Miami Heat: 10 Flaws LeBron James and the Heat Must Fix After Loss to Celtics
The Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat once again and now the question remains: what are these major problems the Heat cannot seem to fix?
Miami finally looked like the team everyone was expecting them to be going 29-7 since December 1, and are now 39-15 overall.
The "Big Three" of James, Wade and Bosh average just under 70 points per night while the rest of the team averages about 31 points.
Miami plays solid defense, giving up the league's fifth best mark of 93.9 points per game, and scores 101.7 points per game.
The Heat do not truly have to press the "panic" button or anything of the sort while sitting in second in the East, but they do have some flaws that need fixing.
Here are 10 flaws the "King" and his men need to fix if they want to succeed this season.
10. Talk and Excuses
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The Heat have always had an answer for their troubles so far this season.
Everything ranging from health and chemistry to "this is classic, typical bigger brothers" has been used this season and it needs to stop.
Granted, this is fueled primarily by the media and the expectations that accompany a trio of All-Stars in one place, but they brought that upon themselves.
It is one thing to acknowledge that your opponents have your number at this point but it is actually obnoxious listening to the Heat try and explain their problems.
We know they need time to gel and we get that it does not happen overnight, but just stop giving us excuses and solve it on the court.
9. Spoelstra's Lineups
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We have heard many different things about Spoelstra and his ability to handle this "super" team and whether he is or isn't capable of getting the job done is irrelevant at this point; he's there and he's doing it.
One thing he can fix though, is the lineups he puts on the court.
The Heat are finally at full strength and now it is time for the coach to find what lineups work best together and how long he can leave them on the court.
LeBron obviously gives him a ton a of versatility, even letting the Heat run with no point guard at times, but they have five other players that average more than 15 minutes per game and it is important to find the successful lineups.
As the players continue to get comfortable it may become easier, but Spoelstra has to put it together.
8. Figure Out The Defense
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The Heat started to get it together recently and we could see LeBron and D-Wade starting to mesh into what we would expect them to be.
Against the Celtics though, they looked miserable and were essentially playing one-on-five offensive basketball.
LeBron and Wade take turns dribbling around and then one of them takes a shot; it is awful.
The Celtics are likely the toughest defensive team the Heat will play all season and if they can finally figure out how to break them down then it will be a huge breakthrough.
If the Heat can beat the Celtics' defense then they can take on almost anyone.
7. Passing
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LeBron James is the only player on the Heat to average more than five assists per game; not good.
The 19.8 assists per game is the fourth worst mark in the league as of now.
The Heat are still starting to put things together and obviously being comfortable with each other on the offensive end is definitely going to take some time.
If the Heat are going to beat teams like the Celtics or the Lakers they will have to figure how to get open shots for one another.
Too often do Wade and James try to create things off the dribble for themselves. This will have to change if they ever want to be as good as they really can be.
6. The Bench
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The Heat bench was miserable in the loss to the Celtics.
The reserves scored only eight points against Boston and were single-handedly outscored by Boston's Von Wafer in all 14 of his minutes.
Miami's bench has been an issue for most of the season due to injuries, but it cannot be so with a completely healthy lineup.
This essentially coincides with Spoelstra getting the right lineups together on the court.
The major contributors, Miller, House and Anthony, need to be more effective if they are going to succeed in the postseason.
5. Dwayne Wade vs. the Celtics
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Wade has been terrible against the C's this season and it has to change.
He played 42 minutes in this recent loss to the Celtics and managed just 16 points and turned the ball over six times.
He is constantly forced to take bad shots against Boston and cannot seem to get anything going offensively, committing 18 turnovers in the three losses this season.
His role alongside LeBron will be intriguing as we head into the postseason. If they are going to beat the Celtics, especially in the playoffs, he will have to figure it out and be a productive player.
4. Fast-Break Points
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The Celtics love to take away the fast break from the Heat and it forces them into half-court offensive sets that they are simply not good at yet.
With no chance to get out and run, LeBron and Wade are caught dribbling out on the perimeter and forced to jack up bad shots that do not accumulate into many points.
They average 14.4 fast break points per game this season but cannot seem to do that against Boston at all.
Their lack of fast-break points forces Miami into bad shots and messy turnovers at times. They cannot afford to lose when playing a defense like Boston's.
3. Playoff Team Woes
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The Heat have lost 15 games so far this season and only two of them came at the hands of teams not in playoff position as of this date.
The top teams in the NBA have done a number on Miami so far this season and while they beat the Lakers once and Orlando twice, they lost all other games to Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and Boston.
Miami will be one of the top teams in the playoffs but will truly have to fix a part of their game if they are going to be successful.
Wade and LeBron have been there before, but so has Orlando and Boston as well as the Lakers and Spurs.
2. Who's The Man?
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Mike Miller fired up the final shot in the loss to the Celtics.
Eddie House has hoisted up final shots this season, yet the Heat have LeBron and Wade on the court too.
Both these guys are used to having the basketball in their hands at the end of games, but only one of them can take the shot when it matters most.
The playoffs are a completely different breed of basketball and something has to be decided regarding LeBron or Wade taking over this team.
They are both tremendous players but only one of them can truly be "the man" for this team and it will have to be LeBron.
1. Chemistry
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This will come with time but it still has to be said; they need to create some form of chemistry.
LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Miller and the rest of this team need to get on the same page if they are ever going defeat the Boston Celtics or any other veteran-laden squad in the postseason.
We know it will not happen overnight, and Spoelstra is a part of this too, but the Heat have to stop playing one-on-five basketball and become a team if they want to be champions.
