NBA Playoffs 2012: Canceled Practice Signals Doom for Troubled Miami Heat

After an embarrassing 94-75 blowout at the hands of the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Miami Heat trail 2-1 in the series. It is obvious that there is some turmoil within the team and the cancellation of today's practice confirms that.

According to Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post, the Heat canceled practice today and will not have media availability either. The team had a meeting and was scheduled to practice and meet with the press, but that obviously won't happen.

While it's possible that this could be a routine thing for the Heat since they haven't always held full practices on the road this season according to Scholnick, it seems odd that they would make the decision to cancel it after having a team meeting when the intention all along was to practice.

With Chris Bosh likely out for the remainder of the series with an abdominal strain, the Heat are certainly facing some adversity. They didn't respond well to it at all on Thursday as the Pacers absolutely dominated them in the second half.

The biggest story to come out of the game is the performance of Dwyane Wade. He failed to score in the first half and ended up with a mere five points on the night. Wade appeared to injure his hand and that may have had something to do with it.

Wade was clearly frustrated as he snapped at head coach Erik Spoelstra during the third quarter and had to be calmed down by teammates.

Wade's outburst proved that the Heat are on the ropes and in complete disarray at this point. Rather than moving forward with business as usual today, the decision was made to essentially cut the team off from the outside world. It appears as though the organization is trying to keep things in house, but it also suggests to the Pacers that they are fragile and on the brink of falling apart.

After what happened on the court last night, you would think that coach Erik Spoelstra and the Heat would want to get back on the practice floor right away. There is a lot that needs to be smoothed out and the sooner they get back to work, the sooner they can put that terrible loss behind them. There is obviously some sort of schism in the locker room, though, and that doesn't bode well for their chances moving forward.

What has been lost in all of this is that the Pacers are a great team with a ton of depth and talent, but when you're talking about a Heat team with Wade and LeBron James, they simply aren't supposed to struggle this early. Even if things were coming up roses, Miami would have a tough time against Indiana, but this whole situation isn't going to help.

None of us can say for certain why the decision to cancel practice was made, but a deviation from their routine means that the Heat are second guessing themselves. The Pacers have all the momentum and confidence in this series and the Heat are in a very bad spot.

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