LOS ANGELES -- Hassan Whiteside was expecting to practice Tuesday. 

Apparently, Erik Spoelstra had other plans for the Heat. 

In a surprise move, the Heat's coach instead took the team to see a special screening of Michael Bay's new movie "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" at Paramount's movie studios. The director gave the Heat a special invitation.

The movie, set to be released Friday, is based on the 2013 book by Mitchell Zuckoff which details the six-member security team that fought Islamic militants to defend an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 11, 2012.

"We pulled up and we thought we were going to practice. I'm like 'We're going to watch a movie?" Whiteside said. "I played in Lebanon and a part of me was intrigued with it. I know how it is out there in the Middle East. It was fun. It took our minds off Monday's loss and gave us something else to talk about."

Said Dwyane Wade: "It was cool. Obviously we all thought we were going to practice. It was midday so everyone wasn't jumping up for joy. But we took a detour and it was cool to have something a little different for our team. We haven't done that in a while here. And also, the movie was a great movie. I thought we all enjoyed it, very much so."

Spoelstra didn't want the Heat's private invite to see a special screening of the movie to become public, but Amar'e Stoudemire and Beno Udrih both posted news of the screening on Instagram on Tuesday.

"We just did it for the team, just for us, just something different," Spoelstra said. "It was a very inspiring true story. We're not trying to compare what we do to what happens over there, but it's still a very powerful story, powerful message of courage and teamwork."  

Spoelstra said the entire team went to see the movie together. But after that, guys went their separate ways. 

Stoudemire went on The Late, Late Show with Jim Corden; Chris Bosh went to film another commercial for Xarelto; Wade went out to dinner with Clippers point guard and close friend Chris Paul. 

Was it weird to go out to dinner with a guy he'll be playing against Wednesday?

"I don't even know if it's modern [NBA]," Wade said. "It's what I've done for 13 years with my friends. Dinner doesn't soften you up. Dinner is you guys share experiences as friends and family. When you're playing the game, you're back to competitors. Then you go back to sharing experiences again."

 

Thank you @paramountpics & @michaelbay for making it possible for us to see the movie 13 hours...must say it was an incredibly inspiring film and shows the true power of courage and team work ! #TeamBondingDay #mustseemovie #13Hours

A photo posted by Beno Udrih (@benoudrih19) on Jan 12, 2016 at 6:50pm PST

Amar'e Stoudemire

 

Had a great time on set with @bettymwhite for the @latelateshow. Tune in tonight at 12:37/11:37c on CBS

A photo posted by (əˈ•mär•ray) Amar'e Stoudemire (@amareisreal) on Jan 12, 2016 at 8:47pm PST

Chris Bosh

Had a great time filming the new XARELTO (rivaroxaban) ad. See full PI incl BOXED WARNINGS: https://t.co/kDij8yW1MQ https://t.co/crXXMrErNV

— Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) January 12, 2016

The Heat wants to believe its a legitimate contender, a team that can contend with Cleveland and LeBron James for the Eastern Conference crown.

But even after a 16-10 start, the experts still don't believe Miami or anyone else in the Eastern Conference can really beat Cleveland when it matters.

"Playoff team, yes. Contending team, no," ESPN analyst Jalen Rose responded when I asked him during a teleconference Tuesday afternoon if he thought the Heat could contend with Cleveland if the roster stays as is.

"They're not better than the Cleveland Cavaliers," Rose continued. "They will not beat the Cleveland Cavaliers four times in 10 days. They, however, are amongst a few teams in the Eastern Conference that have an opportunity to fight for second in that Eastern Conference with Atlanta. [We still don't know] what's going to happen with Indiana, Toronto, Washington. [That] remains to be seen. Those squads have been up and down. But the Cleveland Cavaliers are clear cut the best team in the Eastern Conference."

Rose said he sees the Heat as a team that "just wants to wake up and be in the playoffs healthy, with Dwyane Wade playing the way he's playing." Rose said Wade looks rejuvinated and that he's playing really well.

"He's attacking the basket, making his open shots," Rose said. "And Chris Bosh has shown flashes also. [Hassan] Whiteside continues to improve. He can contain his emotions, continue to compete on each play, contest shots, grab boards, finish around the basket. Goran Dragic is going to be a key. Can he be as effective and efficient as they need him to be?

"They're a definitely, legitimate playoff team that's worthy of advancing. But beating the Cleveland Cavaliers? I don't see it."

Neither does former Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo.

"Cleveland, what they've done without Kyrie, they've clearly reestablished themselves as the best team and that's without Kyrie," Carlesimo said. "You would have to think [with Irving back] they're going to get better.

"I love Miami. I don't think they get the credit for how good they are defensively. They're quietly one of the best three defensive teams in the league and very seldom do you hear people talking about that. I love their experience. I love all the things they bring to the table that's going to make them dangerous. But you can't put anybody [above Cleveland]. There's Cleveland and then you put the next gap. Miami is right there. I don't think realistically anybody [in the East] can think 'We're ready to go at Cleveland. Nobody has shown they are that good yet."

Would making a trade for a three-point shooter take the Heat to another level?

"How about adding LeBron James?" Rose responded.

"Those two guys from Oklahoma would help them," Carlesimo said. "I don't want to say it's hopeless. Obviously they have more reason to be confident than probably anybody because of their experience and the coaching and the whole deal. I just think Cleveland is not coming back. Cleveland, if anything, is going the other direction. That's the biggest problem the teams in the East have. So many teams in the East are better, even significantly better. The problem is those guys in Ohio are better and getting better."

Still, Rose and Carlesimo both said coach Erik Spoelstra deserves a lot of credit for how well the Heat has bounced back after missing the playoffs last season.

"Spoelstra doesn't get enough credit by the media," Rose said. "Because everything that happens positive in Miami, we give the credit to Pat Riley. And rightfully so, he's one of the all-time greatest puppet masters in the league. But seeing how Spo helped develop Whiteside into a player that's going to be looking for a major deal when his contract up, how they're bringing along Winslow in their lineup, I just really applaud the job he's done in Miami as a head coach."

Said Carlesimo: "I'll piggy-back that. I had radio last year for Miami-Cleveland on Christmas. I remember vividly practice on the 24th, Spo said to me and this was kind of before Hassan [blew up], he said 'He's going to be a player for us. He's going to be an impact player. We like what he's shown in practice on a regular basis. He's going to surprise people.' That was really before he kind of burst on the scene and done the things he's done. Spo deserves tremendous credit."

Goran Dragic was in a much happier mood Monday afternoon.

After getting ejected for the first time in his NBA career Sunday when referee James Williams hit him with a pair of technicals within minutes of one another at the end of the third quarter, Dragic wrapped up practice Monday and had a few jokes for reporters.

"My wife said I need to visit anger management," Dragic deadpanned.

Coach Erik Spoelstra and several Heat teammates said Monday Dragic was the last player on the team they ever expected to lose his cool and get ejected. And that's because Dragic is genuinely a nice guy. 

But history tells us he has lost his cool before. In fact, upon doing a little research using ESPN's career stats tool, we've come to discover Dragic has more career technicals (23) than 10 of his other teammates. OK, four are first or second year players.

But Dragic is certainly no angel. He drew seven technicals two seasons ago in Phoenix.

Here's a quick look at the current Heat players with career totals for technicals and ejections:

> Amar'e Stoudemire 797 games, 120 technicals (15 three different seasons), 6 ejections
> Dwyane Wade 797 games, 78 technicals (12 in 2010-11), 2 ejections (2008-09)
> Udonis Haslem 789 games, 36 technicals (8 in 2005-06), 2 ejections
> Chris Bosh 866 games, 35 techinicals (10 in 2008-09), 2 ejections
> Goran Dragic 528 games, 23 technicals (7 in 2013-14), 1 ejection
> Gerald Green 448 games, 21 technicals (9 in 2013-14), 1 ejection
> Luol Deng 769 games, 16 technicals, 1 ejection
> Josh McRoberts 387 games, 14 technicals, 1 ejection
> Chris Anderson 659 games, 10 technicals, 0 ejections
> Hassan Whiteside 93 games, 9 technicals (7 in 2014-15), 2 ejections
> Beno Udrih 768 games, 1 technical (2014-15), 0 ejections
> Tyler Johnson 52 games, 0 technicals, 0 ejections
> Justise Winslow 26 games 0 technicals, 0 ejections
> Jarnell Stokes 21 games, 0 technicals, 0 ejections
> Josh Richardson 12 games, 0 technicals, 0 ejections

DRAGIC, HEAT APPEALING FINE

Dragic said he intends to appeal the $2,000 fine that accompanies his second technical and the other $2,000 fine that comes with his ejection. In fact, Dragic said he thought owner Micky Arison had already reached out to NBA commissioner Adam Silver to discuss the matter. 

"OK, the first technical I deserved it," Dragic said (Here's a link to the replay of the first technical). "I didn't remember what I said. But it was not
pretty. The second one, I even saw the video, it was kind of funny. My face was shocked at first
and then I said 'What?' Then I got a technical. It is what it is.

"I could understand if I said something back to him or if I insulted him somehow. But I mean I just said 'What?' I don't know, is that a bad word or something? It's not even close [to a bad word in Slovenian]."

Dragic said to his knowledge he's never had any bad blood or exchanges with Williams before (here's video of the second technical). 

"If they're going to look at me just at that one game then everything is going in the wrong direction," Dragic said. "I'm not that guy. Sometimes I react, but I cool down quick. I was just full of emotions. I felt like that foul on Lillard [on the technical] my hand was way up. I didn't jump. The next play, I got hit in the head from behind and he didn't call that one. Then [I drew the foul] on that call that I wasn't even there yet. He called the foul and then the technical. I was like 'Man is this a video game or something?"

Gerald Green, who played with Dragic in Phoenix, made him laugh Monday during practice: "He said, 'G, I don't recognize you anymore. Now you're playing defense. Now you're fighting with the ref."

MCROBERTS, JOHNSON LIKELY OUT AGAIN

It looks like Josh McRoberts (bone bruise) and Tyler Johnson (shoulder) will not play again Tuesday against the Pistons.

McRoberts didn't practice Monday according to Spoelstra and Johnson only did work on the side. Spoelstra said Sunday the Heat wants Johnson to go through a full contact practice without a setback before returning to action.

"We just want to make sure it's healed," Spoelstra said of McRoberts, who is expected to miss his seventh consecutive game. "We're getting his leg strong so when he's ready to come back he's full go, no setback."

Spoelstra said McRoberts, who missed most of last season with a torn meniscus in his right knee, originally injured his knee back on Nov. 10 against the Lakers and simply was trying to play through the pain. But somewhere along the line either the Heat or McRoberts decided it was best he stopped playing.

"You see guys right now are sitting out around the league because of bone bruises in their knee," Spoelstra said. "Guys that are tough want to play through it. Sometimes it gets better. Sometimes it doesn't. It wasn't getting better with Josh.

"We're being patient. We're thinking big picture. He's got a great attitude about it. His surgical knee is great."

Hey everybody,

I went to the Heat's final practice before opening the preseason Sunday against the Hawks.

Here are interviews with Erik Spoelstra, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Each talked about starting the preseason Sunday against the Hawks and a little bit about the team's upcoming trip to China.

Enjoy,

Andre Fernandez

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says the NBA hasn’t done enough to protect Dwyane Wade and LeBron James against overly aggressive fouls to their heads.

Countering the NBA’s decision to suspend Udonis Haslem for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Thursday night, Spoelstra directed strong words at the NBA for allowing opponents of the Heat to take dangerous shots at Miami’s best players. After reviewing film of nine playoff games, Spoelstra said he counted “over a dozen hard fouls” to the faces of Wade and James by the Knicks and Pacers.

“The league does not have a problem with hard fouls on our two main guys,” Spoelstra said. “Some of them of the tomahawk variety, some of them have drawn blood — they don’t have a problem with it, so we don’t have a problem with it.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn't agree with an observation that his players were "dragging" during Friday's loss to the Grizzlies.

Here's the audio file of Spoelstra calling it "ridiculous" and "absurd" that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh rest before the playoffs. Spoelstra then wanted something recorded for the official record, when he prefaced a prediction with the words, "Now document this."

So, in the name of history...

-joe

Watching your team go 9 of 16 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter will drive anyone crazy.

-joe

Dwyane Wade was back in Miami on Wednesday, but not yet on the Heat practice court.

He was debuting his latest shoe, the Jordan Fly Wade 2, which is actually pretty sleak, if you ask me. It's a lot more simple than some of the more colorful, decorative shoes out there. He compared the design to an Aston Martin, and he chose a matte finish that gives it a modern, stylish look.

After talking about his new product, Wade did get into some basketball talk, and had some interesting tidbits about his teammates and his approach to the season.

With a shortened preseason and a condensed regular season, he said he knows he can't afford an injury early on, like last preseason. So he's hoping for more 5-on-5 basketball work and less conditioning work, which he told his head coach. Wade is already leaner than he was last year, with his body fat dropping below four percent.

He also said he has tried to add a new element to his game, as he does every year, but wasn't specific. He did say he wanted to be a more consistent shooter from distance, and very much wanted to improve his FT shooting.

As for his teammates, Wade said he thinks the team can hit the ground running after a year of getting to know each other...

"After having a year of all of us, I’m sure the Miami Heat is going to come with something different," Wade said. "They’ll understand what the players like, how we play together and how we can be more effective and efficient playing with one another.

"I’m sure they’ve broken down EVERY number and we’re going to come back with something that will help us be better early on."

On his summer communicating with LeBron James, Wade said they've spoken a lot about last season and a new approach to this season...

"We’ve always been tight," Wade said. "But after going through a year together. After going through losing in the Finals together, we had different conversations during the summer.

"We spent some time together. Obviously, he was busy doing his thing and I was busy doing mine. But our families came together, we came together at different times, vacationed together. We were in the same city working and would meet up.

"We had different conversations, and I think looking back, having his conversation (Tuesday) on ESPN, you could tell that some of the things we talked about this summer resonated, and he kind of looked at that, and he’s grown. He’s grown from last year, he’s grown every day."

Wade said he wanted LeBron to play more like the playful, fun-loving guy he naturally is and let Dwyane be the angry one...

"I don’t play like him," Wade said. "I’m always straight faced. I smile every now and again on the court, but I said let me look like the mean one and play the way you play. But we did talk about that.

"We were on vacation and talked about that. We didn’t run away from losing in the Finals. We looked at it and said, ‘Why did we lose? How did we lose? What can we do different? How can we be better as leaders?’

"That was one thing I kind of wanted for LeBron was to get back to being LeBron and not try to be somebody that everybody wanted him to be, in a sense. Let me be the mean mugger"

As for Chris Bosh, Wade said he expects a more vocal Chris and one who's not afraid to get his...

"I think Chris is already more comfortable," Wade said. "He sees things a little differently.

"He’s going to be a different player. He’s going to be more vocal. He’s going to talk to us more and let us know how we can help him out. I think we are going to see a different him in that aspect. Not when it comes to bullying guys in the post – that’s not Chris. But in the games I think you’re going to see a different Chris, a little more vocal, a little more comfortable and confident.

"I thought he did great (in last season's playoffs). I don’t think he got enough credit for it. Chris played very consistent. In each round, I think he got better.

"I think he was the most consistent out of all of us, if you want to say it. I had a terrible Chicago series. LeBron didn’t have a so-hot Dallas series. I think he’s going to be play better this season."

Some nuggets from Pat Riley's press conference Wednesday morning that weren't included in the story for the paper...

Riley said he didn't like hearing that the Heat "gave away" the Finals to Dallas, nor did he agree with the concept that the Mavericks played more like a team than Miami.

"They beat us, they took it, that's what title teams do," Riley said. "Every championship team that I've been involved with, it's fashionable to say that somebody gave something away or somebody lost something, or we coulda, woulda, shoulda. But somebody takes it, that's all there was to it. Dallas played extremely well.

"The one thing that I, as a former coach, get upset with is we were a team. I mean, it's fashionable to say that the other team was more of team than we were. That is B.S. We would have never gotten this far without really sacrificing and playing roles and those veteran players accepting rotation responsibilities up and down. We were the epitome of a team."

As for LeBron James' shortcomings in the Finals, Riley was predictably protective of his biggest star. But he acknowledged LeBron can improve his individual game.

"I think you have to take a hard look at it on film and then have a discussion with him about it and then specifically from a coaching standpoint he says, 'this is what we want you to do,'" Riley said of LeBron's play in the Finals. "But you don't have an easy answer for that right now. That's become sort of the flashpoint of this whole thing and I think it's wrong, it's absolutely wrong to lay it on him and it just started to continually compound itself."

As for improvements the Heat could make, Riley said he doesn't really anticipate his team paying to move up in the draft because, from what he hears, nobody wants those picks in the 20s because they come with salary commitments to players who aren't significantly better than anyone he can get at 31.

Riley said he believes Mario Chalmers is a starting caliber player for this team, and he would put priority on adding interior size.

"We would like to get size," he said. "We would like to get length. Joel Anthony has done an incredible job and he will get better. But we'd like to get size that we can put in there, in the middle. I don't know if you're going to get a back-to-the-basket player, but we'd like to get size and things of that nature inside that might be a little bit more athletic with great length.

"We are good enough, we have enough but we're going to continue to try to make this team better. And move forward with that, that's what our job is this summer."

Riley also said he never "really" considered moving any members of the Big Three, even early in the season when it appeared they struggled to play together, and won't consider moving them.

Let's start with this: The Mavericks are an amazing team, winning with jump shooters like no other team in recent history. Dirk Nowitzki is a nightmare for defenses and the best shooting big man this league has ever seen. Jason Terry is one heck of a shooter and doesn't get enough credit for being as fast as he is and destructive to a defense in the halfcourt. J.J. Barea and Jason Kidd are both so different but have such an impact in games. And Tyson Chandler is one of the most disruptive forces in the paint, defensively.

"When are people going to talk about the purity of our game?" Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "That's what's special."

But those who were looking at the Heat and wondering why this team failed, as opposed to simply seeing why the Mavericks succeeded, you have plenty to look at.

For starters, of course, there is LeBron James. Anyone who says it wasn't obvious that LeBron's nerves got the best of him either wasn't paying attention or didn't want to see it. James himself addressed it after the game, but it wasn't entirely convincing. Certainly not as convincing as what everyone saw happen on the court. There were clanked free throws, hesitant drives, horrible misses within 12 feet and a lot, lot more.

"Sometimes you got it, sometimes you don't," LeBron said. "That was the case in this series.

"Once you get to the playoffs, every game is pressure. It doesn't matter which round it is, once you get to the postseason, every possession counts."

Sounds like a reasonable explanation, but not true. Pressure's greater in this series, especially since he's never really been in this place. He has never been in the Finals expected to win it.

Dwyane Wade looked like it was a bit too much to ask for him to carry the team again, with the series on the line. He was spending his energy arguing with refs. He was committing mindless turnovers. He never got on a run that you'd expect him to go on at home.

Chris Bosh never got enough of an opportunity to make an impact in the game. He needed just nine shots to score 19 points. That was the story of his season. If he didn't force himself into the action, he wasn't going to get enough looks. In this one, with both Wade and LeBron not being themselves, it was probably up to Erik Spoelstra to get Bosh more looks, but that never happened.

"I was frustrated," Bosh said. "I would've liked to get more inovled. But I was just playing the game as it went. Looking back at it, I had it going a little bit. I was in a good place for the game.

"I just don't know what to say, man. Yeah, I should've shot the ball way more."

Probably the most damning quote from any of the Heat players was this from Wade:

"Their resolve was stronger than ours in this series."

For those wanting a reason not to be upset, to put this loss in a happier perspective, there are these words from Udonis Haslem.

"We haven't accomplished what we're going to accomplish," he said. "This just wasn't our time. Look back from where we started. We were complete strangers to one another on and off the court. To get to this point is a pretty good accomplishment."