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Mourning re-signed with the Miami Heat late Friday though terms of the deal were not disclosed. Mourning played last season for the veteran's minimum salary of about $1.1 million and the new deal wasn't expected to be significantly different. The Heat's reserve center averaged 7.8 pionts, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks as Shaquille O'Neal's backup. He made 20 starts last season and ranked third in the NBA in blocks per game. |
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Mourning underwent a kidney transplant in December 2003 and announced July 15 he'd return for his 14th NBA season. With him signed, Miami has seven members of its eight-man playoff rotation under contract for next season. The only player yet to sign is veteran guard Gary Payton. Mourning, a seven-time All-Star, is the Heat's all-time leader in game played (491), blocks (1,405) and free throws made (2,328). |
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Williams was cleared Monday to begin rehabilitation following surgery to repair a partial tear of his right patella tendon that caused him to miss 18 games last season. The 60-minute surgery was performed by Heat physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick on July 21. |
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Williams averaged 12.3 points and 4.9 assists for the NBA champions. Acquired in a five-team, 13-player trade a year ago, he was bothered by tendinitis for much of the season. |
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Wade signed a three-year contract extension with the Heat on Wednesday, which begins in 2007-08 and has a player option for a fourth year. The Miami guard will make $3.84 next season and considerably more in 2007-08 when he'll be eligible to earn a base salary of 25 percent of the league's salary cap. |
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Wade averaged career-bests of 27.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 49.5 percent shooting along with 6.7 assists last season. He also helped the Heat win their first NBA championship and was the MVP of the finals. |
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Posey exercised his $6.4 million option on Friday to stay with Miami, electing not to become a free agent. The swingman was a key part of the Miami bench as the Heat won the NBA title this season. In his first year with Miami, Posey averaged 7.2 points and 4.8 rebounds and played solid defense. |
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A long-term deal might be reached in the coming weeks, but Posey wanted to make sure he was around for at least 2006-07. |
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Miami picked up Kapono's $1.1 million contract for next season on Friday. The Heat reserve guard would have become a free agent on Saturday. Kapono averaged 4.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 51 games for Miami last season. "We will definitely keep Jason," Heat coach Pat Riley said Friday. "I don't think there's a better 3-point shooter in the game." |
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Kapono is averaging 6.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 173 career games spanning three seasons. |
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Wade scored 36 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on Tuesday to lead Miami to its first NBA championship with a 95-92 victory over Dallas. The Heat star was also named the finals MVP after averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals against the Mavericks. |
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Wade averaged 28.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.2 steals during Miami's postseason run. |
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Wade scored 43 points, including the game-winning free-throws, as Miami beat Dallas 101-100 on Sunday to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals. Wade's running jumper with 2.8 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime and his free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining came as he drove to the basket between three Mavericks defenders. Wade is averaging 40.3 points in his last three games. |
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Wade shot just 11-for-28 from the field but set Miami playoff records for free throws made and attempted as he went 21-for-25 from the charity stripe. His 21 free throws were an NBA Finals record, two more than Bob Petit had for St. Louis in 1958. His 25 attempts were as many as the entire Dallas team. |
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O'Neal had 13 rebounds in Game 4 and totals 369 in finals games to move him to eighth on the all-time list, one ahead of Larry Bird. The Miami Heat center, who has started all 21 postseason games, averages 9.6 rebounds in the playoffs. |
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O'Neal is also averaging 18.9 points in playoff games with a 61.9 field goal percentage. |
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Wade didn't practice Wednesday because of a left knee injury he sustained in Tuesday's Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but the Miami Heat guard said he would play Thursday in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks. |
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Wade scored 42 points in Tuesday's 98-96 win over Dallas and was expected to undergo treatment up until game time. |
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Wade was still suffering from a sinus infection as Thursday's Game 1 of the 2006 NBA Finals approached, but was reportedly expected to play. The Miami Heat guard and scoring leader has been bothered by the illness for several days but said Wednesday he'd be ready to open the series with th Dallas Mavericks. "It's something that I've got to deal with," he said. "(I) Decided to get back out there and get my conditioning going ... before the game." |
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Wade scored 14 points in last week's Eastern Conference Finals series-clinching win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 6. He's averaged 26.2 points in the NBA playoffs and is also shooting 51.0 percent from the field this postseason. |
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Wade did not practice with the Miami Heat on Monday because of a flu-like virus he's been fighting since Friday. Wade was briefly hospitalized before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals because of dehydration, but played and scored 14 points."He's fine. We sent him back to the doctor to get some more medication," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "Another checkup. ... We feel like he'll be OK." |
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Payton did not practice with the Miami Heat on Monday because of a migraine. Heat coach Pat Riley said the Miami point guard will be fine. |
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Payton averaged 6.2 points during the Eastern Conference Finals series against the Detroit Pistons. |
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Wade missed the Miami Heat's shootaround practice Friday and was briefly hospitalized with flu-like seconds. Coach Pat Riley said he was being treated and would be ready for Game 6 against the Detroit Pistons that night. "We just took him out of the ambulance. We felt that I needed to go over the game plan with him," Riley said, smiling a bit. "He's fine. We've already talked and he's replenished. He's ready. He's ready to play." |
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Wade missed Game 6 last season against Detroit because of a rib injury. Without him the team lost by 25. Wade is averaging a team-best 29.2 points on 66 percent shooting in this series. |
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Miami Heat coach Pat Riley said O'Neal's neck was a "little stiff" after his Game 2 collision with Heat forward Antoine Walker's knee. "He's OK," Riley said, joking that "it was about a 7.8 on the Richter scale when he hit the floor." O'Neal tumbled while trying to block a shot and fell into Walker's knee. He remained in the game and was expected to play in Game 3 against the Detroit Pistons. |
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Wade scored 30 points -- 15 in the final 4 1/2 minutes -- and added 10 assists and seven rebounds to lead the Heat over the Nets 103-92 on Friday night in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series. |
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Wade also went 2-of-3 from 3-point range on Friday, one day after going 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Wade, who went 13-of-76 (17.1 percent) from 3-point range in 75 regular-season games, is 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) from behind the arc in nine postseason games. |
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Wade isn't known for hitting 3's, but the Miami guard was 3-for-3 from beyond the arc Wednesday in the Heat's 111-89 victory over New Jersey in Game 2 of their second-round series. Wade, who led all scorers with 31 points against the Nets, is 6-for-9 from 3-point range in his last four games. |
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After averaging just 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in his first two postseason games at the United Center, O'Neal had 30 points and 20 rebounds as the Heat beat the Bulls 113-96 on Thursday night to win the best-of-seven series in six games and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. |
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The 7-1 center averaged 20.0 points and 9.2 rebounds in 59 regular season games this season, and is averaging 26.4 points and 12.5 rebounds in 177 career playoff games. |
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Wade is expected to be in Miami's lineup for Thursday's first-round matchup with Chicago after injuring his hip in Tuesday's 92-78 victory. The Heat guard took a hard fall to the court in the second quarter and needed help to the locker room. He returned midway through the third quarter, scoring 15 of his 28 points after the injury. Wade received painkillers, ultrasound therapy and ice packs Wednesday, but was still sore. He will continue treatment until game time. |
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Wade is averaging 25.0 points and 7.4 assists during the series and will try to help his team eliminate the Bulls. |
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Wade's shooting woes at the United Center continued as he finished with 20 points on 8-of-23 shooting in the Heat's 93-87 loss to the Bulls on Sunday. |
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Wade averaged 27.2 points and shot 49.5 percent in 75 regular season games, but has struggled at the United Center. The Chicago native is averaging 18.8 points on 34.3-percent shooting on the Bulls' home court, including a season-low 1-for-8 performance on March 18. |
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O'Neal was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Saturday following his public criticism of the officials after Miami's 109-90 loss to Chicago in Game 3 on Thursday night. O'Neal had eight points, four rebounds and five fouls in the loss and was largely ineffective, scoring only one basket through three quarters. |
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O'Neal was averaging 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in the first two playoff games. Expect O'Neal to rebound in Game 4 on Sunday. |