NBA Finals 2011: 10 Ways for Miami Heat to Make Sure They Don't Breakdown Again
The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks are squared away at one game a piece as the series now heads to Dallas for three consecutive games.
The Mavericks have now taken hold of momentum in the series. After being out-played through the first seven and a half quarters of basketball in the series, this resilient Mavericks ball club continued to chip-away at the Heat late.
After going up 88-73 with 7:14 remaining in the ball game, it would all go downward from there for the Heat. The Mavericks continued to get good looks offensively, while forcing the Heat into tough, three-point shots on the defensive end.
With the next three games in Dallas, the Heat now more than ever have to make adjustments and close out basketball games the way they have been accustomed to throughout these 2011 NBA Playoffs.
Here are the 10 areas the Miami Heat need to focus on in order to avoid late-game breakdowns and finish off the Dallas Mavericks down the stretch.
10. Use Chris Bosh to His Potential
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Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh as been as absent both offensively and defensively as a player of his caliber could possibly be in the 2011 NBA Finals.
In both games against the Dallas Mavericks, Bosh has shot the ball a mere 26.5 percent while averaging just 15.5 points a contest. As a result, the high-powered scoring offense of the Heat is yet to score 100 points in a game this series.
Getting Bosh more touches in the post and giving him more room to operate on offense in the second-half of basketball games helps get points in the paint and free-up shooters like Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, or LeBron James on the wings.
9. Give Dwyane Wade the Rock
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As stated by Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra time and time again, as well as after the Game 2 loss, the Heat team has a late-game offense they run. The truth is that offense needs to involve both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
For the most part, in the fourth quarter of basketball games the Heat tend to run the offense through James regardless of who has performed better throughout the course of the game. In the Game 2 loss, the Heat continued to try and find shots through James instead of going through Wade too, who had played the best basketball of any player on the court for three and a half quarters.
Wade scored 36 points in Game 2, and would shoot just three shots in the last seven minutes of play, including a heave at the end of the game from 28 feet out. The three shots were all three-point attempts at least 24-feet from the basket.
Besides a necessary change in the coaching strategy offensively, Wade must also demand the basketball and take responsibility for not doing so. He has been on this stage before and gotten it done, and did anything but take charge in Game 2.
8. Sustained Bench Production
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In this 2011 NBA Finals matchup, it has become evident that production off the bench is arguably the biggest key to finishing out ball games.
In Game 1, the Dallas Mavericks bench was outplayed by that of the Miami Heat, which in turn led to a Heat win. In Game 2 the tables were turned, as the Mavs would out-score the Heat bench 23-11.
Players like Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, and Mike Miller must make the most of their playing time and produce effectively. If these three players can put up strong numbers and take on a chunk of the scoring load, the Heat and the Big Three will have an easier time closing out basketball games against this resilient Mavericks team.
7. Bring "the Heat” on Defense in the Fourth Quarter
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Two games into the series and the Miami Heat have yet to play that tough, play-making defense they have been known for all season long.
In both games against the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat have allowed 23 and 24 points respectively in the fourth quarter of play. For a team that was consistently ranked as a top 10 defensive team, allowing that many points in the fourth quarter is both uncharacteristic, and it has allowed the Mavericks to make late runs.
Closing out games this postseason has come easy to this Heat team, yet in the NBA Finals the effort has not been there. Despite overcoming the poor late-game defense in Game 1, the Heat had to then compensate with a 27-point quarter offensively.
6. Contain Jason Terry, J.J. Barea, and Jason Kidd
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Watching these Mavericks this postseason, as well as in this series against the Heat, it has been evident that the play of the back court has ultimately determined the play of the offense for the team.
Players like Jason Terry, J.J. Barea and Jason Kidd not only open the game up with scoring, but are also able to effectively split a defense and find knock-down shooters on the outside. When the Mavericks have made runs against this Heat team, the shot selection has revolved around the ability of the team’s guards to split the lane and kick the ball back out to the perimeter.
Forcing the guards to work on the perimeter will allow for more contested looks, which in turn favors the Miami Heat down the stretch of basketball games.
5. Rebound the Basketball Better
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Like bench production, another important factor in the 2011 NBA Finals, as well as in any series, has been the significance of rebounding the basketball.
In the Game 1 win for the Heat, Chris Bosh and LeBron James each recorded nine rebounds, Udonis Haslem grabbed six, Mike Miller picked up five, and Dwyane Wade pulled down a team-high 10. The Heat would out-rebound the Mavericks 46-36, while managing to grab a whopping 16 offensive rebounds in the process.
Offensively, giving the Miami Heat second chance opportunities hurts the Mavericks chances dramatically. The talent that this team possesses on offense is arguably the best of any in the NBA, as getting second chance opportunities and clearing the glass on defense will prove essential for this Heat team in closing out games.
4. Put LeBron James on Dirk Nowitzki
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Udonis Haslem has arguably put up as strong a defensive effort as any player has this postseason against Dirk Nowitzki, yet it just hasn’t been enough to get the job done.
Nowitzki has had more difficulty getting to his spot on the block, but has had more room to find his jump-shot on the outside.
Like LeBron James had done in the Bulls series late in games against Derrick Rose, James needs to play defense against Nowitzki. Putting a body on him on the perimeter, as well as adding speed to the equation defensively, it will be key for Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to make the adjustment in the fourth quarter.
3. Use Offensive Talent to Their Advantage
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LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have made teams pay time and time again offensively. The two superstars are two of the best in the game at attacking the rim, and making the art of the dunk look easy in the half-court set, as well as in transition.
Through two games the Heat have been arguably as good as it gets attacking the basket but lack the ability to do so late in games. In Game 2 more so than Game 1, James and Wade settled for tough shots and did not attack the rim at the same rate they normally would.
When these two monster athletes and talents make moves to the rim, teams are forced to over-commit and draw extra defenders in the process. As a result, there are more opportunities created on the perimeter for shooters and more trips to the foul line.
Getting to the rim was something the Heat did not look to do in the Game 2 loss.
2. Take Smarter Shots
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Much like the previous point made, the Heat looked like a team intimidated by the Dallas Mavericks defense in the fourth quarter.
Make no mistake, these Mavs brought together a much improved defensive effort in the last seven minutes, but it was no defense these Heat have not seen before. As much as the Mavericks stepped up their play, the Heat shot themselves out of the game.
All three of Dwyane Wade’s shots were three-point attempts at least 24-feet from the basket. The Heat shot 30 three-pointers in the game, hitting just nine of them.
Thirty? Really?
For a team that doesn’t win games on their three-ball, shooting 30 from beyond the arch is far from the answer. The Heat as a team shot 1-of-10 in the final seven minutes when the Mavericks put together a 22-5 run.
Shot selection will be key from here on out, as taking contested, tough three-point looks cannot continue to be a habit for the Heat in the fourth quarter.
Keep the Foot on the Gas
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It all started with the Dwyane Wade and the follow-through hand-motion in front of the Dallas Mavericks bench, and then was amplified by several punches to Wade’s chest and pump-up talk from LeBron James walking back to their respective bench. The three-point shot put the Heat up 88-73 with 7:14 left, as the team would soon find themselves losing Game 2, 95-93.
Show-boating is an element that a championship in the NBA does not and cannot posses. Mocking the Mavericks in front of their bench only fueled the fire that sparked a 22-5 run to close out the ball game.
The Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan, the Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe Bryant, the San Antonio Spurs led by Tim Duncan, are all championship teams that got it done multiple times on this grand stage we know as the NBA Finals. What do all three players have in common? They let their play do the talking in route to winning an NBA championship.
King James, unlike his counterpart Wade who has been there and done it before, has a thing or two to learn about closing out games, as he seems to forget the magnitude of what is an NBA Finals series.
There is a difference between winning a regular season game and holding a fifteen-point lead with over seven minutes remaining against a veteran, hungry ball club like the Mavericks.
