Miami Heat quickly goes from doghouse to funhouse

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Sometimes Miami is going to need games like Friday's loss to New Orleans to produce games like Saturday's 101-89 win against New Jersey.

The Heat went from doghouse to funhouse in a 24-hour turnaround.
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After a passive, disjointed effort against the Hornets, the Heat went back to the drawing board. On a chilly night when Miami fans broke out their Ugg boots, Miami's players warmed up gradually. Toward the end of the second quarter, they put together a string of crowd-pleasing dunks and alley oops.
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In the third quarter, showtime. The highlight came on a fast break led by LeBron James, who passed cross court to Dwyane Wade, who placed the ball like a volleyball setter in a sweet spot above the basket, where James swiped it out off the air and slammed it home, curling knees to chest. They put a celebratory exclamation point on the play with a leaping hip bump.

BIG MOMENTS
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There were more jaw-dropping moments, all performed in front of courtside spectator Busta Rhymes, the rapper, who was wearing sunglasses.

The neon of the Heat roster can indeed blind all to the fact that sweat precedes spectacle, that defense creates offense.
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The pretty stuff was precipitated by dirty work -- rebounds, steals, blocks.

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That's exactly the message coach Erik Spoelstra wanted to deliver. It's an old-fashioned, unglamorous message, one that Spoelstra learned at the knee of Pat Riley, one that he will keep repeating until the Heat players hear it in their sleep.

``They enjoyed being in the open court,'' Spoelstra said. ``We need to remind them of how we get in the open court.''
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The 96-93 loss in New Orleans served as a vaccination against infectiously bad tendencies on defense. A cardinal no-no on the Riley list of commandments is going lax on blue collar fundamentals. The Heat can't take for granted that its stars will shine every night without any trigger on the defensive end.

THEIR IDENTITY
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``We have to get back to our identity,'' Spoelstra said. ``We are a work, grind and sweat team. Those things have to be brought to each game every single possession.''

After being beaten on the glass in four of six games, Spoelstra ``raised a red flag.'' His players responded, outrebounding the Nets 44-41. Attacking the boards led to sequences like the one in which a Chris Bosh block and a Zydrunas Ilgauskas rebound set in motion a fast break layup by James. The Heat scored 21 points on fast breaks.
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Spoelstra remained unsatisfied. The Heat was beaten on the offensive boards, 11-6, and Heat starters were outrebounded by the overmatched Nets starters.

A BETTER JOB
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``We could still do better blocking out and getting off the floor,'' he said. ``You've got to finish with athletic plays, rebound it or tip it to somebody else.''

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Bosh, who has struggled the most of the Big 3 to fit into the puzzle, was held to one rebound in two of the previous three games. He was 1 of 5 from the field on Friday. He found his moxie Saturday, at one point following a dunk with a primal scream, at another backing in, spinning and nailing a graceful hook. He got 21 points, five rebounds, two blocks and made it to the free throw line 10 times.

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``This process hasn't been easy for me, to adjust to a new role,'' Bosh said. ``I have to stop worrying about if, when and how and just go out and play. I've always shown my emotion, excitement and controlled rage. I've been on my heels for the first part of the season and it's starting to come back to me.''

SOME CORRECTIONS

The Heat made more course corrections.
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The young Nets presented the same kind of lineup that figures to continue to give the Heat trouble: an aggressive, elusive point guard and a solid center.

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But Devin Harris and Brook Lopez are not on the same level as Chris Paul and, to a lesser extent, Emeka Okafor. We'll see what happens in the upcoming week against Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash.

Led by Wade, the Heat pressured the point more effectively. They shot better from three-point range. The Big 3 each scored 20-plus points for the first time this season.

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But mainly, they got back to basics on defense.

And that launched fireworks on offense.
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