Ball or Nuthin' » Heat

Heat and Hawks Play Mindboggling Basketball

T Lamont — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:52:12 +0000

If you’ve kept your eyes on Southeastern division foes – the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat – you’d be completely baffled…

…like I am right now.

Earlier this week, in Miami’s American Airline Arena, these two teams – both fully loaded with all of their best players in tow – played a tilt that was ultimately decided by a 33-21 fourth quarter advantage in favor of the visiting Hawks. Sparked by the unexpected late-game heroics of Tracy McGrady, Atlanta walked out of South Beach with a 100-92 victory.

Fast forward to TNT’s first game of a Thursday night doubleheader, where the Heat were presented with an opportunity to avenge its only blemish of the young season. With the memory of the stunning loss fresh in their minds, All-Stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would certainly come out to Phillips Arena and make a statement that would validate public opinion that Monday’s outcome was a fluke.

But there was one problem: both James and Wade were relegated to the role of spectators as they sat out with minor ailments.

So, TNT was now left with unevenly matched teams, and a game that Erik Spoelstra’s bunch would be fortunate to keep within double figures.

But no one gave that script to any of the actors in this scene.

What we ended up with was a triple-overtime delight, one in which the visiting team once again came up victorious.

Johnson was only 7-20 from the field against Miami.

Who are the Hawks? A team that can beat the Heat with perhaps the top two players in the league, but lose to them without the studs in the lineup. Since that doesn’t make any sense whatsoever, we are left to dig for more answers with Atlanta.

The Hawks allowed the visitors to establish a double-digit lead mid-way through the third quarter, before appearing to wake up and take control of the tempo. Although Atlanta had worked it ways back from borderline embarrassment, the Hawks missed free throws, took bad shots, played uninspired defense, and just plain got tired.

In the overtime sessions, Atlanta rarely played its sparkplugs – McGrady and Ivan Johnson – both of whom put the Hawks in the drivers seat to win the game at the close of regulation. Atlanta has become too favorable to playing its starters, even when their performance dictates otherwise.

It was an amazing win for the Heat, who predictably depended heavily on Chris Bosh (33 points, 14 boards, 5 assists) and Mario Chalmers (29 points, 7 boards, 8 assists). The most impressive part of the win was the fact that Miami didn’t come into the game conceding defeat, and their belief catapulted them to a tough, hard-fought win.

There’s lots of basketball game left this season…and tonight’s game was an example of why each and every one of them need to be played.

Nash? Crawford??…C’mon LeBron

T Lamont — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:54:49 +0000

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Enough already…

I’ve defended LeBron James’ by reminding people that the Cleveland front office management didn’t do anything to assist The King in achieving his stated goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland.

I’ve defended LeBron James’ tendency to not take over games offensively by acknowledging that his natural abilities encourage him to be a playmaker – and not necessarily a brute scorer.

I’ve defended LeBron James’ by saying that he doesn’t owe explanations of his infmaous ‘decision’ to anyone.

But, after this week’s news of James’ tweet, I am quickly running out of motivation to defend the former two-time league MVP.

Here’s what showed up on Mr. James’ Twitter account a few days ago:

Would love to see @JCrossover in a Heat uni! What u guys say?

But oh no…he wasn’t done. He followed up with another tweet:

Maybe @SteveNash in a Heat uni! So we can help each other get our 1st ring

Surprise! LeBron is petitioning for more help in South Beach.

Now, this alone is not a criminal act. But from a player who tried to align himself with two perennial All-Stars in an attempt to hasten his hopes of attaining a title, it is indeed convicting. Getting to the NBA Finals is no small feat. Miami had to dispose of the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics, as well as the conference’s top seeded Chicago Bulls. But the fact that James conspired to team up with Wade and Bosh, and now is hinting at hand-selecting more players is simply outrageous.

Aside from that, as someone who isn’t a consistent tweeter, I was taken back when I came across LeBron’s page. Many would not classify the Akron native as humble, yet I chuckled to myself when I saw the wallpaper on his page. Granted, I’m sure that James probably has some philosophical manner in which he can explain the background containing dozens of fans sporting his new Heat digs, but it still screams one thing…

…just a hint of narcissism, perhaps?

Apparently, LeBron has a little too much ego to recognize when to stop giving the critics the fuel to power the locomotive that continues to steamroll right over top of him.

But, if he doesn’t figure out how to tame his social networking jabs, he’s also going to lose those who stayed with him in the midst of his disintegrating public image.

So c’mon LeBron…enough is enough…

Mavs Stun Everyone, Win NBA Title

T Lamont — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:50:58 +0000

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That goes to show how much I know. Mark Cuban was absolutely correct with his emotional prediction.

The Dallas Mavericks are your 2011 NBA Champions, ladies and gentlemen. And just like that, the celebration begins as the mischievous plot of the NBA’s NWO (that would be the Miami Heat) is foiled.

After my analysis of Game 1, in no way could I have fathomed that I’d be dissecting how the Heat lost this series five games later.

How did Dallas do it? Here are some of the keys to their first victorious championship series:

Game 2 gave them confidence. Dallas had just lost Game 1, and it seemed that they would not have the horsepower to take down the super talented Miami Heat. Dirk led all scorers in the series opener, but his efforts alone were not going to be enough. And in that first game, Jason Terry and J.J. Barea didn’t show up at all. Couple that with the fact that the Mavs looked to have its fate sealed in the second game, and Dallas’ chances weren’t looking good. But Dallas continued a trend that they had begun against Los Angeles and Oklahoma City – they orchestrated one of the most memorable late game comebacks in route to stealing Game 2 in American Airlines Arena. This confirmed that this was going to be a hard fought battle, and not a showcase for the Big Three.

Chris Bosh was hardly a disappointment for the Heat.

LeBron James displayed his magic. LeBron’s size and skill has earned him comparisons to Earvin “Magic” Johnson, but that ‘magic’ always came up big in the game’s most clutch situations. James, who had spectacular late game heroics in their last two series, found a way to disappear almost each and every game in the critical moments. He’s been the best player in the regular season over the last three years, but he wasn’t even the second-best player on his team in this series (Wade, Bosh – check his efficiency and consistency).

Dirk inspired his teammates. Nowitzki did what he has continued to do for years. The seven-footer has turned awkward shot-making into a science. This unique ability has made him virtually unguardable throughout the years, but, like all of the sport’s best players, his dream could only be accomplished by harnessing the talents of his fellow roster mates. Nowitzki’s Game 1 performance spoke loud and clear to the Heat that he was going to give it all that he had. In the upcoming games, you could see other members of his team slowly getting their games together and becoming contributors. It was as if the shock of being in the spotlight had finally worn off. But it was Dirk’s example that jump-started the Mavericks’ ability to seize the moment.

Dallas gave up very few easy baskets. The Maverick defense set a standard that other teams seemed to shy away from against the Heat. Rick Carlisle instructed his team to keep Miami from making posters, and put them on the line, if necessary. It was a philosophy that ultimately paid off in the series ending game, with the Heat shooting a horrendous 20-33 from the charity stripe.

Cuban is, perhaps, his team's biggest fan.

Mark Cuban stayed the course. Years ago, Cuban seemed to be a very annoying, spoiled millionaire. Pushy, loud, outspoken – all adjectives to describe one of David Stern’s biggest pests. But over time, I think we’ve come to see a different Cuban – one who has an unyielding passion to have a successful team and to bring a championship to his city. He’s clearly one of the biggest ‘owner-fans’ in the league, and there’s a certain bit of charm to his continuous presence at Maverick games. In the summer of 2004, Cuban allowed Steve Nash to leave Dallas. And after he immediately won back-to-back MVP, it appeared that Nash’s individual success proved that the Dallas owner had made an errant decision. But Nash could never get the Suns over the hump into the Finals, and now Nowitzki has just dusted off his second Finals appearance with a series victory. Kudos to Cuban for sticking to his guns and making it work.

LeBron is Looking Like…Scottie Pippen

T Lamont — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:03:35 +0000

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As the Dallas Mavericks have managed to come out of top in two of the last three games – notwithstanding a last-second miss by Dirk Nowitzki that accounted for the one loss – there have been some very interesting developments in these NBA Finals.

We knew that the Mavs would rely heavily on Nowitzki if they were to stand a chance at becoming this year’s champions. And true to that assumption, Dirk has proven that Dallas would be incapable of winning any game without his fourth quarter heroics. Last night, the Diggler only scored 21 points, but 10 of them came in the game’s final nine minutes of regulation.

The home team had some welcomed contributions from Shawn Marion (7-12 FG, 16 points), Tyson Chandler (13 pts, 16 reb), Jason Terry (17 pts) and DeShawn Stevenson (3 3FGM). Adding them to the German’s point total doesn’t yield a high number, but it got the job done in a game that was a defensive dogfight (as has been the rest of the series to date).

Perhaps the most significant statistic revolves around the fourth quarter success of Rick Carlisle’s team. For a team that looks so scrappy and bound by its own limitations for three quarters, they seem to become the opposite during the stretch run of each game. The Mavericks have outscored the Heat in each of the past three contests, winning two games that Miami appeared to have on ice.

Everyone is looking for answers from James.

What’s going wrong for the Heat?

Apparently, Miami is not going to entertain the notion of running some innovative, creative offensive sets to close the game. With points being tough to come by, teams need ball and player movement to overcome intense defensive pressure. But we haven’t seen this from the Heat, and we shouldn’t expect to.

Miami’s defensive intensity has been consistent – for three quarters. It seems as if Dallas has been able to elevate its play to end the game, in a way that appears to be impervious to the Heat’s athletic defenders. Or maybe Carlisle actual designs a manner in which his players can overcome Miami’s defense. Imagine that.

Dwyane Wade is obviously pressing the make things happen. Don’t get me wrong, he’s been brilliant – and his effort last night has given him a slight cushion above Nowitzki as the leading scorer in the Finals. Wade has been bringing it offensively and defensively…all game long.

Chris Bosh has been, well, Chris Bosh. He doesn’t play with strength or toughness, but he has managed to be aggressive enough to be the third-leading scorer in the series…only trailing Wade and Nowitzki.

But hold up…isn’t there somebody missing?

Yes, there is. And he’s been missing for the last three games.

While D-Wade and Bosh have not shied away from their normal levels of offensive activity, LeBron James has. His reluctance to take over should worry the Heat, simply because they rely on the productivity of their Big Three to carry them. Bosh is a whole different story. By nature of his position and demeanor, there’s only so much that Bosh can do late in contests – thus leaving Wade and James with the burden of creating opportunities for themselves of others. But nobody is disappointed with Bosh’s effort. And the tremendous effort that Wade has put forth cannot be overstated.

So, in the midst of all of this…where’s the artist formerly known as King James?

He’s defending his penchant for not being aggressive when his team clearly needs him to. Is he really bragging about his defense on the barely 6-foot tall Jason Terry and the partially-skilled Shawn Marion?

What LeBron doesn’t understand is that nobody is dictating that James be a selfish, arrogant black hole when he gets the rock. One of the attributes that makes LeBron the player that he is is his ability to make players better. He’s proven that he is one of the best at using his physical advantages to make other players on his team productive.

But he has to be aggressive to do that. Using a cop out excuse like “D-Wade had it going” is just not going to cut it. In the final quarter in each of the last three games, Wade clearly needed help and there’s no way that James was naive enough not to realize that.

And as for his rant about being a two-way player – - at this stage of the season, everybody is a two-way player. Or at least, everybody on the court is giving their maximum effort on both ends of the court. Of course, some players have more ability than others in certain aspects of the game. But, nevertheless, a player with weak defensive skills is going to try his best to cover them up, and vice versa.

It’s almost unbearable to watch. A two-time MVP in the prime of his career is deferring to another player, albeit a great one. But, he’s still deferring, and showing no signs of being ashamed about it.

It’s a travesty. It’s not how we wanted the ’Chosen One’ to win a title. Or to lose a title, for that matter.

How ironic is it that Scottie Pippen made news with his remarks comparing James to the legendary Michael Jordan? Just a week later, LeBron is turning us all into believers that his game is reminiscent of one of the Top 50 players of all-time.

It just so happens that it’s not the one that we thought it would be.

Spoelstra, Heat Blow Game 2

T Lamont — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:23:53 +0000

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What can be said about the Dallas Mavericks?

After erasing a 15-point lead with six minutes to go in regulation, last night’s come-from-behind victory was nothing short of epic.

There were lots of heroes. Dirk Nowitzki did his thing late in the game. Jason Terry showed up, giving that Mavs the spark that they needed to complete its game-ending 23-5 run. ‘The Matrix’ put in work with 20 points, 8 boards and plenty of hard work on the defensive side of the court. Even Deshawn Stevenson canned a few early long bombs to get Dallas out of the starting gate.

There were lots of goats. LeBron James dribbled the ball way too much in the fourth quarter. As hot as Dwyane Wade was – and he was scorching – he couldn’t muster anything to put Dallas’ momentum to a halt. Joel Anthony, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem combined to score a measly two points. And Chris Bosh basically took the night off (as illustrated by his ‘effort’ to guard Dirk in the closing seconds of the game).

With all that said, the game ball for Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals goes to Erik Spoelstra.

In the midst of the Dallas turnaround, I counted five possessions that Miami ran absolutely no offense. LeBron James was simply given the ball, with the assumption that he was going to run down the shot clock and settle for a low-percentage field goal attempt.

Without question, the best way for any team to maintain a lead is through continuing to run and properly executing its offense. Surely, the opposition will increase its intensity at both ends of the floor – specifically getting more aggressive during its offensive possessions. But it was quite clear to observe that the Heat were in ‘run-out-the-clock’ mode, which was absolutely absurd given the fact that the Mavs began their run with more than six minutes remaining.

Spoelstra allowed his players to lose control of a game in which they had a 15-point, fourth quarter lead.

Spoelstra gets the game ball for not being able to command that his troops continue to execute. Minutes before the Dallas run, Miami showed us something that we had rarely seen. LeBron James ran off of a baseline screen – that’s right, James was actually playing off the ball for something other than an alley-oop. He used the screen and had a straight angle to the rim, which he took (and came up short on his layup try). While that doesn’t signify an in-depth analysis on how to stunt Dallas’ run, it’s an example of a play that could have enabled the Heat to hold on enough to emerge as the victors.

It’s understood that the players ultimately determine the outcome of games, but those players have a leader. Spoelstra is the head coach, and he needs to be that leader in these types of situations. Given the swinging momentum at hand, it was his job to command the attention of his players – superstars and role players, alike – and make them realize the importance of running designed formations.

Instead, the Mavericks came up big and have to feel vindicated. They’ve been no strangers to comebacks, as they’ve been able to pull them off against Portland, Los Angeles and, most notably, Oklahoma City. But the truth is that they were fortunate to get this win, especially after watching a second quarter, nine-point advantage dwindle away in less than three minutes.

Prior to the game’s mid-point, Dallas had built the aforementioned margin by controlling the tempo and holding the ‘Big Three’ under wraps. But within this process, the Mavericks had squandered a number of opportunities that would have pushed their lead up to 15 points or more. Then D-Wade happened. What Wade had can only be described as ‘one of those nights.’ The 2006 Finals MVP went ballistic, scoring 20 points in the next 18 minutes of the game, including 3-pointers at both ends of his surge. It was his final triple – the one with which he held what would have been the game’s signature pose – that seemed to be the dagger in the hearts of the visitors.

But it wasn’t. Thanks to a team with a never say die attitude. Thanks to players who lost their aggression during crunch time.

And thanks to a head coach who, in the last half of the final quarter, didn’t coach.