Grading Every Miami Heat Players' Eastern Conference Performance

This isn't how the Miami Heat pictured their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Indiana Pacers to pan out.

They expected the physical nature of Indiana and for the series to be an arduous one, but seven games? How could that be possible after last year, when the Pacers were dispatched by a Heat team without Chris Bosh in six games? Surely a Pacers team playing without Danny Granger and a Heat team with Bosh would indicate a shorter series, right?

Not exactly. The development of guys like Paul George and Lance Stephenson and the Pacers finally getting the ball to David West and Roy Hibbert have made this series a nightmare for the Heat. Even against a Pacers team that's getting practically nothing from its bench, Miami cannot seem to handle an Indiana team that routinely gets less than 15 points from its starting backcourt.

It helps the Pacers cause when Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who are both ailing (again), are playing some of the worst basketball of their careers. Both are playing well below-average and have been equally ineffective on both sides of the court.

Outside of LeBron James and Chris Andersen, and occasionally Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem, the Heat have played horrific basketball and they're allowing Indiana to get away with everything. They're not making Roy Hibbert pay with jumpers from Bosh and Haslem, and they're allowing the 7'2" center to do work in one-on-one situations where he's matched up with either Bosh or a 6'8" Haslem.

It's not exactly a winning formula, and we take a look at just how each member of the Heat have performed on an individual basis and how they've contributed to this current situation.

Mike Miller

Finally garnering some minutes in Game 7, Mike Miller's role on the team could have possibly been of more significance had he been utilized sooner.

Instead, Miller wasn't unleashed until desperate times called for desperate measures. Erik Spoelstra was so past the point of watching Ray Allen and Shane Battier miss threes that he re-thought his rotation and decided to give Miller some minutes.

Naturally, Miller drained his first two three-pointers of the night without even hitting the rim. He also had three rebounds in the 12 minutes he played, which is nearly what Chris Bosh was averaging on a nightly basis heading into Game 6.

Miller was the first off the bench in Game 7. Although he missed all three of his three-point attempts, he still made his presence felt with three steals, one rebound and overall aggressive play on both sides of the court.

He was drawing Gary Payton comparisons with his help defense in Game 7, basically ripping the ball out of the hands of the likes of Paul George and initiating fastbreaks. It was just another instance that made  Heat fans continue to ponder, "Why has this guy not played all series?"

Miller might get minutes against San Antonio, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Shane Battier make an emergence on account of there being less matchup problems. San Antonio doesn't pose the challenge that Indiana did with David West abusing Battier in the post.

Whether Battier plays or not, Miller will be ready.

Grade: B+

Joel Anthony

In yet another case of staying ready, Joel Anthony proved that he is still as capable a defensive presence as anybody else on this Heat team.

With Chris Andersen suspended for Game 6, Anthony was given 29 minutes, after mostly being relegated to garbage-time minutes throughout the postseason, and contributed eight rebounds and three blocks, while doing as much as he can to limit the post presences of Roy Hibbert and David West.

He also grabbed five offensive rebounds, which is five more than what was ever expected out of Miami's famed center with spatulas made out of rocks for hands.

Well, Hibbert still went off, but there's not much more you ask from a 6'9" forward/center playing significant minutes for the first time since the final games of the regular season who is being asked to defend a 7'2" titan.

Grade: C+

Norris Cole

Although he's not having the series he had against the Chicago Bulls, Norris Cole is still attempting to maintain a consistent spot in the rotation and label himself as a significant part of the offense.

Cole has scored in every game this series, but has done so on 39 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent shooting from deep. He started out the series shooting 3-of-15 in the first three games, but has since settled down and has converted eight of his last 15 shot-attempts, including a nine-point performance on 4-of-7 shooting in Game 6.

As inconsistent as he may be, he's always confident. On both ends of the floor. Even with the low numbers on offense, Cole has still played his part on defense in wreaking havoc on D.J. Augustin, who is having a historically awful series, and George Hill.

Unfortunately for Miami, the Cole from the Bulls series isn't here. It was expected, since Indiana has individual defenders who are a tad more respectable than Nate Robinson. However, Cole hasn't scored more than ten points in a game since dropping 18 in Miami's Game 4 win against the Bulls.

Cole has had only two games with at least ten points, with the other  being an 18-point performance in Game 3 against Chicago. His three-point shot has not been as trustworthy as it was against Chicago, when he went 8-for-8 in the first three games of the series.

Norris has attempted only nine three-pointers this series. He's made only three of them, so perhaps there is a reason for not trusting Cole, but it's not as if he could do much worse than what Allen and Battier have contributed.

Cole and Mario Chalmers have done a fair job this postseason as the Heat's point guards, putting up relatively solid numbers after a year of uncertainty and inconsistency.

Grade: C

Shane Battier

Have the Miami Heat finally broken Shane Battier?

A year after having him defend the likes of Carmelo Anthony, David West, Kevin Garnett, Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins, Battier has embarked on another difficult defensive road where he has been featured against the likes of Carlos Boozer, Ersan Ilyasova and David West.

This time around, however, the Pacers are making the Heat pay for utilizing Battier as a power forward. And Battier isn't doing anything to make Indiana pay, converting a grand total of two three-pointers throughout the first six games of the series and shooting 13 percent.

Battier was a 43 percent three-point shooter in the regular season. This is far more than a simple regression to some sort of mean. Battier, as well as Ray Allen, have plain forgot how to shoot the basketball against Indiana.

Give the Pacers their due credit. They were the league's top defensive team guarding the perimeter and they have done a great job in making life uncomfortable and uneasy for the usually consistent Battier and Allen.

But, still, a lot of the looks are open and those two, especially Battier, are just missing. It's leading to Battier being squeezed out of the rotation, with larger minutes being given to Norris Cole, Chris Andersen and Udonis Haslem. After averaging 25 minutes in the regular season, Battier is playing only 16 minutes against Indiana and has played in less than ten minutes the past two games.

Battier played only four minutes, 26 seconds in the Game 6 loss. He hasn't scored a point since Game 4 and hasn't converted two three-pointers in a game since Game 7 vs the Chicago Bulls.

With the defensive load being too much and the shots not falling, the role of Battier isn't a necessity for Miami.

Grade: D+

Chris Andersen

Here's the Miami Heat's second-best player this series: a 6'11" center who didn't start playing this season until January because no team wanted anything to do with him.

It's not the two All-Stars raking in $17 million, nor is it the greatest three-point shooter to ever play the game of basketball. It's Chris 'Birdman' Andersen, who has been one of very few on this Heat team to actually outperform their regular season averages and give a consistent effort on a nightly basis.

Had he not lost his mind and got himself suspended for a crucial Game 6, Birdman would have had a pristine series. However, that can still be said after tonight if Andersen can maintain the 100 percent he's shooting from the field.

He has yet to miss, despite taking 15 field-goal attempts and even letting a short-range jumper rip the nylon in Game 5. Andersen is averaging seven points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game this series and, like Haslem, has also found himself in the middle of a few scrums, including the one that got him suspended for shoving the irritating face of Tyler Hansbrough.

Combining him with Haslem has given Miami one of the most feared duos in basketball. Not fearsome on offense or defense or rebounding. Just feared because they're scary and would probably be the last people you ever want to meet in a dark alley.

Andersen's influence on the boards and around the rim has opened up things for the slashers, especially LeBron, who is constantly finding Birdman cutting baseline for easy layups and dunks on the distracted Indiana defense.

Miami severely missed that in Game 6 as they attempted to do the same thing with the offensively-inept Joel Anthony. Who would have guessed at the beginning of the season that Chris Andersen would arguably be this team's best role player in the Eastern Conference Finals?

Grade: B+

Ray Allen

I don't think this is how the Miami Heat pictured it when they signed Ray Allen last offseason.

No, it's probably doubtful the Heat envisioned Allen to be making 28 percent of his overall shots and 29 percent on his four three-point attempts per game. It was also doubtful to believe that he would be averaging less points per game this series than Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen.

But it's happening. And it's really bad. Allen's impact on the offensive end has been minimal to non-existent as he is failing to stretch the offense whatsoever and is not providing his team with any sort of reliable touch from the perimeter.

Allen's misses were crucial in Game 6, as he blew pristine opportunities to cut into Indiana's lead at the beginning of the fourth by going 1-of-2 from the line and then missing a wide-open corner three-pointer that would have cut the Pacer lead to six with ten minutes still to play in the fourth.

Instead, the Heat got a small spark from Mike Miller and the usual do-everything nature of LeBron James, which still wasn't enough.

Most of the blame for the length of this series is being attributed to Wade and Bosh, but Allen could just as easily be at the top of the blame ladder for how poorly he has performed on both ends of the floor. Despite the poor averages, Allen is still garnering nearly 23 minutes of playing time per game, and is still a consistent member of the late-game rotations.

Erik Spoelstra's methodical rotations have led Miami to continue instilling trust in Allen, holding out hope that something has to give and he'll eventually begin to make the open looks he has been receiving courtesy of the facilitation of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Until then, Allen has been the biggest disappointment of the series for the Heat. Unlike Bosh and Wade, Allen does not have the excuse of an injury.

Grade: D-

Udonis Haslem

You have to feel good every time Udonis Haslem converts that famed baseline jumper and runs back on defense, doing everything he can to hold back the beaming smile that will usually make its appearance whether Haslem wants it to or not.

Udonis has been in a struggle with his shot  for the past two years. Ever since essentially breaking his foot in November 2010, Haslem's shot has been M.I.A., and it's resulted in a gradual decrease in minutes and a deterioration of his role on the team as it has also hindered his rebounding abilities.

Haslem, who averaged 3.9 points and 5.4 rebounds during the regular season, has arguably been Miami's second-best player this series. He has had two games where he has shot 8-of-9 from the field, despite Pacers' coach Frank Vogel's former belief, and both of those games featured Miami winning by double-digits.

Outside of those two games, however, Haslem has been quiet. He's averaging seven points and four rebounds, but is recently coming off a Game 6 where he failed to score a point and played only 14 foul-plagued minutes. He also scored a combined three points in the first two games of the series, needing seven shots to do so.

But, as anybody who watches Miami Heat basketball on a consistent basis knows, Haslem is so much more than a box score. He's the heart and soul of this Heat team, which is why the coaching staff has declined every last opportunity they have received to bench Udonis and give heavier minutes to Chris Andersen and Joel Anthony.

No player on this Heat team, however, puts it on the floor like Udonis does. He has provided Miami with some of its most inspirational moments, including defending Chalmers from an angry David West, who proceeded to have a finger stuck in his face by Liberty City's son.

And when that baseline jumper is falling, and he's dragging Roy Hibbert out of the lane, it's all the more reason to keep him in. This Heat team is obviously at their best when they're getting surprising contributions from the likes of a power forward who failed to garner four points per game in the regular season.

Grade: B+

Mario Chalmers

Where would the Miami Heat be without Mario Chalmers?

That's how bad it has gotten for the Heat. With Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade struggling to the point where they were benched for the majority of the fourth quarter in Game 6, it's been the likes of Chalmers who has been coming through for Miami.

He has scored in double-digits in the past four games, has shot a respectable 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in the past two games and has put together some of his best performances of the postseason against Indiana.

He's currently Miami's third-leading scorer, despite averaging nearly five minutes of playing time less than Bosh, who is fourth. Mario is also shooting 45 percent from the field and has been one of the few shooters on this team who still has a shot, converting 46 percent of his two three-point attempts per game.

The respect the Heat have given Roy Hibbert on the defensive end would lead you to believe he is Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon rolled up into a single entity. Chalmers, however, has been the only player to consistently attack the rim, with or without Hibbert on the floor, and it has led to some of his better games of the year.

Mario played a large role in Miami's Game 5 win. Before LeBron began his astoundingly magnificent third quarter, it was Chalmers who set the tone early, driving to the lane and keeping Indiana's defense on its toes.

He was one of the few reasons why Miami even stood enough of a chance for LeBron to take over. He has become Dwyane Wade this series.

Allow that to settle in.

Grade: B

Chris Bosh

That picture is far too accurate of a representation of Chris Bosh's series against the Pacers.

Averaging nearly 32 minutes per game, Bosh, who once averaged 10.8 rebounds over an entire regular season, is garnering 3.7 rebounds this series. He's getting less rebounds than LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Andersen and  Udonis Haslem, and is averaging a few more percentage points than Ray Allen, a 38-year-old swingman.

Bosh has yet to grab more than five rebounds in a game against Indiana. Miami's 6'11" center is averaging less than four rebounds per game, and we can't put it all on the influences of Roy Hibbert and David West when Bosh is nearly getting out-rebounded by a teammate that's possibly a year or two away from retirement.

Although an ankle issue may be the culprit, Bosh garnering the rebounding numbers of an everyday shooting guard seems to be indicative of more than an injury that doesn't visibly appear to be ailing him.

 Bosh returned early last postseason after suffering his abdominal strain and was still able to average over nine rebounds per game against a frontcourt of Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka. Roy Hibbert and David West may have size and weight advantages, but a dropoff to the point where Bosh is grabbing as many rebounds as what Shane Battier averaged in last year's NBA Finals?

He's not going after rebounds and attacking like he should, which could be another sign of the injury, once again, being far worse than anyone is claiming it to be. He's nailing himself to the floor and not showing the initiative to go after rebounds as his teammates are. It's not the mentality of someone that wants to win a championship.

Outside of his four rebounds per game, however, Bosh has been great. Wait. Not great. I meant the exact opposite of great, because he's averaging 11 points, shooting 41 percent from the field and hardly putting up a fight against Roy Hibbert.

He is converting 50 percent of his 2.3 three-point attempts per game, though. But Bosh's three-point shooting has been the lone sliver of a reminder that he was an All-Star this season.

Bosh recently called himself out after a Game 6 where he not only scored a single shot for the second time in three games, but also scored under ten points for the third consecutive game. It could possibly lead to the center Miami has been watching all year, who was arguably the league's top mid-range shooter, becoming the player we watched all season.

Grade: D

Dwyane Wade

The Miami Heat fan base has to be experiencing some sort of sadness watching Dwyane Wade play this series.

He's just not the player they knew. He's not the same guy that was dropping 36 points per game in the NBA Finals in only his third year in the league. He's not the player who won a scoring title and helped lead Miami to a 28-win improvement in the span of a season. He's not the player who bounced back from surgeries and injuries to become arguably the league's best player.

No, this isn't right at all. Wade is averaging a shade under 15 points per game on 44 percent shooting against Indiana, yet even those numbers seem extremely generous if you judge Wade's play simply as an observer.

His balky knee seems to be giving him a lot more trouble than he or the team cares to indicate, and it's resulting in the worst postseason of Wade's historic NBA career. He's getting to the line less than five times per game, making only 67 percent of those shots and being looked at as a non-threat when LeBron is not on the floor with him.

Wade failed to convert over 40 percent of his baskets from Game 4 to 6, including back-to-back ten-point games on a combined 6-of-19 from the floor. In that three-game span, he shot a paltry 11-of-34.

That 19-point performance he had in Game 1 seems like an eternity ago. Wade can't cut into the lane off of pick-and-rolls because of the lack of explosion off his first-step and it's causing him to be little more than a jump shooter who can't really, well, shoot.

Wade called out his team following the Game 6 loss, thinking that he is not being involved in the offense and should be looked at more than just as the help. The problem with those thoughts, however, is that Wade isn't doing anything that would prove to the coaching staff  that he's capable of leading an offense.

Take Miami's Game 5 win for example. After LeBron went off for one of the greatest quarters of his postseason career and helped Miami build a 13-point lead going into the fourth, it took a lineup with Wade as the primary option to watch the lead evaporate to seven in a span of less than a minute-and-a-half.

Dwyane should not be asking for a bigger role. Even though he has taken a considerable amount of shots less than LeBron, he also has the right to demand the ball, establish his authority and make his opponent respect his game.

Wade has to prove to his team that he can do more than take the off-balanced  23-footers that Indiana is begging he'll take every single time on offense. If he continues to play right into the hands of Indiana's defense, he's doing Miami a disservice in asking them to make major adjustments heading  into Game 7.

Grade: D+

LeBron James

The lone Miami Heat player to consistently be conscious this series, LeBron James has had to revert back to his former Cleveland Cavaliers identity in order to coax and enable his team into waking up and giving the necessary help it takes to beat arguably the league's best defense.

LeBron and the Heat have been making offensive adjustments throughout the series, which has resulted in a number of different looks from James. After being primarily featured on the low block in post-ups in Game 3, LeBron found himself back in his Cavs' uniform after leading the Heat to a Game 5 victory through high pick-and-rolls, drives and kick-outs initiated by him.

As Indiana has adjusted to the Heat following every Miami win this series, it's been LeBron leading the way for his team in countering with an adjustment of their own following a loss.

Although his numbers aren't nearly as enormous as they were with Cleveland, LeBron is still putting up statlines that should be the envy of every player in the league, garnering nearly 29 points per game on 52 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc. Naturally, he's also doing his usual work everywhere else with seven rebounds and six assists per game.

But it still hasn't been enough. No, not even LeBron can bail the Heat out every game. Not even when he scored a postseason-high 36 points in Game 2, which eventually unraveled as he would become the scapegoat after committing two turnovers in the final minute.

There's only so much the Heat can continue asking for from LeBron. Miami hasn't had the look of a Cleveland team all series. In Game 5, when James facilitated off of drives and kick-outs, he was still heavily supported by the jumpers of Udonis Haslem and the early tone set by Mario Chalmers' drives.

Game 6, however, possessed more of the look of LeBron's former Cleveland teams; a 14-point loss where Miami scored 77 points despite getting 29 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists from James.

He's doing it all on the defensive end, too. He's split time shutting down the likes of Lance Stephenson and David West, while taking turns with Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen in limiting the seemingly unstoppable Paul George.

It's a surprise Erik Spoelstra didn't incorporate LeBron defending Roy Hibbert at all. James' ball-denials, as seen in his defense on Pau Gasol, and his aggressive defending might have thrown off Hibbert, who surprisingly had a lot of trouble last year vs Miami because of how he was being defended.

Or maybe we're just asking for a little too much by this point.

Grade: A-