This is the final post of Miami Heat Blog.

For 3 years I have been trying to give you an unbiased and alternative take from someone that actually plays basketball 2-3 times a week and plays it to keep in shape. Not someone who is brainwashed by whatever the analysts say in the media.

I am a Heat fan and I am very happy to see them win the ship again, the franchise continues to shine in the Pat Riley era.

But it is time for me to move on.

I am surprised to see Miami win it this year, just like I was surprised in 05 and in 11 to see them not win it when those teams struggled much less and looked much more cohesive, yet suffered upset losses in the ECF and Finals respectively.

I am grateful to have been able to cover the Finals loss and it’s vindication this year, I hope it is the start to a beautiful dynasty.

But to be honest, doubting and then being part of “the noise”  is really a grinding task that really starts to feel useless after a while. I mean , really as a fan the best thing you can do is hope for the best and wish your team luck. The whole point of sports is to defy logic and overcome the negatives and work towards the positives.

That is what the Heat taught me this year and that is what I will take from this whole experience.

Spo was not the perfect coach, but he got it done and now he enjoys the fruits of his labor.

LeBron is not the perfect player but he played to his strengths and continued to improve as his team supported him and helped him get to the winners circle.

Sure, Wade is older and less athletic, but he came through when needed and played through various ailments to again earn the title of champion. He showed as much guts as anyone. Will he ever be healthy again? Maybe not. But he put up solid #2 man numbers in a title year.

Bosh was dissed repeatedly until he got hurt and then everyone realized how important he was to the team, his return seemed to energize the team and Bosh at the same time and they went on to defeat the Celtics. Bosh overcame disappointment and adversity to become champion.

Mike Miller looks like he is going to need a full-body transplant over the summer (someone get some German doctors for the guy, please, they did wonders for Kobe) but he ended the season hitting 7(!) threes to keep Miami in cruise-control.

Chalmers is not the prototypical point-guard but he is a great defensive player and deadly shooter with a clutch gene, he shined in the clutch and Miami needed everythng he gave.

Haslem stayed ready and when called upon averaged double-digit rebounds to help Miami win in the post-season.

Battier, Cole, Anthony, Jones… they all had moments to contribute and were rewarded for their professionalism and ability to stay ready for when their time came.

The point is, this team played better than the sum of it’s parts because if logic and stats prevailed, this was not supposed to be the Heat’s year. There was just too much to overcome… but sports defies logic and that’s where players have to check their heart at the scorers table.

Pat Riley describes what I do as “noise”. Spoelstra also refers to this craft as such.

“Everyone outside the Heat organization was an uninvited guest, a conductor of “noise” — a term current coach Erik Spoelstra also uses to characterize the prattle, criticism and pop theories from the media and a skeptical public about this new version of the Heat.”

And damnit, he is right.

As an athlete myself I refuse to continue to be part of this noise.

No longer will I try to apply logic to this game, in the end it is time wasted.

Congratulations, Miami Heat 2012 champions.

I hope everyone can continue to win together in life and ignore the outside noise.

Be good to yourself. Be good to others.

-PZS0012

The Miami Heat Blog

————————————————————————–

Heat 2012 GRADES:

C- B- Could use some more shot blocking and rebounding

PF-A

SF-A

SG-A

PG-B – Could use… ahh fuck it.

The Heat are champions.

They defeated the Thunder by 15 points.

The Thunder had Durant and Westbrook playing at a good clip early and often but it wasn’t enough.

Every time the Thunder put a decent run together the Heat would give them another knockout punch.

Wade, LeBron and Bosh had it going, they combined for 70 points.

Miami’s shooters were feeling it, with Chalmers and Battier combining for 21 points.

Mike Miller would inexplicably cap the biggest night of his bball life with 7 three pointers to make sure there would be a party.

The Heat’s defense stayed on point, the team looked focused throughout.

Chalmers started celebtrating early, but LeBron would remind him to focus.

LeBron earned the leadership position this year, and his triple-double tonight is more proof of the status.

There was just nothing the Thunder could do, Thunder coach Brooks sat his star players down with half-a-quarter to go.

He had no answers.

This young OKC team will be back here sooner than later but tonight they looked like a young contender getting outclassed by a legendary heavyweight. Although you have to give them credit, they kept battling, trying to stay alive… but Miami was undaunted.

The focus remained until the final whistle.

There would be a trophy celebration in the AAA and in it LeBron would finally earn the knick-name…

“King James”.

It was the perfect storm the Heat were waiting for.

The Thunder came out of the gate at full force…Russell Westbrook punished the Heat with a flurry of jumpshots and Miami staggered as it missed 10 of 11 from the field on it’s way to 33-19 deficit.

The Heat took the end-of-quarter break to collect itself.

Would the series turn in favor of the Thunder?…

Not tonight.

The Heat proceeded to push back, using a 6-point burst from Norris Cole in the second quarter to spark a run that got the Heat back in a productive rhythm as Miami kicked the D up a notch, producing a 27-16 result.

“It wasn’t a matter of not wanting and not bringing it. Our guys were ready,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They [Thunder] came out with an incredible ferocity to start that game.”

Chalmers and Wade got it going along with James Jones to hit key 3 pointers in the quarter to help start a surge to bring Miami back and the Heat used the quarter as a springboard for the rest of the game.

Miami still trailed at the half and they knew they could not let the Thunder come out on fire again as the deficit could prove too costly.

So the Heat put it all out there.

Miami put a vice-grip on James Harden with their defensive scheme as an assembly-line of players switched on Durant forcing both players to hit contested J’s and containing them for the most part.

Wade and Chalmers stayed productive as their shooting helped Miami control the game on the scoreboard, as LeBron was controlling it on the court.

LeBron stayed aggressive and it felt like anytime he wanted to score on the Thunder he could take it to them on drives to the basket. Both Sefolosha and Durant were having major problems dealing with LeBron’s speed and physicality. LeBron had the game in hand as he masterfully orchestrated the offense from the high-post.

Miami gained the upper hand as the 3rd quarter ended but Russell Westbrook did his best Derrick Rose impression in the 4th quarter to bring the Thunder back from the dead.

“He was trying to will his team to a win,” Spoelstra said, ignoring the part of a question that asked about Westbrook taking 13 more shots than Durant. “You have to respect that fierceness. He brought it tonight.”

Westbrook played a gem of an offensive game, creeping through the Heat ‘D’ for 43 points 7 reb and 5 assists but Miami continued to get great contributions from everyone on defense to shut down everyone else on the Thunder.

“You’ve got to give them a lot of credit,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “They get into you and they make you work for every shot. They’re a very good defensive team.”

By the end of the 4th both teams were worn down and while OKC missed jumper after jumper, the Heat continued attacking the basket and getting buckets.

“That’s our mindset, period,” James said before the game, “That’s just how we play. We always feel like we want to grind out games.”

There was little doubt the Heat were in command of this game and this series but a surprise leg-cramp to LeBron  opened the door late for a Thunder comeback. LeBron looked like the 70′s Knicks Willis Reed as he stayed on the court while hobbled and contributed a layup and three-pointer to help the Heat in the clutch.

“LeBron had cramps in his leg,” Spoelstra confirmed. “We talked about it before the game, you had to play with an intensity that you had nothing left. He didn’t. He was playing at an incredible pace.”

“It’s basically like your legs shut down, your body shuts down, there’s nothing you can do about it,” said James, who said he was feeling much better after the game. “Hopefully I can stay hydrated where it doesn’t happen again.”

Luckily, the Heat have been playing better as a unit than they have all post-season and have really found a nice offensive groove since the return of Bosh. The ball movement was crisp and the Heat took advantage of matchups all night. Wade found Bosh on some excellent feeds several times and Chalmers had an excellent cut to the basket before finishing over Ibaka and icing the game for Miami.

“That kid’s not afraid of any moment,” Spoelstra said of Chalmers. “He’s a gamer. He’s got guts. You can’t quantify that.”Chalmers has been hitting big shots since he beat Derrick Rose for the NCAA title.

“That’s a total group effort,” Wade said. “That’s the reason we all came here together. Big plays, big moments, that’s what this team is built on.” ”Mario Chalmers is a winner,” Wade added. “He was due for a big game and he came through for us.”

The Heat used their backcourt to perfection as Wade and Chalmers combined for 50 points, 4 steals, 6 assists and 2 blocks.

Bosh again was able to make his impression felt in the paint with 9 rebounds and several key defensive stops.

LeBron finished a rebound shy of a triple-dubb with 26 points/12 assists/9 rebounds.

Vindication is in sight for the Miami Heat.

“We have to finish the job that we started.” Bosh declared with cameras all around him… meanwhile Durant sat at the visitiors locker-room with a gleam in his eye

“We’re going to keep fighting.” insisted Durant.

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…

Game 2 was a wild one.

With Chris Bosh returning to the starting lineup, the Heat started off fast.

Miami had the foot on the gas pedal and used that aggression to build a big lead.

Clearly, Miami had no intention of going down 0-2 in OKC.

If it wasn’t Wade with some nice drive and finishes, it was Bosh hitting J’s and rebounding aggressively. If it wasn’t LeBron converting in the paint it was Battier or Chalmers connecting on  shots.

Miami looked very cohesive and were taking care of the ball, playing better defense than game 1 while the Thunder had the look of a prize-fighter taking a flurry and staggering back to his corner.

But we saw all of this in the first half of game 1, what did Miami do differently this time around in the second half?

Better defense overall: Miami’s defense suffocated the Thunder. This time Miami didn’t relax in the 3rd quarter, and it never let up. When it was crunchtime the Heat still had some mental errors, but they were fewer and farther between as fatigue did not look like it kicked in until late in the 4th.

Bosh was better: Not only did Bosh play better inside the paint on offense but as you can see by the numbers his 15 rebounds were major. If Bosh can have this kind of production every night for the duration of this championship series, Miami will continue to win.

Wade played smarter: Wade shot a little better  but he also made some nice passes when the lanes would close on him and he did not turn the ball over. Each one of his 5 assists were important and were a huge boost in productivity for Miami. Wade’s final assist to Bosh was a huge dagger.

LeBron hit his free-throws: LeBron continues to be unbelievable this post-season by leading the Heat, but this was needed. LeBron went  12 for 12 at the line, none were more important than his final 2 hits in the last minute to preserve the win.

“On a big stage like this in a big game like this, every point counts, every point matters. So you go to the free throw line, no matter how hostile the environment, and try to knock them down,” James said.

Battier’s still unconscious: This was a continuation of last game, but it needs to be mentioned again… Battier is shooting lights out and it is such a great boost for Miami’s offense. Some are comparing his role to Bruce Bowen… and that’s awesome.

Spo made good adjustments: Spo is unorthodox, theres no way else to describe his style… but he gets the job done and that’s all a fan, and his team, can ask for. His insertion of Norris Cole worked well and his defensive schemes are catching the Thunder by surprise. One of the final plays off a timeout that had Bron touch it, then Wade assisting to Bosh was phenomenal.

And so the Heat played well for the first three quarters, but the Thunder finally pushed hard in the 4th when Miami appeared a little fatigued and OKC’s young legs could take advantage.

OKC almost got it done as their pressure forced Miami into some bad possessions and some turnovers but a combination of defense and free-throw hits kept Miami ahead for the duration.

If they are to keep an edge in this series, Miami must find a way to keep the foot on the gas and not slow the offense down late in the game. It’s almost like the Heat went to a prevent mode late in game 2.

Keeping LeBron as an off-ball option is probably the best way to keep the pressure on the Thunder as James did not make the best passes and had a turnover late in the 4th, but was brilliant when continuing to attack the basket on penetration.

The easier Spo can continue to make it on the Big 3, the more the Big 3 will look as unbeatable as they did in game 2.

“It’s been so long since we’ve had them all together,” Heat forward Shane Battier said. “They played like the All-Stars that they are and that’s the effort that we need.”

“When you play a team seven games like we did against Boston, you’re kind of in the routine of what they do,” Wade said after the game. “So watching the film, to me, I felt that we still had the mentality that we were playing against Boston, from the standpoint of when they’re in a fast break. When they’re in transition, you have to make sure you peel off to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. You kind of keep a body on them in transition and play a little one¿on¿one with [Rajon] Rondo a little bit.

“This team is totally different. We weren’t getting back on the plays as quick. We weren’t letting them see our bodies. . . . It’s a totally different mindset, and we just need to switch that mind state a little bit quicker now. So watching the film was great. That’s why we said Game 1 is kind of a game to feel out, especially when you’re on the road, you can do that, and Game 2 come in and make the adjustments.”

On to Game 3…

Welcome to the Finals.

As the worldwide media rip the Heat and Wade in particular this morning, The Miami Heat Blog™ has already covered much of the issues that the media is just catching up on and will not get into repeating the same nonsense over and over.

The truth is that the Heat played fairly well in most facets and had the opportunity to steal this game from a Thunder team that is not only heavily-favored but stacked with a future HOF in Durant, an all-Pro guard in Westbrook, an all-nba defensive ace in Sefolosha, a 6th man candidate in Harden and a great young shot blocker in Ibaka.

This is the toughest of all of the Heat’s playoff challenges and it will test James and crew more than anything they have faced yet.

The Heat have their work cut out for them and yet they led for much of 3 quarters and let a completely winnable game slip away.

Before the Thunder activated the turbo on it’s defense and transition game, the Heat were getting very strong contributions from Chalmers and Battier in the first half and the offense was rolling. Battier connected on 5-6 FGS in the first half and Chalmers went 4-6, capitalizing on open looks.

The 54-47 score put Miami in a strong position going into halftime.

But the second half proved the most difficult of challenges as the Thunder revved up it’s team defense and transition game, disrupting Miami’s passes and getting into the open court to utilize their speed for easy points in transition.

What else doomed the Heat in the second half? Was it the aging D Wade? No. Was it a choking LeBron James? No.

It was small, correctable things that killed Miami:

- Too many second chance opportunities :

Obviously the Heat have spread the floor in the paint in an attempt to combat the Thunders’ size and have to respond to missed shots quickly to get the rebounding edge, so there is little room for error. It’s exhausting, but the Heat need to prioritize in finding and boxing their guy out. They cannot over-anticipate the rebound and give the Thunder opportunities for second chance points.

- Too many quick 3s when the pressure hits :

WHen the Heat get down in the scoreboard , too many times they try to make the game easier for themselves by going to the home run 3-ball. The 3-ball can help you , but it can kill you , especially if shot at the early stage of a posession. The Heat know this, but must stick with it and continue to try to find easier shots for themselves in the posession.

- Bosh must attack the rim and needs more opportunities :

Look for Bosh to have a larger role out there in Game 2. And if he does get it, he needs to stop the Ray Allen-esque three-pint barrage and needs to play like a power forward again. More drives to the basket and some offensive rebounding would really help Miami combat the Thunders’ speed and length advantage. Bosh’s teammates also need to get Bosh the ball and Bosh needs to catch it in comfortable spots to be effective. Bosh needs to look like the all-pro that he is. Both he and Wade need to be more efficient offensively to give the Heat more consistency in the halfcourt.

- Better transition defense :

This is major for Miami if they expect to win this series. The guards need to shut down the Thunder break, it’s obvious. Look for the Heat to keep a safety to keep Westbrook from getting easy points in transition and starting the break. The Heat have the speed that the Spurs didn’t have against OKC to shut down the break.
- Cut down on the defensive gambles :

Obviously this is fundamental, but it cannot be stressed enough. Too many times the Heat gambled on defense for the steal foolheartedly and paid the price by giving up points. Yes, the defensive scheme rewards gambling with it’s help structure but Durant and Westbrook shoot the ball too well and are too athletic to be given the chance for open shots. The Heat must do a better job of staying in front of their man and contesting shots.

- Cut down on the turnovers :

On the other end, turnovers were killing the Heat as Miami just continues to be too risky with the passing game.

For example: James would do a spin-move and try to do deliver a backhand pass to Bosh in the deep paint in mid-move, instead of just stopping, creating space and passing it without stress. The Heat make it harder on themselves with the fundamental by trying to be too spectacular. Just make the easy pass. If the Heat were to play just a bit more conservative  with it’s passing it would find guys just the same and would not turn the ball over, igniting the Thunder’s dangerous fast-break. Calm down guys.

-Faster switiching on defense :

If the Heat can switch quicker and be more aware of their man defensively, it will help them limit open shots for OKC as well as help the rebounding. The Thunder had too many open Collison dunks in the paint when it mattered most.

- Conclusion:

Obviously, fatigue can be a major contributor in all of the aforementioned facets. It is clear that Spo’s system is demanding from an energy standpoint and that the Heat must fight the fatigue to stay focused. The Heat like to gamble and that gives them an edge but of course it is a double-edged sword and when they gamble and lose the Thunder are too good and will capitalize.

Spo’s system is quickness-based and requires elite awareness and speed, OKC can match and surpass Miami’s speed to make the Heat look a step slow, so if Miami can improve on these facets the Heat will have a better chance of taking this series from the favored Thunder.

Although the Thunder are bigger in the paint and have better defense, The Heat have more offensive weapons than the Thunder and will have to capitalize on that and shoot the ball better while neutralizing Westbrook and Durant.

If Miami can neutralize Westbrook and KD and make the other guys try to outscore them, the Heat have a good chance of winning this series.

It will not be easy, the Heat will have to play better than it has all post-season and it will be the little things that will matter … as always.

It’s Finals time.

After LeBron saved the Heat’s butts on the road, bringing the Heat back from life-support, it was clear that James was trying to get his teammates going early and often and that there was a concerted effort to get a rhythm going for the whole squad this time around.

It worked.

It was a Heat-party and Boston could do nothing about it.

“It has to be a collective group to win the championship. Everybody was in tune today.” said James afterwards.

The Celtics started with a lead in the first half as Wade started slow, but the supporting-cast were keeping Miami in it while looking sharp: Battier hit some nice 3′s, Chalmers had some excellent drives to the rim, Haslem had a sweet hookshot in the paint… these little contributions would keep Miami afloat in the first half as the Celtics would eventually run out of steam.

The Celtics were sharing the ball and playing better overall in the first 3 and a half quarters than what they did in all of game 6. Garnett was having a great night inside the paint but foul trouble would slow the momentum for Garnett as he was called for some legit offensive fouls on illegal screens. Rondo and Bass had their moments in the second half to keep the Celtics striking but it was not enough as Boston’s BIG 3 were finally finished for good.

The Heat were able to catch up and eventually pull away as Wade and Bosh got going in a major way in the second half and the Heat would go on to outscore the Celtics by 20 in the second half.

“We had nothing left,” Rivers said. “That’s how it felt, as a coach. … But overall, I don’t know if I’ve ever had a group like this.”

Bostoon was good, with 5 guys in double figures and a Rondo tripe-double… but Miami was even better.

“Give them credit,” Rondo said. “They spread the points out as a team tonight. Give them credit. They played great tonight as a team and we just came up short.”

The time has come to an end for Boston’s Garnett/Pierce/Allen era, while Game 7 was a redemption song for the rest of the Heat team after James’ answered the critics in Game 6:

Wade, who has been struggling against Boston’s defense finally looked himself in the 4th quarter as he shot the ball with confidence and was able to break through double teams and dominate.

“We got a lot more work to do,” Wade would defiantly exclaim as he lifted the East trophy over his head.

For all the grief I gave Wade with my player-hating, Wade ended up with solid #2 man numbers as he contributed strong defense on Rondo and shot-blocked with the fury of Alonzo Mourning. Clearly, Wade is far from washed up.

“No matter what everyone on the outside said about me, I’m a winner,” he said of his late-game consistency during these recent games. “I’m a team player. And that’s what it was all about. It wasn’t about my numbers, it wasn’t about my scoring.”

“It also shows his mental toughness,” Spoelstra said, “that when things aren’t necessarily going his way in the first half of games, he’s going to impose his will somehow in the second half and make sure that he doesn’t get distracted, and stay aggressive and help us win. That’s the bottom line.”

“You have to let things open up, let them eventually get tired,” Wade said.

Chris Bosh exploded for Miami, going 8-10 on FGs and giving the Heat the third weapon it needed to finally put an end to the Celtics torment. His 3 3-pointers caught the Celtics and most of the nation by surprise, but we did see Bosh working on that at the beginning of the year.

“We needed Bosh’s guy to help slow down LeBron,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “Bosh made shots. He was the X factor.”

“When you play like you don’t know there’s a tomorrow, you can play free,” Bosh would contemplate afterwards. “That’s what I did.”

“He was big time — every shot, every defensive play, every rebound — we missed him,” James said of Bosh. “We’re just happy to have him back at the right time. If it wasn’t for him and the rest of the guys that stepped up, we don’t win this game.”

Coming back from injury was a huge test for this team and for Mr. Bosh, Bosh called it:

“the biggest challenge that I ever had in my life, to make sure I stayed ready, so when the time did come, I could contribute instead of trying to get my legs under me and be a non-factor.”

And after leading Miami out of the fire in game 6, James had some key plays down the stretch that included a floater in the paint and a 3-point splashdown to end Boston’s hopes of a rally and help Miami run away with it.

“Backbreaker,” Rivers said about the clutch 3-pointer.

“He’s emerged as the leader of this team, and we follow him,” Wade said of James. “He’s going to continue to be great.”

“I can’t worry about what people say about me, about my game, about who I am as a person,” James said. “This whole season I got back to what I’m capable of doing, and that’s having fun and believing in myself and my teammates.”

“I’m happy for this brotherhood,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ve been through a lot and it’s developed character and we’ll need it in the next round.

So with the Eastern Conference tests passed, the Heat’s BIG 3 are stronger and ready to face a young, hungry Thunder team. A Thunder team that dispatched a cohesive Spurs team in spectacular fashion with a 4-game winning-streak after being down 0-2 and a team that is stacked with talent at multiple positions.

Durant vs James, Wade vs Perkins….

Let the games begin.

“That, is not the trophy that I want.” Mickey Arison would proclaim as he handed the east trophy over to rookie Norris Cole in the post-game ceremony.

Heroes.

In this day and age of struggling societies, anarchist revolutions and increasing levels of worldwide famine and pollution, the notion that a multi-millionaire professional athlete is a hero for doing anything other than community-service can be preposterous.

But suspend reality for a second and enter the dimension of basketball. Enter a world of dunks, assists, three-pointers and put-backs.

A world that has transformed peasants to kings, children to warriors and mere-mortals to superheroes within it’s secular universe.

Legends live forever within this universe.

Tonight LeBron James re-confirmed to this universe that he belongs within the pantheon of greats.

His performance tonight will go down as stuff of legend:

On a night that the Heat needed to win in a hostile Boston arena to keep it’s championship hopes alive and to keep the fading dream of a Wade/Bosh/James dynasty within a window of reality, James put his team on his back like a comic-book hero puts a cape on his. James put on a shooting performance that would uplift the Heat and take his team back to Miami for a chance to go back to the finals to face a lethal OKC team led by upstart MVP candidate Kevin Durant.

James had it going early, starting 6 for 7 (including a 3) in the 1st quarter and stayed aggressive throughout. The doubters said all week that James has no jumpshot and that Durant is the purer scorer, so naturally James used his jumpshot to assassinate Boston’s defenders like a sniper in high ground.

James would hit 13 jumpshots outside of the paint, some of the extreme fadeaway variety, to complete the legendary night.

Final statline?
You know it today, but will you know it 15 years from now?:

45 Points / 19-26 FG’s / 15 rebounds / 5 assists

Yes that’s 15 rebounds.

LeBron was again playing the power forward position as Spo has been matching up with the Celtics smaller lineups.

Yes, Garnett and Bass had their moments rebounding and scoring in the paint against the smaller Heat lineups and the notion of LeBron as a full-time PF is ridiculous at this stage from a fatigue standpoint.

But, with his jumpshot falling, LeBron was able to help the Heat withstand the Celtics’ best push in this game and keep the Heat going with a 10-15 point cushion.

Doing this in the regular season is cool, but doing it in an elimination game is why it will be legend.

Because of it’s MVP, the Heat live to fight another day.

“He was absolutely fearless tonight, and it was contagious,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “The way he approached the last 48 hours, and not only LeBron, but everybody else. Nobody likes getting dirt thrown on your face before you’re even dead. He showed great resolve.”

“He played amazing. He was locked in from the beginning of the game like I’ve never seen him before,” Dwayne Wade would say.

“I hope now you guys can stop talking about LeBron and he doesn’t play in big games,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “He was pretty good tonight. So we can put that to bed and go play Game 7.”

This performance is only surpassed by Wade’s 2006 finals as the Heat’s most legendary of individual performances.

“In an environment like this, you want to have a big game,” James would say. “I wanted to be there for my teammates, no matter what was going on throughout the course of the game.”, “I felt like I was aggressive from the opening tip,”

“It’s a great feeling to be in, when you feel like everything you put up is going in.”

In a parallel reality called the basketball universe, where Heat fans exist and basketball brings joy, LeBron James was a hero tonight.

Yes, I do sit here mildly stunned yet not really surprised that the Celtics legends have upset the young Heat in Miami in a game 5 ECF.

Yes, the Celtics.

The team I originally thought was going to be enjoying a lovely losing season on it’s way to picking up a young talent in the lottery to make a push next year.

No, these hall-of-famers are made of… “sterner stuff”.

While Wade and Bron had their moments in this contest and the whole team played extremely hard and well enough to win in spurts*, it was the little things that burned them again.

Missed layups, sloppy turnovers in the paint, suspect game management, uncontested layups on miscommunications…

Anyone that says that it’s a players league has never seen a coach get out-coached.

It doesn’t happen often but when you are going against a guy of Doc Rivers’ pedigree you can look bad at times.

Spo is a great young coach that is set to have a fruitful nba career if he wants it, but his term in Miami may be ending soon if the Heat don’t get out of this hole.

The Heat just did not have the energy to play the whole game undersized and Spo did not play either Turiaf or Bosh in crunchtime.

Again, Bosh, who made a positive contribution in the first half, did not see the court in the 4th.

Mind-boggling.

LeBron played extensively at the 4, and his late game energy showed the results, he was tired, he was missing layups, he just did not have enough.

Spo decided to put his career on the line with his guy, the guy he has trusted throughout his coaching journey and a guy that has put up very good rebounding numbers in this series… UD.

And legendary Kevin Garnett once again took over the game late after doing the same in game 4. He looked like the best player on the court in most of the 4th quarters in this series, the same Garnett that used to be called “unclutch”.

Time changes things.

Spo could have tried using more Bosh for some added shooting and length, going Haslem/Bosh/Bron in the frontcourt could have been effective in theory…

Sure, I can second-guess the coach when hindsight is 20/20.

Offensively, the whole game was just too erratic, there was no cohesion, no rhythm, the Heat worked too hard for baskets for far too long and could not get easy baskets for themselves at a consistent clip.

Yes the Celtics defense is good, but Miami’s half-court offense is worse.

And sure, there were a few moments when Bron would disrupt the paint and Wade would launch a well-timed floater before the waves of help defense came but it did not happen often enough and there was still a sense that these guys have not mastered the mental aspect of the game.

The Heat’s top dogs are still not responding to the Celtics D naturally, they are still trying to force a square peg into a round hole bwith the shot selection. Which also featured too many open 3-point misses.

There would be offensive lulls that would allow the Celtics to make a run and they happened on LeBron’s watch. LeBron was killing possessions with ISO’s late in the game and it was not until there were some attempts at ball movement that the Heat started scoring again.

Everything looked great at Indiana, what the fuck happened that Wade and Bron are not meshing well now?

Why do these guys look so lost?

These are the questions Spo is facing now down 3-2.

Again, the game management and fatigue-level this late in the year could have something to do with those busted LeBron possessions and if that is the case Spo has to be mindful of it. The Heat just could not afford those offensive lulls and win this game.

Defensively, the Heat were giving away way too much space late that allowed a game-winning 3 pointer by Paul “the truth” Pierce.

Wade entered in the 4th for a final push but his continued bad chemistry with LeBron made it look like there were 2 teams playing for the Heat… Wade’s Heat vs Bron’s Heat.

There were little moments, but nothing like Indiana… and it’s a damn shame.

Worse yet, Wade did not run back on defense for some possessions and hilariously cried like a baby after not getting calls as frustration and passion set in.

Why waste the energy?

(just a little fun poke, ‘Miami Heat Blog” respects and remains 100% behind Wade, Bron and the Heat.)

The bad habits creeped up again.

Now the Heat are labeled as divas with their backs against the wall.

Will the Heat shake-off the divaness and earn the respect by fighting with their backs to the wall?

The Heat showed they have that mentality against the young Pacers…

but against the Celtics legends the veterans have become the upstarts.

It will not be easy.

Are the Heat ready to earn it the hard way?

We will find out if the Heat has the “sterner stuff”.

(Heat in 7)

*

And the Celtics hold court.

This series has an interesting dynamic to it so far.

It’s an injury-plagued Heat team missing it’s front-court all-star against a heavily balanced, slightly healthier and more experienced (and better coached) Celtics team.

That these Celtics held court should not be too surprising, the Heat came within a Wade failure of winning and making it 3-1.

3-1 would basically guarantee the Heat of going to the Finals.

But this Heat team does things way too unconventionally for any of those kinds of safe happenings to occur. Last series it took an emotional beatdown in game 3 for the Heat and Wade in particular to respond.

The Heat has no obvious wake-up call this time around. It’s flaws are in it’s makeup and the Celtics know how to expose those flaws like throwin salt in Miami’s open wounds.

Boston is just that well coached and too well constructed to make it anything less of a series.

The Celtics, with an aging ‘BIG 3′ that compliments itself perfectly have begun the transition to a younger base, led by system-PG-turned transcendent talent Rajon Rondo.

Rondo knows his weapons and how to best attack using those weapons. He has grown up in this system, grown with a great coach.

The Heat are in a different position all-together, they have a prime “BIG 3″ (1 injured of course) and strong role-players that are here to compliment them but also to not get in their way too much, apparently.

They have 2 players in Wade and James that are expected to shoulder the load offensively and ball-movement is looked at as a luxury. When it is executed it is nice but really it sometimes gets in the way of just giving the ball to James or Wade and watching them either create for themselves or a teammate in iso situations.

It’s been like this since Wade took over the team post-Shaq, it’s only become more-so like this since James arrived.

When it works, it’s dominant.

When it is not working that’s where the shit hits the fan and the Heat struggle.

An occasional Chalmers drive, Haslem J or Miller/Battier/Jones 3 will break the monotony.

Now, this series, Wade has been held in check for the most part against waves of help defense in the paint. Wade has not been able to crack the code just yet, leading to good but not great performances by him. And with Bosh missing, more is needed.

The last possession of the game featured, of course, a Wade isolation at the top of the key.

What the Heat needed was a strong drive into the paint to draw the foul.

Dribbling the clock out by driving east/west and shooting a 3 was not going to cut it.

It would be lazy, it would be an easy way out, it would be…

exactly what Wade would do, and it’s exactly what this Heat team can embody.

Luckily for Miami, the Heat are talented enough to win this way.

It’s not conventional and it’s a gamble.

But it may just work.

Welcome to “hero ball”, USA.

Well, Boston got one.

Obviously, the Celtics are not the pushover that everyone had mildy suspected they were.

No, no… Boston has a good team, and they showed everyone how good they could be at home.

It was a win to build on, Miami needs and will tighten up the defense in an attempt to steal this one before trying to close in Miami.

That’s the idea anyways.

When Miami allows 10-16 shooting to Garnett, 4-8 from Allen, 9-16 from Rondo and a combined 7-10 shooting from Dooling and Daniel the team knows what it will need to do to get to the Finals, and it will not be easy against a smart halfcourt team like the Celtics…

The Heat will also have to battle the fatigue that will come from the Celtics playing desperate, pressure-packed defense.

ANd while James was sublime as usual, Wade will have to go from merely scoring good to great. The Celtics defense annoyed him, got up into him. It took away his… comfort.

“It’s no secret,” Wade said. “I’m getting doubled at the top of the key. I’m getting doubled in the paint, so unless I shoot a turnaround jump shot all the time, which is not a good shot for our team, we’re going to have to find other ways to loosen things up.”

Wade is too good not to answer back with a retort.

“We’d like to see if we can get him some easy ones in the open court or some cuts in the post. Maybe some drives on the weak side.” mentioned Spo, at the recent shootaround.

Sounds good, Spo.

Gametime.

This was a certifiable classic, no doubt about it.

The Heat were able to withstand an onslaught of offense from Rajon Rondo, who went head-to-head with LeBron James when it came to who really keeps their individual team’s engine going.

Rondo was at his best, which seems to always come against Miami.

Ditto for LeBron, who is just dang good… all the time.

Rondo was doing his usual high assist performance out there but he complimented it with a consistent jumpshot. As with Wade and James, Rondo is one of those guys that if they are hitting their jumper they become unguardable.

So the game was basically James and Chalmers in the first quarter offensively, then it shifted to James/Wade for the duration with excellent complimentary work by Haslem 13p/11r and Battier 9p/3r who both helped the rest of the guys play good enough defense to shut down major contributions from the Celtics complimentary weapons… did they stop them? No, but they kept the FG% low on Garnett, Allen and Pierce and that is not a total loss on a night they combined for 52 points.

It was definitely a great game played by the Celtics, whose defense was much tighter this time around in past years I think they would have stolen the game in Miami but here’s the truth:

Miami still looked like the better team.

Miami played decent in the first half, but it was only after being down 15 that the Heat really started to push the issue and put some pressure on the Celtics with defense and transition offense.

Down 7 at the half, Miami had a championship-level 3rd quarter scoring 35 points and taking a 6 point lead into the 4th, looking mighty impressive doing it.

“We never felt like we were out of it,” Wade said afterwards.

In that 3rd quarter Wade went 5-7 for 12 points, Haslem went 3-4 for 7 points, James went 3-6 for 11 points and Chalmers went 2-2 for 5 pts.

Garnett owned the 4th wth 10 points and the Celtics held Wade and James to 0 FG’s. The Celtics kept Miami’s guys from easy layups.

Regulation ended tied, but still, the second half was a success with Haslem’s 9p/8r to go with James/Wade’s combined 30 points, 8r, and 7a.

Rondo’s assault kept coming in OT, Miami handled it with the continued production of Wade/James/Haslem who combined for 16pts and 5rbs, but Rondo amazed his teammates and opponents with his play.

“He was absolutely phenomenal. Put the whole team at times on his shoulders,” said Doc Rivers. “It’s tough to have him play that way and not win the game.”

“Rondo was absolutely amazing,” James said. “The performance he put on tonight will go down in the record books.”

“He shot the ball amazing tonight. It didn’t seem like he missed, like he was 24-of-24,” Wade said when asked about the conventional wisdom on guarding Rondo. “I thought we did a good job, we just tried to keep mixing it up on him. But he was just feeling it tonight. There was nothing you could do about it. He was out there every minute of the game and he made a big impact.”

Spo knows what he saw out there, he knew it had become another east-coast styled, defensively dicatated, game of runs.

“It has to be the hard way. It always seems to be that competitive when we play against this team. Tonight, it didn’t let us down …It was ugly at times. We couldn’t get into a great rhythm.”

“It is what it is. LeBron (James) took 24 free throws and our team took 29 … You can’t get distracted. We will not get distracted in this series. We have to get it out of us and move on.” said Doc Rivers.

“One of the best games I’ve played in, win or lose,” Heat forward Shane Battier said. “It’s easier said when you win – but it’s unbelievable.”

A sleeper classic in Miami.

Now, was this the best Celtics shot?

Miami will have to play better and not take any chances.

You have entered the zone… the… comfort zone.

Everything went Miami’s way in game 1.

There was not much to it, the Heat came prepared for Boston.

They looked great off-the-ball (as you can see in the below image)

They were making the extra pass.

LeBron and Wade continued their recent success with efficient numbers.

Mike Miller was hitting his 3 on some very nice swing passes.

Shane Battier impressed with a double-double.

All good things. Not much else to it, Miami had their way.

They are playing well and looking comfortable at the right time.

“We gave in to them both tonight, in my opinion,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “We let Wade, we let LeBron play in extreme comfort.”

“We have to take them out of their comfort zone. We’ve got to fight a lot harder.”

“I was able to get to a lot of my shots I was comfortable with making,” James said. “I was able to attack.”

So, yeah, the key word is definitely comfortable.

Boston, reeling from the loss of defensive ace Avery Bradley, have seemingly lost an edge on defense. The Celtics were playing at an incredible defensive clip before that injury, but after this game Boston just looked over-matched.

LeBron really was able to get into the lane and disrupt the Celtics early and often, and Wade closed the deal with some beautiful work off the glass in the 4th quarter.

The only critique I can give is that the Celtics looked awfully sluggish and it almost lulled Miami to sleep by sheer boredum. The Celtics could have been fatigued; they were less than 48 hours from a grueling Game 7 win.

But the second half play ended any doubts about Miami’s ability to keep focus on the game and put the Celtics away.

Now, the Heat were supposed to win this game, so let’s see if they can remain focused and come with the same preparation for game 2, as Boston may be playing possum to attempt to steal the next game.

“I look at them as a top opponent, as a top contender and a competitive group … a championship-caliber team,” LeBron James said, obviously showing much-deserved respect to the elder Celtics.

“One down. And they still have an opportunity in Game 2 to accomplish what they want to,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, referring to how Boston can still grab home-court advantage by winning Game 2. “At times it was a strange game. Some good runs, both teams. We felt we could have played better, and I’m sure they felt the same thing. But we found a way to grind it.”

After 1 game this series looks like a love-fest compared to the Pacers series.

“We just have to fight; it wasn’t pretty,” Rondo said. “Nothing dirty but they have to hit the deck, too.”

We will see how it all plays out soon enough.

Good teams play well in spurts, but great teams know how to close the deal.

And when the pressure is felt, older teams may rise while younger teams can collapse.

For the Pacers, the collapse was imminent.

For the Heat it was closing time, indeed.

“It’s just not our time yet,” West said. “This series was there for the taking. I just felt we got on our heels the last three games.”

Meanwhile, it is so good to see the resurgence of Dwyane Wade, who has played his best 3 game stretch in years. Wade is not settling for the jumper, dunk or bail-out, instead he has found his sweet spots in the lane and has been using excellent concentration to re-assert a mastery of the high glass and a soft touch on the release.

Whatever Wade did to mentally prepare himself after that 5-point game 3 has him on the right track again.

This is the Dwyane Wade that got him to where he is today… a top shooting guard in the game and it is sweet because it makes the game easier for the whole team.

“I think we understood, especially when Chris went out, we had to do a little more — we had to step up and do a little better,” Wade said.

“We gave ‘em a little wake-up call,”Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. , “and ever since that Game 3, these guys played at such a high level that I don’t know if anybody can beat them.”

Trap Wade? James will bite you. Trap both? The Heat will burn you on the 3 ball.

“We had our whole focus on Derrick Rose last year [in the playoffs] and it’s like having two of them out there,” Vogel said.

The Pacers played well, they opened with a 9 point lead while the Heat started slowly.

But the combination of Wade’s 20 point 2nd quarter and a hot 3-point shooting 3rd quarter kept Miami with a healthy point production as they wore-down the Pacers.

In the 4th, Miami as a team overall were playing well defensively and had some nice ball-movement on display. LeBron got it going while Wade stayed hot and it was just too much for the Pacers.

Bye-bye Indiana, all of a sudden you have been outclassed.

Closing time.

Oh yeah.

The sequel was almost as good as the original.

It was definitely just as sweet to see the Heat consistently playing good basketball as it was to see them break out of their slump. And this time the supporting cast came through to make it a truly ensemble beat-down.

Let me emphasize the word beatdown.

Because the only choking signals Dwight Stephenson was doing in this one were real ones, gasping for air as he took an elbow to the chest from Dexter Pittman in garbage time. (Stephenson was taunting LeBron with choke signals after game 3 if you didn’t hear about it).

Not only did Wade and LeBron continue their effective duet together ( James 30/10r/8a, Wade 28/3r/2a ), there were strong contributions from Shane Battier (4-5 FGs), Mario Chalmers ( 11 rbs, 3-6 FGs ), a resurgent Udonis Haslem ( 5-6 FGs ), and Joel Anthony (3-4 FGs, 5 rbs ).

The Heat’s defense as usual was suffocating and with the lanes wide-open the Heat were able to spread the Pacers out and attack.

“That’s a big key for us, when we’re able to make stops and get out on transition,” said Wade. James agreed: “When we defend and rebound we’re a good team and it allows us to get into our break.”

The Heat were relentless in this one. The only chance the Pacers had was to attack the Heat during one of Miami’s ball movement lulls which they are now famous for. But the Pacers were mentally defeated after the overwhelming attack of James and Wade.

“I can’t believe my team went soft,” Pacer’s GM Bird told the Indianapolis Star.”S-O-F-T. I’m disappointed. I never thought it would happen.”

After the mental defeat the Pacers started falling apart physically.

“I don’t know about David. And Danny is just day-to-day,” Pacers’ coach Vogel said. “Certainly not having Danny out there when you have a guy out there like LeBron James, it certainly challenges your depth.” “We just got to have other guys step up, if you have any injury, you have to have other guys step up.”

The rout and history of nonsense in this series so far led to some cheap shots from both sides.

“There were three hard fouls in this game, and the league will review them,” Spoelstra said. “We thought [Haslem] was making a play on the ball. This is a physical series. Nobody wants to make it into anything more than that.”

“This is our challenge right now, to leave it behind us, and really commit to keep this edge.” said coach Spo, who in 2 games has gone from sitting duck to young genius.

Having Wade and LeBron playing like this will make you look good, real good.

And again, this time everyone chipped in.

The team is in good spirits again.

It was going to be either a funeral or a party.

It will go down as one of the legendary matches in the franchise’s history.

It was an epic of… uh…epic proportions. No summer movie will touch the drama this one provided.

Title? What title. This is enough. Ok, now I am getting carried away.

“It was the kind of thing you’ll be able to tell your kids about one day,” claimed Shane Battier.

After the last game, things were looking dreadful.

Wade was lambasted, you know how it went.

“The last two days have been mental,” Wade said. “It was great for me just getting away and to get that energy that I needed. I know I was struggling on the offensive end, but I didn’t want that to affect my overall game.”

“Coming off the Game 3 performance, I didn’t need to say anything to him,” James said of Wade. “He’s in this position for a reason. He’s one of the best players in the world for a reason, so he knows how to adjust. He took it hard on himself. I know he did do that.”

“I’ve been doubted before, I’ll be doubted again,” Wade said after Sunday’s game… “When things are going great, everybody pats you on the back. When they’re not, sometimes they turn their backs.”

That’s right, it’s a mad, mad, mad world Wade.

That’s why you are paid what you are.

“I don’t really get into what people say on the outside of the media. But there was a lot being said, and I didn’t appreciate it, with that being my brother,” Haslem said. “I was happy he kept going after starting out a little slow (Sunday). He got it going and we definitely needed it. He didn’t let it get him down. He’s one of — if not the most — mentally tough people I know.”

So going into the game, Wade was looking to redeem, James was looking for help and the rest of the team was looking for anything resembling production. Two consecutive 75 point games was not giving much confidence to Miami’s fan base against a Pacer team that features the same kind of defense that defeated Miami in the finals last year.

It started out as the same bullshit in the first half.

The team looked like a bunch of strangers on a streetball court as turnovers mounted, possessions were wasted and shooting was abysmal.

An early 9 point deficit accrued for the struggling Heat.

James got the scoring started and he and Chalmers kept Miami barely within striking distance as the failed iso plays continued to mount and Indiana’s Hibbert continued to provide a strong defensive presence, swatting everything at the rim.

A few broken plays resulted in jumpers by Battier and Miller was able to hit a couple of stop and pops, but Wade was ineffective, short on his shots (1 of 8) and inefficient for the most part.

The ball-movement was non-existent, the Heat could not convert the most simple of plays.

It was sad, it was disappointing. It looked like the end of an era.

But then, something happened…

James found Wade for a dunk in the second quarter.

Was it a big deal? At the time it didn’t seem like it, but what it did was spark the approach that Miami would be successful with in the third quarter.

What happened in the third quarter? Wade and James relaxed and rediscovered their 1-2 punch, and with it Wade got his mojo back.

Conventional basketball was thrown out the window.

Teammates? Merely decoys.

Because Wade and James took over the damn thing in spectacular fashion, proceeding to score 48 of 50 consecutive Miami Heat points.

“In the third quarter, it was just too much,” Pacers forward Danny Granger said.

DWade started playing basketball with a certain hop in his step. All of a sudden crossovers were being executed, double-teams were being split, spectacular passing was back.

Holy shit, DWade was alive again.

“It comes down to this: yes, you can get the ball out of their hands and make other guys make plays but you get the ball out of one of those guys’ hands and it finds its way to the other guy. It’s not just like one superhero and a bunch of role players. You’ve got to worry about the other guy.”

“Me and ‘Bron both had it going, and played off each other well,” Wade said.

“D-Wade started to go,” James said, “and it started to turn.”

“It was absolute greatness,” Heat president Pat Riley would describe it. “It was beyond description.”

How did Wade get his mojo back? Thank James.

LeBron made it a point to get his man going by working in tandem with Wade and finding him for easy points. The culmination being a no-look entry pass into the post to Wade in the deep paint. Wade would convert the reverse-layup.

“I needed that,” Wade told James during a break in the action. “I kept saying to myself, ‘All you need is one to go in…’”.

It was the spark that would start a legendary duet not seen in a very long time.

This truly was like Bird and Jordan on the same team. It was overpowering.

It was vintage Wade and vintage LeBron at the same time, destroying a better team.

All b-ball convention is thrown out the window when these guys have it going like this.

Ball-movement? Never heard of it.

Coaching? What is that?

Can the Heat beat more formidable teams with this formula? Probably not.

But who cares? Because this shit was epic.

James: 40 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists

Wade: 30 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists

“I felt like I had to do whatever it took to win,” said James.

“Me and `Bron had it going,” said Wade, who bounced back from the worst playoff game of his career – five points on 2-of-13 shooting – with one of his best, “We played off of each other very well. We both were aggressive at the same time. That’s beautiful basketball for the Miami Heat when we play that way.”

What Wade and James started, Haslem finished.

Haslem’s 4th quarter production was crucial, Haslem scored four of the Heat’s final five field goals.

When it looked like Wade and James’ hero-ball was going to break any kind of cohesiveness or potential for team-ball, Udonis Haslem was able to step up and provide the kind of clutch production that Miami needs when it’s system is completely broken.

“He had a warrior’s night,” Spoelstra said.

“It’s still going to be a dogfight,” James said.

It was something to build on.

It looks like Dwyane Wade is at a crossroads right now.

The Heat were looking good in the first half as the teams went into halftime tied.

Wade (2-13 FG’s, 5 points, 1 assist) was not having a good shooting game but the Heat continued to press the issue by going to him on iso’s in the second half, hoping that Wade would wake up out of that slump and get some production going.

That moment just did not come.

Wade was mentally weak, he was not focused on his shot or finding his teammates for assists.

This was the epidemy of the Dwyane Wade that I have been warning anyone that would listen for a second now. It is not that I want him to struggle, I just want to see these bad habits eliminated. I want to see Wade play the smart basketball he came into the league with.

Right now he is struggling and he must find the humility to admit that he is showing some flaws and he needs to address them.

We all have flaws, just today I was kicked out of a streetball game for egging on a rival.

We all at sometime must find the humility to say, hey we fucked up and we have to do better, because basketball is ingrained in Wade. He is a naturally gifted player, but he needs to work on his flaws.

He has to work on his mental approach to his game, he needs to toughen up and ignore the hate. His rivals know he is vulnerable to losing his temper, and when he had the athletic ability he could destroy his rivals… but maybe now it is time to channel that aggression into skills and not into bitching at calls and bitching at his coach. He just does not have the energy to waste on these things.

You can’t win fighting everyone. You can’t win fighting your coach.

His team tried to pick him up but his mind was clouded and not in the moment. I know what it feels like.

It’s time to work on the mental aspect of the game Wade, or it may be time to retire.

Heat in 7.

It can happen, it looks impossible now. But stealing a game in Indy will even this baby out.

Sometimes getting the negative, necromantic energy out can lead to an improving state of mind afterwards.

And something to build on.

Because, really, it’s just a game and the world has more pressing issues.

Relax a little, Wade. Have fun…work on your game.

How did it go? Fall 7 times, get back up 8?

Stay loose, DWade.

The whole team just needs to stay loose, really.

I coud be wrong, maybe the Pacers are just that much deeper and cohesive.

This Pacers D is tough and they know they can get inside the Heat players minds with some Bird-like tactics and aggression. The pressure just makes it all seem like a bigger deal than it is.

But I have seen this Heat team play well with and without Bosh and there is no reason to continue playing this badly.

It was a dang entertaining game.

The Pacers played consistent if not unspectacular basketball, they played good defense, nothing too crazy.

Miami was hanging around the 5-8 pt deficit mark until the combination of Wade and LeBron took over again late in the third.

Things were looking up, it looked like the Heat were going to pull through.

But LeBron and Wade faltered this time.

The offensive scheme seemed to put it all on their shoulders as the Heat went a little bit ISO crazy at the end of the 4th.

It should not be like this.

The Heat essentially froze out the role players on offense.

In it’s place a heavy dose of Wade/Bron up the Pacers asses.
Wade and Bron just tired out. No Bosh to add that extra element.

It just is what it is. Bad team ball.

LeBron could be placed closer to the rim on Wade’s Iso’s as well, this “standing in the corner” thing is just not cool.

Whatever Miami’s doing is just not working right now, and the role-players cannot helpas they are not finding neither the opportunity nor the rhythm to be effective.

The Heat need a new approach to this scenario.

“They’re defending well; we’re defending well,” Spoelstra said. “There’s not a lot of open shots in this series.”

I don’t know, Spo. Where is the ball movement?

Why not keep the Pacers guessing and get the shooters a rhythm?

“It’s about finding a way to stay mentally connected and stable and show some resolve through some of the tough stretches,” Spoelstra said.

What about LeBron’s energy? He looked gassed as he missed 2 clutch FTs late after connecting on a 50% clip on the previous 4 FT’s?

“LeBron, in a competitive series, this is what he can expect,” Spoelstra said of James’ minutes.

“You hope for them to go in. The last two didn’t go for me. The game is not lost or won with those two free throws but I definitely want to come through for my teammates. I’ll get an opportunity again. I know I’ll be at the line again.” – said James.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel because Chris Bosh is out,” he said. “We’re trying to do what we do and do it better.”

But does that mean more iso?

“We’re going to have to do it collectively,” Spoelstra said. “We won’t be able to have somebody spell Chris Bosh. But we have enough.”

Please, let that mean more ball movement.

“Well, welcome to the playoffs for us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s how we’re viewing it. The series has started. They won on our home court, now we have to gather ourselves, collect ourselves.”

I wasn’t surprised, unfortunately. The Heat need to get more from the team and I’m not sure the team is being put in the best position to get it done.

“Their third leading scorer had five points and that’s what you want to do,” Granger said. “If LeBron James gets 11 assists they are probably going to win. They scored a lot, but we stopped everyone else.”

Ball movement and confidence in the offense… the team needs more of it. And less hesitation.

Wade and LeBron need to keep these guys involved, give them confidence and make them better. The hero ball is not going to cut it. Freezing teammates out for large portions of the game is not going to cut it.

If Miami can treat this game as a minor speed bump in a transition of post-Bosh ball and steal 1 or 2 @ Indiana that would be a major accomplishment.

It was a dang entertaining game.

XTRA:
The refs allowed an uncalled foul on the last possession.

It was an eventful lead-up to the second round as some interesting events unfolded.

First of all, LeBron James was awarded (deservedly) his third MVP. Those who have followed this blog all year know that he had my vote and he really is the main cog to the this team, without a doubt.

“I see my two sons, I do what I do and I try to perform at the highest level every night, and a big part of the reason is those guys,” James said. “I don’t want to let them down. Secondly, my teammates, like I said. The reason I’m up here today is because of those guys. If those guys don’t sacrifice what they sacrifice every single night … I wouldn’t be up here.”

The second interesting issue to come between the series’ is the Pacers’ coach Frank Vogul accusing the Heat of being the biggest floppers in the league.

“They are the biggest flopping team in the NBA,” Vogel said. “It will be very interesting to see how the referees officiate this series and how much flopping they reward.

“Every time you drive to the basket, they’ve got guys not making a play on the ball, but sliding in front of drivers, often times they’re falling down before contact is even made. It’ll be very interesting to see how this series is officiated.”

This is some nonsense as it’s obviously clear that it is the Clippers that are Flop-city with Blake Griffin leading the way. The Heat have traditionally played the charge to perfection.

“I could care less,” Spoelstra said of Vogel making flopping a series talking point. “We could care less.”

Well, game 1 came and it was mostly a feeling out affair. The Pacers played with the lead for the first three quarters as both teams tried different approaches and got to know each other better.

Bosh was getting a ton of touches in the first half, more than he is used to seeing and unfortunately Bosh went down in the third quarter with an injury to his abdominal muscle. Unfortunate for the Heat, who will need Bosh’s consistent jumpshot as the difficulty in this series will ramp up starting Game 2, where the Pacers will try hard to steal home court.

Not to kick him when he is down but Bosh’s conditioning has been down and is probably the major factor in his inconsistency this year. A recommitment to health this summer will do wonders for his game as he will not have the wedding and baby distractions in his way. All good distractions to have, by the way.

So the second half came and Miami was hanging around, the threes were not falling, and after losing Bosh DWade starting pushing his tired ass harder and all of a sudden Bron started making some plays and DWade started setting up Bron and it was back-and-forth magic as Bron and Wade pushed Miami’s offense to productive efficiency. The 2 superstars took over the game.

There were great contributions from Joel Anthony, who made excellent finishes around the rim, and Mike Miller contributed some timely offensive rebounding. Turiaf and Haslem provided some toughness inside.

Now, like I said earlier… the Pacers know the drill. They don’t mind losing this first game and analyzing the film. They will come @ Miami twice as hard next game in an attempt to steal the series. Miami must recover physically and mentally and play even better if they want to protect home court. Chalmers, Battier and Miller need to step up and hit some more shots as well as provide the excellent D and intangibles.

The way Wade has performed this year it will be tough for him to keep this type of production up, but if he can maintain and stay healthy Miami will survive the loss of Bosh for the time being.

Well it’s about time.

The Heat easily dispatched the Knicks by keeping the lanes wide-open, running and the guys that are counted on to hit those outside shots were able to knock them down.

James’ 29/8/7 added with Wade/Bosh’s 38 pts and Chalmers/Battier/Miller’s 28 combined was more than enough to pace the Heat.

No late-game possession nightmares in sight.

But there was a vintage DWade double-team split.

The key play in my opinion was late in the 4th, Carmelo had just brought the Knicks within 11 and the Heat went to a nicely designed out-to-in play that went from the wing into Battier who made a slick pass to Bosh for a dunk.

The next possession Bosh hit a pure J from the elbow to end the Knicks’ hopes.

And that was it.

“We stress moving the ball,” Bosh said. “We had some fantastic possessions.”

How sweet it must be for the Heat to be back in the home arena, where they have rarely lost this year.

Now, onto the Pacers.

“This next series, I’m sure, will feel like it’s played in a cage, it’ll be that physical” Spoelstra said. “We’ll see what adjustments we have to make.”

“It will only get tougher from here”

“Indianapolis is a challenge for us,” Mike Miller was saying after the Heat’s 106-94 win about the next round’s opponent. “Their size is going to be the big challlenge. We better be ready to defend and to rebound.”

“We know what they bring,” Chris Bosh said. “They can shoot the ball. They have guys that can really play inside and they have great rebounders. We just have to play our game and makes ure we control the boards as best we can.”

“Thankfully, now Ronny Turiaf is close to 100 percent,” Spoelstra said of the reserve center who has missed time with a hamstring injury. “He’s ready.”

Give the Knicks some credit though, after going through incredibly bad luck all series and having no consistency in their lineups, they still hung around and did not get embarrassed.

“We fought, under the circumstances,” Carmelo Anthony said. “I’m not one to make any excuses for anything. … But Miami, they’re a tough defensive team. They stick to what their schemes are.”

“I thought we played well in spurts,” Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said. “Our guys got a short taste of what playoff basketball’s about. It’s something this summer we’ve got to sit and think about and hopefully get ready for next season.”

So I get back from a nice day at the park to expect to see the Heat score to be a comfy 10-15 point win and yeah, it was an ugly 80-something point game and a loss to boot.

I check out the highlights and there is the last posession: a sloppy ISO for DWade who has to settle for a fade 3 as time expired.

The local media gave Spo a bit of a chewing out today for not letting LeBron go against Carmelo.

Is the media correct?

I will be honest, my gut instincts came to the same conclusion…this is James’ team, he has earned the right to take the last shot and Spo should get the damn ball to him and stop fucking around…

But if you look at the big picture, maybe Spo has a point to go to Wade.

The Heat are up 3-0, there is room for error, and with LeBron expected to get the attention from the defense, the theory is that Wade should have an easy time getting to the rim for a possible dunk or and-1…at least a foul.

If Wade succeeded it would have been a good confidence booster for a guy that has not been at the level he has previously been at, and having Miami maintain it’s identity as a team with 2 guys at the wing that can kill a team at any time is crucial for the mystification this team gives defenses.

If Wade failed, like he did yesterday, there was room for experimentation anyways.

Now if the same situation occurs again and Bron does not get his chance, and get it with confidence, maybe there is something not right in Spo’s thought process.

Wade is now 2 for 6, all time, in the playoffs on shots to tie or win the game in the final 24 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime. James remains 5 for 13.

This season, Wade is now 3 for 7 on those games. James remains 1 for 2.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Wade has fallen off , he had a great game slashing to the hoop. But it is up to Spo to get these guys in the best position to succeed and not fall into any kind of stubborn pattern if there is a hotter hand to ride or maybe even a team-oriented possession to earn the win.

XTRA: While the East looks wide-open with Philly getting a 3-1 edge on the Bulls, whomever comes out of the West will be a serious contender as teams like San Antonio, Memphis, OKC, LA Clippers and even the Lakers look good right now.

The Knicks played their asses off defensively to keep a slight lead against a Heat team that was struggling a bit in the first half. The ball movement was not really too crisp, there was ball stoppage all over the dang place, but really against this depleted Knicks team it would not matter much.

The Heat knew this and were not really in the “intensely focused” mode, when it came to team play.

Yeah, I guess it was like a “playoff-preseason” game for the Heat.

Bla bla bla “quote quote”, bla bla bla.

Wade and Bron took turns working on their hero-ball games to shine infront of the MSG crowd and you know what?

It was fun.

When things got serious, though, the team played relaxed and hit the timely shots to get the job done.

Chalmers played very well and looked like the finals last year: confident and with a consistent 3-point shot.

Bosh came from the hospital after his wife gave birth and contributed a strong night on the boards which is always a treat.

1 more game to go.

Just get it over with, already.

The Knicks are beaten prey, just ready to be devoured by the lion.

“I just fed off the crowd,” James said with a smile. ”It was a little bit of everything, It was because of the fans, how the game was going. We felt like we were right there to break the game open, we just couldn’t make a couple of shots. We felt if we could get enough stops, we could kind of break the game open if we made a couple of shots,” he said. “That was my intention coming into the fourth, and I just fed off the crowd, fed off my teammates and I was able to knock a few down to start the fourth and it kind of just broke it open from there.”

This was a very productive game for the whole Heat team, a team that is showing signs of getting back to the high level of play it displayed in the first half of the year.

What I liked about the win was that that it reminded me of how the old championship Bulls teams used to operate almost in contempt of Michael Jordan. It was almost like those teams had to prove that it could play well without Air and it would push them to a higher ceiling.

LeBron had another great game (19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds), he was not in the zone that he was in last game but he was effective when he needed to be.

If the team had played sluggish, the Knicks would have stolen this game. Carmelo found his range and was a major catalyst for New York but Dwyane Wade made a statement early with his play. Wade flashed vintage form again, getting inside the paint and shooting the ball with a nice touch. When he wasn’t hitting from deep in the paint, he was finding LeBron for those awesome power-throwdowns that they started in the all-star game 2 years ago.

But it was about more than Wade. Each of the starters had their moments and had a good disposition on the court. They were concise, aggressive and played very well.

Bosh’s stats were refreshing to see after so much inconsistency this year: 21 pts/ 4 rbs/ 4 asts.

Chalmers had 6 assists, Haslem 8 boards, Miller and Battier combined for 22 points.

“Every game we try to find our shooters, get them comfortable in the offense and once they catch them, they can let it fly,” James said. “It was concerted effort tonight to get them the ball and move the ball from one side to the other.”

Offensively, this was the Yang to last games Ying.

But the sleeper for me was Joel Anthony. His defensive play was definitely giving the Knicks some problems. He met Amare and Chandler at the rim several times and made some very strong plays. This is the role that he is best effective at and it showed this game: defensive energy boost off the bench. ANd then his offensive rebounding was just phenomenal, extending Miami’s posessions multiple times.

Now, all of that great team play combined with LeBron’s 19/7/9 and you have a team that is starting to look dangerous again.

But it is just one game, and the Heat are supposed to win this one.

The Knicks looked much improved, but losing Amare Stoudemire to the famous “fire extinguisher incident” may finally be the nail in the coffin for these Knicks who look to defend home court with a limited deck.

“I am so mad at myself right now, I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start,” Stoudemire wrote on Twitter after the Knicks left the arena.

“You never want to hear anyone gets hurt,” Wade said. “Hopefully he gets better. We want all their guns on the court.”

Now, the Heat still can’t get too overconfident.

If Miami fans can remember the Orlando series in ’97 where a depleted 0-2 Magic team featuring a gangbusters Penny Hardaway and Danny Shayes (!) pushed Riley’s Heat the distance know that in the NBA playoffs, anything can happen.

“We talked about it, we did what we were supposed to do. We’re already trying to leave this game behind and try to start this series. It will be a great environment up there [in New York].” said Spo.

“It is still a seven-game series. You have to win four to get out of it. They (Miami) held serve at home … We want to win and to get out of this series we have to win a game here.” said Knicks coach Woodson.

Not a bad way to start the playoffs.

The Heat slowed New York’s late season momentum with a dominant victory against the Knicks. And that’s an understatement.

Miami grabbed the Knicks nuts and did not let go until the final buzzer sounded.

At one point the Heat had doubled up the Knicks to the tune of a 64-32 score.

“They hit us in the mouth so we’ve got to see what we’re made of now.” said Knicks coach Mike Woodson.

LeBron James, who Miami needs to be the man this post-season led the assault with 32 pts/4 rbs/3 asts and helped Miami put a vice-like grip on the Knicks offense. WHen his jumpshot is pure, he is unguardable.

The shot was pure tonite.

“LeBron really led the way, obviously attacking, getting to the free throw line. He was on the back line of our defense, like a free safety, reading the offense in front of us.” said coach Spo.

“Here’s a guy that went to the Finals last year and wants to go back,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said of James. “He’s on a mission. He’s played that way all year.”

“I’m a different player this year, a different person this year compared to last year,” James said. “I’ve waited to get back to the postseason, prepared myself all season, throughout the offseason to get back to this point.”

He was pretty dang good last year, so if he is in a better frame of mind this year that can be nothing but positive.

Not only did LeBron have an extra bounce in his step, the whole team looked ready to prove to the naysayers that indeed this is the year. Wade looked vintage, using the glass and coming up with big second half points. Battier, Chalmers and Miller shot well and Haslem, Anthony and Bosh each had their productive moments, it was a complete team win.

A key for the Heat was the way they played off the Knicks aggressiveness. NY tried to apply some physicality to the Heat with Chandler taking various shots at LeBron, but Bron flopped to perfection to make the Knicks pay for the contact. The way Chandler was going at Bron, very little flopping was needed to sell the contact to the ref. Bron went to the line various times with the biggest hit coming in the form of a whip-lash inducing shoulder shot to the back of LeBron’s head. Flop or not, painful stuff for sure.

“Our guys had a noticeable look in their eyes the last 24 hours,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We wanted to get back to the basics and play to our identity. For the most part, we were able to do that by being aggressive.”

So yeah, it was an impressive start, but it means little in the grand scheme of things because Miami is supposed to win it’s home games. What they cannot do is relax, which is one of the bad habits that this team can succumb to. Winning the first game is cool but Miami needs to show consistency by playing well next game, and then they need to get a win at MSG.

Right now it looks like it will come easy, especially with the Knicks losing ace defenseman Iman Shumpert.

But appearances can sometimes be deceiving.

“We have 48 hours and it’s our responsibility to make sure we have the same look coming into Game 2,” Spoelstra said. “Now there shouldn’t be any excuse.”

EXTRA: Not to look too much into the future but the stars may be lining up for Miami as the Bulls lost DRose to a torn ACL for the playoffs. Huge loss for Chicago.

IT is down to the last 1 or 2 games left, and in the last few games the Heat played they lost 2 and won 1. They won the game with Bron but lost the game led by Wade (due to injury) and lost the game led by Chalmers and Battier. This has been a part of the Heat’s “maintenence” plan or whatever… to rest the big guns for the post-season.

This regular season has been unusual of course, it’s been a 66 game compressed schedule and this team came out hungry out of the gates. By mid-year they were just on a crazy roll and in many ways they just kind of hit the breaks.

After playing some more relaxed basketball in the second half they struggled a little but you would be dishonest if you did not say that they had some very good success and some ‘signature wins’ as well.

Now, what worries me going into the playoffs is this, it has been a shaky second half of the year. Things that were promising at pre-season did not really pan out for the Heat. Things such as the Heat’s youth movement did not pan out. Sure, Harris and Cole had their moments but the work really needed to come in the frontcourt and it looks like the Heat bet on Rex Pittman. Very little was seen of Gladness and Curry.

Now, is Pittman going to give you solid minutes in the playoffs? It doesn’t look like that is the case at this point anyways.

Instead, the Heat went with the emergency signing of Ronnie Turiaf and I think this is a move that will pan out nicely as Turiaf has a ton of the intangibles that the Heat like… but the youth movement was nothing more than a minor amusement.

A microcosm of the Heat’s development and season can be seen in the play of Norris Cole: hot early, not-so-hot late.

Now, I’ve used the marathon metaphor before when wondering about Spo’s tight rotations throughout the year. Surely the guys would need to pace themselves before getting ready for the hard sprint to win it all. I wondered about resting the big guns by giving more minutes to the bench. Even though Spo was blowing smoke and hating the concept of rest, it looks like he went to the other extreme and has guys sitting out games to rest.

This can give you 1 of 2 results:

The good result would be that the players would have an extra fresh bounce in their step in the playoffs and get back to that killer play that they exhibited in the first half of the season. This puts stock in the theory that this team is predicated on the success of the big 3 and that the importance of gelling with the role players is of minimal importance.

It’s not like the role players have been getting extra rest as well, they have been continuing to go at their pace. So the maintanence really is going to the major parts of the engine and not the whole engine.

The negative result would be that (and going back to the marathon metaphor) the Heat would have started walking instead of keeping pace, bringing a disturbance to the overall pace of the run. What does this mean? Basically that the team would not be able to find a comfortable groove to it’s game in time to be able to play at it’s best level.

Examples of this include adding Zo to a strong Heat club right before the start of the playoffs in 2001 and adding Jameer Nelson to start at PG right before the finals in 2009.

But the big difference here is that the Heat have played well with this group of players and are familiar with each other so that theory may not apply in this scenario, yet the worry of stopping it’s pace instead of slowing up remains a theoretical possibility so it cannot be ignored.

Anyways, all questions will be answered soon enough and I cannot wait to see how it all goes down.