Miami Heat: Still Reasons to Hope After a Disappointing Game 4 Loss

Eight points, nine rebounds, seven assists in 46 out of 48 minutes. 

The box score that many say will haunt LeBron James.

This, of course, is only if the Heat eventually lose the series.

There's a lot of talk about this being a "momentum-shifting game."

The only problem I have with that is Game 2 was supposed to be that "momentum-shifting game," yet when the series went to Dallas, the Heat came up victorious in Game 3.

Many Heat fans and haters are wondering right now if this is the proverbial dagger in the Heat's season that they can't come back from. Many wonder if LeBron can come back from his atrocious performance.

I believe he can. The rebounds and assists are where you'd want them to be. The defense suffered a lot, but what sticks out is that LeBron only attempted 11 shots.

Now going 3-11 isn't what you would call efficient, however in the fourth quarter, LeBron only attempted one shot. On many possessions, either due to turnovers or defense, LeBron didn't even touch the ball.

On top of that, the Heat only lost by three. In a game where LeBron only scored eight points. What are the chances that he'll do that again?

Even if you think LeBron can't recover from tonight, even if you think psychologically this will affect him, you'd have to say he's due for at least 15 per night the rest of the series. In it of itself, that's an insultingly low number for a superstar of LeBron's caliber, but if LeBron scores 15 last night, the Heat win.

So maybe that doesn't give Heat fans the hope they want today, nor does it give Heat Haters the fear that Heat fans want them to have, but it just goes to show you this team not only can still win it, but will still win it.

It's hard to beat this team twice in a row, and the same thing can be said about the Mavericks.

The Heat also out-rebounded Dallas by three. Not a large number but still telling, for it was the third time in four games that Miami out-rebounded Dallas. Like Pat Riley says, "no rebounds, no rings."

Overall, Miami is +8 in rebounds for the series, and it would be more had the Mavs not out-rebounded Miami by the astronomical sum of 16 in game 2. If they can continue to hold that edge on the boards, they should win the series.

Then there's Wade. You would say he's due for a bad game, however he seems to be the Mavericks' kryptonite. For the series Wade is averaging 29.7 PPG on 58 percent shooting. His percentage might drop a little bit back to the norm, much like LeBron's percentage and points might rise a bit back to the norm. Unless Caron Butler winds up returning for game 5 (which is what scares me more than anything at this point) I don't see Wade letting up.

Then there's the issue of the zone defense Dallas implements in the last five minutes. I think after seeing it six times, the Heat will finally be able to crack it. Had it not been for unforced errors last night, they would've done just that.

Also, the Mavs are an older team. This has helped them, as their experience allows them to remain calm even when down big late. With Thursday's game being the second-straight in which there's only a one-day break, as well as the third game in five days, along with Dirk's Fever (which I want him to get well soon and break it by the way, Dirk, eat plenty of chicken soup) it's conceivable that by the fourth quarter of the next game, Dallas might not necessarily have their legs.

Yes by shaking up the rotation Rick Carlisle has done a good job of keeping players fresh this last game, but what will he do this game and will the long playoff run and age finally catch up to Dallas?

Then there's the simple fact that Dallas, much like Miami, still has to win two out of three games. On a neutral court, its a 50-50 shot. But the NBA Finals aren't the Super Bowl, there are no neutral sites. For Dallas win or lose, Thursday night's game is their final game in Dallas. After that they will have to take at least one game in Miami in order to win the championship.

History is also on the Heat's side. They won Game 3, and as you know, the winner of Game 3 is 11-11 in winning NBA Finals when the series is tied at one a piece since the implementation of the 2-3-2 format. Now you might say that trends are meant to be broken and that this has been a series where almost everything has been turned on its ear, however it does help Miami's case that they know they can win in Dallas because they just did it two days ago, much like Dallas knows that they can win in Miami.

Plus here's something to ponder: thanks to Miami's victory in Game 3, the Mavs have to win two in a row in some way, shape or form in order to win the series. The last time the Heat lost two in a row: March, during that five game losing streak. Meanwhile, as long as they win game five, Miami can continue to trade victories (although I wouldn't recommend they do this, both for themselves and for the health of their fans) and wind up winning the series a la the Marlins in 1997. Having a Game 7 at home really helps. The last time a road team won in Game 7: 1978.

In fact, maybe this might give Heat fans a reason to not panic: look at last year. After splitting the series, the road team won Game 3 on the road, then lost Games 4 and 5 before coming home and winning Games 6 and 7. This, even though their superstar only shot 6-for-24. Of course you know I'm talking about Celtics/Lakers from last season. I know Lakers fans will feel insulted that I'm comparing their team to the Heat, but really if the Lakers could do it last year, so can the Heat.

I hope I calmed down all Heat fans, and I know I'm still going to get abuse from Heat Haters. However I wrote this to calm myself down, for yes, I'm feeling a bit panicky. However, instead of being angry like I was after game two, for some reason I just feel a sense of calm.

I don't know if it's the sense of calm that everything will work out alright in the end for Miami, or the proverbial calm before the storm of Miami dropping games five and six and seeing David Stern hand Mark Cuban a trophy at the American Airlines Arena. That, along with the media and hater block party they'll throw, but it is some kind of calm that I've never experienced this NBA season following the team I've loved since I was 5, nor a calm I've ever felt with the Heat in general.

I don't know what that means, but I'm embracing it, and I hope to share it with any Heat fan who's worried. I hope LeBron James and the Heat are feeling calm too, for its when you get panicky that the proverbial you-know-what starts to hit the fan.