Tuesday, January 29, 2002 - By signing with the Miami Heat last offseason, LaPhonso Ellis was realisticly expecting a shot at the NBA Finals. Now, Ellis and the Heat are hoping to just make the playoffs.

Even with veterans Alonzo Mourning, Eddie Jones, Brian Grant, Rod Strickland, Kendall Gill and Chris Gatling, the projected Eastern Conference title contenders opened with a dismal 2-14 record. And as the Heat, which plays the Nuggets tonight at the Pepsi Centre, fizzled early, it was looked at as the NBA's most underachieving team.