**Heat at Nets**


-- After losing homecourt advantage in Game 1, Miami has rebounded with two straight victories against New Jersey, reclaiming a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series. The Heat held off the Nets 103-92 as a 2 ½-point road underdog in Game 3 on Friday, while cashing tickets on the money line at a plus-125 (Bet $100 to win $125) price.




Miami head coach Pat Riley is pleased with his team's aggressive play. (AP Images)
-- The Nets and Heat were knotted at 72 heading into the final 12 minutes before Miami took advantage of turnovers and made their living on the free throw line.



-- The term living is probably an understatement. Pat Riley’s team made 40 trips to the free throw line, including 19 attempts in the fourth quarter. What’s more amazing is that Miami was a perfect 19-of-19 from the charity stripe in the final 12 minutes. Pretty impressive feat considering they were the second worst FT shooting team (70%) in the league during the regular season. This was the first time in three games that the team with more free throws actually won the game.



-- Dwayne Wade led the charge for Miami with 30 points (14 FT’s), 10 assists and seven rebounds. Shaquille O’Neal added 19 points and nine boards, while playing a series-high 36 minutes.



-- For the third straight game, New Jersey’s Vince Carter led the team in scoring with a 43-spot in Friday’s setback. Carter connected on 17-of-34 shots from the field. The rest of the team shot 39 percent (20-of-51) from the floor.



-- The Nets were without the duties of Clifford Robinson in Game 3 and most likely for the rest of this battle after Robinson was suspended for five games after violating the league’s drug policy. Before you look at this as an excuse, keep in mind that the former Connecticut Huskies’ standout only posted six points in the first two games.



-- New Jersey is known as a jump shooting team and if the shot isn’t falling, then so are the chances of winning. After hitting nine treys and shooting 49 percent in the opening series win, the Nets have only hit 32 percent of their shots from beyond the arch in the two consecutive losses.



-- Jason Kidd continues to get open looks from the outside, but unfortunately he’s hit or miss. If he puts forth another 33 percent (4-of-12) spot similar to Game 3, then expect an early exit for NJ.



-- Friday’s double-digit victory was the third straight of this series. The ‘over’ improved to 2-1 after the combined 195 points skipped ‘over’ the closing total of 189.



-- First quarter and first half players have seen the ‘over’ cash in all three games en route to a 6-0 run. Game 1 was the lone game that didn’t eclipse the closing number, but the two teams combined for just 78 points in the final 24 minutes. The final score of 100-88 just missed the closing number (190) by a bucket.



-- The oddsmakers appear to be playing to the public’s perception in Game 4, assuming that nobody would expect the Nets to face a 3-1 deficit. New Jersey has been tabbed a four-point favorite, with the total hovering around 189. Money-line players can take a stab at Miami at a price of plus-170 (Bet $100 to win $170).



-- Some playoff series have teams playing on one day of rest, while others catch an extra break here and there for travel reasons. Basically, money talks or better said the television networks. Folks looking for trends should jot this one down. Miami hasn’t lost a postseason contest when playing on one days rest. If this plays out, the series is over in five.



-- ABC offers national coverage of this contest at 3:30 p.m. EDT.



-- Game 5 is slated for Tuesday from American Airlines Arena.