James Jones News

The Miami Heat weren't disappointed by getting the No. 2 seed in the East. Facing the Charlotte Bobcats in Round 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs seemed like just what the doctor ordered.

The Miami Heat will try to take a commanding 2-0 lead over the Charlotte Bobcats in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals when the teams meet for Game 2 Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena.

The Heat defeated the Bobcats 99-88 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. LeBron James led the Heat with 27 points and he was 4-of-8 shooting from three point range.

Myles Chefetz does a tasting in the kitchen at Prime Fish with chef Todd Zimmer, April 14, 2014.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored a franchise playoff-record 46 points and Damian Lillard added 31, including the go-ahead free throws in overtime, to lift the Portland Trail Blazers to a 122-120 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

LeBron James scored 27 points, Dwyane Wade added 23 and the Miami Heat used a late charge to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 99-88 on Sunday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Q: Ira, are the Heat scouting the Nets already, because that's who they're going to face? Paul Pierce might as well have been calling out LeBron James when he hit those shots Saturday.

Your ribcage would have to hold a heart of crumbling coal if you're not, at this point, rooting for Greg Oden's success.

To place a Death Notice, please call 305-376-8901 or email obit@miamiherald.com .

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade goes up to shoot against Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams and forward Thaddeus Young, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, April 16, 2014, in Miami.

And he clubbed Pat Riley with him year after year in a way that made Riley feel profoundly helpless.

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Q: Should we be worried about Dwyane Wade being out six games. Or is it just to keep him fresh for playoffs? -- Jose.

Q: Do you have any reason why Norris Cole was playing all the crunch-time minutes in the fourth quarter and in the overtimes on Friday night? The 'Wolves left him wide open repeatedly and he missed every shot, and he did some awful fouls at the other end.

A strained left hamstring sidelined Heat guard Dwyane Wade for a fifth consecutive game on Friday night, but Heat players said he's improving, and LeBron James said Wade "probably" will return "within the next week."

The Indiana Pacers had lost earlier in the night on the road to the Toronto Raptors, creating the opportunity to move a game clear atop the Eastern Conference.

In the third quarter, LeBron got the Miami Heat back in the game when his team was down 72-63.

Of course, it could have been easier if Mario Chalmers could have made two free throws at a time before the second overtime.

The Heat is streaking, winners of four straight games, and looking to improve with the playoffs set to begin in mid-April.

Jones played a total of 70 minutes in Miami's first 70 games this season. He's logged 104 minutes in the last four contests, all Heat blowout victories, all in a stretch where they climbed atop the Eastern Conference standings for the first time this season.