Heat guard/forward James Jones and point guard Mario Chalmers were both selected to compete in the shooting contest. Jones is the defending champion, while Chalmers has been shooting better than 46 percent from behind the arc.

In addition to Jones and Chalmers the three-point contest will also feature: Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love, Orlando Magic forward Ryan Anderson, New Jersey Nets guard Anthony Morrow, and Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson.

The three-point contest will be held February 25 at 8:30 p.m. on TNT.

According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Tuesday’s drubbing of Indiana evened the team’s all-time record to 942-942. For the Heat, it’s been quite a journey that started with the team digging quite a hole for itself.

The first squad in 1988 started 0-17 and would end up with a record 15-67. The team finished the next season with an 18-64 mark and in the third season, the Heat won 24 games and lost 58. In those first few years, the Heat went 57-189.

It was a brutal stretch to start the season, but things changed when Pat Riley came to the team in 1995. Since then, the Heat have been a team on the rise and eventually made it to the top of the league in 2004 when the team won its first NBA championship.

But even after the championship there were lean years as Riley prepared to work his magic and sign the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Since then, no one can question the success the Heat have had and will have over the next few years.

Last season the Heat finished the regular season with a 58-24 record. This season, the Heat have already won 23 games and if their current play is a sign of things to come, should easily sail towards the NBA Finals again this season.

It’s been a long road to plow, but the Heat have finally made it to .500 and the ceiling from here is unlimited as long as the Big Three roam the court at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

Miami finished off with a 105-90 victory over the Pacers, which wasn’t as close as the final score makes it appear.

The team finished off the Pacers early in the game and never looked back. It was the Heat’s third straight blowout and was history-making as well.

With the win, the Heat became the first NBA team in more than three decades to win three road games in three nights.

The victory showed the rest of the league the Heat have figured it out and are starting to fire on all cylinders.

“I think as far as team chemistry, we got better every single night,” James said. “Tonight we had 17 assists. We rebounded and defended.

When we do that, we’re very, very tough to beat and it shows the professionalism of the group.”

It was a total team effort last night as the Big Three combined to score just 52 points with the rest coming from other teammates.

Rookie Norris Cole continued his impressive season by pouring in 20 points in the victory over Indiana.

Over the last four games, the Heat is beating opponents by a clip of 108-91. The 17-point spread is one of the largest the Heat has had over multiple wins this season.

It’s especially impressive given the three games in three nights schedule the Heat just completed.

“Our guys wanted this challenge and we were well aware it had not been done in 40 years, to back-to-back-to-back on the road and be able to stay focused,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “We threw out anything we could have used as a crutch.”

As the Heat continue to power towards the NBA playoffs, the opponents of the Heat down the stretch are facing something they didn’t have to last season, a complete team.

The sky’s the limit if the Heat can keep playing the way they have recently.

Phoenix last won three on the road in three days, in 1979. Miami is also the first team in 42 years to win each of those three games by at least 10 points, a feat last achieved by Milwaukee in 1970.

And the Heat (23-7) tied the best start in franchise history, too. All that came on a night the Pacers (17-11) were hoping to send their own message after a much needed two-day break.

Instead, David West led the Pacers with 14 points — not nearly enough to avoid a fourth straight loss.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

LeBron went for 35 points Monday night and hit more than 70 percent of his shots during the game. He was especially deadly in the post, where no one on the Bucks could even come close to stopping James.

It’s the latest example of how much LeBron’s summer of work on his post game has really pushed him over the top.

LeBron spent the summer working with NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon on his post game and the results have been better than the Heat could have hoped for this season.

According to ESPN.com, of NBA players with at least 75 post-ups this season, LeBron is shooting better than anyone in the NBA.

For the season, LeBron is shooting 55.4 percent in the post, which is nearly three percent better than the next closest player, Carl Landry.

This season, LeBron is averaging 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game.

But it’s not just LeBron that’s powering the Heat’s lineup. Once overlooked point guard Mario Chalmers is also having a career year from behind the three-point line.

Chalmers leads the Heat with 54 three-point shots made this season and is shooting better than 45 percent from behind the arc. He’s doing this while averaging nearly 30 minutes a game, thanks to the improved play of rookie Norris Cole off the bench.

Chalmers missed a game with an injured wrist, but once he returned to the lineup, he hasn’t missed a beat. Chalmers credits LeBron for his improved shooting.

“I’m just moving without the ball and finding various spaces,” Chalmers told CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald. “I know what LeBron is going to do. I know where his vision is going to be.”

The vision for everyone on the Heat is on the postseason right now. The Heat are 22-7 on the season and are just one-half game behind the Chicago Bulls for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

If the rest of the Heat continue to step up their game the way LeBron and Rio have this season, there’s no one in the league that can stop the Heat from hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy in June.

Dwyane Wade scored 22 and Mario Chalmers added 13 for the Heat, who were 0-2 against the Bucks coming into Monday night’s game.

James scored 16 of his points in the third quarter as the Heat outscored the Bucks 35-24 to take control of the game.

Carlos Delfino scored 24 for the Bucks, who were coming off a loss to Orlando on Saturday night.

With the win, Miami ran its record to 22-7 — equaling the franchise’s best start after the first 29 games of a season, set in 1996-97 and again in 2004-05.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

According to a report from NBCWashington.com, LeBron was alone in the backcourt when a Wizards fan made a derogatory comment about LeBron’s mother and NBA star Delonte West.

The fan, Bob Moore, told NBCWashington that LeBron told him, “The only reason you talk shit is because you know I can’t come off the court right now and beat your ass. But if I had a free pass, I’d kick your ass right now.”

Moore told NBCWashignton’s Sarah Kogod he responded, “I’m right here baby. Let’s go” At that point, security allegedly stepped in.

LeBron has been the scorn of opposing team fans ever since he joined the Miami Heat. But the classless act from the Wizards fan isn’t the typical heckling LeBron receives.

Given that James is 6’8” and 260 pounds, it would probably be wise for other fans thinking of doing the same to think twice before opening their mouth.

LeBron James scored 23 points, Dwyane Wade added 21 and Chris Bosh grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds, leading Miami to a 107-87 rout of the Hawks on Sunday night.

The Heat raced to a 22-point lead by halftime and made a big statement in the Southeast Division against the second-place Hawks, turning a supposed showdown into nothing more than a showcase for Miami’s trio of stars.

“We couldn’t script it (any) better,” James said.

By halftime, Wade had 21 points. James was rolling along with 14 points and nine rebounds. Bosh had already put a double-double in the books with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Heat went to the locker room with a commanding 63-41 advantage, the Hawks having surrendered their most points in a half this season.

That was quite a contrast from the first two meetings between the division rivals. Atlanta pulled off a stunning 100-92 win in Miami on Jan. 2, while the Heat bounced back three days later on the Hawks’ home court for a 116-109 victory in triple overtime.

James and Wade missed that second meeting, but Bosh carried the load with 33 points and 14 rebounds.

He had plenty of help in this one.

“You just have to give credit to the team effort on the defensive end,” Bosh said. “Everybody did their job, put bodies on guys. We just went up in traffic, got it with two hands. Just fundamental basketball.”

Miami won for the 10th time in its last 12 games, leading by as many as 32 before both coaches cleared their benches.

“When we play our best basketball, we can beat anybody,” James said. “You have to do the dirty work. You have to defend.”

Bosh finished with 14 points, complementing his strong work on the boards. James was active in the lane, as well, grabbing 13 rebounds, and he still found time to dole out six assists, too. Wade had a couple of steals and blocked a shot as the Heat totally clamped down on the Hawks, who shot just 39 percent and were outrebounded 52-38.

“They came out with an aggression,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “Against a team like this, you can’t fall prey into being seduced into taking jump shots. You have to get to the basket, and you have to get to the free-throw line. In the first half, we did not do that.”

The Hawks starters — four of whom were averaging in double figures — combined for just 40 points, led by Joe Johnson with 12. Willie Green actually led with 17 points, the reserves getting plenty of playing time with the game out of hand. Josh Smith had six points before the game was 3 minutes old. He had only one more basket the rest of the way.

“It almost seemed like they wanted it (more) than we did,” Johnson said.

Atlanta lost for the fourth time in its last five home games, the average margin in those defeats nearly 15 points. Even more troubling, Atlanta has fallen behind by at least 20 points in all four losses.

“I don’t know if it was a play they made or what, but it just baffles me,” Johnson said. “We’re sitting here in this locker room talking a good game and we go out there claiming we’re ready to play. Then we get out on the court and it’s like we haven’t even talked about the game plan. It hurts.”

Atlanta actually led 13-8 in the early going, but this one got away from the Hawks in a hurry. Miami ripped off nine straight points to take control, including a soaring dunk by James off a pass from Wade that would be a telling sign of things to come.

The Hawks failed to score over the final 4:30 of the first quarter, missing their last seven shots. Miami closed the period on an 11-0 run for a 30-18 lead, and it could’ve been even worse — James zipped a pass to Udonis Haslem under the basket, but he missed the layup just before the buzzer as James punched at the air in frustration.

That was about the only lowlight for the Heat. James kept his foot on the pedal at the start of the second quarter, tipping in his own miss and knocking down two free throws to make it a 16-point game. The Hawks got a brief spark off the bench from Green, whose 3-pointer cut the deficit to 36-29 with about 7½ minutes remaining the in the half.

That was as close as the Hawks would get. Miami outscored the home team 27-12 the rest of the period, not shooting all that well but dominating the boards. The Heat closed the half with a staggering 31-13 rebounding edge.

Johnson didn’t have any rebounds, a glaring shortcoming on a team missing All-Star center Al Horford.

“I take that on me personally,” Johnson said. “I’ve got to get in there and help the bigs. I’m doing a poor job.”

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Wade either scored or got the assist on 20 consecutive Heat points, starting with a drive to the basket that began with a behind-the-back dribble at the free throw line followed by a 360-degree move in the paint and ending with a shot off the glass.

Then came another spin move at the baseline for a basket on the next possession, and a driving layup the next time the Heat had the ball.

Wade and LeBron James combined to score Miami’s last 18 points of the first half, including a pair of one-handed throw-down alley-oop Wade-to-James dunks during a 10-0 spurt.

Chris Bosh had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and James finished with 18 points and nine assists for the Heat, who bounced back from a loss at Orlando on Wednesday to move to 1-1 on their six-game road trip.

Miami has won six straight and 12 of 13 against the Wizards, and seven in a row in Washington.

JaVale McGee scored a season-high 24 points and had 13 rebounds to lead the Wizards, who remain near the bottom of the NBA. They are 3-7 since Randy Wittman replaced fired coach Flip Saunders.

Nick Young scored 22 points for Washington, and John Wall had 15 points and tied his season high with 10 assists. Trevor Booker grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds.

The Wizards stayed within shouting distance until the fourth quarter with some acrobatic plays of their own. The Heat led 52-42 after a first half that included a combined five alley-oop baskets and a few other misfires.

The comical highlight came late in the half when Booker corralled a loose ball under the basket with no one around, but it slipped out of his hands as he went up for the dunk.

He stared at his palms as he started upcourt, even as the Heat were racing ahead for one of those Wade-to-James dunks.

Washington pulled within one after an 11-0 run in the third quarter, but the Heat responded with a 10-4 stretch that included a layup from Wade and a three-point play from James. Mike Miller’s 3-pointer early in the fourth put Miami ahead again by double digits.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Chalmers sat during Wednesday night’s game due to a hand injury. The Heat lost to the Orlando Majic 102-89. Rookie Norris Cole took Chalmers place in the line-up and scored 9 points and handed out four assists.

The Palm Beach Post reported that even with a swollen left hand, Chalmers will play Friday night against the Wizards.

For the season, Chalmers averages 11.4 points and 3.9 assists per game and is shooting 50 percent from the field.