Miami Heat: 10 Puzzles the Heat Must Solve To Beat the Boston Celtics
For the Miami Heat, the 2010-11 season has been about figuring things out. They had to learn to play with the hate. They've had to learn to play without Mike Miller, and they learned how to play without Udonis Haslem. They had to learn to weather the coaching controversy storm, and they have had to learn how to co-exist as three guys(Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh) who normally were the ONLY guy on their team.
Still, the one thing they haven't been able to figure out yet is what to do about the Boston Celtics. In every meeting against the Celtics this season they have looked lost like and incomplete, like a puzzle missing a few pieces. The Celtics have had an answer for everything the Heat have tried to do.
The Heat have NBA Finals aspirations, but the road to the Finals will almost definitely run through Boston. So if they can't figure out how to beat Boston they are in for a disappointing summer. Here are 10 problems facing the Heat against their arch rivals, and how to fix them.
10. Defeat The D
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The Problem
The Celtics have one of the most difficult defenses to go against. It's even harder when you consider the unit is full of good defenders who have played with each other for a few years now. The Heat can't seem to figure out a way to break them down.
The Solution
There are two things the Heat can do. The first thing is they can work to get out in transition where the Celtics are most vulnerable. Granted this is hard to do considering that the Celtics get back on defense so well, but the Heat must be out on the run as much as possible. The Celtics are an older team and that could wear on them for the later quarters.
The other thing is they want to make sure is that they spread the Celtics thin. The Celtics are a great strong side defense and when the Heat(or any other team for that matter) load up on one side the Celtics take advantage of cutting off driving and passing lanes while still defending the weak side. If the Heat can really spread the floor that hurts the Celtics chance of double team and moving in to cut off driving lanes.
9. Must Stop Rondo
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The Problem
Rondo has absolutely killed the Heat this season, especially with the triple double he posted Sunday. He's not the point man for nothing. Rondo is the key to the whole Celtics offense.
The Solution
The Heat caught wind of the solution against the Pacers. There LeBron came out and guarded point guard Darren Collison. Having LeBron come out and guard Rondo, especially in that all crucial fourth quarter, could make a huge difference. Rondo is a pass first point guard and having a big, quick defender like LeBron could be enough to shut down some passing lanes and get the Celtics offense out of sync.
Of course you don't want to do this when the Celts are in transition, but it's a good idea at the top when they are getting set. LeBron is the biggest defensive weapon they have.
8. Got To Win Inside
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The Problem
Except for Sunday, the Celtics have won the battle in the paint each time out. It's no secret that Miami doesn't have a big man inside and that the Celtics have too many for the Heat to handle, but something has to give.
The Solution
The long term solution is that Udonis Haslem is still scheduled to return at the end of March or early April. This will give them an extra, and vital, body for the playoffs. However, in the meantime they should look to play LeBron a little more down low. The truth is that when you have the most gifted basketball player on the planet he can be asked to do a lot. Having him play down low against the Celtics could give them help in more than one way.
Clearly it will give them a big body inside that can help them out in rebounding and points in the paint, but they can also use this position as a way to get Wade involved more in the half court offense by making him run the point.
7. No Half Court Offense
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The Problem
Miami's lack of a half court offense is a pretty serious problem for them against any team, but it's tragic against a team like Boston who is so good at taking away the Heat's favorite weapon: the fast break. The Heat have to learn how to play a half court game if they even hope to get to the Celtics.
The Solution
This ties in with a previous point, but until Haslem comes back you need to have LeBron operate in the low post. No, this is not his natural or best position. The problem though is that when LeBron is on the floor with Wade, Wade gets lost in the half court offense. Giving Wade something to do and initiating the offense will keep him involved and forcing the ball into LeBron will keep him involved.
Once Haslem comes back you can move LeBron back to the point. He's the best guy to run the point, but Spoelstra needs to find a system where Wade moves well without the ball. But they need to find a solution.
6. Wade Must Step Up
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The Problem
All too often against the Celtics, Wade has come up short. Wade has yet to drop even 20 on Boston. He is routinely shut down or is forced to take bad shots. If Wade can't play well against Boston they have no hope of winning.
The Solution
This is tricky. If you had Wade running the offense you could give him a chance to create more, and while Haslem is gone it could make the most sense. But ultimately, in the playoffs you'll want LeBron running the point because he's the better player. Either way, Wade has to learn to be more active in the offense. Too many times when LeBron gets the ball Wade watches him create instead of getting open. He needs to take a page from the Ray Allen book and work to find open looks at the basket, even if he can't drive.
5. No Mental Toughness
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The Problem
If you watched the Celtics and Heat play on Sunday it seemed pretty obvious that the Celtics know exactly how to antagonize the Heat. Whether it's Garnett delivering his trademark elbows, or Rondo trying to peak into the Heat huddle, the Celtics seems to own them mentally.
The Solution
The Heat aren't cheap shot guys, and there's no way to know how well they talk trash so asking for those tactics are tired and probably won't work anyway. But the Celtics like to bully teams and it's important for Miami to stand up for themselves. A couple of hard fouls and taking a couple of charges could go a long way in getting some respect back on the court. Haslem will help when he gets back, but the Heat need to learn how to fight for themselves.
4. Bench Must Step Up
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The Problem
The Heat bench, like most of the season, has been non-existent against Boston. Except for the second game against Boston, there has not been one bench player who has even threatened double figures.
The Solution
Of course getting Haslem back and healthy will be a big step, but in the meantime they need to get more consistency out of Miller and House. This is more than just telling them to hit the shots they are given. This is why Spoelstra needs to find rotations that work and allow guys like Miller and House open looks.
Spoelstra likes to do sets with Wade, LeBron, and Miller on the floor at the same time, but he might want to try moving out Wade and bringing in another shooter. This will spread the floor and allow James to penetrate and kick out like he did in Cleveland where he was good at making the bench players relevant.
3. Find A Plan For The Fourth Quarter
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The Problem
When the Heat get down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter they don't have a guy that they go to. They seem lost during the final two minutes as it appears as if LeBron and Wade are trying to defer to each other.
The Solution
While it's clear that one guy doesn't want to step on the other guys toes, in the final minutes of a game someone needs to assume a leadership role. Even if they trade off games or a guy with the hot hand goes, the truth is that deferring to Eddie House or Mike Miller in the closing seconds is not an effective solution, and takes away your two biggest threats on the floor.
2. Where's The Line?
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The Problem
Even though the Heat have one of the better big men(Bosh) in the game, and they have the two of the best finishers in the game(Wade and LeBron), they are not lending themselves to getting to the line. They are under their team average in attempts in two of their three meetings against the Celtics. The Miami trio has to figure out a way to get to the line more.
The Solution
For a team that has two great drivers they need to draw more contact and get to the line. The problem is that the Celtics are so good on cutting off those passing lanes in the half court offense that the Heat rarely have good driving lanes. So what the Heat need to do is start the play off at the top of the key and create some isolation.
This won't solve all the problems but it should open the floor up and give Wade or LeBron a chance to move without the ball and try and get to the basket that way, too. Either way they have to start drawing more contact.
*Additional Note: The Heat are also slightly under their season average in free throw shooting percentage. When they get to the line they need to make it count.
1. Find The Alpha Male
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The Problem
All these problems could be solved by just finding the guy on the team who is going to be “the man.”
The Solution
First both men have to admit that nothing is ever better with two leaders. This is the NBA, not Team USA. You need someone to count on in the final moments and a guy who your offense goes through. Next they need to admit that it's LeBron. Wade is a fantastic player, but LeBron is the better player. They need to make LeBron the guy who starts the play and directs traffic. They need to make it like it was in Cleveland, only with a far better supporting cast.
This doesn't mean Wade can't step up and have big games all the time. He can, but he just has to know that when all is said and done it's LeBron's team. The Heat have had trouble figuring things out. Figuring this out would take care of everything.
