Freude » campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings

MIAMI -- Its not as if they still have Bird, McHale and Parish.Its not as if -- going back even further -- they still have Russell and Cousy.No, the Boston Celtics dont have any of those superstars. Their leading scorer is Isaiah Thomas -- and hes not that Isaiah Thomas, the Hall of Famer from Chicago.This is the 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas, the one from Tacoma, Wash. Yet this particular Thomas, who is averaging 26.1 points and 6.3 assists, has continued a recent but substantial trend of Celtics domination over the Miami Heat.Since Thomas joined the Celtics last season, Boston is 3-0 against the Heat, and its an Eastern Conference rivalry that will be renewed on Monday night inside Miamis AmericanAirlines Arena.But going back before Thomas arrived, Boston has won at least one game per season in nine of the past 10 years. That overlaps the time span when the Heat had far superior talent with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.Now Miamis Big Three is effectively gone, and the Heat (5-11) is paying the price, falling to its current standing of 13th place out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference.The Celtics (9-7), meanwhile, appear to be a team on the rise, sitting in fifth place in the East at the moment.Boston could be ready to get on a roll now that post player and four-time All-Star Al Horford has returned. He missed nine games due to a concussion, and he is just now rounding back into form after returning on Nov. 19.He makes a huge difference to our team, Thomas told the media. Even if he is not scoring, he is still defending and making plays for his teammates.Horford has two double-doubles in the four games since he came off the disabled list. He has averaged 16.8 points and 8.0 rebounds since returning, and both of those numbers are higher than his season averages.Miami already struggles to score but may get strangled on Monday by Avery Bradleys tight defense. Bradley, a 6-2 shooting guard, is a dynamo who is just entering his prime after years of battling injuries.Bradley, who made first-team All-Defense last season, leads Boston in rebounding (8.0) and is second in scoring (17.9).Jae Crowder, a 6-6, 235-pound small forward, is Bostons other double-figure scorer, averaging 12.5 points.Amir Johnson, a 6-9, 240-pound power forward, is Bostons fifth starter. He, Bradley and Horford are the key figures on Bostons defense. And remember, Boston was fifth in the NBA in defensive efficiency last season without Horford.His defense has made the unit better.The Heat will try to crack that defense, but it will depend to a large extent on some health issues. Point guard Goran Dragic (elbow) and shooting guard Dion Waiters (groin) are listed as questionable.In addition, starting small forward Justise Winslow is out due to a wrist injury. It will be the eighth straight game he has missed.Has it been that long already? Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said painfully. Everything is day to day. He hasnt gone through a practice yet.Generally, Spoelstra prefers that a player get at least one full practice in before returning to the lineup. But with Miami potentially missing three of its top four starters -- Dragic, Waiters and Winslow -- Spoelstra may have to alter that plan.Miami will continue to rely on center Hassan Whiteside, who is averaging 16.8 points, 14.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.On the perimeter, Miami will look to scorers such as Josh Richardson (10.8) and sixth-man Tyler Johnson (12.4). Paul George Shoes Outlet . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Wholesale Paul George Shoes . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. https://www.cheappaulgeorgeshoes.com/ . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Cheap Paul George Shoes .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Paul George Shoes From China . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Early shoppers have stepped in and snared a sizeable piece of the Cowboys ahead of in their NRL Semi Final on Friday.UBET reports money is steaming in for North Queensland ($1.55 into $1.47) to beat Brisbane ($2.50 out to $2.70), including two big bets overnight of $6,000 at $1.55 and $6,000 at $1.50.1300 SMILES Stadium has been a fortress for the Cowboys this season, so the intense interest in them is no sshock to us, said UBET spokesperson Nick Curry, adding theres also a stack of takers for them at the -4.dddddddddddd5 line too.Each of their last three encounters have gone down to the wire, including the 2015 Grand Final, with a field goal separating the rivals on each occasion. ' ' '