ORLANDO, Fla. — First came “The Decision.” Then the expectations. Now the pressure is on the Heat more than ever.
Even from the White House.
Dwight Howard had 24 points and 18 rebounds, J.J. Redick scored 20 points and the Magic beat Miami 104-95 on Wednesday night to hand the Heat’s all-star trio its first three-game losing streak.
The slow start for the Heat has resonated all the way to Washington, where President Barack Obama said before the game in an interview with ABC that it “takes some time for the team to come together.” Nobody could have imagined it would take this long.
“If we had the answer right now, we wouldn’t be sitting at one game over .500,” LeBron James said of his Heat’s 8-7 start. “We’re a few games out of first. We’re a few games out of eighth.”
Jameer Nelson had 17 points and a career-high 14 assists, coming up with some big shots late to help Orlando pull away and avenge a 26-point loss at Miami, which also lost to Memphis and Indiana in the past week. Even Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, told of Obama’s comments, joined in the fun.
“I know there’s a lot of time in the day, but I’d be more confident if he didn’t know what was going on in the NBA,” Van Gundy said, chuckling about Obama’s remarks. “We got to get some people back to work. I don’t think he needs to be worried about turning the Heat around.”
