Miami Heat: 10 Potential Breakthrough Games Remaining on Schedule
This hasn't exactly been the easiest of stretches. Even before this daunting task of taking on a plethora of .500 plus teams that are all playoff bound, the Miami Heat were having struggles at just about every aspect of the game. They've only won twice since February 22nd and haven't beaten a team with a record above .500 since their February 3rd win over the Orlando Magic in a game where a 20 point lead was trimmed down to three in the final seconds.
The past few games haven't given this team any promise or hope either as they struggle in and out of every game looking for an answer to a question that's proving to be more complicated than a rubix cube. In their recent losses to Chicago (twice), New York, and Orlando, Miami has built up a double-digit lead over the entirety of the first half before allowing it to sleep away in the second half. Their 24 point third quarter lead against the Magic was given away by the mid-way point of the fourth quarter. A 40-9 by Orlando contributed to the collapse.
Their most recent loss to the Bulls was a defeat that might have just stung the worst. Once again, the Heat held a 12 point lead first half lead that would drop to nine by half time. It got down to two by the third quarter and the lead appeared gone for good late in the fourth quarter until two clutch baskets by Mario Chalmers gave the Heat a two point lead. In the following possession, the officials decided to benefit the Bulls with two trips to the foul line giving them a one point lead. On the ensuing Heat possession, another last second play was designed for LeBron James, who would get bumped a few times and miss the lay up. Wade's last second desperation heave wasn't even close on the rebound.
Great teams learn from their mistakes and move on with their lives. The problem for Miami is that the mistake has now been made four times in the past five games. The players are hurt and talk about the struggles, but don't take it out on the court as they allow the same thing to happen over and over again. With the post season looming over and 20 games remaining, questions need to be answered now before it's too late.
Over the next 20 games, Miami still has to finish out the next two weeks of difficult teams to face before receiving a short break against some lower tier teams. It's at this time that the needs to find it's identity, so that they can go into the playoffs on an upbeat note and with some much-needed confidence and swagger. Regular season wins and losses are fool's gold when it comes to the post season. For the amount of criticism the team receives, everyone refuses to think about the post season that is coming up in a month.
If we judged teams on their regular season success than the Dallas Mavericks should have swept the past decade with titles. Or that Boston Celtics team from last season that played .500 ball for the entire second half of the season shouldn't have come nowhere the finals. The team has been falling apart lately, but we need to remember that this is just the regular season and four game losing streaks happen to the best of teams.
For now, we have ten games that could give this team a morale boost over the next month. The team is capable of winning any game, they just need to follow through on talk.
March 8th Vs. Portland Trail Blazers
1 of 10
The first game since their loss to the Chicago Bulls will be a Tuesday night special against the 35-27 Portland Trail Blazers. After a week of playing nothing but elite teams, a visit from Portland will be greatly welcomed by the Heat who are looking for just about any team to be a stepping stone into the next game. The only problem for the Heat is that the Blazers are nowhere near a stepping stone and will probably give the Heat a game just as difficult and tumultuous as the past few have been.
Their previous meeting was during good times for the Heat as it was also one of their most impressive wins of the season. In a game that went to overtime, the big three scored 96 of the Heat's 107 total points with LeBron James leading the way at 44. Dwyane Wade contributed 34 and Chris Bosh had 18, with the rest of the team combining to hit four of their 14 shots on their way to 11 total points. LaMarcus Aldridge had 31 points for the Blazers, but with the way LeBron was draining shots in the overtime, the Blazers didn't stand a chance.
This is a necessary win to say the least. This recent slide has gone on way too far and the Heat need to stop it before it really gets out of hand. They need to learn how to take an early lead and keep it for the entirety of the game while also learning the long, drawn out process of being a collective unit. With Brandon Roy back in the lineup for Portland, the Heat are sure to get another test on this journey that has tormented them so far.
March 10th Vs. Los Angeles Lakers
2 of 10
The Heat could use a repeat of their Christmas day destruction of the Los Angeles Lakers for Thursday. There is no doubt that Kobe Bryant and the rest of the team are out for revenge against a Heat team that ran them out of their own building that featured one of the most anticipated match-up's in the league this season. LeBron James' triple-double and Dwyane Wade's stifling defense on Kobe Bryant kept the Lakers in check as the team boasted their biggest win of the season.
Sadly, this is still the Heat's best win of the season. Aside from beating the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team hasn't beaten anyone that quality. They've had plenty of chances over the past week to put an end to that, but NBA games are played over 48 minutes and the Heat have only shown up for 24 of them. The team realizes the slide that it is in the midst of needs to come to an end either before or during this game against the Lakeshow.
Not only are the Lakers riding a seven game win streak that was recently capped off with a dominant win over the Spurs, but Bryant has no doubt been looking out for this match-up since December 25th. The Heat and Lakers have had their fair shares of classic games over the past decade and this contest could be one for the books as well as the Lakers come into the American Airlines Arena looking for revenge and the Heat come looking for a voice and ambition.
March 12th Vs. Memphis Grizzlies
3 of 10
If a team did this to me, I'd be plenty angry.
The Memphis Grizzlies come into town this Saturday and represent themselves as the worst team on this schedule the Heat are currently going through. At 34-29, the Grizzlies have held their own over the past few months and are even contesting for a post season berth. However, Miami still has the recurring image of Rudy Gay draining a rainbow jumper over LeBron James to give the Grizzlies a 97-95 win and they would probably be rid of these nightmares with a win against Memphis.
Given Dwyane Wade wasn't playing, yet not even LeBron James 29 points, Chris Bosh's 20, and Eddie House's 20 off the bench could help give the Heat a win in a contest that went wire to wire. The main problem for the team being the fact that they couldn't keep Zach Randolph off the boards to save their life. Miami gave up 13 rebounds to Randolph, six offensive, and allowed the Grizzlies to out rebound them 47-32 overall and a dismal 14-6 on the offensive glass.
This game was remembered not only for Gay's game winner, but for Udonis Haslem's current state of injury. Haslem landed awkwardly and injured his left leg in the third quarter and hasn't been since as the team desperately waits for their ironman and emotional team leader to step back on the court. Udonis probably won't be around for this game either, but they will have Wade back and a determined James who would like to make the Rudy game winner a thing of the past.
March 14th Vs. San Antonio Spurs
4 of 10
It's another chance for vengeance for the Miami Heat. It's tough to say if the Heat's 30 point loss to the San Antonio Spurs was the worst of the season considering that the team has now blown double-digit leads in three of the past four losses, but Miami will be waiting for the Spurs to make their first and only visit to the American Airlines next week. Hopefully this time for the sake of the team and its fans, they'll actually play some defense.
Miami gave up an absurd 125 points to a defensive-minded team in San Antonio. They allowed eight players to score in double-digits and the team to hit 17 of their 28 three-pointers with Matt Bonner leading the way going six of seven from beyond the arc. The team shot 56 percent overall as the game was over by the end of the first quarter with the Spurs shooting out to a 36-12 lead. Miami would provide a little resistance in the second quarter as they dropped 38, but they would be outscored by 18 in the second half to keep the slide alive.
To say that this was embarrassed would be putting it lightly. Hanging heads and the collective looks of a bunch of kids sent to the principal's office bore the Miami Heat's roster for the entirety of the night. The Spurs may be the NBA's best team, but it doesn't give the Heat any excuse or right to lose on the road by 30 points on national television. Maybe this time around we'll see a different Heat team step out onto the court because this whole getting run out of our own building is getting annoying.
March 16th vs Oklahoma City Thunder
5 of 10
If somebody called me a fake tough guy, I'd immediately challenge that person to a duel. Or I could just wait until the next time I play him.
In the case of Chris Bosh, Kevin Durant called him out after the game by calling him a 'fake tough guy.' It stems from a Bosh foul on Russell Westbrook, when Durant came over and told Russell to next time dunk on Bosh. Chris obviously doesn't want to get dunked on and didn't care for the words by Durant, so a small verbal altercation occurred following the foul. It was one of the few instances in Durant's young career that he came out and actually talked down to an opposing player.
The game was pretty good too. The big three's of each team went blow for blow as the Thunder's big three would outscore the Heat's 77-75, but it would be a member of the Heat's bench that would come through in the clutch. Following a Wade miss and Mike Miller rebound that was thrown out to LeBron James along the perimeter, James drew some attention and kicked it out to a wide open Eddie House who gave the Heat a two-point lead after converting on his first three-pointer of the night.
Down to the wire games like this will be a horrible, recurring nightmare for the team on the losing side. The Thunder in this case appeared ready to secure a quality win against the Heat, but gave it up with a Mike Miller offensive rebound and an Eddie House three-pointer. This game will also represent the last of the Heat's six game home stand that started this past Sunday with the loss against Chicago.
March 18th at Atlanta Hawks
6 of 10
The Atlanta Hawks will be the last significant division match-up of the season for the Heat as they take on the Hawks next Friday on the road and in the last game of the season. The games are sure to have an impact at the top of the Southeast Division as the Heat have relinquished complete control over the division due to the recent string of losses. What once stood as a comfortable six game lead has now been reduced to three with the Magic closing in and the Hawks not too far behind.
The two team's split the first two match-up's with the Heat taking the first game 89-77 and the Hawks taking the second game 93-89 in overtime. The first meeting was the big three show as they combined for 75 of the Heat's 89 points only losing to the entire Hawks team by two points. Each player had over 22 points as they used a 26-16 fourth quarter edge to take it. In the second game the Hawks took advantage of the Heat who were without Chris Bosh. Wade and James combined for 61, but it was no match for the Hawks balanced effort.
The remaining games against Atlanta will be on the road as the Heat enter the hostile environment of the Philips Arena. The two teams have formed a rivalry since their playoff series two seasons ago when the Hawks took a 4-3 edge. The series didn't feature one game decided by single digits as the Dwyane Wade show couldn't quite match-up with the Hawks balanced starting line up.
March 19th Vs. Denver Nuggets
7 of 10
The Denver Nuggets might not be the same team since the Heat played them in January, but they still represent themselves as the team that has owned Miami for years now. Miami didn't have LeBron James in the two teams only meeting in Denver and the Nuggets took advantage with a huge 130-102 victory. Notorious Heat killer J.R. Smith had a team high 28 points, with 24 of them coming from beyond the arc. Carmelo Anthony poured in 21, but it was the Nuggets bench and their 67 combined points that gave the team one of their biggest victories of the season.
Fortunately, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups won't be around to torture the Heat anymore as members of the Nuggets. Unfortunately, Smith is still on the team and he has been joined by Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, and Wilson Chandler from the New York Knicks as a part of the blockbuster deal that sent Melo to the Knicks. Miami went 2-1 against the Knicks when they had those three as a part of their team with each player playing a huge part in each game, including the loss when Gallinari and Chandler hit key three-pointers down the stretch.
Luckily, this game will be the friendly confines of the American Airlines Arena. The only problem is that this is the second night of a back to back where the Heat will be flying back in from Atlanta the morning of the game. As much as the Heat has been criticized all season long, they are actually one of the better teams on the second night of a back-to-back with a 12-4 record.
March 29th at Cleveland Cavaliers
8 of 10
The past two weeks have been embarrassing. Losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers would only send the media in a frenzy that has never been seen before.
However, the Miami Heat are one of the best teams in the league against the lower tier teams. One of the main reasons is that their level of talent far exceeds these teams chemistry and talent making it easier for Wade, James, and Bosh to use their sheer athleticism to run these types of teams out of the building. The Cavaliers have been subject to two of the Heat's biggest wins that included LeBron James first return back to the city that made him the player he is today.
LeBron's 38 points, eight assists, and five rebounds remains as one of his top performances of the season He entered one of the most hostile environments in NBA history with a swagger from the start building up a lead that nearly exceeded 40 points in the third quarter. The lead that escalated to 20 in the first half already silenced the crowd that had decibel levels nearly exceeding the Golden State Warriors crowd in the 2007 post season. Miami won by a modest 28 points in a game that belonged to Miami from the mid-way point of the first quarter.
Cleveland made a game out of it in the second meeting, but the Heat used a key fourth quarter run to pull away. The third meeting was all Miami once again as they won by a comfortable 27 points in a game where they never trailed. This will be the final meeting of the season between the Cavs and the Heat and it will also be the final meeting in Cleveland for LeBron James this season. The crowd will probably be foaming at the mouth once again, but the hype has probably died down since the last time James came to town.
Maybe this time the Cavs faithful won't get James going again with their incessant jeering.
April 10th Vs. Boston Celtics
9 of 10
Coming into the season, the concept of a modern day big three with all three in their collective primes would top the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics trio in Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett seemed to pale in comparison to that of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in Miami as the Heat were even given the number one seed in the Eastern Conference before playing a game together. The season opener was going to allow us to see which would come out on top: experience or talent?
Experience won again. Then again. And then one more time. The first two games were eerily similar with the Celtics defense impenetrable and the Heat finding no answers until it was too late. Boston held decent sized leads in both games through the first three quarters before allowing the Heat to stage comebacks and making it a game in the final minutes. Boston would pull away both times late in the fourth as the Heat couldn't find ways to limit the Celtics.
The third game appeared to be a break through Miami when they went up by four going into the half; the first time they had in the three meetings this year. Boston took over from that point however and never looked back to disappoint the Heat once again. The final meeting will be the third to last game of the season and it will represent the Heat's last chance to take on the Celtics before a possible conference finals match-up.
I also fail to believe that LeBron or anyone on the team would want to fall to 0-4 against the Celtics.
April 11th at Atlanta Hawks
10 of 10
The second to last game of the season will be the last test for the Heat before they take on the Toronto Raptors and then move on to the post season where they'll most likely either face the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, or Charlotte Bobcats. A one to three seed are the most likely spots for the Heat to take as they still are within three games of the first spot. Unless they go through a complete collapse, a fourth seed seems too low.
Another date in the post season with the Atlanta Hawks doesn't seem likely due to the Hawks being three games out of the fourth seed and four games ahead of the seventh seed. A division rivalry game heading into the post season will be a good way for the team to build up some aggression and possible momentum if they can pull out a victory.
It will also be the teams last chance to test our just how well they can play against one of the post season bound teams. Toronto will most likely be used as a game to rest the starters, unless seeding is on the line, so Atlanta will be a way to a gauge just how ready the Heat are. Miami has had a notoriously tough time against the better teams of the league and need to find some consistency over the next few weeks if they want to foresee post season success.
