In the past four years, whenever the Miami Heat needed rescuing from a three-game losing streak, they'd turn to LeBron James. But obviously, those days are over, as King James has left the building.
But no worries, Heat fans. Because there's apparently a new King James in town.
Rookie James Ennis, who has been showing flashes of amazing athleticism since the preseason and murdered Rasual Butler with a devastating dunk in the season opener, came to the aid of a Heat team that badly needed a win after dropping the previous three. And it came in the form of yet another face-melting dunk.
But Ennis was not alone.
Fellow rookie Shabazz Napier, who has an uncanny ability to turn people's ankles into peanut brittle, was Robin to Ennis' Batman on Monday night as the Heat took down the Brooklyn Nets 95-83.
The Nets were their usual feisty, insufferable selves, fouling hard and bringing attitude, with Kevin Garnett leading the team in douche.
But Napier, who finished with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, was able to render the mummified remains of Garnett completely useless with his quickness.
Napier made his presence known late in the second quarter when he crossed over Garnett and Deron Williams in such a filthy way, their brains stopped working and their motor skills were rendered useless.
It's as if Napier teleported the basketball from one hand to the other, while Garnett and Williams forgot where they were and why they were suddenly sucked into a twister.
Meanwhile, Ennis had a highlight of his known that announced to the Nets that they had no shot at winning this.
Following a Nets miss, Napier grabbed the rebound and spotted Ennis sprinting down to the Heat's basket. Napier then shot a dart of a pass to his fellow rookie, who proceeded to flush down a devastating two-hander so hard, it altered the axis of the Earth slightly.
Ennis finished the night with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
While Mario Chalmers led the Heat with 22 points and Chris Bosh rebounded from a slump with 15 points of his own, it was the pair of rookies who brought a much-needed spark to a team that had been suffering a lethargic lack of offense while Dwyane Wade sat out with a hamstring injury.
Ennis and Napier are both coming off the bench at the moment, and the Heat have a history of being extremely patient with their rookies, but the dynamic duo are making a serious case for more playing time on a team desperate for athleticism, explosiveness, and danger.
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