Miami Heat: Game 5 Loss Proves There's No 'R' in 'Heat' on Brink of Elimination

As things stand with the Miami Heat in these NBA playoffs, the narrative is no longer about a team with its back against the wall, but rather failing to come to terms with the writing on it.

Coming off its fourth consecutive uninspired effort, the Miami Heat yet again saved its most compelling performance for the reporters, attempting to disguise the cloud of denial that is clearly hovering over it with the kind of brave face and unyielding determination that was more authentically offered (and earned) by the San Antonio Spurs after their respective Game 5 loss the night before.

Nevertheless, at this point, even the most obtuse observer is finally dialed in to the right frequency of this team—that of denial—which, when attuned to the team's post-game comments, shines a clear and incriminating light on why they are in this predicament in the first place.

"This is not an ideal situation for us." -Dwyane Wade

"We played good enough to give ourselves a chance to win." -LeBron James

"Ok, it's a loss, and that's all it is. That's all our focus is on right now—to fight any outside noise." -Erik Spoelstra

Starting to see a trend here?

Getting the sense, perhaps, that this team is so consumed by its public image that, when it comes to basketball matters, they can't see the forest from the trees?

Because, as the Heat eagerly awaits Game 6 with the same opportune stake and redemptive spirit the rest of us once foolishly held for Game 5, it's time we all stop fighting conventional wisdom.

The witch hunt following this team is over, and last night's loss provided itself as the smoking gun.

The reality is that this team's problems are very much internal, and, worst of all, they are stemming from the top of the food chain.

Yes, that was LeBron James you saw shrinking in the fourth quarter when the Heat needed him most.

Yes, that was Dwyane Wade you saw continuing his streak of being a part-time superstar.

Yes, that was Erik Spoelstra you saw getting as badly out-coached as the Boston Celtics should've been out-matched coming into this series.

Yes, the supporting cast had a shaky performance, but they are the only ones that should get a pass here.

Because, for all their faults, how can you be expected to perform for a team whose head simply refuses to be honest with and believe in itself?

All we can do at this point is sit and wait, as this naive group proceeds to Game 6 in Boston like sheep to the slaughter.

Not that the rude awakening of being eliminated by such a geriatric and loathsome Boston Celtics team will actually resonate with them.

How could it?

When a team fails to recognize how it lost to itself in the NBA Finals, it just doesn't have that same stinging flair when the same thing happens in the measly conference finals.

Meanwhile, don't think for one moment the Boston media won't play up this series to not only breathe new life for the Celtics but also credit them with the glory of being "the team that broke up the most hated Big Three in NBA history."

But with the amount of carnage that is about to hit this team, that is just one insult to injury among what is expected to be a series.

Ever heard of Enron?

Well, get ready for the dissection of the South Beach experiment.

Heads will roll. There is no telling who or how much will be enough.

And the saddest part is that the man making these decisions is probably the most sympathetic figure of all.

How on this green Earth will team president Pat Riley decide who among the Big Three needs to be sent off after he recruited them just two summers ago?

Especially when there's a case to be made on why each one of them should get traded.

Maybe it'll be Chris Bosh, who will have escaped these playoffs the most unscathed of the three, but is clearly also the least talented. For all he brings to the team, can Miami really afford to keep an All-Star caliber big man with a weak rebounding prowess when he is being paid to perform like a superstar?

Or maybe the hammer will come down on Dwyane Wade, who many would argue is the heart and soul of the team. But after this second go-around has made it clear that these three pieces don't mesh well together, don't you have to weigh that James and Wade (given their comparable games) are the least compatible? And, if that's the case, wouldn't Miami prefer to stay with the younger and more talented James than Wade?

Finally, what about LeBron James? Sure, he may be coming off his third MVP season, but these playoffs will have officially cemented his reputation as being completely unreliable in pivotal moments.

All that can be said with certainty is that, although the identity of who among the Big Three will be sent off is a mystery, the glaring reality that they will be broken up isn't.

At the moment, the only decision it appears will be easy for Riley will be the dismissal of Spoelstra, assuming he doesn't equate coaching to the art of effectively saying "stay the course" in 20 different vernaculars.

Outside of that, however, there is no telling how much of a blood bath we'll see.

By the way, if you're wondering aloud, the answer is yes.

Yes—this period will rank among the all-time lows in this franchise's history, right up there with Allan Houston's game-winning shot that eliminated Miami in '98, as well as the infamous Jamal Mashburn pass that doomed the Heat again the following year against the Knicks.

Then again, maybe it doesn't.

Because at least those teams didn't fall by their own sword.