Portland will look to keep the Heat out of Miami tonight as it eyes a fourth consecutive victory. The Trail Blazers are scheduled to do battle, or "WAR" as LeBron James might say, with the South Beach's finest at 7:30pm ET at the American Airlines Arena. Coverage on this evening's East/West showdown will be provided by NBA TV. The latest NBA Spreads have Miami listed as a -8.5 against the spread home favorite; the Over/Under is set at 188.5.
The last time these two teams met the Heat were at the tail end of a win streak that reached nine games with a 107-100 
overtime triumph at the Rose Garden. The circumstances could not be more different for Miami this time around as James and company are mired in four game skid and talk of crying.
Going back to February 24th, Miami has posted a 1-5 record, losing to some of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, including Chicago (twice), New York (I did say Eastern Conference), and Orlando. The latest setback, an 86-87 Sunday loss to the Bulls, must have really stung as Head Coach Erik Spoelstra alluded to members of his team weeping in the locker room.
Rumors of the Heat's demise may be overblown, though. Afterall, the team still owns a 43-20 record and, despite its recent skid, has a 3.5 game lead over the Magic in the Southeast standings. Winning cures all ills and Miami should have every opportunity to do that tonight against Portland, a 15-17 road team that has lost two of its last three against the Heat.
Look for Miami to stop the bleeding tonight, but, at +8.5, Portland, which is 10-3 in its last 13 games, looks like a pretty appetizing against the spread play.
Trail Blazers vs Heat NBA Spreads March 8th, 2011:
Portland Trail Blazers +8.5 (-110), Over 188.5 (-110), +365 (Moneyline)
Miami Heat -8.5 (-110), Under 188.5 (-110), -450 (Moneyline)
