5/24/11: Heat Move Up 3-1 With 101-93 OT Victory

Looks like we’re in for a rematch of the ’06 finals.  The Heat have moved ahead of the Bulls 3-1, a lead that all but assures them a trip to the NBA’s finale.  LeBron James led Miami to their third straight victory with 35 points, and when he wasn’t busy filling it up he got all the help he needed from… Mike Miller? 

That’s correct: Mike f@ckin’ Miller showed up in a meaningful game for the first time all season.  With 1:55 remaining in the third quarter (and the Heat down 63-57), Erik Spoelstra removed D-Wade in favor of Miller, whom it seems hadn’t scored a basket since he was a Memphis Grizzly.  Although Dwyane wasn’t scoring the ball well himself, you certainly could’ve called it a questionable decision.  Having faith in a shooter through a slump is one thing, but Miller hasn’t been able to do anything all damn year.  Eventually, you’ve just got to make the goddamn shot.  Make the goddamn shot is what he was finally able to do… twice… in a row!  He nailed a three and an 18-footer on consecutive possessions, and individual 5-0 run that gave the Heat their first lead since the first half.  He was then taken back out of the game for D-Wade, but the Heat went through a little slump and lost that lead. 

Erik Spoelstra then decided to go with the no-point-guard lineup that I had envisioned when Pat Riley elected to send Michael Beasley to Minnesota for Miller way back in… whenever the hell that trade was made.  Almost immediately upon re-entering the game, Miller knocked down a long two, then drove past a crowding D-Rose for a layup.  Mike had forced the Bulls to respect his jumper at that point, and he made an excellent play that tied the game at 80.  Following about three minutes of various turnovers, scrambles for loose balls, and blocked shot attempts, the game remained tied up (at 85 a piece) with 15 seconds to play. 

Each team had a chance to win this thing in regulation, starting with Miami.  LeBron attempted a backdown on Ronnie Brewer, but dipped his shoulder just a tad and was called for the offensive foul.  I guess it was a good call, but I didn’t really like it… he didn’t really mow Brewer over… there was minimal contact, and I think Brewer flopped.  Anyway, it is what it is.  With about eight seconds to work with, Chicago put the ball in the hands of Derrick Rose–a pretty solid option.  He had LeBron dogging him, though, and he had to shoot a contested jumper off of a crossover from about two feet inside the three-point line.  It wasn’t even close.  I would’ve preferred to see D-Rose attack the paint in that situation.  LeBron’s length and athleticism makes it very difficult for Rose to create space for a half-decent look at a jumper.  LeBron makes it hard for Rose to score one-on-one period.  Maybe he should’ve kicked it out to Luol Deng for the wide-open three.  I have a hard time criticizing anything Rose does in crunch time because he’s been so good, but this was one decision that I didn’t like.  He could’ve created a better opportunity either by driving or by passing. 

A few weeks ago I recall writing something about how it seems that the team that makes the comeback to force an OT seems to be the team that wins the OT.  I guess it makes sense, they’d be the ones with the momentum.  Anyway, this game was another example of my theory, as was Mavs/Thunder game four.  The Bulls failed to score in the first half of the OT, and the bucket that finally broke the ice was a Ronnie Brewer three (of all things).  When Ronnie Brewer is your leading scorer for an OT period, it’s probably safe to say you’re gonna lose the game.  Rose went scoreless on one shot (excluding his heave at the buzzer)…

 

^That was the one shot.  Derrick Rose’s last two shots of this game (once again, excluding the heave)–a close game, a big game–did not hit the rim.  Credit Miami’s defense; they forced each of the misses… it’s not like Rose got open and just choked it or anything.  Said the MVP: “It’s extremely hard when a 6-8 guy can easily defend you.”

His 23 points on 8-27 with 7 TOs are a testament exactly how hard it is, and how good Miami’s D is as a unit; it is what has carried them to the finals (yes, this thing is over).  When this Heat team was assembled, I figured they’d be putting a shit-ton of points on the board, running their oponents to death in transition.  While LeBron and D-Wade do get out on the break a couple times a night, they’ve had to rely on their defense much more than I thought they would because that uptempo offense I envisioned never really became a reality.  I still think Miami is underachieving, to be honest… they could very well win this year’s Championship, but I still don’t feel like they’ve even come close to reaching their full potential.  The offense is too stagnant, and it lacks any real cohesion… it’s just a bunch of individual stuff.  Fortunately, they’ve got three franchise-level players, so that individual stuff can work well enough to take them as far as they’ve gone. 

Mario Chalmers was the Mike Miller of the first half.  With Miami trailing 19-12 at the :55 mark of the first, Chalmers came in and knocked down all three of his shots during a 24-15 run that spanned about 10 minutes of the first half.  He didn’t score (or shoot) in the second half, but I had to give him his props for helping Miami get back within two by halftime. 

Gotta do a little highlight recap for this game…

 

 

Despite the large quantity of highlights, this game was a tad ugly at times.  The Heat’s no-point-guard lineup resulted in Udonis Haslem making an attempt at brining the ball up the floor on one occasion, and there were a combined 34 turnovers.  Actually, ugly isn’t the word I’m looking for here… it was a hard-fought battle.  Both teams were out there busting their asses, diving on the floor for loose balls, digging in at the defensive end… it was a pleasure to watch, so “ugly” doesn’t fit the description.

I was listening to a little sports talk radio yesterday (wasn’t in my car, so don’t blame me for having it on), and some dude was on there rambling about how we’re seeing “a new LeBron James with a never-before-seen hunger for a title,” or something like that.  Do people really believe this sh!t?  Like, do people really think LeBron was some sort of perenial choke-artist in Cleveland, and his close-out performances in game five with the Cs and game two with the Bulls are the first clutch offerings of his life?  Yes, he kinda flamed out in last year’s Boston series, but christ, let’s not forget that the man still averaged 29/9/8 on 50% for that postseason, and he f@cking dismantled the Bulls in the first round.  Let’s also not forget that he dragged a team which featured Larry Hughes as it’s second most potent offensive threat to the finals, and led his team to the top of the NBA’s regular-season standings two seasons in a row.  A hunger-less choke artist doesn’t accomplish any of that sh!t.  The only difference between current LeBron and Cavalier LeBron is that current LeBron plays with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh instead of Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison.  He suddenly has hunger now because he couldn’t beat the Celtics (who were a year younger) with those guys, but he can with a couple other All-NBA talents?  How do these tards get on the radio/TV, and why am I stuck making like five cents a day in advertising revenue?  News flash for dumbies: Cavalier LeBron put 45 f@ckin’ points on the ’08 Cs in game seven of the second round.  He averaged 35 a game in the ’09 postseason.  How is that any less impressive than what he’s done this season?  The dude has been great; However, he didn’t have the mindset necessary to drag a band of bums to a title, and he still doesn’t… that’s why he chose to play for the Miami Heat alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.  A new hunger?  GTFO.  A new team is more like it. 

I guess that little rant just goes back to the thing I was talking about yesterday: I hate how individual career/performance rankings are effected so insanely by how much a guy wins… because how much a guy wins depends so much on who a guy is fortunate enough to play with.  Winning is the whole point of the game, but sh!t, I was more impressed by this…

…then anything LBJ has done in these playoffs… chip or no chip.  LeBron does not have some sort of new-found hunger or clutchness; he’s the same ol’ dude with the same amount of hunger.  He’s stepped up before, he’ll step up again, but he never had (and does not suddenly have) the hunger it took to be the guy who led a franchise like the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA title.  He does, however, have a hunger to be a member of what I’m sure he hopes will go down as the greatest NBA team of all-time.

LeBron will never become the greatest player ever winning titles down in Miami (and he knew that when he left Clevland; that clearly isn’t what drives him). I don’t care how many rings this Heat team wins… it’s not like what Jordan did when he led a team that had never won a Championship to six titles, and it still won’t be like that if he wins seven or eight of ‘em.  So, if you thought LeBron was a hunger-less bum before these playoffs, well, I’d call you a ‘tard, but your opinion should remain the same (he has, and always has had hunger, just not to be the GOAT… which disappoints many, including myself, because he has all the tools).  So, stop flip-flopping on players every time their situation changes; giving too much credit to the guy on the great team, and no credit to the guy who plays for some trainwreck of an organization makes you look like a tool… or gets you a job on the radio.

That is all.

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