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Heat's new arena not so warm
MIAMI -- The amenities in the Miami Heat's new state-of-the-art AmericanAirlines Arena are second to none in the NBA.
And the location is just as spectacular, located a stone's throw from the waterfront in scenic downtown Miami. Yep, every bell and whistle known to man has been placed in the Heat's new 782,400 square foot home. Except there's one thing missing: Heat victories. Since the Heat relocated from the circus tent known as Miami Arena on Jan. 2, they've won only four of their seven games at AA. Conversely, the Heat had a 10-3 record at the old arena this season. To make matters worse, the three losses at the AmericanAirlines Arena have come to the NBA's bottom-feeders -- the Vancouver Grizzlies, New Jersey Nets and Chicago Bulls. "It's like new shoes," Heat forward Otis Thorpe said. "You have to get a feel for it. The more games we play here, the more comfortable we'll get." The Grizzlies victory was only their second road win in 36 games, and at Miami's expense, the Bulls got their first win away from the United Center this season. Some home-court advantage. "We can use the excuse that the arena takes a little time to get used to," Heat guard Voshon Lenard said, "but we lost those games because we played bad. The new building had nothing to do with it. How we play determines if we win or lose. Doesn't matter where we play." The Heat's dismal performance at AmericanAirlines Arena has lessened the intimidation factor coach Pat Riley has built the past five years. Playing in Miami is no longer viewed in the same aspect it once was. Take a look around the Eastern Conference. The way things are shaping up, Miami, Indiana or New York could wind up with the No. 1 seed come playoff time. Top seeding means home-court advantage throughout the playoffs -- an edge the Heat don't appear to have.
The Pacers have won 14 consecutive games at home. The Knicks have won 12 of their 19 home games and have the lore of The Garden in their back pocket. The Heat? They have a brand new building in which they've been as uncomfortable as any road trip to New York or Indiana. "Right now, teams are confident they can come into our building and win. And we can't have that," Heat guard Tim Hardaway said. "We know we have to store up things at home if we want to be there in the end." Miami finally broke out of its home doldrums with Tuesday night's 115-89 blowout over the Boston Celtics. But the Celtics, who were trounced in an early-season meeting at Miami Arena, admitted they thought Miami had lost some of its luster at home. "After viewing the tapes of the last few games here, we felt pretty good about our chances here to be honest," Boston forward Antoine Walker said afterward. "They've had some problems at home, but sooner or later they were going to bust out. They just happen to do it against us." Riley was quick to shoot down notions of the Heat having lost their home-court edge. Instead, he put the focus on the team's play. "The building doesn't play defense, it doesn't shoot the ball," he said. So far, it hasn't provided an advantage either.
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