Issues for the Heat

Seven games into the season, the Miami Heat have a record of 5-2, with five blow-out wins and two losses against formidable opponents.  While opening night in Boston proved to be a rough start to the season and the first loss of the year, the Heat have already improved greatly.  Yet there are still things to work on, and if they are not fixed it could lead to trouble at the end of the year.    

Overall, the Heat are playing well defensively, as they have held all seven opponents under 100 points.  They have been playing aggressively and have been causing turnovers through ball pressure and good defense.  This has lead to fast breaks and a good transition game, which means easy offense for the Heat.  Yet they need to work on two things specifically on defense. 

Against New Orleans, Miami had trouble defending Chris Paul - who finished with 13 points and 19 assists - and center Emeka Okafor - who finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds.  These two positions – point guard and center – are where Miami is weakest.  Both of Miami’s two losses have shown this, as on opening night Boston point guard Rajon Rondo had 17 assists in the Heat’s first loss of the season.  

Miami needs to work on defending against great point guards in order to have this weakness resolved.  In three of the next five games, they will be facing great guards - specifically Deron Williams of the Jazz, Rondo of the Celtics again, and Steve Nash of the Suns.  If the Heat can’t stop these point guards – either from scoring off of drives or racking up assists by getting the ball to an open man for an easy basket – they may lose these games as a result. 

The Heat have also had issues with rebounding this year, as they have been outrebounded in four of the seven games they have played.  This could be a direct result of not having a big, solid player in the center position - Joel Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are outmatched against large centers such as Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Shaquille O’Neal, and so on.  Or it could also have to do with the fact that LeBron James has been in the point guard position (both formally and informally) as much as he has the small forward position.  

While technically playing the small forward position, James has been playing point guard for the team a lot – both in transition on the fast break, and when he gets the ball from Arroyo just past half court and starts an offensive set.  This has worked well so far, as the Heat have been getting good pick-and-rolls and open shots on the outside.  At the same time, however, it is taking a good rebounder out of rebounding position and leaving the Heat with smaller rebounders that are overmatched against the players they are trying to rebound over.  Last year James averaged 7.3 rebounds per game, but he is only averaging 4.7 so far this year.   

Aside from James, Bosh also has not been rebounding well.  Last year, Bosh averaged 10.8 rebounds per game.  Yet so far, he is averaging merely 5.4 rebounds per game, exactly half of his average from last year.  Bosh needs to step up and begin rebounding more in order for the Heat to continue winning games.  

These are the two biggest issues facing the Heat right now – defending against great point guards and centers, and rebounding.  They need to work on these issues and get better, before it hurts them too badly. 

Heat Beat Nets Again

The Miami Heat beat the New Jersey Nets for the second time in the same week, this time 101-89 in Miami.  After leading 55-51 at halftime, the Heat went on a 25-10 run in the final 7 minutes of the third quarter to gain a lead they would not relinquish.  This run was lead by LeBron James, who scored 14 points in the quarter, including 7 in the final 30 seconds of the frame.  

Miami got going offensively, and for the first time all season each of the big three scored over twenty points.  James finished with 23 points and 9 assists, while Dwyane Wade added a double-double of 29 points and 10 rebounds.  Chris Bosh had his best offensive game of the year, as he finished with 21 points on 6 for 12 shooting.  The big three of Wade, James, and Bosh combined for 73 of the Heat’s 101 points in the game.    

"Guys played very hard tonight," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Without even looking at the scoreboard, you could just tell that we were making an impact on the game with our energy, our disposition, really active, particularly on the defensive end and it allowed us to get out in the open court. And guys were really playing with athleticism and speed."

Paul, Hornets Too Much for Heat

The Miami Heat faced a challenge on Friday night and were defeated, losing to the New Orleans Hornets 96-93.  The Heat were down all game, but made a late comeback that fell just short as Eddie House missed a three pointer that would have tied the game at the end of regulation.  

New Orleans opened the game strong and led 29-17 at the end of the first quarter - largely in part due to Chris Paul’s driving-and-dishing, which led to his nine assists at the end of the frame.  The Heat struggled on the offensive end early, and did not rebound well throughout the entire game, shown by Chris Bosh’s one rebound in 34 minutes.  

“They came out with a lot of energy,” Dwyane Wade said. “They jumped on us and that caused us to play from behind the whole game. That’s not the game we want to play.”

"We know we can still make a comeback because of the talent that we have, but teams are always going to be excited to play us," LeBron James added. "If we don't match that effort early, then it's always an uphill battle throughout the whole game and that's what it was."

With New Orleans leading 86-79 with five minutes left in the game, Wade stepped up and lead a comeback that fell just short for the Heat.  Wade hit a three pointer in one possession then in the next got fouled shooting a three pointer and hit all three free throws.  With the Heat then down by one, play went back-and-forth until the Heat had the ball down 96-93 and one last chance to tie the game with just over 7 seconds left.  

Coming off the out of bounds play, James passed the ball to Wade at the top of the key, who had a chance to shoot.  Instead, Wade faked the shot, drew the defender towards himself, and passed the ball to House on the wing for the open shot.  House, who was 0-6 from three point range on the night before that shot, shot but the ball rimming out as the buzzer went off.  

When asked about the play after the game, Wade defended his decision to pass up the potential game-tying shot.  "(House) got a great look. We'd live with that shot every game if we had to. He's a great shooter. Unfortunately it just didn't go in."  

Wade finished the game with 28 points and 10 rebounds, with 12 of those 28 points coming in the fourth quarter.  James finished with 20 points and 10 assists in the loss, and Bosh chipped in 15 points.  Zydrunas Ilgauskas came off the bench and added 10 points on 5 of 6 shooting.   

Heat Win Fourth Straight

The Miami Heat blew out a severely overmatched Minnesota Timberwolves team last night, 129-97.  They did so by handling the Timberwolves in the second quarter and start of the third quarter, building a large lead, and then were able to rest their star players.  Dwyane Wade played merely 24 minutes, Chris Bosh only 26, and LeBron James played 32.  The Miami offense was balanced yet again, as eleven different Heat players scored, and for the second straight game six Heat players scored in double figures.  

The game was close only until the middle of the second quarter, when Miami started to pick up their offense.  In the first half, Wade scored 22 of his game-high 26 points while shooting 10 for 14 from the field.  This was the direct result of James, who was running the offense well – both on the break and in the half-court set.  James ended the half with two points (that came with 44 seconds left) but more importantly, nine assists, which accounted for 22 of the Heat’s 69 points at the half.  

"What I saw tonight out of LeBron was a high IQ game," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He managed and dissected the game with his mind. He was baiting two guys on him, really playing with a poised tempo. He wasn't 100 percent tonight, but was able to make plays and really set up guys with wide-open shots."

James - nursing a sore leg from the game on Sunday - went to work as a scorer in the third, adding 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting for the quarter.  For the game, James finished with 20 points on 7 for 12 shooting, and 12 assists.  Wade added 26 points on 12 for 17 shooting, and Bosh added 13 points.  

Yet the Miami offense was yet again balanced, as more than the big three got involved and made significant contributions.  James Jones hit five three pointers and finished with 17 points, while Eddie House went 4 for 4 from three point range and contributed 15 points to the Heat’s victory.  Udonis Haslem had a double-double, with 11 points on 5 for 6 shooting and 10 rebounds.  Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo both added 8 points each for the Heat.  

Miami does not play again until Friday, when they travel to New Orleans to face off against the Hornets, who are led by Chris Paul. 

Balanced Offense Leads Heat to Third Straight Win

The Miami Heat beat the New Jersey Nets 101-78 on Sunday afternoon with a strong effort on the defensive end, a good transition game, and a balanced attack on the offensive end.  The offense was so balanced, in fact, that six Heat players scored in double figures.

“It just happens that way,” LeBron James said. “We would hope that every game it happens like this.  Anytime you have balance like that…that’s great.”

“Everyone is talking about offense but our offense is going to take time,” Wade said. “It’s coming, from game one to now game four.  It’s still not where we want it to be.” 

Head coach Erik Spoelstra has stressed to his team that he does not want them to become a team that takes turns having a lead scorer and trying to figure out which player is going to take over on each particular night.  Sunday’s game showed that the Heat are listening to him, as they spread their offense out throughout the entire team. 

The Heat went to work offensively - both in the transition game, led by James, and in the half-court set, led by Wade.    James finished with 20 points on 5 for 12 shooting, with 7 rebounds and 7 assists.  Wade led the half-court offense, driving off pick-and-rolls and hitting the open man for a jump shot or taking it to the hoop and getting fouled, where he hit 8 of 12 free throws.  Wade finished with 17 points on 4 for 9 shooting, along with 6 rebounds and 7 assists, all in only 27 minutes.  Chris Bosh worked well through getting double-teamed all game and finished with 18 points on 8 for 10 shooting. 

The Heat’s big three are starting to play together, and it is showing.  In the first two games of the season, Wade, James, and Bosh combined for 56.5 points per game while shooting 41.3% and having 13 turnovers per game.  But the past two games, verses the Magic and the Nets, they have combined for 53.5 points per game while shooting 46.6% and committing only 6.5 turnovers per game. 

The Heat got offensive contributions against the Nets from others besides their big three.  Carlos Arroyo chipped in 12 points on 5 for 7 shooting, Eddie House added 11 points on 5 for 8 shooting, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 10 points on 5 for 6 shooting. 

Defense, Wade Lead Heat to Second Win

The Miami Heat verses the Orlando Magic had the makings of a great back-and-forth game, but that all changed after halftime.  Miami went on a 14-0 run to start the third quarter and didn’t look back from there on route to a 96-70 rout of the Magic.  
  
In the first half, both teams went to work – Miami with good ball movement and everyone hitting jumpers, and Orlando with Dwight Howard, who got all of his 19 points in the first half.  The game stayed close - the largest lead was nine points (with Miami winning), the game was tied seven times in the half, and there were eight lead changes.  

But Miami came out strong after halftime, with LeBron James hitting a three pointer followed by Dwyane Wade hitting two three pointers.  The Heat stepped up defensively in the third, causing turnovers and bothering the Orlando shooters (who went 0-9 from three point range in the quarter).  They allowed Orlando to score only ten points in the quarter, and forced six turnovers which they turned into easy offense and points in the transition game.  The Heat turned a five point halftime lead into a 24 point lead at the end of the third quarter. 

Miami held Orlando to 30.4 percent shooting, its worst as a team since November 3, 2003, and only five assists in the entire game.  Head coach Erik Spoelstra has been stressing the importance of defense since training camp, and he was very pleased with the results last night.  

"The guys now can't go back on this," Spoelstra said. "They've shown me what we're capable of defensively and I will hold them to this standard now in terms of the effort. The effort was great.”

On the offensive end things were clicking as well.  Wade was busy in many ways – hitting three pointers, driving off of pick-and-rolls, driving and dishing to the open man, and running the floor well.  The Heat’s ball movement was excellent throughout the entire game, as players consistently passed up decent shots to give the ball to a player with an even better shot.  This led to nine different Heat players scoring in the first half, and everyone contributing on the offensive end throughout the game.  

Wade seems to have fully gotten rid of the rust that was there two games ago, and finished with 26 points on 9 for 20 shooting, with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.  James, on the other hand, was more of the point guard and play-maker last night, as he drove and found the open man well.  He finished with 15 points on 6 for 13 shooting, with 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 turnovers (much better from his first two games in which he had 8 and 9).  

Bosh finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.  Udonis Haslem pitched in one as well, with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Running Blog - Miami Verses Orlando

It’s the home opener for Miami as they face off against the Orlando Magic, and the arena is packed and full of energy during the pregame ceremony.  Before the national anthem, Dwyane Wade is given the microphone and addresses the crowd, thanking them for their support and encouraging them to continue giving good support to give the team a good home court advantage.  Wade, as one of the two team captains, was the only player involved in the pregame ceremony.  For the starting lineups, LeBron James was announced first and received a large cheer, second was Chris Bosh, then Joel Anthony, followed by Carlos Arroyo.  Last, and certainly not least, to be announced was Dwyane Wade, and he received the largest ovation. 

First Quarter

To start the game, Bosh has shot three out of the first five shots for Miami; the other two were a missed jumper by Arroyo and fast-break layup by Wade that was blocked by Dwight Howard.  This is the first I’ve seen of Bosh being openly aggressive on the offensive end.  I wonder if it is just a coincidence, or if the team is trying to give the ball to him this game in a way to have it be “his turn” to have a big night (as James had a great offensive game in the first game of the year and Wade had one in the second game).   We’ll see as the game continues.

In the next couple minutes, Wade has been driving and creating space.  He has been doing a little of everything - one time hitting James on a kick-out pass for an open three pointer, another time driving all the way to the hoop and getting fouled, thirdly off a pick and roll for a basket, and lastly in transition for a coast-to-coast layup and the free throw.  Bosh hits a jumper, and with that Miami is winning 15-8 and has gone on a 13-2 run over the middle four minutes of the quarter. 

The next time down the court Wade drives and passes to James, who forgoes shooting a decent shot instead passing to Arroyo, who could have shot a jumper but instead passes to Bosh who hits the open jumper.  With three minutes left in the first Eddie House comes up with a steal and gives it to James, who from a little over half court connects with Wade on a beautiful alley-oop.  Things are going well - there has been good ball movement in the half court offense, and players are beginning to know where other players will be, which is shown from the alley-oop (in the first two games those types of plays have been unable to be completed). 

The Magic go on a 9-0 run to close out the quarter, and defensively the Heat are struggling to stop Howard, who has thirteen points.  This is one of the Heat’s weaknesses, in that they lack a great center who can guard someone of Howard’s caliber. 

Only two times during the quarter did James dribble a lot at the top of the key and take it one-on-one (like he did all the time for the Cavaliers and also in the first game of the season verses Boston when the offense was struggling).  He missed both of the shots he took when he did that, but he has five points and three assists so far.  At the end of the quarter it is tied, 24-24. 

Second Quarter

James drives to the hoop and kicks it out to James Jones (who had a big game against the 76ers) who hits an open three pointer.  Wade starts the quarter on the bench, and with 9:30 left James joins him on the bench.  With 8 minutes left in the quarter Wade drives and passes to Arroyo, who passes up a decent shot and gives it to Udonis Haslem for more-open shot.  Ball movement is excellent so far tonight.  Wade picks up a loose ball, drives the length of the court, hits the layup, and gets fouled.  The hamstring appears to not be giving him any issues at all, Wade is running well in transition and doing a lot of full-court work. 

Two more drives by Wade lead to a pass to Arroyo with the extra pass to Jones for another open three pointer and a pass to Bosh with the extra pass to Arroyo for an open jumper.  It is a 10-2 run for the Heat, and they lead 40-35 with just under six minutes left in the first half.  A pick-and-roll leads to another drive to the basket and two more points for Wade. 

James returns to the game with 4:30 left, and Miami leading 42-39.  James drives and passes to Zydrunas Ilgauskas for the open jumper, which also happened in the first quarter and looks much like it did when the two both played for their former team.  The next play James drives, is double teamed, passes to Wade for a fade-away jumper that goes in and gets fouled/hits the free throw. 

At halftime, Miami is up 51-45.  Wade has 14 points on 5 for 9 shooting, while James has 6 points on 2 for 7 shooting and 6 assists.  Bosh has 8 points on 2-5 shooting and 6 rebounds – after the first couple minutes of the first quarter he did not shoot much the rest of the half, as it was more about driving and hitting the open man on the outside.  Nine players for the Heat scored in the first half, which is a direct result of great ball movement and unselfish play.

On the other side, Dwight Howard has 19 points (and the rest of the Orlando team has 26).  

Third Quarter

To open the second half, James hits a three pointer, and Wade hits two three pointers in a row.  James drives and passes to Bosh, who is wide open with everyone on the Magic paying attention to Wade.  James hits a jumper on a fast break, then the next time down hits a bucket off a pick-and-roll player.  The Heat open the third quarter with a 14-0 run and lead 65-45. 

Wade makes a nice drive, gets past his defender, and goes right at Dwight Howard.  He hits the two free throws and has 22 points, definitely shows little signs of the rust that was there opening night in Boston.  James drives to the hoop and could have shot a jumper but dishes to Haslem in the corner for another assist and more good ball movement.  A fast break leads to a no-look alley-oop pass from Wade to Haslem, and the Heat lead 73-55. 

House airballs a three pointer but Wade gets the rebound and connects on a reverse layup.  House then makes up for it and gets two steals, one of which leads to a coast-to-coast layup for Wade who now has 26 points.  At the end of the third quarter the Heat have blown open the game and are up 79-55.  They did this by stepping up their defensive intensity, which led to good offense in the transition game. 

Fourth Quarter

Wade drives to the hoop and dishes to Jones for another open three pointer in the corner, and Jones now has 9 points.  A couple times early in the quarter Wade has elevated as if to shoot a jump shoot but instead passes to someone else who is more open.  James pulls up for an open jumper off a pick and roll.  Howard fouls out for Orlando with six minutes left in the game, and finishes with 19 points.  He was in foul trouble much of the second half and was unable to score. 

Wade and James are taken out for the game with 3:30 left in the fourth, and House uses that time to hit two three pointers.  The Heat hold Orlando to only 25 points in the second half, and win by a final score of 96-70.  Wade finishes with 26 points on 9 for 20 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 4 turnovers.  James finishes with 15 points on 6 for 13 shooting, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 turnovers (much better from his first two games in which he had 8 and 9).  Bosh finishes with 11 points on 2 for 9 shooting, along with 10 rebounds. 

Wade Shines in Heat’s First Win

After a lackluster performance on Tuesday night verses the Celtics in which the Heat were rusty and lacked cohesion, Wednesday night in Philadelphia saw a much better Heat team in action verses the 76ers.  The Heat came together, both on offense and defense, and won 97-87.  The game was not as close as the score shows - the Heat were leading 80-54 at the end of the third quarter, but got lazy on defense in the fourth and were outscored by 16 points.  

There were several keys to this win - defense, the transition game, Dwyane Wade stepping up with a strong performance, and James Jones shooting 6 for 9 from three-point range.  The Heat defense was very strong, forcing the 76ers to commit 16 turnovers, which then led to 20 fast break points.  

When it came down to running a half-court offense, Miami was much better in this game than in the game verses the Celtics.  On Wednesday, the Heat had much better spacing between players and very good ball movement.  When Wade or LeBron James drove to the hoop, the 76ers defenders collapsed on them, and they were able to kick the ball out to open shooters.  This led to Jones getting open shots and scoring 20 points, which was important for this victory over the 76ers.  

“Give it up for JJ, really stepping up,” Wade said. 

“JJ was unbelievable today,” James said. 

Aside from Jones having a strong offensive performance, Wade had one as well.  Following a poor performance Tuesday in what was Wade’s first game-speed action all year (he got only three minutes in preseason action), Wade came back strong in the second game of the season. 

After the team watched the video of the Celtics game and discussed it, Wade then watched the game two additional times on his own.  What he took from that, along with the fact of just getting more game time playing in and working the rust off, led to a much better performance.  He finished with 30 points on 10 for 20 shooting, with seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, and only one turnover.  

"I always pride myself on learning from what I did the night before," Wade said. "I got in a comfort zone (tonight), I missed some shots around the basket, but it's coming."

"He was less anxious, letting the game come to him," Spoelstra said.

James also had a good game, finishing with 16 points on 5 for 12 shooting, with six rebounds and seven assists, but also nine turnovers (after having eight in Boston the night before).  Bosh finished with 15 points on 6-12 shooting, seven rebounds, one assist, and only one turnover.  The big three were on the floor together just 25 minutes, but scored 61 points on 18 for 35 shooting.  This was a large improvement from the first game verses the Celtics, in which the big three played 30 minutes together and scored 52 points on 16 for 44 shooting.  

"We're not at our peak, we're not even close," Wade said. "Eventually when it's time to be there, we will."

Next up, the Heat face the Orlando Magic in Miami on Friday night.  This will be a challenge, as Orlando is a good defensive team, much like Boston was.