Greg Cote's Random Evidence of a Cluttered Blog

Bad coach, sad Chuck: A six-pack of obs on Heat's Game 1 thriller; plus new Heat song, LeBron's latest honor, Urban Beach Week, Sad-O-Meter & more

1) It is THURSDAY, MAY 23. We're back! Blog was held hostage by technical issues yesterday but we seem to be back [Archaic Reference Alert] shining like a Mercury dime today. Thanks for the patience. 2) Pictured right: Pacers fan lends new definition to phrase, "Be Careful What You Wish For." 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat Game 1 win, Frank Vogel's rare talent, Shula dissed in coach rank, Super Bowl shutout no big deal, Tiger-Sergio tiff, Sad-O-Meter. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote and now on Instagram at upsetbird.

LeBron tops All-NBA vote; Wade third team: Heat star LeBron James' 119 first-place votes and 595 total points -- that's unanimous, the max -- leads All-NBA first team announced today. Also on 1T: Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan. Second team: Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Marc Gasol, Tony Parker, Blake Griffin. Third team: James Harden, Dwight Howard, Heat's Dwyane Wade (145 points), David Lee, Paul George. Chris Bosh (59 points) only other Heater to get votes.

A SIX-PACK OF OBS (OBSERVATIONS) IN WAKE OF HEAT'S GAME 1 WIN: We got us a series here, children! Click on This Is More Like It for my column off last night's 103-102 Heat overtime win over Indiana in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. A few thoughts in the wake of the thriller...

1. Good coach, bad coach: Bad coach: Pacers' Frank Vogel for taking rim-defender Roy Hibbert out of the game in the crucial last minute, allowing two LeBron James drives to the hoop including the game-winner. Even Vogel second-guessed himself. Frank knows how to balance a spinning basketball on a toothbrush but did not know how to balance his defense when it mattered most last night. Start a conspiracy theory. Stand on the roof of your car and shout, VOGEL THREW THE GAME BECAUSE THE NBA WANTS HEAT TO WIN! Good coach: Miami's Erik Spoelstra, for having LeBron on his team and giving him the ball last. (Pictured: Vogel, rocking the Eddie Munster hairline, shouting back home to the folks in Indianapolis, "I MADE A REALLY, REALLY DUMB DECISION THAT REALLY COST US!")

2. Ostracized Charles Barkley: Fun, telling scene in the emptied arena near 1 a.m. as LeBron and Dwyane Wade had finished their post-game media session and were being driven away on a cart. Departing TNT analysts Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Albert stopped the cart to exchange niceties, Shaq even giving LeBron a big bear hug. Close enough to join in but conspiciously hanging back: Charles Barkley, whose criticisms in the Heat Big 3 era, and recently of Wade not being as good as he was, have estranged Chuck from the Heat's good graces.

3. Wade's quiet big game: LeBron 30 points, triple-double and game-winner rightly made the headlines, but Wade played 41 minutes, shot 9-for-15, scored 19 and chipped in six rebounds and five assists before fouling out late. If Miami can keep getting that much or close to it from Wade on a balky right knee, that'll be plenty. 

4. Bird 'n the Bench: Miami's strong bench dominated Indy's weak bench in Game 1 minutes (100-48), and Pacers did not have anyone to match Chris "Birdman" Andersen's 16 points on 7-for-7 shooting. Miami really needed what it got from Bird, because key reserve Shane Battier, Ray Allen and Norris Cole were a combined 2-for-16 shooting. That won't continue. All five IND starters played 40-plus minutes. Bench play really separates these teams.

5. The board game: Indy is a great rebounding team. Miami, statistically, is not. But Heat closed an early Game 1 gap and only were out-rebounded 43-38. That's close enough to work. (How is it possible, though, that Chris Bosh only gets two rebounds? C'mon, man!) 

6. Tyler Hansbrough: Cannot say I missed the Pacers' irritant of a reserve, but recalled avidly last night why he's so annoying. He'll be under somebody's skin all series, the kind of guy you want to boo (or discreetly elbow) just on general principle. Hansbrough is like a whiter Joakim Noah, but without the samurai hair-bun.

 NEW HEAT SONG: "5 KINGS & A BIRDMAN": It's by local Heat fan Frank Cornelius Jr., and you might call it a sequel because during last year's playoff run he penned a rap called "Tell Mr. Stern Get Those Rings Ready." The gentleman says he is related to the old group Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose. That's good enough for us. It's too late to turn back now. And remember, fellas, treat her like a lady.

SBJ's odd choice: SportsBusiness Journal's annual award winners announced Wednesday included a curious choice for Team of the Year: Oklahoma City Thunder. Hmm. (Somebody want to inform SBJ of last year's NBA Finals result...?) 

URBAN BEACH WEEKEND: Innocent visitors from Indiana in town for the Heat-Pacers series, I'd like to provide a public service by informing you that Friday through Monday in Miami Beach/South Beach is an annual Memorial Day-related extravaganza we locals like to call Utter Mayhem "Urban Beach Weekend." I would never suggest this is an area to be avoided. The weekend is expected to attract some 300,000 people. And that's just local police! No, seriously, we're talking about 300,000 visitors, many aligning themselves with the hip-hop culture and all looking to party. Other than expectations of police-involved shootings and acrid clouds of tear gas, a good time may well be had by all. The photo shown might be said to perpetuate a stereotype, except that the photo comes from a website called urbanbeachweek. Also, the people in the car are believed to be Pacers fans down from Indianapolis.

UPDATED: MARLINS SAD-O-METER: We have this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins' winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within dubious reach. Well, a shutout loss last night (if that didn't go without saying) has the S-O-M back humming. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 13-34 (.277). Season projection, 44.81 wins, 117.19 losses.

Click back. Will be updating/adding much more to this latest blogpost...

G1: Heat 103, Pacers 102 (OT). LeBron does it again!; plus poll disses Shula, Super Bowl vote no big deal, Tiger v. Sergio & more

BLOG NOTE: Not sure who is seeing this and who isn't, or whether glitches are contained. My blog is among a few at MiamiHerald.com that have been wracked by technical issues all day, a problem not yet entirely resolved. My understanding is the blog may be accessed from some smart-phones and tablets (etc.), but not always from PCs or laptops. Hopefully we'll be fully back up soon. Apologies in the meantime.

1) It is WEDNESDAY, MAY 22. "Stay white, Miami!" --Micky Arison, 2006. Watch for our Heat-Pacers Game 1 post right here by around mid-afternoon. 2) Gut feeling. Newly retired Brian Urlacher is not a Hall of Famer, although it's arguable. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Miami suffers Super Bowl shutout, fishing with Lauren Tannehill, Chicago pays off Heat bet, Sad-O-Meter. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote.

I'm now on Instagram. Follow at user name: upsetbird

Spurs up 2-0 in West: Miami's presumptive foe in the NBA Finals is looking like San Antonio now, although Memphis indicated in last night's overtime loss that it can enter next two home games with confidence.

Click on No Drama, Just Dominance for today's preview column by me on the Heat-Pacers series. I pick Miami in five games.

G1: HEAT 103, PACERS 102 (OT): LEBRON'S 30 POINTS, BUZZER-BEATER LIFT MIAMI: Wild, ultimately thrilling night downtown, with LeBron James' 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists lifting Miami -- and his driving layup winning it as time expired. THIS is why he's the best, the NBA's MVP. Game 2 here Friday. Makes you wonder if this loss will leave Indiana dispirited, or feeling it can win this series. I suspect the latter. After two lopsided series, it feels like the playoffs have finally begun! (Watch for game column online). ..... Original post: As I count the reasons Miami will beat Indiana in five games in the Eastern Conference finals starting here tonight, I must include the reason embodied by these two players as they enjoy an off  day with their families on South Beach. The Heat has superior abs. Our players' six-packs are eight-packs. It helps that the abs shown happen to be attached to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, two other reasons to favor the Heat. Miami also leads Indiana in beaches. On a more serious note, the Pacers' weakness is their bench, a Miami strength. Also think Indy's penchant for protecting the paint will open up 3-point shots for the Heat. It'll be interesting to see if Chris Bosh can draw Roy Hibbert out of his comfort zone, and also how effective LeBron will be against an unusually strong defender in Paul George, who bothered James into 14 turnovers in three regular season meetings.

YEAH BUT PACERS DOMINATE HEAT IN COACHES WHO CAN SPIN A BASKETBALL WHILE BRUSHING TEETH: Indiana coach Frank Vogel did this on David Letterman's "Stupid Human Tricks" segment as an 8th-grader in 1986. Click HERE to see the video.

SHULA 5TH-GREATEST COACH: DISS, OR FAIR?: It's an ESPN poll to select the 20 greatest NFL coaches from a ballot of 50. Bearing in mind that Don Shula has won more games than anybody, I thought it odd that the initial graphic for the poll showed Tom Landry front and center, flanked on one side by Vince Lombardi and Chuck Noll, and on the other by Bill Belichick and Bill Walsh on the other. (No Shula). When last I checked the voting, Shula was running in fifth place after (in order) Lombardi, Walsh, Belichick and Noll. Rounding out the top 10, after Shula, were Landry, Paul Brown, Joe Gibbs, George Halas and Bill Parcells. Also of note, Jimmy Johnson was running in 13th place.

POLL RESULT: DEAR NFL: KEEP YOUR SUPER BOWLS. WE DON'T CARE ALL THAT MUCH: Oh, the Dolphins and South Florida businesses care that Greater San Francisco and Houston beat Miami for the 2016 and '17 Super Bowls, for sure. But the South Florida infantry of citizens and Dolphins fans? Not so much. We asked in the previous blogpost how important it is to you that SoFla host a Super Bowl. The results: "Very important," 33.4 percent. "Somewhat important," 19.0 percent. "Not important at all unless the Dolphins are in it," 47.6 percent.

HERE'S A HOLE. CRAWL IN IT, SERGIO: This Tiger Woods-Sergio Garcia tiff is lowering itself to deliciousness. Golf is rarely this much fun. Sergio escalated the unfriendliness yesterday when he was asked kiddingly if he'd be inviting Tiger over for dinner and said, "He can come over every night . We'll serve fried chicken." (To Sergio's credit, at least he didn't include watermelon for dessert). Sergio later apologized, sort of, lamely saying, "There was no way the comment was meant in a racist manner." (Really, Serg? Seriously!?) Tiger justifiably Tweeted that the comment was "wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate." Garcia is pictured at left eating KFC (Kentucky Fried Crow). Quick scorecard: Woods, 14 career majors. Garcia, zero majors, zero class.

MARLINS SAD-O-METER BACK ON TRACK: We have this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins' winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within dubious reach. After an aberrant two-game winning streak, yesterday's loss has the S-O-M back on track. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 13-33 (.283). Season projection, 45.78 wins, 116.22 losses.

Click back. Will be updating/adding to this latest blogpost... 

Super Bowl shutout for Miami! Do you care much? Poll. Vote!; plus fishing with Lauren T., Heat-Pacers poll result, Chicago pays for lost bet & more

1) It is WEDNESDAY, MAY 22. Condolences and thoughts to the victims and loved ones of the terrible Oklahoma tornado tragedy. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Yapping Frank Vogel, Heat-Pacers series preview, MIA-IND poll, Sad-O-Meter. 3) Apparently Reshad Jones has showed up at Dolphins camp. OH THANK GOD!! 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote.

Me on Instagram: User name is Upsetbird in case anyone wishes to follow. Photos will be partly personal, partly work-related, occasionally embarrassing, mostly unneccesary.

"Our players' names." -- Pacers coach Frank Vogel, when asked on 790 The Ticket what was the most unknown thing about his team.

Poll glitch: Note, more than 150 of the first votes cast in the Super Bowl poll below do not appear in the results shown below. However, we have them and they'll be included in the final results reported. The results that do not appear were 52 votes for "very important," 30 votes for "somewhat important" and 69 votes for "not important unless Dolphins are in it." Keep voting. Thanks.

SOUTH FLORIDA RESIDENTS (FANS) REALLY CARE THAT MUCH ABOUT HOSTING A SUPER BOWL?: [Miami loses to Santa Clara for SB 50 and to Houston for SB 51, as expected] Original post: Games will be awarded today at 2 p.m., live on NFL Network] Dolphins executives and South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee folks are in Boston today for the NFL league vote on awarding Super Bowls 50 and 51, the 2016 and '17 games. Santa Clara, CA/49ers is a huge favorite to defeat Miami/Dolphins for the prestigious Golden Anniversary game. The loser (almost certainly us) will then face Houston/Texans for the other game. Miami is more competitive for thatone, but I'd guess Houston wins it after the Dolphins spent the past several months complaining how we'd never get another SB without stadium renovations, which were rejected. (Sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy). These votes are very important to the Dolphins and to the local business and tourism communities; hotels and major restaurants have a vested interest. But how important are these votes to you? To the average citizen or fan? I wonder about about that. I think SoFla cares intensely that the Dolphins are in another Super Bowl, but not so much whether the game is played here or not. Am I right? Tell me, and the Dolphins. Vote and say why.

FISHING WITH LAUREN TANNEHILL: The recent FinsWeekend annual fundraiser is a major fundraiser for the Miami Dolphins Foundation and this year raised more than $700,000 for local charities. We here at the Random Evidence blog like to support those great causes particularly when it provides an opportunity to run a photo of blog favorite Lauren Tannehil. Part of the event included a fishing tournament, and here Lauren is pictured at left holding a large fish and standing next to quarterback-husband Ryan. It is a beautiful photograph, courtesy the Dolphins. At right, that same photo is made even more beautiful by creative cropping.

UPDATE: CHICAGO SETTLES BET WITH HEAT'S 'GOOD EFFORT KID': Told you during the Heat-Bulls series about a bet involving Chicago radio station WGN and Jack Meyer, 10, of Coral Gables. Jack came to attention in last year's playoffs for consoling players with "Good job! Good effort!" following a loss. The bet: A Chicago deep-dish pizza and 20 Chicago-style hot dogs against a Cadillac from Jack's uncle's dealership. (That's how confident Jack was). He won, of course. The station paid up. The photo is proof.

Poll results: Heat beats Pacers in 6: We asked and you said Heat in 6 games by a 45.4 percent plurality, with Miami winning in 5 games at 33.2%. Much smaller numbers see Heat sweeping in 4 games (5.4%) or winning in 7 games (4.3%). The other 11.9 percent see Indiana winning. Predictably the second-most votes after Florida have come from Indiana, and 88.3% of the overall votes for the Pacers are from that state.

TWO-GAME WIN STREAK THREATENS SAD-O-METER: We have this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins' winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within dubious reach. Well, two straight wins are imperiling the S-O-M. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 13-32 (.289). Season projection, 46.8 wins, 115.2 losses.

Click back. Will be updating/adding to this latest blogpost...

Frank Vogel, professional irritant, spices Heat-Pacers series; plus predict MIA-IND winner. Poll. Vote; also, Spurs take G1, Marlins win & more

1) It is MONDAY, MAY 20. Happy birthday, Eldest Offspring. Love you! 2) R.I.P., Ray Manzarek of The Doors, player of the iconic keyboard on "Light My Fire." 3) Maybe I'm too cynical, but Dolphins safety Reshad Jones missing a May workout day in a contract tiff -- I don't give a crap! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): It's Heat-Pacers, Heat title odds, Preakness, Wade goes to prom, Chad Johnson, Sad-O-Meter. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote.

Heat prohibitive faves over Pacers: Bovada as of today has Miami a 2-15 favorite to win the Eastern finals over Indiana, which is 21-4. Individual series scoring-leader over/unders are Heat's LeBron James at 26.5 points and Indy's Paul George at 18.5.

Spurs take Game 1 of Western finals: Miami's presumed eventual NBA Finals opponent looks more solidly like San Antonio today after the Spurs dominated Game 1 at home vs. Memphis, 105-83. 

Marlins win! Marlins win!: Fish beat visiting Arizona yesterday 2-1 to end a seven-game losing streak, thanks to Ricky Nolasco's 11 strikeouts in eight-plus innings. See updated Sad-O-Meter below.

VOGEL YAPS AS INDIANA IS UP NEXT ON HEAT'S 2013 UPPER-MIDWEST ANNIHILATION TOUR: I'd almost forgotten what a little irritant Pacers coach Frank Vogel (pictured) is. He has the Heat's attention after saying of Miami, "They're the next team that's in our way, and that's how we're approaching it." Granted, the comment is fairly benign. But everything this time of year is magnified and heard as if it were shouted, and so LeBron James has found a way to take umbrage and use Vogel's remarks as fuel. "We're not just another team," said James, interpreting Vogel 's comments as a dismissive insult to Miami. History: Vogel wasa fined 15K by the NBA a year ago for calling the Heat the biggest "floppers" in the league. The latest exchange is mighty tepid as "War of Words" go, but it's enough to construct the new framework for this series: Lil' Pacers feeling saucy, big Heat intending to put them in their place. Can't wait! Original post: First, Milwaukee fell. Then, Chicago. On deck, Indiana, with Game 1 of the Eastern finals Wednesday night in Miami. Fate has the Heat mowing through the upper Midwest to get back to the NBA Finals. Milwaukee was an easy 4-0 sweep. Chicago was a lot harder, but, bottom line, still a 4-1 breeze. Indiana figures to be a more difficult; to the point, more difficult than New York would have been. The Knicks are a one-man show (Carmelo Anthony) and below-average on the defensive end. Indiana rebounds better, defends much better and has a player (Paul George) who bothered LeBron James into 15 turnovers in three regular-season meetings. Plainly, NYK would have been an easier opponent. There were other reasons to wish the Knicks were the next opponent. From a fans' viewpoint, the Knicks presented a sexier foe as Miami's biggest rival. Oppositely, the Pacers are star-less and not an historic rival (though last year's playoff meeting was contentious). Heat fans may be feeling cheated of the opportunity to watch boorish Knicks fans and No. 1 cheerleader Spike Lee turned sad by defeat. From the vantage of Your Friend the Media, well, would you rather spend a few days in New York City or in Indianapolis? Exactly! As I mention in my Sunday notes column, New York is The City That Never Sleeps. Indianapolis is The City That Makes Me Sleepy. But it is what it is, as they say, so the 2013 Upper Midwest Annihilation Tour marches on. How do you see this series going? Vote and say why:

Poll result: We wanted Knicks, not Pacers: We asked, and seven out of 10 voters preferred the Heat face the Knicks next rather than the Pacers. When last we checked it was 69.98 percent landlside for New York, and 30.02% for Indiana.

SAD-O-METER: MARLINS NOW ON RECORD PACE FOR LOSSES: We have this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins'  winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within dubious reach. Well, seven straight losses pushed Miami beyond that 120-loss pace, but yesterday's win worked in the reverse. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 12-32 (.273). Season projection, 44.18 wins, 117.82 losses.

Click back. Will be updating/adding to this latest blogpost...

It's Indiana! Heat-Pacers in East finals; plus Heat bigger faves than ever to repeat, D-Wade prom video, Oxbow, Sad-O-Meter & more

1) It is SATURDAY, MAY 18. Sesame Street is introducing a new character named Armando or "Mando," which may or may not be an homage to Herald sports writer Armando Salguero. Mando is pictured at right. (Is it me or do half of the Sesame Street characters sort of look like this?) 2) Former NASCAR driver Dick Trickle dead at 71 of reported suicide. Sad story. All-time great name, Dick Trickle, but a sad story. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat Game 5 win, Wade health poll, LeBron No. 2 in money, most disappointing hotel, catchers' fake fingernails, Sad-O-Meter. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote.

Another year, another horse fails to win Triple Crown: Affirmed in 1978 remains the last to do it after Kentucky Derby winner Orb finished a disappointing fourth in today's Preakness Stakes, won by Oxbow with ancient Gary Stevens aboard. Orb started on the rail and really struggled to extricate himself from traffic.

Hit Wade Strikes Back for my column off Wednesday's Heat win.

"David Beckham is retiring? What a big, big loss for the sport of underwear endorsing." --Greg Cote

UPDATED: HEAT CRAZY-BIG FAVES TO REPEATS AS CHAMPS: If you want the other side you stand to make some big bucks. Are you that daring? New from Bovada, championship odds on the five teams still alive show Heat at 1-3, Spurs 5-1, Grizzlies 6-1, Pacers 20-1 and Knicks 40-1. Miami odds to win East and get to Finals: 1-9. Man! Based on the public perception that sets the odds, let's just go ahead and plan that parade right now. I'm just sayin'.

EASTERN FINALS SET: HEAT VS. PACERS: Indiana beat visiting New York 106-99 tonight to win the series 4 games to 2. Miami will host Eastern finals Game 1 vs. Pacers on Wednesday night. The series suggests Pacers are a better team, although that is debatable. Both teams fared well against Miami this season, Indy going 2-1 against the Heat and the Knickerbockers 3-1. The other factor in answering the poll question below was the vantage point of your vote. It might have been based on which team you think would be an easier draw for the Heat. Or you might have voted for what you think the more exciting series would be. On the latter criteria the clear preference would seem to have been New York, a bigger rival with more starpower and boorish fans in constant need of shutting up. Based on results, your choice was pretty clear. Enjoys the Eastern finals anyway.

UPDATE: HEAT MIDDLE-FINGER LADY: South Florida's most famous birder is keeping sharp between playoff series. After honing her skills against the Bulls' Joakim Noah, Middle-Finger Lady now prepares for Indiana or New York in the next round. Pictured left, MFL transmogrifies into a clownishly grinning LeBron James in a final, parting-shot farewell to Noah. At right, Middle-Finger Lady inexplicably proffers the Flying Digit to an adorably dumbfounded polar bear.

DWYANE WADE: PROM DATE: What cute story. Archbishop Coleman Carroll senior Nicole Muxo posts a YouTube video asking Heat star Dwyane Wade to be her prom date. He calls her cell phone with his regrets, then moments later walks into the Friday ight event in Coral Gables, shocking her. Later Wade Tweeted, 'I had a blast at Prom. Never be 2 scared to ask.' The couple is pictured on the dance floor. This, among a million other reasons, is why South Florida loves Dwyane Wade.

Click HERE for a 3-minute video on how Wade pulled off his big prom surprise. Good stuff.

LATEST TRAVAILS OF CHAD JOHNSON: Free-agent receiver Chad (nee Ochocinco) Johnson lessens his chances of ever playing again with a warrant for his arrest for failing to report to his probation officer stemming from the domestic violence issue that got him cut by the Dolphins. The latest misstep is indicative of Johnson perhaps suffering from DAS, Dumbass Athlete Syndrome. There is no known cure.

UPDATED! MARLINS' SAD-O-METER: We have this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins' winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within dubious reach. Well, six straight losses with last night's have brought the S-O-M roaring back as the season inches past the one-quarter mark. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 11-31 (.262). Season projection, 42.43 wins, 119.57 losses.

BACKSTORY: COMPANY NAMES: Took this pic on my phone camera as proof there is a baked-goods company operating in South Florida under the name Bimbo. (Primary dictionary definition: "A foolish, stupid or inept person.") I am envisioning the initial meeting of company investors. "OK, first things first," says the boss. "We need a name that represents who we are. Thoughts?"

Click back. Will be updating/adding to this latest blogpost...

G5: Heat 94, Bulls 91. Miami rallies, advances to Eastern finals!; plus Wade poll, LeBron ranked #2, bad hotel, updated Sad-O-Meter & more

1) It is THURSDAY, MAY 16.Dolphins signed former Richmond QB Aaron Corp, as third-stringer or training camp fodder. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat's Game 4 win, Heat biggest-rival poll, '14 NFL draft, Sad-O-Meter, Jackmerius Tacktheritrix. 3) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.

Click on Wade Strikes Back for my column off last night's game.

G5: HEAT 94, BULLS 91: WILD GAME LEAVES MIAMI SMILING, AND MOVING ON (Heat win series 4-1, awaits Pacers-Knicks winner): LeBron James led Miami with 23, but Dwyane Wade's last six points (of 18) were some of the biggest of the night. Crazy game. Miami led by as many as 18 early, trailed by as many as 11 in the second half but flexed championship mettle late. Eastern finals will open in Miami on Monday or Wednesday. Original post: Evidently the NBA would not allow Chicago to formally concede and forfeit, so the Bulls are here for what should be a perfunctory Game 5 whipping to end this second-round series. We know that Derrick Rose and Luol Deng are once again out for the wounded, limping Bulls and that Kirk Hinrich is doubtful. The only real mystery tonight is whether Dwyane Wade, nursing a bruised right knee, will play or sit this one out. I think he should rest. Lebron and company can win without him. The only people who want to avoid a Game 6 back in Chitown more than Heat players are Miami media members such as yours truly. No cheering in the press box, but for a lot of us it'll be a night of inwardly rooting for our own best interests. Miami would win this series even if Bulls were at full-strength, but as is, save that Game 1 abberation, this matchup has proced almost as lopsided as the Bucks series. It's been more interesting because of the technicals, ejections and bad blood, but not much more competitive. Heat end it tonight, and await Pacers-Knicks survivor.

SHOULD DWYANE WADE AND HIS RIGHT KNEE PLAY TONIGHT?: I know. I Am Not Dwyane's Knee, you are (probably) not a doctor and nobody can be certain about this question. What we know is that Wade's right knee is far from 100 percent, that he is questionable as a game-time decision to play tonight, and that rest would seem to be a pretty logical Rx. Assume that Dwyane insists to Erik Spoelstra that he can play tonight's Game 5. If you're the coach, what do you do? You vote right here! This is a Flash Poll (patent pending). That means limited-time. Voting will shut off around mid-late afternoon so vote now, and say why.

Flash Poll: Call to sit Wade tonight wins by more than 2-to-1 margin. (I think most of us may have been wrong...) Results below:

Poll result: Knicks still biggest Heat rival: We asked and you said Miami's biggest NBA rival was the Knicks at 38.3 percent, followed by the Celtics at 32.4% and Bulls at 23.2. "Somebody else" drew 6.1%. 

LEBRON NO. 2 IN U.S SPORTS EARNINGS: Sports illustrated's 10th annual "Fortunate 50," newly out, ranks the top-earning U.S. athletes for 2013 in combined salary and endorsements, and Heat megastar LeBron James is ranked second at $56.55 million. No. 1 is boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. at $90 mill. Rounding out top five after LeBron are Drew Brees ($47.80M), Kobe Bryant ($46.85M) and Tiger Woods ($40.84M). Two other Miami-area athletes ton the list are Heat stars Dwyane Wade (11th, $28.68M) and Chris Bosh (47th, $18.55M).

THE MOST DISAPPOINTING HOTEL EVER: When traveling to Chicago, may I recommend that you avoid the Congress Plaza Hotel as if it were ablaze? I stayed there for Heat-Bulls Game 4. The independent (non-chain) hotel has a rich history. The hotel has an idyllic location, off South Michigan Avenue across from Grant Park. The hotel is otherwise a monumental letdown. I felt like I had been cast into The Shining. When wondering when the hotel was last refurbished, you don't wonder what year, you wonder what decade. Rooms are in disrepair, hallway carpeting is ancient, my floor's ice machine rattled and groaned and took about five minutes to spit ice, neither boarding-pass computer worked, and I couldn't get wifi because the front desk messed up which room I was in. Oh, almost forgot: I was charged $49 for early check-in -- an outrage. I was a registered guest. My room was available. But because I wanted to check in at 10 a.m. instead of noon I wasa charged an extra $57.04 (with taxes). That is the hotel's "policy," I was told. Nightmare. (It was probably a fitting omen that I had to cross a picket line to enter the place. Seriously). When next in Chitown, I'd sleep on a cot under the L before I'd stay at the Congress Plaza again.

THE MOST LIMITED-MARKET PRODUCT EVER: A company called Game Signs produces "enhancement stickers" (see left) for the fingernails of baseball catchers so pitchers as well as sign-stealing opponents can better read the signals. This is a blog, so you know I'm not making it up! 

UPDATED MARLINS' SAD-O-METER: We have this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins' winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within dubious reach. Well, four straight losses have brought the S-O-M roaring back as the season hits its one-quarter mark. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 11-29 (.275). Season projection, 45.55 wins, 116.45 losses.

Click back. Will be updating/adding much to this latest blogpost...

G4: Heat 88, Bulls 65: Miami owns night, up 3-1; plus name Heat's biggest rival (poll; vote now!), '14 NFL draft, Sad-O-Meter, Jackmerius Tacktheritrix & more

Yes, it's Radio Tuesday: I'll be back in-studio with Le Batard and Stugotz starting at 3 today on 790 the Ticket and FM 104.3, even though, frankly, I'm dog-tired after a late night and early flight back from Chicago.

1) It is TUESDAY, MAY 13. New blogpost coming later today if I can, or early Wednesday. 2) Big Sunday for Tiger Woods fans like me, with his victory at The Players Championship and his adversary Sergio Garcia's embarrassing late collapse. 3) Hope all you good Ma's had a nice Mother's Day! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat G3 win, return of Good Job Good Effort Kid, Heat aviary update, Palm Beach Dolphins, Super Bowl bid, Maxim Hot 100. 5) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.

LeBron earns defensive honor: NBA named LeBron James to its all-league defensive first team for fifth straight season. Other forward is OKC's Serge Ibaka. Guards are Memphis' Tony Allen and Clips' Chris Paul. Center was a tie between Knick Tyson Chandler and raging Bull Joakim Noah. No second-team Heaters. Shane Battier and Dwyane Wade got a couple of honorable-mention votes each.   

Chicago redux: Back in Chicago Monday, I paid $49.95 fee for early check-in. Won't ever stay in this Unnamed Rattrap again. On a positive note, on my full Southwest flight, one of only two empty seats on the entire plane was the middle next to me. I credit that to either dumb luck or my ability to secrete a skunk-like stink.

G4: HEAT 88, BULLS 65: SMOTHERING DEFENSE CARRIES MIAMI: LeBron James had 27 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds last night in Chicago, but the story was a defensive effort that limited the Bulls to 65 points on abysmal 25.7 percent shooting. Miami now with a commanding 3-1 series lead heading back to Miami Wednesday night for Game 5. The other big story of the night, for me, was the state of Dwyane Wade, working on a shaky right knee and held to six points. Wade's performance the rest of this postseason could be a key to Miami repeating. I explore in THIS COLUMN from Chicago off last night's victory. ..... Original post: Swing Game as defined by me: Miami wins tonight for 3-1 series lead heading back home and the chance of a nice, neat, quick five-games series becomes extremely likely. Miami loses tonight to even things and suddenly the chance of a full seven-game series looms large. Bulls then will be playing for their playoff lives in Game 4, realistically. But talent and health trump intangibles and home court, so I like the Heat once again. The return for Chicago of Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich again seems unlikely, and the return of Derrick Rose seems even more fanciful. Health frustration has got to be the root of Chicago's spate of technical fouls, three ejections and two league fines in this series -- the most recent a 35K slap to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau for implying the officials want the Heat to win. Poor Tom sounds like he's expecting the opposite treatment and sympathy for his injuries. Doesn't work that way. Even fully healthy, Chicago would be a clear underdog to the champs. Chitown has no answer for LeBron James. The better team almost always wins in a seven-game series. And the better team -- the much better team -- is winning this one. As expected.

WHO IS HEAT'S BIGGEST RIVAL?: I've always been interested in what constitutes any team's biggest rival. Sometimes it isn't an easy call. I don't think it is with the Heat; hence, a blog poll! For me the answer used to be Knicks without much question (is it still?), then it sort of became Celtics (is it still?). Or is it Bulls now? It isn't just this current series that resumes Monday with Heat leading 2-1; Miami has faced Chicago in the postseason more than any other opponent. "Biggest rival" is a lot about gut feeling. So when I say, "The Heat's biggest rival is...", you say what? Vote now and say why.

MIAMI'S BRIDGEWATER PEGGED 2ND IN '14 DRAFT: ESPN's Mel "It's Never Too Early" Kiper is out with his first top 25 "Big Board" for the 2014 NFL draft, and it is led by South Carolina DE Jadevon Clowney, followed by Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater (pictured), the Miami-born former Northwestern Bull. No Canes, but four other state-school players in Gators CB Loucheiz Purifoy (10th), Seminoles DT Timmy Jernigan (15th), Noles OT Cameron Erving (19th) and USF DE Aaron Lynch (25th). Also of note, slotted 25th: Texas A&M QB and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel (should he enter the draft, of course).

UPDATED MARLINS' SAD-O-METER: We have this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins' winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within dubious reach. Well, two straight losses have brought the S-O-M back. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 11-27 (.289). Season projection, 46.89 wins, 115.11 losses.

HAVE YOU MET JACKMERIUS TACKTHERITRIX?: Love the comedy duo Key & Peele, and especially love their spoof of football player introductions with a parade of increasingly ridiculous names. Click HERE to watch and listen. With one notable exception all of the names made fun of belong to African-American "players." Key & Peele also are black. Had this same video been done by a white comic I wonder if he'd have come under fire for making fun of blacks? I'm just asking!

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G3: Heat 104, Bulls 94. Miami in control as Bosh and Cole -- that's right, Bosh and Cole! -- spark road triumph; plus 'Good Effort' kid, Dolphins missteps & more

1) It is SATURDAY, MAY 11. In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): A jam-packed thrill ride! Heat win Game 2, Middle-Finger Lady, D-Wade's wardrobe, Lil Wayne runs with Bulls, Dolphins threats, Charles Ramsey's 'Dead Giveaway,' Sad-O-Meter. 2) Look for Marlins Sad-O-Meter update in the blog on Saturday. 3) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.

Click on When Push Comes To Shove for my column from Chicago off last night's Heat Game 3 victory.

Live from Chicago: Checked into my hotel about two miles from the arena. Dreary day in Chitown, misting rain. Fortunately, they tell me this evening's game was to be played indoors. A bit of Harold's Chicken Shack for lunch, perhaps?

G3: HEAT 104, BULLS 94: MIAMI TAKES COMMAND OF SERIES WITH HUGE ROAD WIN (Heat leads 2-1; G4 Monday night in Chicago): Here's what is most impressive to me. LeBron James shoots 6-for-17, Dwyane Wade scores a mere 10 points and yet Miami wins by double digits on the road. Yes, Chicago is depleted, still m issing three key players. Admire their fight. But also admire the Heat's fight, and resourcefulness. Chris Bosh steps up big with 20 points and 19 rebounds, and a clucth Norris Cole was just as big with 18 off the bench. Huge, huge win. Watch for my column off tonight's Game 3 win posting online soon ..... Original post: I don't know how this playoff battle can get any more volatile than it was in Miami's series-evening Game 2 win here Wednesday, but no doubt the Chicago crowd will do its part to amp up the intensity even more tonight. Should Derrick Rose actually play, as is rumored, the roof is liable to blow clear off the arena. I'll be at the game columnizing, and happily, as Chicago is a great city and this should be a great game, an event. Winner gets to feel it is in control; loser gets to feel genuine pressure. Bulls should be back closer to full strength, but if Miami shoots and defends as well as it did in Game 2, the Heat will not be beaten. Have a feeling the crowd will feed the Heat as much as it does the homies. Miami plays well angry. Booing in a hostile arena, that's nourishment.

EXCLUSIVE!: RETURN OF THE "GOOD JOB GOOD EFFORT" KID: You may remember Jack Meyer, the 9-year-old from Coral Gables who flared as a media sensation and Heat good-luck charm during the 2012 playoffs with a YouTube video (click here) that caught Jack (pictured right) consoling dispirited Heat players with, "Good job! Good effort!" after a home playoff loss to Boston. Well, Jack's back, now 10, and in the news again after Chicago's WGN radio phoned him this week to make a friendly bet. The bet: If Miami won Game 2, Jack would get 10 Chicago-style hot dogs. If Chicago won, WGN's Jon Brandmeier would get Jack's dad's 2013 Cadillac STS. Hmm. Either that was a bad bet, or Jack was that confident. Now they've got a double-or-nothing bet on Game 3: Jack gets 20 hot dogs and a deep-dish pizza, or the radio guy gets any car he wants from Jack's uncle's Cadillac dealership. Sounds reasonable. [Postscript: The Good Job Good Effort Kid is roughly the same age as Heat good-luck national anthem singer Julia Dale (left). Hmm. Arranged marriage, anyone? Burnie officiates, DJ Irie leads the wedding band, Birdman as best man, Pat Riley on the toast. I'm just sayin'!]

HEAT AVIARY UPDATE:

BIRDMAN

BIRDWOMAN

 

 

 

 

 

 

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN ... YOUR PALM BEACH DOLPHINS!: Doomsaying Dolphins president Mike Dee is at it again. Just a few days after calling the future of the franchise "bleak" because its stadium-renovation plan died in Tallahassee, Dee on Thursday hinted the club might consider switching counties and exploring a new stadium in Palm Beach. Asked directly of that possibility, Dee said, "We're open-minded to all long-term solutions." This strikes us as a major public-relations misplay. At a time when Dolfans finally are feeling optimistic about the team, the owner and president are grousing, threatening, wringing hands and saying how shaky the future is. Wrong, wrong message.

On Dolphins' Super Bowl L bid: Host city for the 50th Super Bowl will be awarded May 21. The 49ers' new stadium in Santa Clara is expected to win, but South Florida is bidding, too -- even though the Dolphins just spent the past four months barking about how their dilapidated stadium would never get another Super Bowl. Self-fulfilling prophecy, anyone? The SoFla bid for the golden-anniversary SB includes celebrity football games aboard an aircraft carrier docked by the Heat arena. File it under: Strange Ideas That Will Never Come To Fruition.

MAXIM HOT 100 TOPPED BY ... REALLY!?: Miley Cyrus -- overcoming that overbite that makes her a little too toothy for some of us -- is the sexiest woman alive for 2013, according to a fan vote. She is pictured, as sexified as she can be. Rounding out top five: Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence. My pick, in 8th place, Kate Upton. Other notables: MMA fighter Ronda Rousey 29th (because guys dig a woman who can beat them into submission), Andy Roddick's Brooklyn Decker 59th, and (seriously) Manti Te'o's invisible girlfriend 69th. Nominated but denied the Hot 100: D-Wade's girl Gabrielle Union. Gabby must be pretty pleased about losing to a woman who does not exist. I must say, between Miley Cyrus winning and a hoax finishing 69th, I believe I may have lost all respect for something probably not meriting much in the first place come to think of it.

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G2: Heat 115, Bulls 78. Champs strike back!; plus bizarre story behind Middle-Finger Lady, Lil Wayne, Dolphin threats, Charles Ramsey song & more

1) It is THURSDAY, MAY 9. The national group, People Who Feel Sorry For Jodi Arias, will be meeting tonight in that phone booth over there. Plenty of room. 2) Marlins closing off upper deck for some games to make crowds seem bigger. What a major inconvenience for the six fans who've been sitting up there! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat's Game 1 loss, Derrick Rose poll, the non-LeBron voter, Serena 'n Sloane, baseball awards odds. 4) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.

Click on Sense Of Order Restored for my column off last night's Heat's series-evening Game 2 rout.

Well I reckon this here photo from Wednesday's Game 2 pretty much shows how much Heat fans in general love Joakim Noah and how cute we think his adorable little hair-bun is!!!: (I can't be sure, but I think her middle finger might actually be lodged in Noah's right ear). Dear Joakim: We sure appreciative your constant sneering, whining and arm-flapping. We wish your hair-bun would catch on fire. Love, Miami.

[Postscript: Bizzare backstory to Middle-Finger Lady: She is Filomena Tobias, her daughter told the Sun-Sentinel today. Name ring a bell? Her wealthy husband Seth drowned in his Jupiter swimming poll in 2007. No foul-play was determined, but his four brothers sued Filomena in civil court claiming she drugged him and caused his drowning. The guy pictured with her fiance, the VP of an Atlanta wealth-management firm. The daughter said, "She's embarrassed [by the photo] but she's being a good sport. All she has to say is that people need to get a life." Here is The Herald's story].

News Mashup: What if the Heat's Middle-Finger Lady had been in Cleveland during Charles Ramsey's hero interview?: I believe this woman has found a possible new cottage industry as the Irate Lady who appears in all circumstances and situations angrily delivering da bird.

Wade strikes back in post-game attire: LeBron James had the crazy interview-session garb after Game 1, all floral and bird-y. Challenged, a sartorially splendid Dwyane Wade (pictured) struck back impressively last night with a shirt/light jacket combo that looked like it was the creation of Versace on hallucinogens.

G2: HEAT 115, BULLS 78; MIAMI EVENS SERIES 1-1: LeBron James' 19 points and Ray Allen's 21 off bench lead six Heat players in double figures as Miami win by the biggest margin in club playoff history and deals Chicago its worst playoff defeat. Brutal game. Nine technical fouls and second each leading to ejections of Bulls Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Headed to the Midwest now at 1-1 as speculation continues to swirl about a dramatic Game 3 return by Derrick Rose. Column off tonight's game should be posted soon. Original post: You can partly blame the rest/rust factor for Monday's 93-86 Game 1 Heat loss that featured clanky 39.7 percent shooting and unusually disjointed defense. Or you can simply target the fact that Heat 3-point specialists Shane Battier, Ray Allen and Mike Miller were a combined 4-for-15 beyond the arc. If each hit just one more 3, Miami wins. But I look to other stats that must be corrected tonight in what, realistically if not literally, is a must-win for Miami. Chicago outrebounded the Heat 46-32; that gap must narrow. Four Bulls had more boards than Chris Bosh. Step up, Bosh! And this: Dwyane Wade took zero free throws Monday, and LeBron James took fewer than either Nate Robinson or Jimmy Butler. That must change. Miami can't rely on making 3's so much that it concedes the paint. The Heat need a manlier, more aggressive mindset on both ends of the floor. They'll have it tonight. I see Miami -- team and fans -- showing up a lot better than in Game 1. They'd sure as hell better.

Just to be annoying, Heat nemesis Lil Wayne hops on Bulls bandwagon: As if Miami didn't have enough incentive tonight to even this playoff series after dropping Monday's opener? Rapper Lil Wayne hates the Heat and shows it at every turn, including boasting on-stage that he'd had relations with Chris Bosh's wife. Here Wayne is pictured celebrating with Bulls players after Game 1, courtesy Bulls guard Rip Hamilton, who posted the pic on Instagram. Wayne, referencing Nate Robinson's 24-point second half, also Tweeted, Nate the Great! Somebody show this photo to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and maybe especially Bosh. They play better angry.

ON DOLPHINS' THREATS, ROSS' ODDLY TIMED PHILANTHROPY: What a strange time for the very top of the Dolphins organization in the wake of its stadium-renovations defeat in Tallahassee. Two quick thoughts. On the Dolphins' threats: Club president Mike Dee, asked about team's long-term future in Miami, said ominously, "I wouldn't want to prognosticate what the future holds but it is clearly bleak." Hmm. My friend Danny Webster tells me "bleak" means "without hope or encouragement, depressing, dreary..." Is that really how the franchise wishes to portay the state of the franchise? That's dumb, and unnecessarily upsetting to customers (a.k.a. fans). That attitude is mindful of the kid who didn't get his way so he threatened to take his ball and go home. It also sounds like a defeatist attitude. Time to be grownups about this, Dolphins. (Dee is pictured with owner Stephen Ross, their smiles belying the bleakness all around them). On Ross' oddly timed philanthropy: Comes word this week that Ross, 73, has joined the Warren Buffett/Bill Gates initiative in which the wealthiest of the wealthy pledge to donate at least half their money to charity over time or posthumously. It's a billionaires philanthropy club, a wonderful thing. Good for Ross. But the timing only underlines how well he can afford to pay for the desired stadium renovations himself. Ross is pledging to give away more than $2 billion when it would take only a fraction of that to refurbish his stadium to a Super Bowl-attracting, future-assuring shine. Maybe the smart, pragmatic billionaire businessman should consider that whatever money he did spend would come back to him in increased franchise value. That, in turn, would help ensure the club's long-term future here beyond Ross' eventual death -- something he claims he wants. Do what made you a billionaire, Mr. Ross: Get it done. Meantime, enough with the threats about leaving. South Florida deserves better.

HEAT'S SPOELSTRA SECOND IN COACH VOTE: NBA yesterday announced Denver's George Karl was its 2012-13 coach of the year, with Miami's Erik Spoelstra finishing second. Not a surprise.

"DEAAAD GIVEAWAY!" THE MARVELOUS CHARLES RAMSEY: Ramsey (pictured) is the Cleveland neighbor-turned-hero who this week rescued those three young women who'd been held captive for 10 years. The crime was horrific. But Ramsey's description of his role in the rescue is exceptional. It is entertaining, even funny. Click HERE to watch and listen. Ramsey colorfully references McDonald's, eating ribs, salsa music and "big testicles." He ends by saying, "I knew something was wrong when a pretty little white girl runs into a black man's arms. Dead giveaway. DEAAAD GIVEAWAY!" In a later interview, Anderson Cooper asked Ramsey if he wanted a reward and he said, "I get a paycheck. Give the reward to the rescued women." Charles Ramsey, you're my hero. McDonald's, give this man free cheeseburgers for life! (Yes: I am aware Ramsey is an imperfect soul reportedly with domestic-violence arrests in his past. No: It does not diminish his role in this matter, or the fab interview he gave). In the spirit of celebrating Ramsey's role in this -- not making light of the crime -- we present two alternate versions of the interview:

* Charles Ramsey interview remix: Songified. (Grade: A-plus) 

* Charles Ramsey interview animated: Crazy Taiwanese Style. (Grade: B)

Poll results: Deeply divided on Derrick Rose drama: We asked, and 46.6 percent said the medically-cleared Bulls guard should be playing, but 45.2% supported his decision not to, and 8.2% were undecided.

UPDATED: MARLINS "SAD-O-METER" RETURNS! (UNFORTUNATELY): We have had this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins' winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within reach. Well, the Sad-O-Meter disappeared for a little bit but three straight losses including yesterday's shutout in San Diego have brought it back. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 10-25 (.286). Season projection, 46.29 wins, 115.71 losses.

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G1: Bulls 93, Heat 86: Stunner! "Our backs are against the wall now." Champs must respond; plus D-Rose poll, the man who denied LeBron & more

1) It is WEDNESDAY, MAY 8. New blogpost coming later this morning! 2) The Steelers signed an offensive tackle named Guy Whimper. That's right: Guy Whimper. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): LeBron's MVP, updated NBA playoff odds, Dolphins' stadium loss, Tyson Clabo, Orb, media bias, Sad-O-Meter retired. 4) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.

Click on This Just Got Interesting for my column off Heat's Game 1 Heat loss.

G1: BULLS 93, HEAT 86: MIAMI FLAT AFTER LONG LAYOFF (Bulls lead 1-0; Game 2 Wednesday in Miami): Too easy to blame the rest and the rust. Too convenient. That might explain the slow start for Miami Monday, but does it also explain the Heat leading by four after three quarters and then surrendering 35 fourth-quarter points? Miami shot poorly (39.7%), got out-rebounded and maybe underestimated the Bulls' will. "Our backs are against the wall now," said Chris Bosh. "We have to respond." The backs-against-wall thing might be a bit dramatic, or at least early. But the need to respond Wednesday in Game 2 is beyond paramount. ..... Original post: The Bulls are talking the talk, but when they try to walk the walk, the walk has a limp. Can an injured, hobbled Chicago squad coming right off a wearying 7-game series stand up to a rested, reigning champion? Let's find out! Bulls will be missing both Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich tonight, and a couple of other guys, notably Joakim Noah (foot; pictured left in an intimate moment with LeBron James) are not 100 percent. Then there's the whole missing Derrick Rose drama. Da Bulls are feisty, though, still smarting over the 2011 playoffs when Chicago was top-seeded but got bounced by Miami in five games. That's when Noah called the flashy Heat "Hollywood as hell," remember? This time around, says Bull Taj Gibson, "Words cannot express how badly we want to beat them." Added teammate Marco Belinelli, "We're not going to be scared and our mentality is to win." OK good luck with that. Fully healthy (Rose, Deng) I do think Chitown matches up pretty well, as a rugged-defending, strong-rebounding team. They can stretch this series if Carlos Boozer comes up big and Nate Robinson is hot. But the Bulls just aren't healthy. Oh, and Miami ain't Brooklyn. Series pick: Heat in 5 games.

SHOULD DERRICK ROSE BE PLAYING?: It's the question Chicagoans have been wondering, and now it overshadows this Heat-Bulls playoff series that starts tonight. Derrick Rose, star guard, had his knee surgery almost exactly one year ago and is medically cleared to play but says he is not ready. "You want that (to play), but you've got to look at the big picture," he said over the weekend. "If I'm not healthy, no way I'm stepping on the court. I'm in control of the whole process." It is not ruled out that Rose might return later in this Heat series -- but not expected. Imagine if Rose were on your team. How would you feel about his continuing caution. Vote and say why.

MEET GARY WASHBURN, PROFESSIONAL SPOIL SPORT: The Boston Globe's Celtics writer Gary Washburn (pictured) has identified himself with a story today as being the one voter, of 121, who did not cast a first-place vote for LeBron James for NBA MVP. James would have been the first unanimous winner ever if not for Washburn, who voted for the Knicks' ball-hoggin' Carmelo Anthony. Washburn made two points in his mea culpa. One was that he was surprised to be the lone wolf, thinking that Kevin Durant, Anthony, CHris Paul and perhaps Kobe Bryant all would get first-place votes. (Dear Gary: No, because everybody else but you knew who the clear MVP choice was). His second point was, "I thought Anthony was the most valuable player to his team this season, not the best player in the league." (Dear Gary: Voters every year, including 120 of 121 this year, sort of see it as a league-wide award, not a team award). I was harsh last night in the blog to call the then-mystery voter an "idiot." I don't think Washburn, whom I do not know, is an idiot. I do think he's a guy who cast a really bad vote that he'll wear like an ill-fitting suit the rest of his career.

SERENA WILLIAMS SLAMMED BY PROTEGE: Rising American tennis star Sloane Stephens, 20, calls her former hero Serena Williams, 31, a fraud who has been unkind and shunned her. Surprising stuff (click here to read), because I saw Serena as a mentor to Stephens. Not shocking, though. Serena is a real diva and I have written as much, including noting during the recent Key Biscayne tournament here that she kept a room full of reporters waiting close to an hour without a word of explanation, let alone apology.

UPDATED BASEBALL AWARDS ODDS: From Bovada, favorites as of today: NL MVP, Braves' Justin Upton 9-2; Cy Young, Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw 3-1. AL MVP, Tigers' Miguel Cabrera 2-1; Cy Young, Red Sox's Clay Buchholz 11-4.

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