Momentum has been a word that has been thrown around a lot lately - particularly if you've been tuning in to the now-past election season - but it's definitely the theme of the day for LeBron James and the reigning world champions Miami Heat (3-1).
And they'll certainly look to keep the momentum of a strong start to the new season going tonight when they take on superstar point guard Deron Williams and the talented Brooklyn Nets (1-1) at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla.
The Heat are coming off a thrilling 119-116 win over the Denver Nuggets thanks to Ray Allen's four-point play in the closing seconds of the game. Undefeated at home, the champs look to extend their home court perfection to 4-0 at home.
James has won his last 14 games against the Nets, according to NBA.com, and is averaging 30.3 points in the past four, shooting 67.7 percent from the field. Meanwhile Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade are each averaging more than 20 points per game in the last four games and, with the exception of last week's blowout loss to the New York Knicks, are looking like the formidable NBA champions they were last season.
Meanwhile, the Nets are coming in with a tall order, defeating the world champions, who have beaten them 10 straight times, at a place where they have not won since February 2008.
Top it off, Brooklyn is coming off a 107-96 home loss to Minnesota on Monday after getting outscored 32-10 in the fourth quarter.
The defensive lapse has been a problem this season for the Nets, their points allowed average of 103.5 ppg ranking near the bottom of the league.
"We just relaxed defensively," coach Avery Johnson told NBA.com. "We started trading baskets with them in the third quarter and never really could get stops."