Erik Spoelstra led the Miami Heat to 66 wins and the franchise’s third NBA title in 2012-13. (GETTY IMAGES)

Erik Spoelstra sat in the stands inside Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas looking very relaxed. He happily signed a few autographs, scribbling “Coach Spo” on one program.

Life is good for Coach Spo. He’s coming off a second championship season and one day before the start of training camp the Heat reportedly is working on a lucrative contract extension that would keep the 42-year-old head coach in Miami for a long time.

Spoelstra is 260-134 in his first five seasons with Miami, going to the NBA Finals the last three seasons. Only 12 other coaches in NBA history have multiple championships and only seven others have collected rings in back-to-back years. And last season may have been Spoelstra’s best coaching job.

The Heat rolled through the regular season, winning 27 straight games at one point on the way to a 66-16 record. Then in the playoffs, Miami had to rally from a 1-0 second-round deficit against Chicago and ultimately had to grind out seven-game victories over Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals and San Antonio in the NBA Finals.

”What’s overlooked for him is the management of the team,” Wade told AP last season. ”It’s not the coaching part of it. It’s, ‘Can you manage these egos, these personalities, without having one your damn self?’ He’s done it.”

Every team in the league are gunning for Spoelstra and the Heat this season. But they were all gunning for them last year as well, and we all know how that turned out.

OneManFastBreak.net examines teams in the Eastern Conference’s Southeast Division and where they’ll finish:

1-MIAMI HEAT

LeBron James is at the height of his powers and no one is no longer doubting his ability to win, especially in crunch. He delivered a virtuoso performance in the 2013 playoffs, including a dagger mid-range jumper from the right elbow to seal Game 7 of the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. If there are chinks on the Heat’s armor it’s injuries and fatigue. Dwyane Wade’s knees are beginning to fail him and his health has been a concern for three years. Wade turns 32 in January and he has 100 percent relinquished the team’s “Batman” title to his buddy LeBron. The Heat are about to embark on a historic journey. Since the NBA-ABA merger, only two teams have gone to four consecutive NBA Finals: Magic Johnson’s L.A. Lakers teams from 1982-85 and Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics teams from 1984-87. The Heat have played well over 100 games the last three seasons, so fatigue will definitely be an issue.

2-WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Owner Ted Leonsis, team president Ernie Grunfeld and coach Randy Wittman are going all in on point guard John Wall, as the Wizards inked the No. 1 overall pick in 2010 with a five-year, $80-million contract. The team is shaping entire game plan around Wall, a player who is blessed with many physical gifts but is still learning how to run an offense. Wall made great strides last year after missing the first 33 games with a bum knee. He averaged 18 points per game, but more importantly nearly eight assists. Instead of going end-to-end looking for his own shot, Wall started sharing the ball and finding open teammates. Wall’s evolution as a point man helped Washington play .500 ball over the final 50 games. Bradley Beal got off to a slow start but finished strong, earning third place in the rookie of the year voting.

3-ATLANTA HAWKS

Larry Drew did a commendable job in 2012-13 despite having a depleted roster and losing All-Star Joe Johnson to free agency. Instead of getting a hearty handshake, Drew was shown the door and was let go. Enter new coach Mike Budenholzer, an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich. Budenholzer was hired by general manager Danny Ferry, another former Spurs employee. Ferry believed that the Hawks were “locked into an identity that was hard to change and was going to be harder to maintain.” Change is coming in Atlanta. Aside from losing Drew, the Hawks won’t have Josh Smith. Jeff Teague and Al Horford are now the focal point of Budenholzer’s new attack, and free agent pickup Paul Millsap replaces Smith in the starting lineup. Lou Williams, who is coming off an ACL tear, should bolster scoring off the bench.

4-ORLANDO MAGIC

The Magic organization is now two years removed from the Dwight Howard drama and, frankly, Orlando seems to be doing just fine; the rebuilding process is well under way. Second-year head coach Jacque Vaughn was given a bad hand to start his coaching career, but he should have more pieces to work with this year beginning with prized rookie Victor Oladipo. The second overall pick in the 2013 draft shined during the summer league, averaging 19 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals while primarily playing point guard. Oladipo comes into the NBA with reputation as a defensive standout who loves to slash to the basket. But he impressed the Magic coaching staff with his ballhandling and outside shooting. The former Indiana University star will be a strong candidate for rookie of the year in 2014.

5-CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

Charlotte fans are absolutely giddy, and it’s not because they picked up Al Jefferson in free agency or drafted Indiana University stud Cody Zeller. The reason for the big buzz in the city is the return of the “Hornets,” as in the Charlotte Hornets. The NBA Board of Governors recently approved the name change after New Orleans changed its name to the Pelicans. Charlotte just needs to tough it out for one more season as the Bobcats before switching to the Charlotte Hornets at the start of the 2014-15 season. The change can’t come soon enough for team owner Michael Jordan because since taking over majority ownership in 2010 the Bobcats have become comatose, winning just 28 games in two years. But help is on the way. First-year head coach Steve Clifford has armed himself with great assistants in Patrick Ewing and Mark Price. Too bad Ewing and Price can’t put on uniforms.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Heat up 83-79, Wade dribbled up the court and when he was body checked by Sessions he lifted his left leg a little too high and struck Sessions between the legs. It hurts just trying to describe the play. Wade drew loud boos from the Charlotte crowd and Sessions, who believed that Wade intentionally struck him, got in Wade’s face to let him know that was not cool. A day later, Wade earned a one-game suspension from the league office. Watch the play:

Wade’s actions may have been driven by the fact that the game got very chippy. The Bobcats didn’t play like a team on a long losing streak, sending a message to the Heat by committing some hard fouls. And game was close until the Heat went on a run late in the fourth quarter. The most egregious hard foul was committed by Gerald Henderson, who knocked down LeBron James on a breakaway layup. Henderson was confronted by Heat forward Udonis Haslem, setting the tone for the rest of the night and causing Wade to lose his cool and resort to some playground tactics.

Charlotte Bobcats guard/forward Gerald Henderson (right) drives past Lakers guard Jodie Meeks. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Charlotte Bobcats lost their 12th game in a row after dropping a 101-100 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Gerald Henderson blew a golden opportunity late when he missed a point-blank layup that would have given the Bobcats a one-point win.

Even though Henderson turned out to be the goat of the game, he turned in one of the most spectacular dunks of the night — and possibly for the season. It is definitely a candidate for play of the year.

With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Bobcats down by six, Henderson took a pass from Bismack Biyombo and launched himself into the Blake Griffin stratosphere. He was up so quick, so high that Lakers center Dwight Howard couldn’t react fast enough to challenge the shot. Instead, Howard became part of Henderson’s poster dunk. Watch:

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are looking to add to their championship ring collection. (GETTY IMAGES)

The road to the 2013 NBA Finals got a little easier for defending champion Miami.

Dwight Howard left Orlando and headed for Hollywood and Joe Johnson left Atlanta for Brooklyn. The defections gutted the Southeast Division, leaving the Heat without a legitimate sparring partner in the division. Unless Josh Smith turns into Dominique Wilkins overnight and John Wall develops a Gilbert Arenas-like jump shot, the Heat should finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference based on the simple fact that it has little competition within the division. And last time we checked, LeBron James still wears the Heat colors and he’ll have a healthier Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and a new sniper in Ray Allen to help him defend the NBA title.

Team president Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra went into the offseason with a mindset of upgrading the roster, something the Heat didn’t do the season after they won the championship in 2006. Allen provides the Heat with another spot-up shooter — arguably the greatest 3-point shooter in history — to open up the floor for Wade and LeBron. Spoelstra has also asked Chris Bosh to slide over to the center position full-time, freeing up LeBron to play power forward. About the only major question mark for the Heat heading into the season is Wade’s surgically repaired knee. If all the reports are accurate, Wade should be back to being D-Wade for 2012-13.

OneManFastbreak.net predicts the order of finish in the Southeast Division:

1-MIAMI HEAT — LeBron finally rid of that humongous monkey off his back when he got that elusive championship ring in 2012. James should get a big bump off his championship season, and this is bad news for the division and rest of the league. But the Heat are much more than just the Big Three. What makes Miami so difficult to beat is balance. The Heat have players (Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem) who know their roles and make “championship” plays each and every night. Chalmers is not afraid to take and make big shots down the stretch. Battier and Haslem are committed to doing all the dirty work: playing defense, taking charges, diving for loose balls. Those are all the type of things that don’t show up on the box score.

2-ATLANTA HAWKS — You don’t lose a Joe Johnson and consider yourself a championship team. This is the dilemma the Hawks are facing this year. But the Hawks can point to the addition-by-subtraction theory, and the feeling is the ball should move better without Johnson, who can be a ball-stopper. Former 76ers guard Lou Williams may not have Johnson’s All-Star credentials, but he’s an explosive scorer who plays better when the game is on the line.

3-ORLANDO MAGIC — No D. Howard, no Stan Van Gundy, no expectations. The Magic are starting over and it begins at the top with the hiring of Jacque Vaughn as head coach. During his NBA career, Vaughn was remembered for being a smart player on offense and tough on defense. Expect the Magic to be those things, but it will take time to recover from the mess left by all the Dwight drama.

4-WASHINGTON WIZARDS — The Wizards ditched their youth movement and brought in more experienced players. The team felt there was too much knuckleheadedness and not enough professionalism. But what the Wizards don’t realize is sometimes experience doesn’t make up for youth and talent.

5-CHARLOTTE BOBCATS — Coming off one of the worst seasons in NBA history, there is nowhere to go but up for the Bobcats. Starting with the choice of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the draft and naming last year’s top pick Kemba Walker as the starter at point guard, the Bobcats are putting the franchise on the shoulders of two college basketball winners and hoping their championship pedigree rubs off on the entire team.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Forward Antawn Jamison averaged 17 points and six rebounds for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. (GETTY IMAGES)

Antawn Jamison has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, reuniting him with his former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown.

Jamison’s deal with the Lakers was a bit of a surprise since many thought he would choose the Charlotte Bobcats because he is from North Carolina, where he played high school and college basketball. The Brooklyn Nets also made a bid to get his services as they try to assemble another super power in the Eastern Conference.

But, it’s apparent Jamison clearly wants to pursue a championship, and L.A.’s championship hopes were bolstered by the acquisition of Steve Nash through a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns.

Jamison had a good season as a starter for the Cavaliers this past season, averaging 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds. For his career, Jamison has been a consistent player, usually on bad teams such as Golden State and Washington. He has a career scoring average of 19.5.

A lot of people might not like the decision because Jamison doesn’t play defense, but that isn’t the biggest need for the Lakers. The Lakers improved their team defense in their first year under Brown. Jamison will most likely come off the bench for the Lakers, something he did in 2003-04 when he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks (he averaged 14.8 points for the Mavs).

The Lakers are hoping Jamison can bring some much-needed scoring punch. Matt Barnes was the leading scorer off the bench last season and offense isn’t Barnes’ forte. Jamison is an instant upgrade to their bench and he can be the main guy on the second unit, plus he can come in and relieve Pau Gasol at power forward and play with the starters and help stretch the defense with his outside shooting.

If the Lakers decide to go all out in their pursuit of Dwight Howard, they could offer Andrew Bynum and Gasol for Howard and another contract — possibly Hedo Turkoglu or Jason Richardson. They could start Jamison at PF and his perimeter game could be a nice complement to Howard’s inside game. That’s if the Lakers decide to include Gasol in the deal, but they haven’t to this point. They seem intent on getting a third team involved that can offer young talent and draft picks to the Magic.

In any case, Jamison has helped improve the Lakers’ chances of getting back to the NBA Finals.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at djroxalot@hotmail.com.

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade scores just 10 points against the Charlotte Bobcats on Dec. 28, but hits the game-winner. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Miami Heat basketball team is comparable to a Jay-Z and Kanye West world tour. Whenever Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Co. are in town, expect a packed house each time.

A record-setting 19,614 fans packed Time Warner Arena in Charlotte Wednesday night to watch the Heat and Bobcats, and one of celebrities in attendance was Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Newton’s presence wasn’t missed by Wade and James, and when Wade banked home the game-winning shot with 2.9 seconds left the Heat star turned to Newton who was seated courtside and pretended to rip his shirt much like the way Newton does his “Superman” celebration when he scores a touchdown.

Wade was asked about it after the Heat’s 96-95 victory and he told reporters, “It’s a great homage to [Cam]. He was laughing. He was cracking up. But it was great respect to him. I wasn’t trying to show nobody up. It’s about how much respect we have for the athletes.”

When Wade paid homage to Newton, his buddy LeBron also appears to be performing the same “Superman” routine, but since he didn’t hit the winning shot all the attention went to Wade. Watch the video (courtesy of theseeker77):

Michael Jordan says he wanted to beat Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, not join them. (AFP)

Michael Jordan understood why LeBron James decided to leave Cleveland and team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. However, in hindsight, Jordan likely would not have done the same if given the same choice.

Call it an old-school mentality, call it ego, call it what you want. Jordan didn’t take shortcuts. What made him such a great player was his incredible drive and extremely competitive nature. He wanted to be the best and refused to play second fiddle to anyone. Sure, he got cozy with lot of his peers during his playing days, but when it came time to compete on the basketball court MJ wanted to destroy all of them.

So, when Jordan, who retired in 2003, was asked what he thought about James’ decision to join forces with his All-Star friends in Miami, the six-time NBA champion who built his entire legacy with the Chicago Bulls said he simply couldn’t see himself teaming with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird just so he could win a championship. He wanted to do it on his own, as the No. 1 alpha dog.

“I would have never called up Larry and called up Magic and say ‘Hey, let’s get together and play on one team.’ But things are different. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. That’s an opportunity those kids have today,” Jordan recently told NBC Sports in between rounds at the 2010 American Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.

“In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys [Larry and Magic],” Jordan continued. “I don’t know if they would have been on my team, if we would have been on one team.”

The idea of “if you can’t beat them, join them” approach was never an option for Jordan. Magic and Bird would never subscribe to that either. All three MVPs had too much pride to hitch on someone else’s championship wagon. It would have been real easy for Jordan to join either Magic’s team in L.A. or Bird’s team in Boston while he was chasing his first NBA title. But he didn’t.

Jordan suffered through miserable playoff defeats to the Celtics and the Detroit Pistons during the first six seasons of his career before finally getting over the hump in his seventh year when his Bulls defeated Magic’s Lakers in 1991.

The only exception to the rule was the 1992 Olympics when Jordan, Magic and Bird wore the same uniform for Team USA, and they were joined by fellow All-Stars Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen and Clyde Drexler.

“When you look at the Dream Team, obviously, we were all on that team,” Jordan said. “But it wasn’t too much of a competitive thing.”

LeBron James says he keeps tabs of all the nay-sayers and will probably post some of them in his Heat locker for motivation. Though James holds Jordan in high regard, MJ’s latest comment could be bulletin-board material and the Charlotte Bobcats (Jordan’s team) could be in a heap of trouble.

In fairness to Nelson, he wasn’t healthy during the Finals and it showed. He failed to cover Derek Fisher late in Game 4 and it cost the Magic the series. Fisher hit a game-tying 3-pointer in regulation and hit another big 3-pointer in overtime to give the Lakers a 3-1 lead in the series. L.A. went on to win the championship in five games.

That memory has haunted Magic’s All-Star guard throughout the offseason and he probably won’t stop thinking about it until he gets back to the Finals and lead the Magic to the championship.

First on Nelson’s agenda is the Charlotte Bobcats.

Through the first three games of the series, all Orlando victories, Nelson has completely dominated his matchup against Charlotte’s Raymond Felton and the 5-foot-10 Magic point guard has been without a doubt the best player on the court.

“Jameer dominated the game, again,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. “The 19 points in the first quarter was special. But I thought the last eight minutes of the game he got everybody a shot. He got the ball anywhere he wanted, and took what was there. He was phenomenal.”

Nelson, who has Mighty Mouse tattoed on his arm, matched his playoff career high of 32 points in Game 3 and put the Magic on his little back when All-Star center Dwight Howard fouled out with under four minutes to play.

“I’m gonna keep it real, they’re beating us – on both ends,” said a frustrated Bobcats forward Stephen Jackson. “They’re playing great defense and they’re hitting shots. Their point guard is making plays for those guys. I mean even though Jameer is not scoring every time, he’s getting guys wide open shots and they’re knocking them down.”

Nelson’s floater in the lane gave Orlando an 85-82 lead with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter that pretty much sealed the series for the Magic. Nelson matched his great performance in Game 1 with an equally great performance in Game 3. He made 12 of 21 shots from the field and was 5-for-9 from 3-point range.

“The little guy, he led us tonight. He did an excellent job in shooting the ball, passing the ball and playing defense. That’s what won us the game,” said Howard, who played just 26 minutes in Game 3 because of foul trouble.

But have no fear Magic fans, Mighty Mouse has Superman’s back.

Video is courtesy of NBA.com