For the first time this season, the Miami Heat will go up against their intra-state rivals in Orlando. The Heat packed up after last nights win over Cleveland and headed north, looking to expand their lead over the Magic in the Southeast Division to five games. While both teams have been playing well of late, the Heat have been much better over a longer period of time.

The Heat have won 11 of their last 13 games and three in a row, and that stretch of games allowed Miami to expand their lead over Atlanta and Orlando inside the Southeast Division. The Magic meanwhile had been on their own three game winning streak, but lost 107-102 in overtime to the visiting Clippers on Monday night.

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The Miami Heat continued their supreme defense of the AAA court on Tuesday night when they defeated the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 107-91. Former Cav LeBron James had a solid night against his former club, scoring 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, which included the usual amount of impressive plays. He added 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot in a well-rounded game.

LeBron and Dwyane Wade did a good job of entertaining the home crowd, as this is the last opportunity they get to see the Heat for almost two weeks. Wade also had a solid game, leading all scorers with 26 points, which included a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Wade also contributed 4 boards, 6 assists, 3 steals and a block, as he continues to look more and more like himself.

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The Miami Heat announced on Tuesday afternoon that they had waived center Mickell Gladness. The move came in advance of the 6pm deadline for guaranteed roster spots. Gladness was one of three players to have non-guaranteed contracts, along with fellow rookie Terrel Harris and center Eddy Curry, both of whom the Heat are expected to hang on to.

Gladness appeared in six games for Miami this season, averaging 0.5 points in 3.5 minutes per game. His last game time came in mid-January, a Heat win over Philadelphia, but he scored his only basket of the season on New Years Day. That was his most productive game in the NBA, playing 9 minutes and coming away with 2 points, 4 rebounds 2 assists and a steal.

This move leaves Miami with 14 players on their active roster, meaning they now have a spot open. That could mean that the Heat are preparing to add a free agent, and the one name that comes to mind is Joel Przybilla. He played in 36 games for the Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Bobcats last season, averaging 1.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game.

The Heat can bring back Gladness after a 48-hour waiver period, with the ability to sign him on up to two 10-day contracts.

The Miami Heat will play their last game at the AAA for a while tonight, when they welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to South Florida. After this game the Heat will hit the road for one of the quickest 6-game road trips you'll ever see. Starting on Wednesday, the Heat will play 6 games in 10 days, including their one and only back-to-back-to-back set of the lockout shortened season.

The Cavaliers come into Miami still in rebuilding mode. They have been reaping the benefits of having the #1 pick in last years draft, with rookie Kyrie Irving playing extremely well. He has helped them graduate from an Eastern Conference worst 19-wins last season to a 9-13 record this year, and more importantly in the hunt for a playoff spot (½ game behind 8^th place Milwaukee).

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Over the past couple games, the Miami Heat have utilized a lineup at the end of games that has gotten quite a bit of attention from the media and fans alike. Erik Spoelstra has gone to his "Big 5" lineup in two straight games, and in both games the lineup was able to close out their opponent and come away with a Heat victory.

The Big 5 lineup consists of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. That particular blend of players gives the Heat an ultimate amount of flexibility on both ends of the floor. So far they have proven to be a strong combination, closing out the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday and the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

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There was a lot of excitement in South Florida when the Miami Heat signed free-agent Shane Battier, who is known for his strong defense and ability to hit the long-range jumper. Unfortunately, the offensive game hasn't quite come around for Battier since joining the Heat. For the first time in his career, he is thinking too much. With teammates like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, it's hard not to think of deferring to them when the ball is in your hands. Said Battier:

"I'm struggling with the age old question of when to pass and when to shoot. That's the basic philosophy on offense. The great Hubie Brown said, ‘Know when to pass, know when to shoot,' and I'm finding a way to mess that up."

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The Miami Heat survived another comeback attempt on Sunday, holding off the visiting Toronto Raptors late rally and picking up a 95-89 win. The Heat were up by 15 points with 6:19 left in the 4^th quarter, but Toronto came storming back and trimmed Miami's lead all the way down to 3 thanks to a 12-0 run. LeBron James answered with four straight points and the Heat put the game away.

James scored 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting, going 10-for-12 from the charity stripe and adding 9 rebounds and 2 assists. That's LeBron's lowest assist total of the season and it broke a streak of 25-consecutive games that James had at least 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Still, the Heat moved to 11-2 on the season when LeBron scores at least 30 points.

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