Archive for the 'Playoffs' Category
Why Miami Getting Swept is a Good Thing
And like that! Miami is done.
No more whiteout at the AAA. No more Wade. No more Shaq. No more Heat dancers.
No more hitting mute when Hubie Brown comments on Heat games. No more Sun Sports pregame hype.
No more chances to comeback and defend the title. It’s over. Miami’s reign as champs has come to an end.
Yet, as tough as this is for us nouveau-riche Heat fans to swallow, we must remember that the franchises in the NBA that have actually won the title is very small. And of that group, the franchises that have been able to defend their title with another title is even smaller. Ultimately, Miami has ended up where other championship teams of the past have ended up - falling short.
We can go on and on about how the Heat were swept out in the first round by the Bulls, yet the details make what seems clear even fuzzier. The home court advantage. The injuries that slowed the Heat down. The missed free throws that cost them two wins at least. The list goes on and on, but it just comes down to the fact that the Bulls were almost pre-destined to win this series no matter what. Don’t think so? What about Ben Wallace’s 6 made free throws in a row? When has he EVER done that?
So, the Heat end up falling short of their title defense, and for the haters out there, they would only stress they fell very short of it. There is some good, however that could come out of this.
Season analysis after the jump…
The Miami Heat were swept out of the AAA today, dropping the fourth game of the first round to the Chicago Bulls 92-79. This officially sends the Miami Heat home or as the fellas on the TNT set would say, They Gone Fishin! The Bulls deserved this one. They out hustled an older team and were shooting hot the whole series. The combination of an unhealthy Heat team, poor free throw shooting, and a barrage of Dwyane Wade turnovers basically sealed the fate of the mighty Heatian’s.
It’s funny, I’m not as pissed off as I thought I would be because I expected the Heat to be pushed to the limit, I just never expected an absolute white wash. The Heat have some major decisions to make in the offseason including some career decisions on behalf of Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton. I feel really badly for Zo if this was his last season. GP is welcomed to ride off into the sunset.
If there is a message to be learned here it’s that the regular season is very important and hopefully the Heat realize that next year. What is the over/under on the date Shaq gets hurt next season and takes off half the year?
Stay tuned for some commentary from our resident Heat expert jonnylons in the next couple of days as soon as the smoke clears.
GO HEAT!!!
Video NSFW
“If I were them, I would not want us to win one game, because everything can change with one win, and it’s not easy to close out if you’ve never closed out before. So that’s where we are,” —Pat Riley
Heat/Bulls game four. Must win to salvage the series. Join us in the MHW chat for all the in game trash talking and rooting for your Miami Heat you can get!
GO HEAT!!!
The Miami Heat came to play last night and put themselves in the position to win the game and stake a claim in this series. They did almost everything right - except hit their free throws.
The Heat shot 16-35 from the free throw line, which was as good as they shot from the field. Miami’s 45% from the field had slowly dwindled from the 52% it was at right after half time, however, and the indication is they couldn’t generate any offense during the second half.
Yet, for the first time in this series, Miami scored 20+ points in each quarter. Chicago just scored 32 in the 4th last night which will probably be the death knell for the Heat.
We all know that teams that are down 0-3 are 0-78 all-time in comebacks. The optimist in me seems to still think this Heat team is not done, but realistically they are. The Heat have not played well enough all series long to claim any kind of right to this series, and they can’t all of a sudden snap out of it.
There is much to blame here for the position the Heat are in. Standing “pat” during the offseason and not trying to shake up the roster some by bringing in hungry, younger players to help this team is one reason. Jason Kapono could be cited as an improvement along those lines, but Riley’s inability to get another PG could be hurting this team right now.
Jason Williams was 1-7 last night and his disappearing act is rivaling Udonis Haslem’s trick right now for the Heat. Both players are needed, but JWill’s inability to contribute anything of meaning at all right now is also hurting Wade who is spending a lot of energy trying to play PG and bring this team back from the brink. And he is still shaking off the effects of his shoulder injury while sporting knee tendinitis.
The last time the Heat had a significant injury to Wade was the Eastern Conference Finals in 2004-2005 where they lost to the Pistons. In fact, that is the reason the Pistons were able to prevail. Chicago is also benefiting from a hampered Wade, who is not the same explosive self despite all the guts he displays to the contrary.
In fact, Wade’s performance is a microcosm of this Heat team: you expect something spectacular but for whatever reason, it is just falling short. The “it” factor just isn’t there right now. Give credit to Chicago, they have conviction in their beliefs as a team and they keep making the necessary plays to win the games. It is a reverse of character as you would think the veteran-heavy team would be sniffing out ways to win games, instead of ways to give them up.
Miami has one last guaranteed game on Sunday. Winning would do little other than show pride at this point yet even that would be welcomed. There is no one realistically believing Miami will win this series now - even in that lockerroom. It isn’t impossible, but for Miami the defense of their crown, like this entire season, is looking most anti climatic.
This is the game where the answers will become manifest.
You can talk all you want about the Bulls first two wins in the first two games of this series, but that is what they were supposed to do. Your Miami Heat couldn’t overachieve at that point and take a game in Chicago, which is what they were attempting to do.
Now, it’s Miami’s turn to serve.
The real reason Miami couldn’t steal a game in Chicago? There are a myriad of reasons; officiating, hot shooting, poor defense, bad rebounding, worse defense, horrible shot selection, UFOs, zombies, David Stern. It doesn’t matter, it simply comes down to this: as good as Chicago shot in Game 2 (55%), Miami was playing so far below their level that Mickey Arison should have filed a report with the police. On a scale of 1-10, Chicago was hitting 8 and 9 in both games while Miami was fluctuating between 5 and 6. The first game, Miami almost won despite not having a right to be in that game while in the second, they couldn’t get over the hump despite having a shot to win that game as well.
Still, at this point it’s all speculation, too. Maybe Miami is too old and too slow and too injured to take out the Bulls for the second postseason in a row. For certain, we will know more after Game 3, Miami’s first home playoff game of the 2006-2007 season.
There are more questions that will be answered:
Will the Heat find a way to contain Luol Deng?
Is the real Wade going to show up? Or will he allow his injury to be his excuse and his eventual downfall?
Can Shaq elevate his game and stay out of foul trouble and prove, once again, that this game has not passed him by?
Will Udonis Haslem and Jason Williams show up for the game?
Who will start at small forward, Eddie Jones, James Posey or Jason Kapono?
Can Miami, realistically win this series?
This is why they play the games. Miami is confident that they can win this series and they understand that a series can change momentum literally overnight. Yet Chicago just might be prepared to overtake the Heat.
Game 3 will reveal all.
Discuss Game 3 or Chat LIVE!. You can also bang it in the comments!
There is now an amber alert out for the Miami Heat, who have gone missing for at least a week now.
The last time they were seen was at Orlando for the final regular season game, although it was suspicious because Dwyane Wade and Shaq didn’t make an appearance. We all just assumed it was normal and went on with our lives.
What we didn’t realize is that incident was never reported and both players have not been seen since. And now, the entire team is missing, too.
Call it “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” or perhaps some sort of rapture, but the Heat have been missing for so long, the Bulls have decided to honor them by holding out for their recovery and only taking a win on each date originally scheduled for a playoff game. The Bulls get a win because the Heat, gone missing since April 19th, are forfeiting each game.
It’s a sad story, really. The Bulls were looking forward to challenging the Heat in a playoff round one and testing their mettle against the defending champions. Yet, they seem to have never gotten that chance.
“It’s like, they are still here, you know? Any second I am looking out on the court and I expect to see Shaq show up in his warm-ups. It’s strange.” Ben Gordon said about the missing Heat.
“I wonder what it would be like to have a rematch against Shaq, DWade and all those guys. They are intense competitors and with Riley at the helm, it would be one heck of a challenge to take the series,” Kirk Hinrich told the media from his 30′ yacht on Lake Michigan this afternoon. “I would have looked forward to it.”
If you have any information on where the Miami Heat is, or even where some of the individual players are, please give us a call at 1-888-555-HEAT. Or email us at info@miamiheatwave.com.
The time is now - we need your help. Or soon, in another few more days, the Heat will forfeit games three and four and the Bulls will have no choice but to advance to the second round.
Continued after the jump…
The basic mission for Miami was simply to win one of two games on the road; despite a poor performance in Game 1, they almost achieved this objective in their first try. Realistically, they should have never had a chance to win the first game but the Bulls, for all their bravado and talk of “confidence”, almost choked in that game.
Miami had poor offensive performances in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, were plagued by foul trouble to their two stars, watched helplessly as Deng dropped more shots than a frat boy in Wrigleyville, and were served more flops than a John Kerry news conference. Sorry, that was a low-blow, I meant to say than an IHOP special.
So, what’s left? The Heat can only get better, so cheer up ye Heatian fans! Here is what you should look for in Game 2 if the Heat are going to win tonight:
- For starters, rebound! Miami has got to improve their energy and aggressiveness when it comes to controlling the boards. They were out rebounded by Chicago 46-33, or -13. Ben Wallace had 14 rebounds, while Shaq and Haslem could only garner a measley 16 combined. The Heat have to do a better job boxing out their man, primarily keeping Wallace off the glass - and that will be up to Shaq. Also, controlling the boards will help curtail the next point:
- Stop the Bull Run. The Bulls had 25 fastbreak points to the Heat’s 4 fastbreak points. Like I suggested earlier, controlling the boards will create second chance opportunities for the Heat but also keep the Bulls from getting more opportunities to run.
- Get better looks. I would say take better shots, but I don’t want to see the Heat get lazy and shoot jumpers. Jason Williams and Dwyane Wade have the ability to drive at will and they need to. For one, it gets the Bulls interior defenders into trouble as they have to commit and possibly foul the attacking Heatian. This makes Shaq’s job easier, erodes the already staunch perimeter defense of the Bulls and puts the Heat on the line to keep control of the game. As Wade and Williams drive, it opens up the rest of the lanes for the Heat and allows them for a more diverse attack.
- Deng it! Someone has to be assigned to Luol Deng and that someone is most likely James Posey. Dwyane Wade all but proved useless on defense as he played tentatively and was put on Deng by Riley to help Wade avoid unnecessary contact in the form of screens. Time to man up. Wade needs to admit he can’t guard Deng and that he has to be willing to take a physical beating. If not, he won’t help the Heat. Riley, however, has suggested the Heat will not change its starting lineup going into tonight’s game but look for Posey to man up on Deng and EJ to slide on over to Gordon or Hinrich, whichever is not being guarded by Wade.
- Continue to run on Diesel power. Shaq started to show how quickly this series was going to be over in Game 1, dominating the first quarter and the start of the game. Then the whistles started blowing incessantly. Shaq has made his point known and ironically, PJ Brown (ex-Heater) confirmed it - the Bulls flop. Yet, they get the benefit of the doubt because, as PJ states, the Bulls are better “actors” than the Heat. If that doesn’t get the refs’ attention, then nothing will - its a direct challenge. That said, the Heat have to continue to go at the Bulls with Shaq’s back to the basket. Shaq has to be smarter about fouls, going to his “finesse” game earlier on, perhaps becoming a bit of a decoy, but also he has to mindful not to pick up cheap fouls. In other words, don’t flop in the lane to try and draw a foul. It didn’t work.
- Riley has to be quicker with his substitutions. If a matchup isn’t working, scrap it. Riley is a master and understands the nuances of this game better than anyone active in the NBA today. Now is the time to put your best players in the best position to win, not try and get cute. If the Bulls are trying to shut down Wade’s offense with a longer player, runs screens. If they are trying to force him to his left, create movement to get Wade a target.
These are just some of the basic adjustments that Miami will be faced with tonight. Of course, if Shaq and Wade can stay out of foul trouble it will be obvious that the Heat will also increase their chances to win. Just focus on the small plays and do everything you can to assure a win and go get it.
Join the In-Game discussion here or Chat LIVE here.
The good news is the Heat were not blown out and had a chance to win. Antoine Walker looked fantastic hitting 6/6 at the free throw line. Dwyane started to play much better towards the end of the game which should bode well for game 2. Considering how badly the Heat played today, they still just came up short. No need to get down Heat fans, the Heat need to grab one in Chicago and that one will be Tuesday night at 8 PM EST.
Check out other reviews of the game as I’m out for the evening…
Sun-Sentinel - Chicago defeats Heat 96-91 with last-second free throws to go up 1-0
Miami Herald - Foul trouble plagues Heat in Game 1 loss to Bulls
NBA.com - Bulls top defending champs
click for audio motivation
Well here we go. My favorite time of the year, The NBA Playoffs. The real basketball season where YOUR Miami Heat begin the journey to “Win one for Eddie” and defend the championship. I was hoping for a first round matchup against the Cleveland Lebron’s and I’m sure the NBA was hoping so as well. Since the Bulls crapped the bed in New Jersey the other night they slide right into round one against the defending champion Heat. They are coming in cocky, talking smack as if they already planned the championship parade.
Kirk Hinrich’s confidence is at an all time high his ears are tuning in Sirius radio. Meanwhile Ben Wallace is cowering somewhere in a corner at the thought of going up against Shaq Daddy for a third year in a row. We have some major stories entering this series stemming back from last years playoffs. James Posey is a marked man in Chicago and will hear it from the fans all night long. Wade has a history with Hinrich and will receive plenty of attention from him as he apparently is touted as one of the best defenders on Wade. On that note, let’s breakdown what it’s going to take for the Heatians to make it through round number 1.
Storylines Heading Into Round 1
‘Punk play’ by Nocioni: In April 2005, Dwyane Wade tried to drive past Chicago’s Andres Nocioni in a regular-season game in Miami. Nocioni, frustrated, flung Wade to the floor. Udonis Haslem then shoved Nocioni from behind, knocking him two rows into the stands. Of Nocioni, Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said: “I thought it was an absolute punk play. If you’re going to be a tough guy, then you know what? Flagrant foul Alonzo Mourning and let’s see how tough you are.”
Posey bowls over Hinrich: With 3:15 left in Game 3 of last year’s first-round playoff series, James Posey lowered a shoulder into Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich - who was in the open court about to make a layup - and knocked him to floor. Posey, who enraged Bulls fans, was ejected and served a one-game suspension.
Posey strike again: In the Bulls’ 108-66, season-opening victory in Miami, Posey accidentally whacked Chicago rookie Tyrus Thomas across the face while going for a loose ball. Thomas suffered a broken nose. A routine mishap, but more fuel for the fire.
Wade, Hinrich go at it: In the first quarter of the Dec. 27 game in Chicago, Hinrich grabbed Wade’s wrist as Wade went through a screen, aggravating an existing condition. Wade said it felt like his wrist got “yanked out of socket.” Heat coach Pat Riley said it’s something Hinrich “does all the time.”
Posey and Deng: With 7:16 left in the Dec. 27 game, Posey put a hard foul on forward Luol Deng as he drove to the basket. Deng hit the floor hard and Posey was ejected and later suspended a game. Bulls GM John Paxson had lobbied for a longer suspension, saying, “You can’t have a player take out a guy.”
Key’s to a Heat Victory
The Heat need to keep the pace of this game on there side. Pounding the rock to Shaq is going to be the key to this game as long as he stays out of foul trouble. Ben Wallace has no answer for the Diesel down low other then to wrap him up with his arms. Pat Riley will have this squad ready, just like he had them ready last year. The motivating force Pat Riley has in the locker room is God-like and it will play big into the Heat winning this series. It seems a lack of motivation has always bitten this team in the foot. The key to beating the Bulls is forcing them to shoot outside and pressure all the three point shooters with excellent perimeter defense. The Bulls have no low post game, especially since they failed to land a big man at the trade deadline. It’s also time for the Jekyll and Hyde routine to stop now with our outside shooters. Eddie Jones, James Posey, Antoine Walker and Jason Williams need to hit there shots at the right times and stay away from overshooting the three. Allowing Shaq to dominate down low is much more important then chucking up 25 footers.
You might be wondering why I haven’t mentioned Wade as a key to a win. Basically, I don’t feel he is the major key to a victory in this series. With the defense Kirk is going to apply to Dwyane Wade, the play of the role players is going to make a much bigger impact on the outcome. Shaq is the man in this series and he must show he can stay out of foul trouble and dominate down low.
Matchups
Point Guard: Jason Williams vs Kirk Heinrich - Kirk has an excellent outside shot but can’t take it to the hole like J-Dub. Williams tends to have an inconsistent game so let’s hope he brings his A game like game 6 in Detroit last season. ADVANTAGE: BULLS
Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade is still the best player on the court regardless of nursing a sore shoulder. Ben Gordon is a rising star that tends to torch the Heat. Now Ben is going to have to deal with the wrath of Eddie Jones. ADVANTAGE: HEAT
Small Forward: This seems to be the biggest mismatch. Luol Deng has that dangerous midrange game and while Eddie Jones has the ability to explode at any moment, he has had problems finishing at the rim lately. ADVANTAGE: BULLS
Power Forward: Udonis Haslem tends to step up his game in the playoffs and be that number one defender. His matchup of PJ Brown or Nocioni doesn’t seem to be a problem and since Joey Crawford has been suspended for the playoffs, we won’t have any mouthguard throwing incidents. ADVANTAGE: HEAT
Center: Shaq vs Ben Wallace. Enough said. ADVANTAGE: HEAT
Bench: The Heat are an even deeper team this year with J-Kap and Alonzo coming off the bench. ADVANTAGE: HEAT
Coaches: Pat Riley is the master motivator. ADVANTAGE: HEAT
Heat/Bulls Series in Review
10/31/2006 - Bulls 108, Heat 66 (F) - Kirk Hinrich dropped in 26 points to power the Bulls past the defending champion Heat on opening night.
12/27/2006 - Bulls 109, Heat 103 (F) - Ben Gordon scored a career-high 40 points to carry the Bulls over the short-handed Heat.
01/27/2007 - Bulls 100, Heat 97 (F) - Ben Gordon posted 34 points and seven assists, Kirk Hinrich scored 26, and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Heat.
03/07/2007 - Heat 103, Bulls 70 (F) - Shaquille O’Neal had 24 points, nine rebounds and a season-high eight assists as the Heat put together a huge second-half run to beat the visiting Bulls.
Unnoticed Factor
A source close to Ben Gordon assumed the third-year guard went to have his right (shooting) wrist examined, while emphasizing that was speculative. Down the regular-season stretch, Gordon complained several times about a sore right wrist, even joking that it made him shoot “a couple of Scud missiles” after a 27-point effort in the April 6 home victory over the Nets. Let’s watch that to see how affected Gordon is by his sore wrist.
Prediction
I’m going with the homer pick here. If the Heat can defend the perimeter and also hit down there perimeter shots while keeping Shaq out of foul trouble and pounding the rock down low, the Heat will win this one in 5. I’m hoping for a first game win in Chicago to set the tone. Heat in 5.
Make sure you drop by the MiamiHeatWave chat room during the game. We had alot of fun last year in there. Come root on your Miami Heat with other Heat faithful in the MHW Chat. Also feel free to leave your pregame smack talk and predictions in the comments.
GO HEAT!!!!!!!!!
They did finish with a 44-38 record, hardly the kind of numbers you want from a defending championship squad. But this team has hardly even resembled that team on the court at any point this season and it isn’t because they have diminished skills or a lack of coaching and motivation.
It was simply that they couldn’t push out the starting lineup consistently all season long due to a huge rash of injuries.
Now, I am not trying to make excuses and it is well-documented how many games players have missed and how many times the starting lineup has been on the court together at the same time.
Throw it all out the window. Because NOW matters.
Now, the Heat will have all their starters healthy and ready to go.
Now, the Heat will be playing for the championship title, again. That is what truly has been the focus of this team, that is what this veteran squad has been eying all season long, despite the turmoil, drama and obstacles that have befallen this team.
“We are built for this,” said Dwyane Wade. “We are built for the playoffs.”
It is well established, even by Phil “Benedict Arnold” Jackson, that Shaq doesn’t really take the regular season seriously. He hasn’t in years - and you can’t blame him. He is used to playing for a bigger piece of the pie; not just measly, meaningless wins in a marathon season, but for grinding, intense victories on the court when it matters - in the playoffs. In fact, Shaq only took the regular season seriously this season when Wade went down with his shoulder injury on Feb. 21st. From that time on, Shaq took the team on his shoulders and carried them - proving he was still the dominant force in this league that borders on creating his own gravity field.
Miami is built for this. They know what is at stake, and they have done it before. Besides, they are also a year wiser and hip to this championship game. In an interview on BSPN this morning, Wade was waxing philosophically about being patient and staying the course and taking it one game at a time. No one play will win a series, and no one win will either. Miami, to a man, understands this.
They are unshakable.
Continued after the jump…