Miami Heat seek team chemistry on European tour

By Michael Szabo

LONDON (Reuters) - The Miami Heat, worst team in the National Basketball Association last season, hope team chemistry developed in their pre-season European tour will vault them back to the NBA Championship next year.

Miami, the 2006 NBA champions, play New Jersey again on Sunday night in a sold-out exhibition game in London, days after narrowly losing to the Nets in overtime.

"Losing ain't fun, but we're looking to come together and get better and better every game we play over here," said Miami's Dwyane Wade, the 2006 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.

Devin Harris scored 21 points to help the New Jersey beat Miami 100-98 in a match at Paris' Bercy Arena on Thursday, the first game on the NBA's Europe Live 2008 tour.

Miami had a dismal season last year, finishing last in the league with a 15-67 record.

But with the addition of four-times All-Star forward Shawn Marion last February, who was acquired from Phoenix in a trade for veteran center Shaquille O'Neal, and rookie Michael Beasley, picked number two overall in this year's draft, the Heat hope to capitalize this season.

"We're trying to build chemistry on this trip, since we know there are big expectations for us," Marion told Reuters.

The four-game European tour also features the Washington Wizards playing the New Orleans Hornets in Berlin on October 14, and again in Barcelona on October 17.

Tickets for the London match at the O2 Arena were sold out in late July.

In 2007, the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in a sold-out exhibition match in London.

Boston finished with the top record in the league last season and went on to win the NBA Championship.

(Editing by John Mehaffey)