After Christmas, the first round of voting for the NBA All-Stars begins.

The Heat also have a relatively easy schedule.

December 26, Heat vs. Wizards (away).

December 27, Knicks vs Heat (home).

December 29, Heat vs. Bulls (away).

December 30, Heat vs. Knicks (away).

The opponents are not strong.

Therefore, the Heat coaching staff decided to let the injured Cato rest for a few more games to ensure that he was completely okay before playing.

Cato didn't play, but the Heat still had a 3-1 record.

The Heat's overall record became 20-12.

During the month, Kevin Garnett averaged 26.4 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.5 blocks per game, leading the Timberwolves to an 11-2 record and winning the Western Conference Player of the Month.

In the East, Jermaine O'Neal averaged 21.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.5 blocks per game, and the Pacers had a 9-7 record and won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month.

Among the rookies, James and Anthony won the rookie of the month in the East and West respectively.

James averaged 23.3 points, 5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game this month.

Anthony is averaging 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game this month.

In addition to the two of them, Wade, Hinrich, Bosh, Josh Howard, Korver, Karman, TJ Ford, and Li Lei also performed well, and improved from November.

Dior, Pachuria, and "Little Peanut" Mo Williams performed mediocre, but they gradually entered the team's normal rotation and got regular playing time.

The worst is Darko Milicic, who appeared three times in December, averaging 1.7 points, 0.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.3 blocks in 3.7 minutes per game.

If it's him who behaves poorly, forget it.

Milicic didn't have a chance to show at all.

Miserable!

In the first game after New Year's Day, Cato made a comeback.

The Heat host the Magic led by Maddy and Juvan Howard.

In the end, the Heat defeated the Magic 112-101 to have an overall record of 21-12.

Pachulia played 3 minutes, slashing 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers and 0 fouls.

Li Lei sneered: "Zaza, you can't afford to eat duck eggs, so you came to Miami to get seven free duck eggs?" ”

Pachulia was so angry that she ascended to heaven.

Maybe Li Lei didn't keep his mouth dirty when he spoke, and God immediately gave retribution.

In practice the next day, Wade was hit by Butler and injured his shoulder, and the team doctor was expected to be out for about four weeks.

Rookie Wade is a bit of a glass man, and this is his second injury this season, having already been out for two games at the start of the season.

January 5th.

The Heat host the Pacers.

It's a battle of focus.

Now in the East:

The Pacers are in first place with 25 wins and 10 losses.

The Heat are second with 21 wins and 12 losses.

The Pistons are third with 21 wins and 13 losses.

The Hornets are fourth with 21 wins and 13 losses.

……

So, this is the first and second battle in the East.

It is also the first and fourth battle in the league.

The strong duel naturally attracts attention.

In tactical lessons, the coaching staff also took this game very seriously.

However, after reading the tactical manual, Li Lei suddenly had a feeling.

Strong, there are also levels.

The Pacers are among the best in the league and can compete with the Lakers.

The Heat, on the other hand, are obviously a big step behind.

Pacers' general manager: basketball legend "Big Bird" Larry Bird. The last time he coached the Pacers, he had three Eastern Conference finals and one overall final, and he had already proven his coaching and management skills.

Head Coach: Rick Carlisle, a rookie coach who led the Pistons to No. 1 in the East last season, and has the best record in the league with the Pacers this season.

In terms of lineup, the Pacers also have no obvious flaws, and both cores are in the growth period. O'Neal Jr. is already the league's hottest power forward, and Artest is also one of the league's best small forwards on offense and defense.

There is also the veteran Reggie Miller pressing the formation, and there is an old man in the family, such as a treasure.

With Al Harrington, Jonad Benson, Anthony Johnson, Kenny Anderson, Fred Jones, Austin Crohill and other capable benches on the bench, the bench depth is the highest in the league.

If it weren't for the Lakers' F4 super battleship being too eye-catching, and if it weren't for the Pacers' consistent low-key approach, the Pacers would definitely be no less than the Lakers' favorites to win the championship.

The reason why the media advertises the game as a matchup is just to attract the attention of fans.

Everyone on the Heat team knows that their own strength is far inferior to their opponents.

In particular, Wade's absence can be regarded as adding insult to injury.

This game is also broadcast live in the United States.

The live commentary was ESPN's Mike Brin and Bill Wharton.

The Heat's opener of the season was narrated by the pair.

At the same time, CCTV will also broadcast this big battle, and the commentary is still Zhang Weiping and Su Qun.

Before the game, Li Lei was interviewed by Zhang Weiping and Su Qun.

"Stone, Wade's absence will definitely have a big impact on the Heat, will the Heat make adjustments?"

Zhang Weiping asked.

Li Lei nodded: "Raff will start." ”

Su Qun asked, "Then do you have confidence in the competition?" ”

Li Lei nodded: "We all know that this game will be difficult, but we will do our best." Here, but Miami, our home turf! I'll guard the home field! ”

"Come on!"

Zhang Weiping and Su Qun patted Li Lei's shoulder and returned to the broadcast seat.

The conversation of Li Lei's interview was also translated into English by ESPN and played on the big screen above the arena.

Miami fans were excited when they saw it.

That's what they want.

The Heat can lose, but never coax.

If you want to take a win away from Miami, at least peel off a layer of skin.

Brin and Wharton were chatting about the game and also heard Li Lei's answer.

Wharton joked: "Newcomers are always vigorous, and the Chinese have a saying, newborn calves are not afraid of tigers!" ”

Brin nodded: "There's nothing bad about it, if the Heat can play tough and show iron will, this game will have enough to watch." The overall strength of the Heat is not as good as that of the Pacers, and Wade can't play, but their 21-12 record is not blown. ”

As the two chatted, the time gradually approached eight o'clock.

Appearance ceremony.

The visiting Pacers play first.

Centre: Jeff Foster.

Power forward: Jermaine O'Neal.

Small forward: Ron Artest.

Shooting guard: Reggie Miller.

Defender: Jamal Tinsley.

The Heat played the finale.

Cato, Odom, Lei, Jones, Alston.

Didi!

The game begins.

Jump ball.

Foster pressed Cato to bring the basketball back to his own half.

Tinsley catches the ball, stabilizes his rhythm and pushes slowly.

Alston defended aggressively and he finally got his chance to start, so he naturally wanted to perform well.

Both are street ball masters, and their ball control is top-notch.

But Tinsley is significantly taller, he has 191cm and 88kg, which is 20 pounds heavier than Alstom.

Tinsley's back to Alston suddenly turned his back and took advantage of the confrontation to force his way past Alstom and into the paint.

Cato came up to make up for it.

Tinsley passed Foster, and Foster clasped his hands violently.

Bang!

2：0。

Coach Dafan couldn't help but shake his head.

It's not that Alston doesn't work hard, but his talent limits his ceiling.

Alston played as a substitute and scored well and was organised.

But with him as a starter, his defensive problems are too serious.