• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Visit By Ric Flair Gives LeBron James A 'Wooo!" Moment

Posted: Dec 27th 2012 By: CMBurnham

"Wooo!"

It was the sound that resonated from the Miami Heat locker room after Wednesday's victory over the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena.

All that for the Bobcats?

Sure, when Ric Flair is leading the chorus.

Whether it was the Hornets during their days in Charlotte or now Michael Jordan's lowly Bobcats, one of the constants of NBA visits to North Carolina has been the presence of the local pro wrestling hero.

While the Hornets tried to adopt Flair's trademark "Wooo!" scream with their move to New Orleans, it is in Charlotte where the chant resonates, dating to Flair's WCW days in the region.

It did during Wednesday's game. And it did after the game in the Heat locker room, when Flair paid a visit.

Heat forward LeBron James was still grinning after Flair gave a thumbs up and departed.

"I mean, when I was a kid, I loved wrestling," James said. "He was one of the guys I loved, too."

James said Flair's extravagant wrestling personality was a game-changer.

"I think he's probably one of the creators of what we call swag these days, with the Rolexes and the stretch limos, and all the girls and all that stuff," he said. "He's like the creator of swag, Ric Flair definitely kept me watching TV."

Still going

Among the most encouraging aspects of Wednesday's 105-92 victory in Charlotte was Mario Chalmers backing up his solid play in Tuesday's home victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder with another quality effort.

Prior to Tuesday, Chalmers had not scored more than 12 points in a game this season. He then had 20 against the Thunder and 17 against the Bobcats. It is the first time he has scored in double figures in back-to-back games this season.

"That's a good sign," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "And we always believe in Mario. Again, what we want is 48 consistent minutes from our point guards. Rio has been playing better the last 10 days, two weeks, even though some people might not notice it necessarily from the box scores. He had a couple of good practices when we had that opportunity and then he's been putting together some consistent performances. It's good to see him do this on a back to back."

Spoelstra said Chalmers has continually worked on upgrading his shot with assistant Dan Craig.

"That never stops," Spoelstra said. "They've been putting in some extra time the last two weeks. Rio's not afraid to work, gets there early and he's usually one of the last people to leave the gym. If you are consistent with that type of work and can improve your focus, typically your game will be more consistent. It's starting to come around."

Allen awaits

Spoelstra said he did not know until just before Wednesday's tipoff that he would be without guard Ray Allen due to a bruised right shoulder sustained when the veteran guard ran into a Kendrick Perkins screen Tuesday.

"During the walkthrough he said that possibly he may give it a try," Spoelstra said. "He tried to loosen it up and then decided on another day of rest."

That opened the door for forward James Jones, who contributed five points and four rebounds in the victory in Charlotte.

"We have guys that can step up," Spoelstra said. "We think our versatility, our depth is one of our best strengths and we don't take a guy like J.J. for granted, when he can come in, give us solid minutes."

Prior to Wednesday's 18 minutes, Jones had played 17 since Nov. 11.

"He's an absolute pro," Spoelstra said, "keeps his mind right, always involved in each game, each practice, even though he's not playing."

Bosh iffy

The Heat's bid to have three starters in the Feb. 17 NBA All-Star Game in Houston remains iffy.

While James leads all Eastern Conference frontcourt players by a wide margin and Dwyane Wade all guards by a similar margin, Heat center Chris Bosh stands fourth among East frontcourt players, behind James, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett, with the top three frontcourt players and top two guards elected starters in the fan balloting.

Balloting continues through Jan. 14, with the starters to be announced Jan. 17. Reserves then will be selected by conference coaches.