Wade and Bosh
Dwyane Wade is not healthy. His knee is the source of more problems than he is willing to admit. Although I admire his desire to help his team, at some point, a player can become a hinderance to a team's success despite his intentions to the contrary. That point is here for Wade. He has been inefficient on the offensive end. Defensively, Paul George has scored almost at will against him. Wade has yet to score at least 20 points during any game in the playoffs.
Chris Bosh does not have a physical bone in his body. Against Indiana, he has been passive, and he looks like a boy competing with grown men. His limited rebounding ability is usually offset by his ability to score on the offensive end. He is usually the guy that keeps the floor spaced for cutters, drivers and open jump shots. That has not been the case against the Pacers. He is averaging just under 4 rebounds per game during this series and had just 5 points during game 6. He is not injured, so his performance must be attributed to his lack of effort. He has to step it up if the Heat are to advance to the next round.
Referees
The referees have exercised entirely too much control over this series. During game one, they called a phantom foul on Dwyane Wade that almost caused the Heat to lose the game. During game five, they called an offensive foul on Lebron James (his 6th foul) with just under a minute remaining in a hotly contested game. During game six, they called another foul against Lebron James as he drove the lane against Roy Hibbert, who was clearly inside the circle, in the 4th quarter. Not only did they call a personal foul against Lebron, but they also called a technical foul against him as well. These calls changed the momentum and complexion of each game. Players should decide the outcome of games; referees should not.
Tempo
Miami had the best record in the NBA during the regular season. They played a brand of basketball that is currently referred to as "small ball." They played at a faster tempo and forced many turnovers. In order for that system to be effective, however, role players must make open jump shots. During the regular season, Shane Battier and Ray Allen were two of the best at making doing just that. Despite their defined roles and known ability to fill this niche for the Heat, both have been grossly ineffective against Indiana. Miami's offensive struggles could be offset if they played great defense as they did during the regular season. Well folks, that simply has not happened. They are not forcing turnovers and they are being dominated in the rebounding category. Oh, and there is just another "small" problem, and his name is Roy Ewing, I mean Hibbert. The Heat have had no answer for him.
Lebron James
Lebron James is the best player in the world. He has played well against the Pacers, but he is not receiving any help from the usual suspects. That said, Lebron has to dominate in game 7. He has to return to his Cleveland days and show everyone why he is the best player in the world. He has to stop deferring to role players.
Lebron knows that his legacy is on the line. A loss in game 7 would mean that he wasted another "prime" year of his career. It will push him further away from his goal of attaining multiple NBA championships. He is capable of posting ridiculous numbers and that is the effort the Heat will need to win against a very confident Pacers team. I am thinking that 38 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists should be sufficient to get the job done.
Peace
Playoff basketball is all about matchups and not who the best team on paper is or during the Regular season. Let's face it the Pacers are a tough matchup for the Heat...they have size in the paint, play physical, and a play a slower half court offense. They have definitely slowed the tempo for the Heat who are used to a faster tempo but that is typical in playoff basketball. Also the Heat beat teams who turnover the ball a lot...for the most part the Pacers have done a great job with that except for Game 5. Glaring stat from Game 5 is Pacers turnovers which cost them the game.
ReplyDeleteas for the refs...they are soo inconsistent and there have been bad calls on both sides of the ball. As for the fouls you mentioned on Lebron...let's be real they were offensive fouls:
Game 4 (i believe): Lebron clearly steps on Stephenson's foot causing him to trip/stumble. He also wasn't set and his stance is wider than his shoulders.
Game 6: Lebron leads with his knee. Battier got called for a similar foul in Game 1 (link below). The rule book goes something like this...A player (offensive/defensive) cannot extend his arm/leg against the opposing player. The Battier foul is the same type of play and ironically on Hibbert who was in the circle in both vids. Not surprised James got called for the tech either...refs have a serious ego problem and if they feel like if you try to show them up after a call then you are gonna pay for it.
Battier foul from game 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hQwWk1go6s
Correct me if I'm wrong but that circle in the paint is mainly set up for charges...As long as an defensive player jumps straight up and not into the player he then he makes a legal play on the ball.
With that said tho...I'm surprised they called those fouls given it was Lebron and so late in the game. I can't comment on the Wade foul as I don't remember it.
Even if the Heat get past the Pacers do you think it will be easier against the Spurs? I personally don't think the Heat or Pacers will beat the Spurs. I do however think the Pacers will "matchup" better against the Spurs.
Just my thoughts...
-Armon
I agree that the playoffs are mostly about matchups because many of the playoffs teams have the potential to win it all. That said, I agree that Indiana is a terrible matchup for Miami. I thought the same thing about Memphis and LAC. Indiana is well coached and they do not change their style-smash mouth, and physical. It is working well for them so far. However, the NBA is also dominated by super star players. That said, if Dwyane Wade was playing to his maximum potential, the close games we have seen thus far would likely be Miami Heat double digit wins. I'm definitely not making an excuse, but that point has to account for this relative close series.
DeleteThe refs have been inconsistent against both teams. However, Lebron James is the best player in the world. He deserves the treatment as such. Kobe, MJ and many other great players always received the benefit of the doubt in close games. For reasons unknown to me, Lebron does not seem to receive the level of respect a 4 time MVP should receive.
The Lebron play against Stephenson should have been a no call in my opinion. Again, even if the call was debatable, he should have received the benefit of the doubt.
I reviewed the play a few times and it looks like Hibbert did a good job of going straight up. But, again, with less than one minute remaining in the game, and considering that LBJ did not gain an advantage on the play, I think it should have been a no-call. The referees have to let the teams play.
Here is the foul called on Dwyane Wade, which also happened to be his 6th. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-PnAEXgARw
If the Heat can get past Indiana, I think they will beat San Antonio is 5 or 6 games. The Spurs do not have the low post threats that Indiana has. Duncan is mostly a perimeter guy and Bosh is better suited to defend him. Tony Parker is a tough matchup, but Chalmers and Cole are both good defenders. The Spurs have no answer for Lebron and they have no shot blocking. Wade, even on his bum knee, will likely play much better. Miami is the best team in the league, but this "matchup" has exposed their weaknesses. However, the Spurs do not have the personnel to take advantage, in my opinion.