Dwyane Wade-Led Miami Heat Burn Lakers, Stop Losing Streak
The Miami Heat put the rest of the league on notice by beating the Los Angeles Lakers last night.
LeBron James finally put his ego aside and gave Dwyane Wade back his title of leader. It didn't matter what James did—the team didn't exactly follow his lead.
Maybe now James will become what he truly is, a revolutionary Scottie Pippen. A player whose Swiss-knife skills come with the power and size that has never been seen before.
Chris Bosh was thrilled to match up against Pau Gasol because he had a favorable matchup. Gasol doesn't exactly scare anyone with his low-post defense. That alone made it easy for Bosh to have his way with Gasol.
The player formerly known as "Flash" was leading in the way Pat Riley and the Heat organization imagined. He got his teammates involved (something Bron couldn't do) and made a key steal and pass that cemented the victory. Wade was phenomenal in his accustomed role as mayor of Wade County. All past transgressions were forgiven with a win over the defending-champion Los Angeles Lakers.
They were all back in their "I-told-you-so mode," denying the fact that nothing has truly been resolved. It only served as a temporary salvo to a deeper wound.
For now, El Heat has shown that they can win a close game; doing it against the Bulls and the Celtics, however, has proven to be very elusive.
Miami is highly susceptible to isolation basketball with Wade and Bron taking turns. Bosh has to contend with Eastern Conference power forwards who don't mind brawling in the paint, which will lead to him drifting out to the perimeter.
When the pressure is on against other elite Eastern Conference foes, they tend to fold.
Historically, the Lakers have always had poor outings in Miami, so the percentages were on Miami's side. Also, the Lakers almost never win on Christmas Day. David Stern should really consider giving other young, up-and-coming teams like the Thunder a chance, because Kobe and company always play with that "been there, done that" attitude.
This win should not be viewed as anything but an outcome that was predetermined by those two facts. The truth of the matter is, Wade was beating L.A. in the friendly confines of the American Airlines Arena before the superfriends were assembled.
Eric Spoelstra's job is safe for now not because they won, but because Riley needs his appointee to succeed in order to validate his legacy.
Miami is built like a west-coast team in an east-coast environment. Pat Riley is determined to prove showtime-style basketball can thrive in the rough-and-tumble East. They can celebrate because they own the regular-season tally against the team that has the NBA crown.
The moment of truth still awaits them.
