Last time the Miami Heat lost

   Whether you love them or you hate them, the Miami Heat are legit. They are currently on a 27 game winning streak and are six wins shy of tying the NBA record at 33.

Next six games:

@ Chicago Bulls 3/27
@ New Orleans (Pelicans?) 3/29
@ San Antonio Spurs 3/31
Vs Knicks 4/2
 @ Charlotte 4/5
 Vs Philadelphia 4/6

   Over the course of 52 days dating back to February 1, the Heat have torn through 20 of the 30 NBA teams. They've beaten Toronto, Charlotte, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Orlando twice and Philadelphia has been engulfed three times. By my count New Orleans and San Antonio would be two new victims to the list and Washington (4/10) could be the 23rd different team they've taken down during the streak.

   By my novice, but semi-seasoned NBA knowledge, San Antonio could cause possible trouble for the sizzling South Beach'ers. Miami won the only meeting between the two in South Beach back in November, 105-100.

   So how does this relate to JMU? Well back on February 1, when the Heat lost at Indiana, JMU was quite a different squad.

   The Dukes were 13-10 and on the verge of coming up short, yet again to George Mason in Harrisonburg the following day. Barely floating above .500 the Dukes would've been considered a semi-joke to win the CAA tournament and punch their ticket to the dance. They were second in the CAA standings at 7-3, but hadn't flipped the schedule page to see their upcoming opponents and road tests. Coach Brady was still trying the sell his team on this winning philosophy. They still hadn't "bought in," as Brady put it.

   JMU would proceed to have disappointing outings in Philadelphia against Drexel (only scored 48 points, in a horrible shooting performance) and on senior day against Georgia State. Andre Nation made Sportscenter with his buzzer beater dunk at Delaware. They came up less than a second short at Northeastern and were able to escape their largest deficit at William & Mary when it counted most. Just a week later, they came back and beat the exact same Tribe squad. The next day, an out of bounds call given by the basketball gods gave Devon Moore the most fitting way to send the team to the championship game. Finally, the Dukes made Bill Coen forget any regular season success as they made the Huskies look plain silly inside the dated Richmond Coliseum. A four game winning streak to end the season blasted JMU through RVA and onto Dayton.

   A.J. Davis decided he "would do anything to help his team win," coach Matt Brady said. Since Feb. 1, Davis scored in double figures 10 times (out of a possible 12). Even better, seven of the ten were 20 plus, including a career high of 36 against William & Mary. Davis solely pulled JMU out of a 16 point deficit in Williamsburg and contributed to them winning the game, which gave them the third seed in Richmond. With the third seed, the Dukes were able to craftily work their way through the tournament and come out on top. I'm not here to play the string game, but Davis' 36 had a far greater meaning than just a career high for the Columbus native.

   In the final 10 games of the season, including CAA tourney, excluding NCAA's, Davis netted 205 points (20.5/game). Davis had scored a total of 195 points in the first 23 games of the season leading up to the beginning of his eruption. That's good enough for just over a mere eight points per contest.

     I know Rayshawn Goins has been following this streak closely as he is a big LeBron James advocate. You may spot him rocking a Buffalo Sabers beanie on the reg, but don't let that fool you. Goins is huge James fan, and has followed from his days in his hometown of Cleveland all the way down to South Beach. You could say Ray 'took his viewing talents' down to Miami.

   Another connection between the two; both teams have 'Big Three's.' As I've written before, James, Bosh, Wade are to the Heat as Moore, Davis, Goins are to the Dukes. Don't believe me, just watch the stat book. (Failed attempt at Trinidad James reference).

   Both trio's lead their teams in scoring, and their presence's are heavily felt. I would argue that Moore/Davis/Goins earn a little more Sportscenter air time. The amount of media coverage the Heat get is equivalent to the amount of white trash in your local Wal-Mart.

   While justifiable at times (the Heat, not people of Wal-Mart), the winning streak is becoming a tad trite. However, nothing of this nature has happend for 40 years. It was the 1971-72 season when the Lakers pulled off this feat. Talk about short-shorts!

   All of this ties back to February 1, when the Miami Heat lost their last game, and when a mention of JMU in the second round of the NCAA tournament would've forced Jerry Seinfeld take note of this comedic value.

   Basketball is an up and down sport. Streaks happen and players get hot. JMU got hot at the right moment and wrote a long overdue chapter for the program. The Heat got hot and have become the best team in the NBA. The Dukes came up short of breaking the historical standard of a 16/1 matchup. Can the Miami Heat break the historical 33 game winning streak the Lakers set back in the 70s? Wilt Chamberlin and Jerry West hope not. You know who else was on that historical Lakers squad? Pat Riley, who is the current team president of the Miami Heat. The Kentucky Wildcat also coached in South Beach from 1995-2003 and again from 05-08. That Lakers squad went onto win the NBA Finals 4-1 over the Knicks.

   I know Goins will be pulling for James to do the unthinkable and we can also bet that Andre Nation will probably be enjoying kicking it on the couch enjoying a pepperoni and cheese Hot Pocket. They come in packs of two, hopefully he cares to share with Goins!

Brahhhhhhhh!

   Ironically, both JMU's and Miami's last loss, you ask? Against Indiana. Far out, brah!

Stats to know about Heat Streak