Chris Bosh

The Miami home of Heat forward Chris Bosh was robbed while the player and his wife were out celebrating his 29th birthday Wednesday night, and the thieves took watches, rings and purses valued at $340,000, according to Miami Beach Police (via nbcmiami.com).

Two housekeepers were at the home watching the Boshes’ two children while the robbery took place, although no one in the house heard anything.

The thieves took what they wanted from the jewelry box but left behind Bosh’s 2012 NBA championship ring, police said.

“We are leaning on the side of this being an inside job,” Miami Beach Police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said.

Dwyane Wade's benching on Monday was the latest in a recent series of irritations for the Heat. (AP)

As Dwyane Wade sat on the bench and watched his teammates attempt a fourth-quarter comeback against the Jazz on Monday, some saw it as an example of the greater malaise that’s settled over the Heat recently (though they’re still 24-12 and in first place in the conference).

Wade’s benching — if it can be called that, given that it only lasted for one quarter — came after a recent dip in his offensive production, and hasn’t caused much of an uproar in and of itself. The same goes for the Heat’s 1-3 record so far on their Western road trip, in which they’ve beaten only the Kings and lost to the Pacers, Trail Blazers and Jazz.

However, comments and actions from Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh before and during the trip have raised some eyebrows. Despite the fact that the Heat have some of the most talented players in the game, James said after a two-point loss to Portland last Thursday, “We’re not the most talented bunch. We’re not the greatest team. So we can’t afford to just pick and choose when we want to turn it on and off.”

Meanwhile, Bosh is averaging the fewest rebounds of his career yet still campaigned this week on Twitter for fans to vote him into the All-Star Game.

Wade didn’t say anything particularly controversial about sitting out the end of the Jazz game, and neither did Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. The incident seems to be just one more facet of the Heat’s internal troubles, minor problems that only will become more detrimental if they’re allowed to drag on.

Over the final week of 2012, WEEI.com will count down the top 10 stories of the year in Boston sports. This entry in the countdown is No. 5: the Celtics’ loss to the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

Check out our previous entries:
No. 10: NHL lockout
No. 9: Wes Welker’s up-and-down year
No. 8: Bruins’ early playoff elimination
No. 7: Ray Allen’s departure from Celtics
No. 6: Tim Thomas’ political controversy and sabbatical

The Celtics put forth a valiant effort but were not able to knock off LeBron James and the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. (AP)

The Celtics were one victory away from advancing to the NBA finals. But what stood in the way, LeBron James and the Miami Heat, turned out to be more than the Big Three and the rest of the Celtics could handle.

A 101-88 defeat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals put an abrupt end to a playoff run that looked like it had legs after a comeback season from the Celtics, who were under .500 at the All-Star break of a lockout-shortened season.

The C’s battled injury issues all season. Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox had season-ending heart ailments. Jermaine O’Neal had his season end early, and Avery Bradley missed the Heat series. Even as the playoffs began, a sprained MCL slowed down Paul Pierce and bone spurs kept Ray Allen off the floor.

After finishing first in the Atlantic Division at 39-27, the Celtics took down the Hawks in six games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. They went on to get by the 76ers in a seven-game series and line things up for a big series with the Heat.

Read the rest of this entry »

Heat forward Mike Miller was in a laughing mood last month at a charity basketball game, but he was not so please this week when he found out he'll be sidelined for the next eight weeks following hernia surgery. (AP)

The NBA lockout is all but over, but Heat swingman Mike Miller will have to wait a bit longer before playing basketball again. Miller will miss about eight weeks as he recovers from hernia surgery performed earlier this week. Miller told The Associated Press that he has no idea how the injury occurred.

“It’s unreal with my luck right now,” Miller said. “When it rains, it pours.”

Miller played in just 41 games out of the regular season — exactly half of the season — last year for the Heat. The small forward hasn’t played more than 70 games in a season since his stint with the Timberwolves in 2008-09. Miller averaged 5.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for Miami last season.

There is also some speculation that Miami will used the new amnesty provision in the still not-finalized new collective bargaining agreement to get rid of Miller, who is set to make $4.35 million this season. Miller also is owed $18.2 million for the three seasons after the shortened 2011-12 season.

While Miller was not able to practice on Thursday, Udonis Haslem, Chris Bosh and Joel Anthony were among a group of Heat players who worked out at the team’s arena. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are expected to join their teammates next week.

Two of the Heat’s Big Three might be leaving the country should the NBA lockout cancel the 2011-12 season.

Henry Thomas, agent for both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, told Barry Johnson of The Miami Herald that both players are open to playing overseas.

Welcome to Wednesday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY WEDNESDAY:
MLB: Red Sox at Orioles, 12:35 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)
MLS: Revolution at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Recently retired Celtics center Shaquille O’Neal made his debut as an television analyst a memorable one Tuesday night. During a show on NBA-TV announcing the 2011-12 schedule, O’Neal heaped praise on Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade but made it clear he doesn’t consider Chris Bosh in their class. “The Miami Heat, they’ve got a lot of great players, the Big Two,” he said. “They will be back.”

Added Shaq: “Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, you know, they’re great players, they’re probably the greatest backcourt ever assembled. And you know they’re going to get back. They’re going to get back. They play well, they went through a lot, they put a lot of pressure on themselves. That’s how they like it. And they will be back.”

♦ Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson challenges teammates to look in the stands at visiting ballparks and see if they can spot more than 10 African-American fans. In the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Mac Engel writes about the downward trend of African-American players and fans and what is driving them away from the game.

♦ Match-fixing is a problem that has been plaguing soccer in recent years. The New York Times examines how international authorities are attempting to stop the trend. It appears to be originating mainly in Southeast Asia, where sophisticated criminal operations have funded payoffs to players and officials.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On July 20, 1958, which Tigers right-hander (and future Hall of Famer) became the last opposing player to no-hit the Red Sox at Fenway Park?

Read the rest of this entry »

The NBA has taken some small steps toward a new collective bargaining agreement over the past few weeks, but Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley isn’t convinced the league will have a season next year.

“It would take a miracle on [commissioner David Stern's] part not to have a lockout and I truly believe that,” he said on ESPN Radio New York. “I think the owners are dug in. I think they want to send a message to these players.”

Barkley said team owners are strongly opposed to star players’ ability to form “superteams” in free agency.

“I think [the owners are] really upset by this Lebron James, Chris Bosh situation … If all the stars want to play together, we’re almost becoming like baseball where you’ve got a few good teams and the rest of them stink.”

The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Thursday.

A little positive reinforcement never hurts.

A University of California, Berkeley study revealed last fall that teams who touch each other more, whether it be a high-five, head rub or even a butt slap, are more likely to win. Using data from the 2008-09 season, the study concluded that the Lakers and Celtics were the two touchiest teams in the NBA and consequently finished with two of the three best regular-season records in the league. The idea there is touching means team chemistry which leads to victories.

Well if the findings of that study are correct, the Mavericks should be the ones hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy by the end of the NBA finals. According to a study by The Wall Street Journal, the Mavs nearly doubled the amount of personal touches  of the Heat in the series’s first three games, “winning” that battle 250-134. Dallas center Tyson Chandler had the most touches with 90 while Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t far behind with 88. Chris Bosh, who led Miami with 49, would’ve been sixth on the Mavericks in that category.

The Heat’s Big Three are under contract through the 2014 season, but with a possible new collective bargaining agreement with a hard salary cap looming, commissioner David Stern says the Heat might not be able to keep all three of the players.

This past summer Lebron James and Chris Bosh signed $110.1 million contracts, while Dwyane Wade signed a $107 million deal. It would be very unlikely for the Heat to be able to keep all three under a hard cap.

“That’s part of the negotiation [talking about the hard salary cap],” Stern said. “This is very complex. If there’s a will, we’ll be able to work all those issues out.”

For the Mavericks, the 2011 NBA finals have not gone according to plan. In addition to shooting a postseason-worst 37.3 percent in Tuesday night’s eight-point loss to the Heat, star forward Dirk Nowitzki tore a tendon in the middle finger of his non-shooting hand.

The injury occurred when Nowitzki tried to steal the ball from Chris Bosh in the final minutes of Game 1. After the play, Nowitzki said, “I couldn’t straighten out my finger anymore.”

The forward will probably have to wear a splint for the rest of the series but plans on playing in Game 2 on Thursday.

Nowitzki had 27 points on 7-of-18 shooting Tuesday night.