The crossroads.
It was a year ago that the Heat were in this same position. Up 2-1 after coming through late in game 3, things were on the up and up. The press and the fans were singing the Heat’s praises, it was …. the beginning of a major collapse that saw the Heat lose the next 3 games and succumb the trophy to the veteran Dallas Mavericks.
Here is a recap of the end of Game 3 of the 2011 Finals via Wikipedia:
“The Heat led most of the game but the Mavericks fought back from a 14 point deficit. With 39.6 seconds left in the 4th, LeBron James found Chris Bosh for a 20-foot baseline jumper; Dirk Nowitzki had a chance to force OT, but missed a well-defended fadeaway jumper at the buzzer as the Heat handed Dallas another defeat to go up 2–1 in the series. It was Miami’s 6th win in its last 7 NBA Finals games (all against the Mavericks), 4 by 3 points or less.”
Now fast-forward to today:
“The Heat defeated the Thunder in Game 3, 91–85. Miami had a slim 47–46 halftime lead before Oklahoma City began the third quarter with a 10–4 run, eventually building a 10-point lead midway through the period. However, Miami scored the last seven points in the third quarter to regain the lead at 69–67. With 7:36 remaining in the game, the Thunder came back to retake the lead at 77–76, but the Heat then scored eight unanswered points to build an 84–77 advantage with 3:47 left. A 6–0 run by Oklahoma City pulled them within one point of Miami with 90 seconds left, but the Thunder could not score again for the rest of the game while the Heat made five insurance free throws.”
This is a crossroads of sort, for the Heat, for James, for Durant, Wade, Westbrook, Spo, Riley… for damn near everybody, really.
Last year the Heat folded quietly as the veteran Mavs outwitted Miami with inside defense, smart passing and clutch shooting to lift the O’Brien trophy in celebration and future HOFer Dirk Nowitzki finally getting the opportunity to break on through… to the…ahem… other side (the winning side, I suppose).
This year, Game 3 was also an up-and-down affair. Miami has been outplaying the Thunder for the most part, except for a series of OKC flurries in the second-half that saw the Thunder win Game 1 and come close in Game 2 and that pattern continued again. Both the Heat and Thunder defense were going full throttle after the Heat pushed it’s way to a good lead at the early onset of the game.
The second-half was worrisome for Heat fans as the Heat tired and stopped moving the ball at times… again. But Wade, James and Bosh contributed significantly on offense and rebounding late to push the Heat to a win while Westbrook, Harden and Durant fell short. Free-throws had a lot to do with it as things were so desolate that points were at a premium.
The Heat had enough mojo to win late as the Thunder let it slip away, it was far from perfection but it got the job done.
“You have to have resourcefulness, and it’s not always going to go according to plan,” coach Spoelstra said after the game had finished. “This playoff run that we’ve been on, we’ve been knocked down to the canvas several times. … If that means 30 percent [shooting] in the second half but rebounding the basketball, getting some timely scores, we’ll take it. We know this is going to be a grind.”
Yes, it’s a crossroads, so…you won’t…be lonely.
Ok, sorry for the musical references.
So, yes it’s a masterpiece body of work so far for LeBron this post-season, Wade has been putting up solid #2 numbers and Bosh is killing it in the paint with the Heat role-players playing well enough… but the Heat are only halfway there and to enjoy this feeling is to relax and to relax is to let your guard down as your opponent is getting ready to give the Heat one last desperate series of attacks many would call.. a full “super-meter combo for that ass”.
So in the spirit of passion I will continue my douchebag coaching and ramble on, unfiltered: “keep the ball-movement going! keep the shooters involved! stop ISO-ing Wade against Sefelosha (Sef is too long for Wade) with back-to-the-basket spots! keep Bosh involved!…oh, and LeBron must keep attacking when most needed!… as he is doing. Finally, continue putting the pressure on Westbrook and Durant don’t let them get comfortable!!!”
Harden and the Thunder role-players are not enough offense for the Thunder to come out on top so keeping the pressure on KD and WSTBRK is essential.
YAAAAAGGGHHH!!!!
Okay… I can’t relax yet, either… I can’t go soft yet… 2… more… games… then, I can retire …
(And I’m gonna miss everybody and I’m gonna miss everybody
And I’m gonna miss everybody and I’m gonna miss everybody
And I’m gonna miss everybody and I’m gonna miss everybody
And I’m gonna miss everybody and I’m gonna miss everybody
And I’m gonna miss everybody and I’m gonna miss everybody
And I’m gonna miss everybody and I’m gonna miss everybody
Livin’ in a hateful world,
sending me (straight to heaven)
that’s how we roll
Livin’ in a hateful world,
sending me (straight to heaven)
that’s how we roll
Livin’ in a hateful world,
sending me (straight to heaven)
that’s how we roll
And I ask the good lord why,
he sigh, he told me we live to die
Whats up wit dat murder yall?)
(lyrics: “Crossroads” by Bone Thugs N Harmony.)
The Heat, and James in particular, have been living in a hateful bball world.
2 more wins will ease the pain of being the heel of a bball nation because of James and Bosh’s free-agency “decision” and it will shove a giant bird into the face of the haters (who will find something else to hate because haters gonna hate)…
“We think of that pain that we experienced last year. It hurts a lot worse when you’re not successful as opposed to, I guess, your lungs burning and your muscles burning from giving that extra effort. We carry that pain with us. We think about it every day, and that really helps us to succeed in this series.”, Bosh revealed after game 3.
The edge cannot be lost, the Heat have not progressed any further than last year. There is no joy in Miami yet.
The… “eye of the tiger“ must remain until the final whistle of the 4th win.
Oops, I did it again, another music reference… wait… I…
