The Miami Heat tonight could be the first team in the 2014 NBA Playoffs to advance to the second round. That’s a testament both to the talent in South Beach and to the surprisingly competitive playoff scene so far. While LeBron James and Dwayne Wade play tonight for a few days off, Al Jefferson and the Michael Jordan-owned Bobcats will be playing for pride. Tonight’s Miami Heat – Charlotte Bobcats Game 3 is scheduled to tip off at 7pm EST / 4pm PST. If you can’t watch it on TV, you can watch Heat vs Bobcats live streaming online using any number of services.
The Heat won all four games against the Bobcats during the NBA regular season, so their dominance in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs isn’t entirely surprising. With that said, most ESPN experts had predicted the Heat would win in five games, so although Charlotte’s facing a first-round sweep tonight in Miami, the Heat may very well mail one in tonight and give Bobcats fans a glimmer of hope.
Miami small forward LeBron James doesn’t often let up when an opponent’s on the mat. Save for his infamous series meltdown against Boston during his last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James is like a shark with blood in the water in close-out games. That mindset was in full effect in Game 3 against the Bobcats, when he had 30 points and 10 rebounds, almost doubling the next-closest Heat player.
The only problem there is that the next-closest player was Dwayne Wade, the Robin to LeBron’s Batman who’s struggled mightily. In Game 3, D-Wade went just 7-16 from the field, scoring 17 points while dishing out 6 assists and grabbing 3 rebounds. If Wade, Chris Bosh and the rest of the Miami Heat don’t give more to James than just an audience to watch Game 3 from the sidelines, Miami could be in for a letdown Game 4.
The Charlotte Bobcats will be playing tonight without Josh McRoberts, who’s serving a suspension after a brutal (but apparently accidental) elbow to James’ throat. With center Al Jefferson still hobbled by plantar fasciitis, not having McRoberts down low could be a big blow to keeping the Heat out of the paint. If ever Greg Oden were going to have a decent playoff game, tonight’s Heat Game 4 is it.
All that being said, look for the Bobcats tonight to play more of an outside game. In Game 3, shooting guard Chris Douglas-Roberts had 17 points, starting point guard Kemba Walker scored 13 points, and reserve shooting guard Gary Neal had 9. Without McRoberts and his Game-3 13 points down low, Jefferson and the rest of the Charlotte Bobcats will look to the perimeter for the bulk of their scoring in tonight’s Heat game.
If you can’t watch the game live tonight on TNT, NBA fans who subscribe to their channel via their cable and satellite provider can also watch NBA games online free via TNT’s live-streaming TNT Overtime service. You can also download the TNT Watch Live app for your tablet or mobile device. In addition, the TNT website often has live streaming NBA games, and they’re likely to do the same in you’re looking to watch Heat vs Bobcats live streaming online Game 4. Tipoff for tonight’s Heat game is scheduled for 7pm EST / 4pm PST.