Miami's Team Starting To Feel The Heat
For those of you who watch HBO’s "Entourage," you might be familiar with Vincent Chase’s dream film for the first couple seasons, “Medellín.” Time after time, Vince’s hopes for starring in this film were crushed at the last minute. After two years of, excuse the pun, Vince Chasing (get it?) this movie, he finally gets the opportunity to make it.
Towards the end of filming, a trailer for the movie is unintentionally leaked, sparking nationwide excitement. The hype around the movie continues to build and strengthen as more and more people view the epic trailer. The debut of the film is one of the most highly anticipated events among Hollywood circles. Hell, even Snoop Dogg makes a cameo in the show to comment on how good the trailer looks. However, as many of you probably watched, things did not go as well at the premiere.
The movie bombed worse than the Enola Gay. The film desperately failed to even approach its hype, let alone justify it. The pre-determined expectations were simply too much to overcome.
Hey, basketball fans, sound familiar? Something eerily similar has taken place right before our eyes over the last 5 months.
If you haven’t heard about the Miami Heat’s unprecedented signings of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh over this past summer than you’ve:
A) Been in Narnia or Hogwarts since June.
B) Been hunting boar with John Locke on “The Island.”
C) Are completely and utterly unaware.
So which is it?
Immediately following James’ televised announcement, "The Decision," speculation and expectations for the new Miami Heat ran rouge-elephant rampant. Never before has an NBA team accumulated so much talent.
The two time reigning MVP in James, the 2006 Finals MVP and champion in Wade, and a five-time All Star in Bosh compose one of the most capable and interesting squads ever assembled in the modern era. It’s like Fantasy Basketball come to fruition, but, with immense talent, came lofty predictions from basketball analysts.
League’s best record? Some said certainly.
A shot at the best record in NBA history? Some said within reach.
A Finals match up between the Heat and the reigning champion Lakers? Most said definitely.
However, through 17 games of the season the Miami Heat sit at a very unimpressive 9-8 record in the standings. But who is to blame for all of this underachieving?
Sure, injuries always hurt teams. The absence of sharpshooter Mike Miller and down low banger Udonis Haslem haven’t helped, but neither is the difference maker.
The bench has played up to expectations, with Eddie House and James Jones each knocking down 3’s at a productive clip. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has spaced the floor with his shooting ability and Point Guard Carlos Arroyo has run an effective pick-and-roll at times.
So what’s the deal? Why has this Super Team been more disappointing than JaMarcus Russell’s career, the acting in “Avatar” or the night vision in Paris Hilton’s celebrity sex tape?
It’s simple really. You’ve got to blame the Big 3 and Coach Erik Spoelstra. James, Wade and Bosh ranked first, third and fourth respectively in Player Efficiency Ranking (PER) last season. This year? Not one of them is even in the top ten. To put it simply, they really just need to start playing better.
The turnover rate per game for James (4.0) and Wade (3.4) are near career highs. Bosh’s offensive rebounding has completely disappeared (only 1.4 per game). Their recent 1-4 slide has exposed their offense to be stagnant at times, resulting in a minus-29 scoring margin over that span.
Thus far, the Heat’s offensive game with both James and Wade on the court has been more ineffective and awkward looking than Shake Weights. When one has the ball, the other stands indifferently on the weak side just waiting, completely uninvolved. Both superstars are never fully comfortable with the other on the court. That aspect can be chalked up as the coach’s fault.
With the immense skill sets of both James and Wade, it seems hard to believe that they can’t co-exist. The offensive theories and strategies implemented by Spoelstra have bogged this team down to mediocrity.
The Heat currently rank 20th in the NBA in possessions per game. This slow and plodding pace doesn’t utilize some of the Heat’s main attributes—athleticism and speed. With Wade and James on the court together, there needs to be more emphasis on transition and fast break offense.
When the team is forced to operate from half court sets, there needs to be constant movement from the players. The two superstars should set screens and picks for each other, along with other players setting screens and picks for them. Constant zonal rotation will free players up for open shots and cuts toward the basket. Even some running handoff passes would result in some open looks. In all honesty, it seems obvious.
Don’t you think Wade is fully capable of hitting an open James cutting to the hoop off of a set screen? Isn’t it possible that LBJ, one of the best passers in the league, could find Wade for an open midrange jumper after a series of picks and movement? This duo should be the most dangerous in the league with a propensity for high light plays. Instead, much like the Shake Weight, they’re uncomfortable and relatively unproductive.
Bosh is playing the worst ball of his career.
Although his shooting range is one of his main attributes, he is settling for jump shots far too often. The quick power forward needs to drive to the hoop more, especially if given an open lane to the left. Driving and drawing fouls will help set up more open jumpers later in games. Consider that Bosh is only taking an average of 5.5 foul shots a game (second lowest amount in his career), you would think the Heat would have addressed this issue sooner.
The enigma that is the Miami Heat reminds me of the movie “The Expendables.” It’s got a great ensemble cast, with more than one leading man, and a solid, but unspectacular, director. It possesses all of the makings and parts for something successful and entertaining, but the finished product isn’t nearly as good as what was expected. Plus, you get see some awesome explosions and some really cool guns.
(Okay. Maybe not that last one. It’s not like Gilbert Arenas plays for Miami.)
Fortunately for the Heat, the season is still young. They have plenty of time to figure it out and adapt their style of play. If the Big 3 and Spoelstra do start to mesh, then the rest of the league better take notice and be prepared. This Miami Heat team firing on all cylinders is a very scary thought for opponents. The question is, can they get to that level?
