feet, giving Lewis no space to breathe. Lewis looks for Howard down low, but Big Z is pushing Howard off his spot. This is an uncomfortable Magic offense. The Heat aren't as physical as the Celtics, but they read every intention and are lightning quick to the ball and to the passer's intended target.
  
  The ball slowly makes its way to the next stop on the perimeter line, J.J. Redick to Lewis' left. The Magic have only 10 seconds with which to work. Redick puts the ball on the floor and makes his way cross-court where he dumps it off to Nelson, who now has :07 to make something happen. Howard moves high to give Nelson a pick. Nelson dribbles in and elevates for a 20-foot jumper (a low percentage shot Orlando is generally superb at avoiding). Ilgauskas smells it the whole way. He recovers effortlessly to stick his big limb in Nelson's face. The shot is dreadfully short.
  
  After the game, I reminded Bosh that he played for the worst defensive team in basketball last season, but now finds himself on what appears to be one of the best. So, is a good or bad defense the product of personnel or is it about the system? Which is more vital to success or failure?
  
  "It's about the system," Bosh said. "It's nothing about personnel. It's just effort. I was talking about that with my friends. You have something and you stick to it. 'These are your principles.'"
  
  For the ball the reach the paint, there must be entry angles available and there must be space for slashers to penetrate. Eliminating those avenues are two of the guiding principles that Bosh is talking about.
  
  

Being Everywhere at Once
"Orlando is a tough team to play because they put you in a position where you have to double Dwight at times, then you have to fly out to shooters," James said. "You have to do multiple things. You have to get into the paint, then get out to the shooters. We did both tonight."

• [3rd quarter, 8:26 mark] Richardson is able to deliver the entry pass to Howard in the mid-post, where the center is immediately swarmed by a quick double-team by James. Howard is an underrated passer out of the double-team, and is able to lob an overhead pass across the court to the weak side corner where Nelson has set up shop. James dashes over the instant the pass is airborne and, incredibly, is able to close out hard on Nelson before he can launch an would-be open 3-pointer.This forces Nelson to put the ball on the floor and take a couple dribbles along the baseline. When Nelson meets Bosh-- who has walled off the paint -- at about 18 feet, he's unloads a high-degree-of-difficulty, high-arcing shots that falls through.
  
  Although Nelson gets his two, chalk up this possession as a defensive success for the Heat. They deter two high percentage shots with their strategy (Howard from close range, then Nelson with an open corner-3), and force the Magic to settle for a low-percentage one. Yes, Nelson converts, but if you asked Magic coach Stan Van Gundy to rank in descending order his shot preference on this possession, chances are he'd place Nelson's wild rainbow well behind the first two options. Neither Howard nor Nelson had any chance to finish his shot at the rim.
  
  For the Heat, this type of anticipation and quicks will be central to what will inevitably be one of the league's most difficult defenses to score against this season.
  
  

This isn't the full repertoire of Miami's defensive attributes. They clog passing lanes. They collapse on penetration intelligently -- still being mindful of the space they've left behind. And they harass incessantly. With impunity. Joel Anthony still poses challenges for the Heat staff, especially on the offensive end, but his anticipation and happy feet defending the pick and roll are helping his team make stops. For all of Arroyo's failing, he, too, is making smart decisions as a half court defender. And Bosh? We might have a Ray Allen effect -- a guy who arrived into a new situation with a horrible defensive reputation, but just needed a coherent system to show off his instincts. Don't expect Bosh to take home any hardware this season for his work on the defensive side of the ball, but he's far, far better than advertised.

Whatever cohesion the Heat still lack on offense, Spoelstra has already instilled a fluid brand of defense that maximizes his team's uncommon quickness and smarts. Fans will tune in to watch the offensive exploits and the dazzling Top 10 fodder -- and who wouldn't -- but the Heat are going to succeed on the strength of their defensive system, one that has a chance for a historic season.

The Magic-Heat rivalry has been brewing in the press, but what can we expect once the two teams take the court?

Here are five things we'll be looking at as the Magic and Heat play the first of our four regular season games tonight in Miami:

Rebounding
There’s an old saying that everyone deserves a second chance. Well, the Magic think that’s a garbage statement. On Thursday night’s visit to Orlando, the Wizards missed 49 of their 78 shots from the floor, and of those 49 missed field goals, only three of them landed in Washington’s hands. That’s right: three offensive rebounds. Total. In 48 minutes. Now, the Heat aren’t tissue-thin up front like the Wizards, but it’s also true that Miami collected only five offensive boards as a team against the Sixers on Wednesday night. Joel Anthony’s just about the weakest rebounding center in the NBA and got pushed around like a rag doll against Shaquille O’Neal on Tuesday night, so don’t be surprised if head coach Erik Spoelstra gives 7-foot-1 Zydrunas Ilgauskas some extra run in their home opener.

Orlando's shooters vs. Miami's perimeter D
Boston wrote the book on defending the Magic in its big win over the Magic in the conference semis last May. The Celtics' decision to moderate its strong-side pressure defense in the half court in favor of something that looked a lot more like a vintage Spurs scheme was the key Boston's success. Rather than load up on the ball side of the floor, Boston deployed a stay-at-home strategy and gave the Magic precious little space on the perimeter. Spoelstra is a flexible, pragmatic tactician, one reason the Heat finished third in the league last season in defensive efficiency. He places a premium on packing the paint, but also shies away from risky double-teams and preaches help-and-recover as a bedrock defensive principle. Against Orlando, that's no easy task. Boston had the luxury of Kendrick Perkins to guard Dwight Howard, which allowed the Celtics' other four defenders to devote their attention toward smothering the Magic's 3-points threats along the arc. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are long, aggressive and, most important, intuitive perimeter defenders, but the challenge of covering shooters, blanketing the paint and providing help simultaneously is a tall task

Arriba!
How do you minimize Howard’s impact on defense? Beat him down the court. The Heat commonly play three ball handlers on the floor at the same time, so they should be able to push the ball at every opportunity and get buckets in transition. With only one true post up player in Chris Bosh, the Heat have been abysmal trying to score from the block so far this season -- Synergy pegs them at 4-for-16 shooting in post-up situations in their two games -- and that won’t improve against a tree like Howard. Luckily for Miami, James and Wade should provide powerful antidotes to Howard since they’re two of the best foul-drawers on the planet and terrors to guard in the open court. The Magic employ a four-out offense which will limit Miami’s leak-out opportunities off of defensive rebounds so provoking turnovers will be their best bet.

The James-Wade Pick & Roll
How do you scramble a Magic defense that's consistently air-tight? Force it to make tough choices as early in a possession as possible. The Heat have half-heartedly deployed James and Wade in pick-and-roll sets over their first two games. If ever there was an opportunity to get that combination humming, this is it. For one, that kind of perimeter action engages Vince Carter and Quentin Richardson, two slower defenders who are no match for a couple of locomotives like James and Wade. Second, the more the Heat can generate opportunities that originate on the perimeter, the less they'll have to deal with Howard inside. Of course, James and Wade will still have to meet Howard at the rim -- a confrontation the rest of us can look forward to.

Joel the Road Block
After Miami’s disappointing season debut against Boston, Joe Treutlein of Hoopdata.com fame outlined why Joel Anthony is a poor fit in Miami’s offense that relies so heavily on dribble penetration to flourish. Since Anthony has made as many outside shots in the NBA as you did over the past year (that is: zero), opposing teams can turn Anthony’s defender into a traffic cone in the paint. Ilgauskas’ outside shot gives Howard an incentive to not camp out in the lane and discourage the dribble drives of Wade and James. What’s even more troubling about Anthony’s presence is that it allows Orlando head coach Stan Van Gundy to switch Rashard Lewis to guard Anthony and move Dwight Howard to neutralize Bosh in the post. Unfortunately for Miami, Anthony’s limited offensive repertoire actually doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Should Spoelstra elect to start Anthony, three quick fouls to Howard would be a blessing in disguise.