MIAMI -- Only one thing remains to make this a great Florida trip for the Los Angeles Clippers: beating the Miami Heat on Friday night.Already the trip includes two highlights.On Tuesday night, Clippers guard Austin Rivers had his No. 25 high school jersey retired at Winter Park, Fla., which is in the Orlando area.Better yet, the entire Clippers team was there. They flew in from Los Angeles late Monday night/early Tuesday morning. They arrived in Orlando at 6 p.m., but their bus got a flat tire on the way to Winter Park High.The 20 Clippers representatives in the bus -- including Los Angeles coach and Austins father, Doc Rivers -- then called several Ubers to make sure they got to the gym on time for the 7:30 tip, which they did.Rivers became just the second athlete to have a jersey retired in the Winter Park gym -- the first was his sister Callie, who won three state titles in volleyball.Im so appreciative of everyone who came out, Austin Rivers said. Im very grateful.Rivers was also grateful that he passed a concussion test after missing the Clippers game Monday due to that issue.He not only passed the test, but he also proved he was in fine form by scoring a team-high and season-high 25 points Wednesday in a 113-108 win over the Orlando Magic. He matched a career high by making seven 3-pointers, converting on 7 of 10 from long distance.Now comes the last part of what could be a great Clippers trip to the Sunshine State, and beating the Heat (9-17) is not the arduous assignment it used to be.However, Miami won its past two games and is feeling a bit better about itself as a team. Heat center Hassan Whiteside -- never lacking for confidence -- felt empowered to take some shots at Clippers center DeAndre Jordan on Thursday.No, Whiteside said when asked whether his game and Jordans are similar. He catches lobs. I shoot jumpers, catch lobs, block shots. I do a lot. He just catches lobs.Keep in mind, Jordan last season was a first-team All-NBA player. On Wednesday, Jordan became the all-time Clippers leader in blocked shots.Whiteside doesnt care about that and doesnt give Jordan much credit, either.(Jordans) got CP3 as a point guard -- a great North Carolina point guard, Id like to add, Whiteside said.Translation: Jordan is made to look good because he has Chris Paul, a nine-time NBA All-Star, throwing him easy passes at the rim.The Clippers (19-7) won both meetings with the Heat last season. Jordan missed the first matchup, and Whiteside played in a reserve role, averaging just 22 minutes in those two games.This time, Whiteside is the focal point of the Heats plans. He is not only a starter but also has a four-year, $98 million contract as tangible prove of his value.The tale of the tape between the big men shows a lot of similarities.Whiteside, a 27-year-old from North Carolina, is 7 feet, 265 pounds. He shoots 53.7 percent on free throws.Jordan, a 28-year-old native of Texas, is 6-11, 265 pounds. He shoots 54.1 percent on free throws.Both men entered the league as second-round picks. Jordan was the 35th overall pick in 2008. Whiteside was picked 33rd in 2010.There are significant differences, however: Jordan has spent his entire career with the Clippers while Whiteside has played with 10 teams, most of them in leagues other than the NBA.Despite the relatively late start to finding his niche, Whiteside has better numbers than Jordan this season in a few key areas, averaging 17.6 points, 14.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. Jordan is averaging 11.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocksHowever, Jordan shoots 65 percent from the floor. Whiteside, who has indeed expanded his game beyond dunks, shoots 54.2 percent from the floor.In other storylines regarding Fridays game:--Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute missed the Wednesday game due to a sore shoulder. It was his first missed game of the season.--Heat guard Tyler Johnson missed practice Thursday due to an unspecified illness. Cheap Nike Blazer Mid 77 . JOHNS, N. Nike Blazer Low Le Black . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. http://www.cheapblazershoes.com/blazer-low-suede-sneaker/blazer-low-mens.html .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Cheap Nike Blazers . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. Nike Sb Blazer Low Sale . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- A surprise was awaiting Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya after practice Thursday. He got tapped into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest accolade one can receive from the school.Finally, there was something for the Hurricanes to celebrate.Iron Arrow looks for individuals with five qualities -- a love of Miami, character, leadership, scholarship and humility. It didnt take long for first-year coach Mark Richt to see that Kaaya had all that, and their understanding of one another has been one of the few bright spots in this topsy-turvy Hurricanes season.I truly believe he cares about winning, he cares about his teammates, he cares about trying to do his part to help the team win, Richt said. I think thats his focus. I dont know what he thinks about in his off moments and things of that nature. but right now, he shows up every day and hes businesslike.Its not as easy as it sounds, especially now.October was one to forget for Kaaya and the Hurricanes, who have lost four straight games to freefall from being as high as No. 10 in the AP Top 25 to unranked and out of contention in the Atlantic Coast Conferences Coastal Division race. Still needing two wins in the final four ACC games just to become bowl-eligible, Miami (4-4, 1-3) will host Pittsburgh (5-3, 2-2) on Saturday.Miami hasnt lost five straight in the same season since 1977.Its been a series of unfortunate events the last couple years, Kaaya said. One turn of events leads to another, and it always seems like its around October-time. I dont know if thats a cursed month for us. Im not really into good luck or bad luck, but its been a tough couple Octobers for us. We just cant dwell on that, honestly.He and Richt share a philosophy there, and really, that might be one of the reasons why theres still some hope in the Miami locker room.Theyve been together for 11 months now, and its evident during games that Richt and Kaaya interact like no other coach-player combination on the team. After each series, whether its a three-and-out or a score or anything in betweeen, Kaaya immediately heads to the sideline, connects with Jon Richt -- Mark Richts son and Miamis quarterbacks coach -- via headset to talk about every play.ddddddddddddHe then does a similar rundown with the head coach.Both have been wildly celebrated at Miami, Kaaya for his climb up the schools record books in every passing category, Richt for being the alum who came home to fix things. Of late, though, theyve both faced plenty of scrutiny, especially in the social-media world, which is understandable given that Miami is on a four-game skid.Richt said he started telling Kaaya right away that the attention -- good and bad -- would be part of the job.Its usually head coach, quarterback. Those two positions get the most attention, the most feedback, good or bad, said Richt, who played quarterback at Miami from 1978-82. Theyre positions of leadership and the quarterback position is the one that most fans understand what his job is, at least a little bit. Theres anonymity in other positions. For that one, theres just not.Kaaya has played through some issues this season, and a lot of hits of late especially. He got a molar busted in the Florida State game; thats since been bonded. He keeps flexing his shoulder during games as well, indicating some issues there -- though if its really hurting, hes not saying.No matter the system, his numbers have stayed remarkably consistent. His completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating are virtually identical to what he posted a year ago in a system that was less technical than what Richt is using.While hes being consistent; Miamis offense, not so much. And if the Hurricanes are going to salvage this season, Kaaya knows that must change.Theres times where we look great, times where we look the exact opposite, Kaaya said. So just getting consistency in this offense, its something that needs to be done.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '