Miami Heat: 10 Reasons for LeBron James and Co.'s Recent Turnaround
Certainly nobody expected the Miami Heat to struggle this mightily at the beginning of the season. Especially at the beginning of March and with the postseason only a month away, there was no possible way a team with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh could lose five games in a row to the teams that they were supposed to surpass.
It became quite the reality, however, when Miami lost to the New York Knicks after blowing a 15-point lead, said goodbye to a 24-point lead against the Magic, took a 30-point beat down to the Spurs, blew an 11-point lead against Chicago and finished it off with a loss to Portland where the Heat blew a comeback late.
Miami was in a tailspin, supposedly crying in the locker room, and had no consistency over the entire 48 minutes of a game. A date with the Los Angeles Lakers two days after the loss to Portland offered no sort of sympathy game.
A Dwyane Wade steal and a LeBron James dunk later and the Heat once again became idolized as one of the teams to beat for their two-game sweep over the Lakers.
Chris Bosh finished with 24 points and nine rebounds after demanding the ball following the Blazers loss and once again became recognized as a dangerous power forward. Dwyane Wade was leading and LeBron James was becoming a teammate in one of the best wins of the year.
That would change, however, a few nights later.
Miami had won 118-85 on Saturday against a Memphis Grizzlies squad that had beaten the Heat in November by way of a buzzer-beater and now faced the same San Antonio Spurs team that had beaten them by 30 less than two weeks prior. Following an early lead for the Spurs, they never stood a chance against a motivated Heat squad that came out running. Chris Bosh led the way with 30 points and 12 rebounds, while Wade and James contributed in their own ways to put the game away.
With the recent three-game win streak, it leaves you wondering where this Heat team has been all year. The one that was supposed to compete with teams like the Spurs and Lakers like they are now. It's coming at the most important time of the year though, as the postseason idly waits to begin a month from now.
Here are 10 reasons why the Heat are finally beginning to turn things around.
Player and Ball Movement
1 of 10
As much as it is stressed that defense is the key to winning a championship, no team has ever won with a stagnant and inconsistent offense.
Past winners the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs all featured terrific defenses, but also featured fluid offenses that heavily based their output on the amount of player and ball movement featured in a certain set. Championship teams will only rarely go through stretches on offense where scoring becomes so difficult that it opens the door for the opposition to run away with the game.
Prior to beating the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat looked like one of those teams that sometimes couldn't score on any possession for seemingly minutes. It featured too many wayward jump shots from players that shouldn't be taking jump shots, rushed shots forced at the end of shot clocks and an offense that appeared to have no direction.
However, with the way they handled themselves against the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies before dropping 110 points on a Spurs team that has usually based itself on defense, the Heat finally look like they're coming into their own on the offensive side.
Players have begun to cut more frequently, the ball has begun to move more fluently and in rhythm and easier shots are being taken by everyone on the court.
Chris Bosh has begun to transition himself into the scorer he was with Toronto by finding shots closer to the basket, Dwyane Wade is finding easier baskets by slashing more and LeBron James continues to kill teams with a more consistent jump shot and his still ever dangerous ability to drive on any defense.
Defensive Closeouts
2 of 10
Compare the past two Heat meetings with the San Antonio Spurs and it'll show you just how effective a defense can be when players are hustling and putting in an effort.
In the Mar. 4 meeting in San Antonio that featured the Spurs hitting eight first-quarter three-pointers on their way to a franchise-record 17 overall, the Spurs were able to use quality ball movement to free up perimeter players for easy shot opportunities. San Antonio hit 17-of-28 overall and would eventually win by 30 against a Heat team that had no answers.
Fast forward to Mar. 14 and you'll see a completely different team.
The Miami Heat recognized the Spurs expertise from beyond the arc, made adjustments and made it an issue to force the numerous Spurs three-point shooters into difficult shots. San Antonio made only six of its 22 three-pointers as the Spurs lost by 30 points against a Heat squad that was out for revenge and out to make a statement.
You can really sum it up by comparing Matt Bonner's two games: he shot 6-of-7 from the perimeter in the first meeting, yet didn't make a shot in the second meeting.
It's the simplest and tiniest of adjustments that could affect the outcome of a game so drastically. Something as simple as running out to your matchup, putting a hand up and contesting a shot can make all the difference when it comes to affecting the way a player releases his shot.
Miami did just that and have done so over the three-game win streak by holding each opponent to less than 90 points.
More Jamaal Magloire, Less Joel Anthony
3 of 10
It's nothing against Joel Anthony personally, but it's tough to argue against him being one of the most inept players in the NBA today.
Anthony is a quality shot-blocker and defender, but his inability to rebound or simply catch a ball in rhythm overshadows all of the positive aspects of his game. It leaves the Heat at a disadvantage on offense as they basically play four on five with Joel's defender usually ignoring him to double-team a more capable offensive player.
It also leaves the team at a disadvantage when they have him play against the bigger power forwards or centers of the league. However, when Zydrunas Ilgauskas decided to do some carpentry and injure his foot, it left the Heat in dire straits for a big man. Surprisingly, coach Erik Spoelstra elected to take Jamaal Magloire out of a suit and into a uniform for some rare minutes. Even more surprising was the fact that Magloire was not only useful, but really effective.
He pushed Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol around in an attempt to keep some of the best rebounders in the league off the boards and he followed that up by forcing Tim Duncan out of the paint and out of his comfort zone. Duncan saw most of his makes in the paint come early in the game over Erick Dampier, but saw little to no room to work when the Heat pitted Magloire against him. Jamaal's size proved to be too much and Timmy became an afterthought in the second half.
With Ilgauskas set to return soon, it would be extremely disappointing to see Magloire ride the pine again after two effective games. It would only be more disappointing to see more Anthony instead who hasn't played more than 19 minutes in the Heat's past three wins and has only disrupted the flow of the offense rather than replenish it.
LeBron James Playing Off the Ball
4 of 10
The last thing this Miami Heat squad wants to become is the Cleveland Cavaliers.
What we mean by that is we shouldn't be seeing LeBron James dominate the ball whilst four players sit around and either wait for James to miss/make the shot or be generous enough to give up the ball. LeBron was brought to Miami so he could avoid that, yet there have been so many times this season where all we see is James pounding the ball looking for an answer.
The Heat want to integrate LeBron James no longer as an individual, but as a teammate in a system that he hasn't gotten the hang of yet.
Over the three-game win streak, the Heat have elected to allow Dwyane Wade to control the ball and create his own offense or to simply pass the ball around until the best possible shot can be found. LeBron commanding and demanding the ball to thrive on offense should become a thing of the past on his new team.
Instead, Miami needs to continue to force the issue of James learning to play off the ball. He has sometimes not been in the right places, but a player with a high enough basketball IQ like James should catch on easily with the task of learning to thrive off of his teammates rather than himself.
Once he and the rest of this Heat team learn to play together as a whole, it's going to be very difficult for them to be stopped.
LeBron and Dwyane Wade Learning to Play with Each Other
5 of 10
Having LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the same team might have been the most lethal duo a team has ever had the good fortune of having in the same starting lineup.
What could possibly go wrong with two of the league's best slashers and finishers, as well as a few of the league's best players at drawing and selling fouls when driving?
As the Heat have experienced even this late into the season, having James and Wade be on the same court at the same time may sometimes be more trouble than it's worth.
Of course, they are basically unstoppable when on a fast break and most times would rather just give a foul before allowing a nearly-guaranteed two points to Wade, James or the lucky contestant that was on the run with them. The problem with Wade and James playing together has been their overall lack of cohesion being formed in the half-court offensive system.
It hasn't been until recently that we have seen some sort of progress between the two in the form of cutting and moving without the ball.
Rather than allowing each player to take their team in facilitating the offense and controlling the tempo, the Heat are attempting to stress each player thriving off of each other and moving without the ball to get the easier score. It's not the simplest of processes either for two slashers that played the same style of basketball for seven years to suddenly change their game, but it will need to be a necessity if this team wants the experiment to be a success and the Larry O'Brien Trophy in their house.
Chris Bosh Playing Aggressive
6 of 10
Chris Bosh deserves a medal or some type of recognition for the way he has reacted to the constant criticism he has received this season.
He and coach Erik Spoelstra have basically been blamed for every problem within the organization as critics cited Bosh's inability to be the aggressor and refraining from taking 20-foot jumpers every time he received a pass. His hesitation on each shot or his pump fakes that usually result in harder shots made Miami wonder what happened to the Bosh from Toronto.
Following a nine-point loss to Portland where Bosh only had seven points, they finally got what they asked for when he called out his teammates and the coaching staff, saying that he needs to get the ball in the low post where a big man can thrive.
Over the next three games, Bosh has averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds, nearly the same numbers he was averaging last season with Toronto. In case you didn't notice either, the Heat won all three games that Bosh played well in.
Coincidence? I think not.
This is all a direct result of Bosh playing off the disrespect he has received this season and taking it out on the floor by driving strong to the rim and forcing defenders to foul him. Even his rebounding output has increased with three consecutive games of nine rebounds or more against some of the best rebounders in the league in Pau Gasol, Zach Randolph and Tim Duncan.
Chris's new-found love of driving and forcing defenders to be quick on their feet has led the Heat to a few victories and will have the same effect come playoff time.
Production at the Point
7 of 10
Coming into the season, we imagined that Mario Chalmers might just become the next Rajon Rondo thanks in part to his new All-Star teammates, much like how Rondo became one of the league's top point guards when he became surrounded by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
When the season started, however, we only saw the same Chalmers, as well as the same Carlos Arroyo with Eddie House being the only reliable scoring option from the 1 spot.
Miami has already made a few starting lineup changes to the point guard position with Arroyo taking over for Chalmers midway through the season, starting Chalmers again, cutting Arroyo and then finally signing former Atlanta Hawks point guard Mike Bibby.
One of the league's top three-point threats, Bibby was brought in to give the Heat some veteran leadership in the starting lineup while also adding some versatility to an offense that really needed it. He was the true point guard that the team was hoping for and they basically got him discounted, much like everyone else on the team.
Turns out that signing Bibby was the best thing to ever happen to this team as far as getting production from the point goes. It has seemed to light a fire under Mario, who has been playing some of the best basketball of his career since Mike arrived here and began to threaten his starting point guard job. Mario has hit a three-pointer in 10 consecutive games and has hit at least two in seven of those. He has also refrained from making the boneheaded fouls and turnovers that warranted the Heat spending money to acquire Bibby.
As for Mike Bibby, he has been productive off the bench with a 17-point outburst against the Memphis Grizzlies being his defining moment with the team so far. He hit all five of his three-pointers that game and has been relatively consistent with his new team so far from beyond the arc. He has also been playing like a true point guard who can actually find players for open shots rather than having James or Wade handle the responsibility.
Stronger Mindset
8 of 10
No team of millionaires is going to cry and just get away with it.
Coach Erik Spoelstra made the wrong decision by going public and claiming that a few unnamed players were crying after one of their blown losses. Spoelstra was aiming to show the media that the Heat do care about winning games and aren't too fond of this losing business, but all he got was more analysts and critics clamoring for more haterade as they quenched their thirst on the Heat's internal and external struggles.
On the court, each player played on the team with so little aggression that it was easy to see opposing teams push the Heat around at times.
With Jamaal Magloire inactive and Udonis Haslem injured, the Heat lacked any threatening players willing to take a shot for the team or that weren't afraid to push the opposition around. When Kevin Garnett knocked Mike Miller to the ground on a dirty screen, it was Dwyane Wade that had to retaliate by pushing Garnett and earned a flagrant foul in the process.
With the team being more aggressive on offense and defense, we see the team with a different kind of swagger that no one has seen yet this year. It couldn't have come at a better time either with the postseason in clear view. The best teams of the league all have a certain toughness that labels them as elite teams because they don't allow other teams to push them around on offense, defense or even mentally.
They'll need it when Kevin Garnett pulls off his usual antics. The toughest matchup for the Heat this postseason will be the mental game they play with the opposition.
Dwyane Committing to Both Sides of the Court
9 of 10
The five-game losing streak exhibited that there was still a large amount of flaws within the mechanics of the team.
Whether it was the offense not being able to consistently score points or the defense not closing out on defenders or staying close by their matchups, the Heat blew a number of double-digit leads in four of the five games that they lost over their streak, with both sides of the ball being put into question. One of the key components of the team has been Dwyane Wade's ability to score or make a stop to help the team steal a victory.
In most of those games, however, Wade became an afterthought with LeBron James dominating the ball and dictating the offense. He would sometimes become a liability on the defensive end as well, with his help defense leaving his main matchup open. In their loss to the Chicago Bulls, Wade double-teamed Derrick Rose in a tied game, which freed up Luol Deng for the game-winning three-pointer. Dwyane looked immortal on the defensive end until one anticipated night against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Wade had previously held Kobe Bryant to 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting in the Heat's 96-80 win at the Staples Center. He played some of his hardest defense of the year as he forced Kobe into difficult shot after difficult shot, keeping him out of the game aside from a few makes late in the fourth.
Wade took to the challenge once again in their recent 94-88 win and kept Bryant to 24 points on 8-of-21 shooting. Dwyane made two key defensive stops on Kobe that would lead to a 6-0 Heat run to end the game.
On offense, he's slashing and driving more than ever now that he has begun to form some sort of chemistry with his new teammates. By also learning how to play with LeBron James, Wade is becoming a more complete player by learning how to thrive off of his teammates rather than himself, which he had to do in the two seasons before Bosh and James' arrival.
The Looming Postseason
10 of 10
Less than three quarters of the season have been completed and it's time for teams to begin worrying about their seeding or making the postseason at all.
The Miami Heat have just about secured at least third place as well as their first Southeast Division title since the 2006-07 season now that they have gone through the brunt of their schedule and have a 4.5-game lead over Orlando. It was only a few weeks ago when the Heat had the No. 1 seed within grasp only to see it fade away with their losing streak.
Chicago and Boston took advantage and overtook Miami at the top of the conference with the Heat now at 2.5 games behind Chicago for No. 1.
A No. 3 seed seems highly likely unless Miami can continue this hot streak as well as get some help from Chicago and Boston losing a few games, but so far it appears that a date with either the New York Knicks or one of the hottest teams in the NBA in the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami split four games with the Knicks and have beaten the Sixers twice in two meetings. They play Philly at home on Mar. 25.
As much as LeBron has been criticized this season for past postseasons with the Cavaliers, you have to imagine that he'd turn it on for the postseason with a new team and make a statement to his critics.
With one of the most clutch players in the NBA in Dwyane Wade playing alongside him and Chris Bosh possibly being the X-factor of this team, LeBron will have a different outlook on the game and will attempt to win this championship at all costs.
The king needs his crown.
