The Miami Heat kicked off the post-James era Wednesday night by having their new James -- James Ennis -- absolutely obliterate Washington Wizards guard Rasual Butler with a devastating dunk that shook the Earth and rattled the jewelry of those sitting in the lower bowl at the American Airlines Arena.
Meanwhile, Chris Bosh announced his presence with authority and reminded everyone that he is, in fact, a skull-smashing half-man/half-dinosaur by flushing down 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in an ultimate show of prowess as the Miami Heat's newly designated Man.
The result was a 107-95 opening-night win for the new-look Heat.
While the Heat has definitely lost some of its sexy luster from the past four years, the Triple-A was still buzzing with the faithful who were handed free "I Am Heat Nation" T-shirts.
The Heat were led by Bosh and Dwyane Wade combining their powers of blowing through people's faces by putting down 47 combined points.
Norris Cole, who started at the point, threw down 23 points of his own.
But it was Ennis' dunk that cleaved the Earth and made the world take notice.
Ennis, who made his NBA debut Wednesday night, entered this season as a highly touted rookie after setting Australia on fire last year in the National Basketball League and then crushing it during preseason this year.
On Wednesday night, with a clear absence of dynamic plays and aerial attacks after He Who Shall Remain Nameless left for Cleveland, Ennis stepped into the phone booth, ripped open his shirt, and showed everyone the giant "S" on his chest.
With the Heat clinging to a tedious nine-point lead late in the fourth, Miami was able to grab a Washington miss for a quick fastbreak. Mario Chalmers spotted a cutting Ennis on the right side, gliding past Wizard defenders and clearly headed toward the rim.
Chalmers passed the ball as Ennis soared toward the hole. Under the basket, Rasual Butler stepped up in an attempt to take a charge from Ennis.
Normally, a veteran like Butler will get the benefit of the doubt over a rookie, with the ref calling the charge in favor of the veteran.
But Ennis was already well into his liftoff by the time Butler decided to step in. It was as if Ennis' legs were working faster than Butler's brain.
Ennis took flight and declared Ragnarok on Butler's veteranship by flushing down the monumental dunk that sent Butler into another dimension.
The dunk was so Earth-shattering, Sun Sports color analyst Tony Fiorentino forgot how to speak words. You can hear Tony's incoherent take on the dunk starting at the 20-second mark.
"He looked like he left his feet ... twenty feet from the basket and... that drive to the bass what a great pass and a finish by Ennis!" Fiorentino said.
But we can't poke too much fun at Tony. Had we been calling this game and saw that unfold live and in person, we'd just blurt out words.
"Dunk, camel, baby, foot, car battery, turnstile!"
Here's how they called the dunk on 790 the Ticket:
Here is @MikeInglisHEAT & @JohnKCrotty on the call of @JamesDa_Truth's Dunk https://t.co/YI8mr7PoSt
— Brendan Tobin (@Brendan_Tobin) October 30, 2014Following the victory, Ennis took to Twitter to thank the fans.
Not too bad a start for the 2014 Miami Heat.
Not too bad at all.
Send your story tips to the author, Chris Joseph. Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter
Follow @NewTimesBroward
