2012 Playoffs… We got this.

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written about my favorite boys in white but doesn’t mean I have stopped watching the games all the way until playoffs… PSSH I’m not known as the Heat girl for no reason! But it looks like the moment we have been waiting all short season long is here. No more trash talking. No more threats or promises of what is to come – it’s here. With the Heat playing Game 5 back in Miami against the New York Knicks, they have been able to show that they deserve to be in the 2012 playoffs despite their slumps. No one can deny that Lebron James has shown us that his Playoff hat is definitely on and the man has one main focus – a ring and opportunity to shut a lot of his past haters up. Granted we didn’t sweep the New York Knicks but let’s be real, they’re not really the team to be worried about. Seriously a player who in a critical time when his team needs him the most decides to punch a fire extinguisher and injure his hand? Only Amare Stoudemire. As if he isn’t injury prone enough, still I give the all around giant props for getting on the court on Game 4 and to his teammate Carmelo Anthony who despite losing three games in row was the only thing the New York Knicks team had going for them.  Let’s be real though.. that will not happen in our house. The Knicks win probably was due because towards the end they showed more passion and wanted to save face with their hometown, as to where the Heat got a little too complacent and slacked off. I am not worried about these series at all just want the Knicks done and over with so the boys in white can get ready for their next challenge… in words of the Brooklyn boy Jay-Z “on to the next one”.

In the Heat we trust …

Hello slump…  like they were saying in recent articles – maybe tonight’s game shouldn’t be so much about beating the Dallas Mavericks but more about getting their rhythmn back as a team. And okay beating the Mavericks.

This has happen before, or better yet all the time, when we lose a couple of games. The question of the Big 3 and how good they really are together rises. Erick Spoelstra’s coaching abilities and his lack of running effective rotations. Then we have our point guard issue with Mario Chalmers who has beenvery up and down lately. This means other players having to step up for him and his lacking of making shots. I do think we would have this cover if we are only focusing on three pointers – there is Mike Miller,  James Jones and Udonis Haslem. Problem here is that Mike Miller is injured, James Jones has little value in the defensive side other than his ocassional charges and Udonis Haslem has been lacking on the jumpshots due to playing with an injured rib (explains a lot). Then we got Shane Battier who seems to be the all around player but this only means he has to be on top of it at all times from here on out – let’s face it that’s not always the case. There have been games where I seriously think Spoelstra should have sat his ass down and put someone in the rotation who COULD make those 3 pointers. Anyways back to the roster then we have the issue of our centers. While we just added Ronny Turiaf as the third string center, there is still a lot to be seen whether he can make a difference. As for me the jury is still out with him and what value he can bring to the team as a center. Center has always been one of our problems even with players like Dexter Pittman and Joel Anthony who just don’t cover all the bases.

Ultimately while we need the bench to be at their best, we also need our three star players to be at their best. I can’t stress enough how much we need Chris Bosh to maintain consistency. Not only in making shots and rebounding but on the defensive side – use that big body for something. Then we have Wade whose strides on the court tend to have a short duration – one minute he is on fire and the next his game is mediocre. Then Lebron James. I can’t deny and won’t that he has upped his game to the tenth by taking such a strong position to make things happen in the game when we need him to get us some points. But this is when we need our coach to also come to play, apparently Lebron has been hurt and yet we continue to drain him on the court at moments where we could have sat him down. We need to use him when we need it most or even so if we are on a good streak, we need to be able to utilize other players’ strength and let them fill in. I think we have a whole roster full of talent not just one or two guys – it’s all about good rotations and smart strategies to make the team gel and work effectively.

I am not doubting our Miami Heat can pull it off. We got plenty of games to perfect our skills before the upcoming playoffs. It’s all about making a few minor yet necessary changes to the rotation and spreading the responsibility throughout the roster not just Lebron James. In the Heat we trust … for them to play better, for Spoelstra to coach wisely.

Miami Heat: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

I would say the game against the Philadelphia 76ers was the ugly… in a game where we had a thirty point lead for almost the whole first half the game and then come within a five point lead, there’s a problem. While I love my team, I will say this is one of the moments that showed consistency is a big problem for us. We cannot let our guard down especially with a team like 76ers that despite the disgusting lead we had on them in their own home court they never stopped playing hard. Either that or we got complacent and literally dropped the ball.

The game against the Phoenix Suns I would say is the bad. Even though we did beat the very talented old timers Steve Nash and Grant Hill, the game showed that when some of our key players like Wade are quiet, it shows. He really has gained the title of the closer – we depend on him a lot to take control and bring the W. Another very noticeable problem we may have here and there is rebounding. Getting those rebounds on both sides is key. It means we get the ball. It means that’s another possessions for us and another chance to get some points on the scoreboard. This is not just the job of the Big 3… this include players on our bench like Haslem and Battier. We also got a chance to see Dexter Pittman be in the starting line up with Joel Anthony sitting down due to an injury. Without him and Mike Miller, the whole bench has some shoes to fill in when it comes to defending (Anthony) and making those 3 point shots (Miller). The obvious player this year who has been getting more rebounds and making more shots in my eyes is definitely  Chris Bosh. The man said he knew he had to be more aggressive, that he had to get in the glass more and assume the position of being the center when need be and in my opinion he has. Maybe not to perfection but enough to save us in a couple of games (not speaking about the Bulls game). Again Lebron and Wade cannot do it alone. Like any player they will have off games too. Look at the Chicago Bulls, they annihilated us over there WITHOUT their star player. Still I must give credit where credit is due and that is that Lebron is learning to carry him team when it comes to the nitty gritty moments.

Game against Orlando Magic … the good. Showed that even though this team has been one of the few to beat us twice this season, we can still come back with them. Now the question is, do we only have an advantage when we are at home court?  I really hope not. It’s evident that ever since the All Star game we haven’t been playing the same. Is it that the Heat know they got the talent and are just pacing themselves? Ehhh wishful thinking. We got the Pistons tonight and then our biggest contenders from the West and noticeably one of the best teams right now… Oklahoma Thunder.

Let’s hope our Miami Heat has their defense on point and our offense ready to go.

The Heat have been BULLied.. Slump Continues

[[Disclaimer: I am a huge Heat fan. The following is tough love.]]

Forgive my pun but what kind of BULLsh** game was that? There is no way around this but to admit the Heat played a horrible game against the Chicago Bulls. It felt like a continuation from yesterday’s game with the Orlando Magic. Not only did the Chicago Bulls maintain a ten point plus lead throughout the game but there was no Derrick Rose on the court. That was allll the Bulls bench putting their best effort forward and not to mention – John Lucas. It had to be the best game of his career and possibly the one to put him out there as the Bulls’ leader while Rose sat down.

Throughout the whole game all the points coming from the Heat were either shot by Lebron James or Dwyane Wade. While it’s evident that these two are superstars, you can’t beat teams like the Bulls with just two men shooting the ball. Our defense was mediocre and our offense was nonexistent. The offensive side had to be one of our weakest points … the team was just not there. Even Chris Bosh had a horrible night barely making any points or  getting rebounds for that matter.

Something else the Chicago Bulls got other than a well deserved win? Confidence. If they ever had any doubt or thought that they needed their main man Rose to beat a team like the Miami Heat, after last night’s game that last speck of intimidation is gone. They have it in their heads and apparently on the scoreboard the belief AND proof that they have a chance at the championship. And that is pretty bad. If the Heat don’t wake up from this offensive slump they are in, it will continue to get worse. The next game against the Philadelphia 76ers won’t be any easier – this team is known for its great defensive skills. If the Heat want to regain their dignity and I don’t just mean in the last 40 seconds of the game, they are going to have to maintain a strong defense and an effective offense , most of all they need to be CONSISTENT. That whole strategy of “we’ll catch up in the second half” doesn’t work with every team. Clearly. With teams like the Bulls, who had great players like Boozer, Brewer, Gibson, Lucas and Korver going full force the whole four quarters, the Heat need to remember they don’t have the ring yet. Yes Wade and Lebron are awesome but they are not the whole team. Bosh was missing in action but we all know he tends to have some problems against the Bulls when it comes to guarding the big boys. What about all the other guys? It was like hearing crickets from the Heat bench. There was no response. Useless possessions. Barely any free throws and again more hopeless attempts at 3s.

The NBA trade is suppose to come to an end and there is of course rumors that Pat Riley still has another trick up his sleeve. At this point, unless you are getting Michael Jordan himself, the Heat need to shape up with the players they have on their roster and get their heads back in the game. It IS all about the Playoffs but they need to remind the critics (and we have plenty of those rooting against our team) why we are one of the best teams in the league.

Heat Loss: From Epic Shot to Epic Fail

Let’s face it …. game against the Indiana Pacers wasn’t exactly their best performance. Yes they came back in overtime – who can forget Dwyane Wade’s signature pose.. “this is my motherf***king” house!” that had the home crowd going wild. Still it wasn’t an easy breezy win for the Heat. The Pacers have a young team filled with lots of energy and the will to beat the Heat if they hadn’t stepped up their game. With players like Granger and Collison, the Heat’s defense had lots to block. For a majority of the game, the Pacers actually had the lead. To top it off, we lost the injury prone Mike Miller to a sprained ankle. It wasn’t until the end where we manage to pull the rabbit out of the hat and actually get the win. It was definitely a day for the 3′s but that wasn’t exactly the winning recipe in today’s game against the Orlando Magic…

(Ok it was a pretty epic shot…)

The game against the Orlando Magic was just plain frustrating. While they manage to get a lead halfway through the game they completely lost it during the fourth quarter and all the way into overtime. Wade tried to be the closer today but missed his 3 and it pretty much went downhill in overtime. I have no idea what Spoelstra was thinking in keeping Shane Battier in making hopeless attempts at shooting the ball when  he clearly kept missing. At this point if that is the route you are letting your player take then why not put in the player who’s great at making those shots… James Jones?! Granted due to the rotation, it becomes hard to find him a spot but early on in the game he made two important 3 pointers that got the lead rolling for the Heat. At this point, the way we were playing there was no harm in putting him back in. The whole game  was just frustrating to watch mainly because we got the ball back so many times but the offense decided they wanted to throw the ball to the net and pray it went in. Plenty of possessions but no game changer. What happen to taking it to the glass? We got the opportunity several times and still they went for the same hopeless shot. Even Lebron James was mediocre and at times unnoticeable. Wade while he tried to be the hero at the last minute in the fourth quarter, he failed. Pity because had he made that shot the game would have been over and we would have won. Chalmers had one of those up and downs game where his fouling  just gave the ball back to the Magic who were not having a problem making their shots. We can’t deny that the Orlando Magic played an excellent game. Yes Dwight Howard was a beast with the rebounds and like never before even managed to make some of his free throws (just our luck) but Jameer Nelson was the show stopper. There was barely a time he got the ball and didn’t make the shot. It was a frustrating loss that in my opinion could have been prevented. Was it the rotation? Maybe. I don’t understand how keeping Battier in the game while he kept making some bad attempts at shooting the ball helped. All I know is tomorrow we play the Chicago Bulls and we need to get our game back on track if we want to get another win on the road… soon.

But hey we get a chance to take another stab at the Orlando Magic in our home court this weekend… Let’s hope Spoelstra has a better rotation up his sleeve this time.

Turning the Heat up at Home Court

Like I said … who can’t beat the Nets? Especially without Brooke Lopez.  Don’t get me wrong I am not trying to bash my team especially when bench warmers like Dexter Pittman and Eddy Curry actually got some playing time. Last night’s game was like practice for the beat after a back to back loss with the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers.

But tonight the rhythm for the Heat  picked up against the Atlanta Hawks. While the first half of the game was mediocre with the Hawks gaining up to the Heat on the scoreboard and getting a two point lead, the Heat boys retaliated on the second half. Yes Wade’s ankle is a little of a risque thing to play with considering he was sat down in yesterday’s game after once again rolling it over for a second time in a row. But the man is determine to show he can make up for the “foul” ups he’s been committing in the past few games. Still the game against the Hawks tonight shows they are a team you can’t let your guards down with even though their star player, Joe Johnson, was missing in action. All the way till the fourth quarter they were pretty rocky, going head to head against the Hawks and not solidifying an optimistic lead that let us know they had it in the bag. It wasn’t till almost THE END of the fourth quarter where the Heat stepped it up and even though I am biased towards this player, Udonis Haslem’s jump shot and alley-oop from Captain Wade lifted the team’s mojo. There was a split second where Mario Chalmers had his usual ‘let me foul this guy right when we need the points the most’ moment but luckily UD  came through right at the last minute. It was like a rerun of the Utah Jazz game when he miss that shot – but being the true Miami boy he is, even making it didn’t boost his ego. The 305 ride or die player just knows what he brings to the team. Of course it’s not like that can’t be said from Lebron – 31 points. He seems to be getting better and better. I don’t normally like to jump the gun but the man is the MVP. No questions about it.

Next couple of games should be just as nail biter games like this one – going against Pacers, Magic and Bulls. No easy task at all. Beating the Hawks today is a good sign and hopefully will be a continuation. Guess every now and then even the best need a loss or two to remind them that they are the team that everyone wants to beat.

“El Heat” didn’t bring THE Heat

Guess our streak had to end sometime but I didn’t think it would start with the Utah Jazz and then continue on to the Los Angeles Lakers. After an amazing on the road performance against the Portland Trailblazers where we had a lead the entire time, it seems like the fire burned out as soon as they came up against the Jazz. Could it be the fact that player Chris Bosh has been absent these last three games due to a death in the family? I think so. While it’s sad to hear the passing of his relative, he was definitely missed in these previous games where the points he brings to the scoreboard were seriously lacking.

The Utah Jazz game was just horrible. And while people want to blame Lebron – I can’t really agree with them on this one about choking or anything of the sort. Yes he threw the ball to Udonis Haslem in the final second who missed his jump shot and resulted in a loss but let’s not forget all he did throughout the game. Sadly and I hate to admit this, Wade did not help his team at all by getting fouls that gave the Jazz an opportunity to get up to three free throws when we were tied. No this wasn’t Lebron’s fault. I am not saying the whole game was due to Wade but when it came to clutch time instead of coming through he put his team in jeopardy.

It happened again today against the Los Angeles Lakers where “El Heat” did not manage to grab the lead at any point during the game – the closest we got to was two points but the Lakers were quick to bring it up to ten point lead. We can’t deny that the Lakers showed more intensity throughout the game with players like Metta World Peace and Kobe Bryant making nonstop shots. On our side? Not so much. At one point it looked like they were throwing the ball at the net just to do so with no sense of direction. When we almost caught up to the Lakers on the scoreboard it was due to Shane Battier who luckily is gifted in both the offensive and defensive side. Still it wasn’t enough and we couldn’t hold on to the ball in the fourth quarter. Wade had a terrible game – fouling out. I don’t remember the last time he did that? Has he ever been fouled out of a game? I don’t understand why Spoelstra didn’t sit him down after the third foul in a row. It meant leaving Lebron out there on the court on his own. No Bosh. No Wade. Bench playing not so good.

Last two games were definitely not the Heat’s best. Chris Bosh not playing can be a big factor – we need his consistent ten to twenty points he can get us. Him not being in these games show what a vital part of the team he’s become. Let’s hope he is able to come back by the time we play the Nets… then again it is the Nets. Who can’t beat them?!

Chris Bosh the car sales man

 

Back in his Toronto Raptors days … the man had too much time on his hands.

 

 

 

 

Back to Back to Back … Bringin’ the Heat!

8 games in a row….

From Wizards to Hawks to Bucks (finally) to Pacers to Cavaliers to Magic to Kings and last but not least… our latest “pretender” the Knicks. After that first loss on the road against the Orlando Magic, it’s almost as if the team did a 180 and became the kind of team who started to show off their true talents.

Not only did we come back full force from that loss but we are starting to gain the kind of consistency that can take us a long way when it comes to the playoffs. We definitely got our payback against Dwight Howard and his Magic this past Sunday when our defense overcame their team by blocking any chance at a win. Our defense is just getting more and more aggressive on the court – and I know the following player does not get enough praise but HELLO CHRIS BOSH! I really believe his value has just gone up more and more this year with the improvement he has made on the defensive side, getting more rebounds and attacking the rim. While the big 3 are on the full force (Lebron is letting his MVP-ness come out), our bench is on a roll too. We cannot deny that players like Shane Battier(great player on both sides of the court), Udonis Haslem (ultimate rebounder), Norris Cole (Wade in the making), Joel Anthony (the blocker) and of course Mario Chalmers have all become great assets to the team. Running the plays better and knowing when to hand the ball over to one of the big guys, they are the guys who provide all the little details in the game that result in great wins. Yes Lebron James and Dwyane Wade have an amazing energy when they are both playing good, it was evident today during the New York Knicks game. Keeping the defense and offense all through the game, if one didn’t make the shot, the other was right behind him dunking the ball. While we have always had this ongoing rivalry with the Knicks, the Heat manage to crush them today in a very classy way – no talk, all walk. There was so much hype circling the Knicks rookie point guard Jeremy Lin – they thought Lin plus Melo plus Stoudemire and they’re set. Wrong. Granted I will say that Amare Stoudemire made a sick block during the game but other than a couple of good shots from Smith – the Knicks are still lacking in defense. I think they have a long way to go before opposing any kind of real threat to the Heat.

Despite our great wins, the truth is – it’s all about the playoffs. Yet there is no doubt about it that the Heat’s game is getting better as the season is progressing by beating everyone of the last 8 teams with 12 points or more. We are number one on the East side and one of the few teams to have six players going to the All Star game in Orlando. I say we are doing pretty good and will continue our streak if we keep playing this way. It’s a good time to be a Heat fan – not to mention … great bragging rights.

The Miami “Must”

Of course it was going to come to this point where the critics say if the Heat can’t hack it this year -  then off with their heads. Or better yet on with the trade. Recently read this article “Miami Heat Must Win Now” and it’s already being talked about that if we can’t win a championship by this year then Pat Riley will have to do the inevitable and split the big 3 up. What good is all that talent in one team without a championship?

While I see the rationalization in that… let’s face it, we never know what the Riley is going to do. And yes we should be winning certain games and our defense should be top notch considering what we have but despite a few bad games which every team will have, I do think we are going to get the championship this year. People will always be quick to judge this Miami Heat team but come on look at the Thunder last night losing to the Sacramento Kings. It happens.

The game to the Magic was a pretty bad one but till now, no one has really had the right guy to take on the gigantic Dwight Howard. To top it off he was a beast on their home court in this last game and we had no one to guard him. Joel Anthony? Let’s be real Mr. Butterfingers is good on the D but not enough to go against the Superman who kept making his shots and getting rebounds.. 20 was it? While we got within a three point lead towards the end of the half, we were not able to pull our weight through the second. Could it be Lebron going on ghost mode? A horrible tendency he has. Then we didn’t have a solid pointguard either – yes Norris Cole is great but still wet behind the ears. Mario Chalmers might not be my main go to man but maybe that hand injury cost us some points too.

I am hoping our road trip takes a turn for the better from here on out against the Wizards tonight with Chalmers back and hopefully utilizing our strengths better. I am just glad the real Heat captain, Wade, seems to have his game back.