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Is There a Chance? Heat Take Game 4; First Win in Series

April 25, 2010 By jonnylons 2 Comments

With the Celtics breathing heavier than a teenager watching late night television, the Heat were faced with what seemed to be a difficult task – win just one game in this series. Realistically, was there any doubt the Heat were going to squeeze out at least one win in this series? They looked good in Game 1, but choked. Game 2 they never showed up despite getting a gift from the NBA with holding KG out of the game. Game 3, well, let’s just not talk about that game.

In the end, what have we learned? We now know what the threshold for a Heat win is – 46 points from Dwyane Wade. The Flashy One shot 16-24 from the floor, and 9-14 from the charity stripe. He was the offense and was aggressive in this game. What took so long?

Look, we all know this team is pretty much one dimensional – this is Wade’s team. But this is the kind of thing that got Lebron James in the Finals, too. And it was DWade that brought a trophy to Miami back in 2006 – so we can expect that one man in a series can make a difference if the man with the ball has the ability to. Wade showed this in the 4th quarter of the 4th game in this series this afternoon in Miami.

Yet, this really isn’t the point. The ultimate question isn’t whether or not the Heat can win this series, but rather whether or not the Heat can make Wade feel content in the potential of the future. This is Wade’s team and Riley, no matter what slick deals he pulls off, will continue to make this his team. There has to be an upgrade of talent around him – and questions linger about whether or not Beasley, Chalmers, and Cook are now a part of that future. Think of this Boston series as a litmus test – what kinds of things the Heat need to do to get back to the elite of the East. With Wade leading them there, of course.

Filed Under: Postseason Tagged With: , ,

Heat Couldn’t Overcome KG Absence

April 21, 2010 By jonnylons 2 Comments

Look, this isn’t really a 4/5 matchup. The Celtics are a better team than that, and the Heat, some might reflect now, are worse. That said, I am not giving up the series quite yet.

Sure, the Heat failed on a great opportunity to even up this series and steal the momentum just in time for some home cooking. A 1-1 scenario with the Heat coming back to South Florida would have been very tantalizing. So, what happened? The Heat fizzed out.

The Heat were a hot team to close out the season, going 18-4. They probably felt a bit too confident heading into Tuesday night’s contest with Kevin Garnett suspended for his tantrum with 40 ticks left in the game. The other locker room, however, probably recognized that they had to step up their game since A) the Heat weren’t as easy of an opponent as they may have thought prior to game 1 and B) no KG meant someone had to pick up the slack. The Celtics raised their game – and left the Heat in the dust.

This is a clear sign of maturity and seasoning. The Heat did not have the right mixture to take advantage and they certainly didn’t have the right focus. We can’t forget that Erik Spoelstra, despite his coaching staff, has very little in-game experience in the playoffs. Outside of Wade, Haslem, and Jermaine O’neal, there is very little successful experience on the court, too. That isn’t to make an excuse, it is just to show the long road the Heat have to climb.

Right now, this is about avoiding a sweep. Are the Celtics going to play as good as they did Tuesday night? No, they won’t be that flawless even with KG back. But will the Heat be as bad? No, they won’t either. So, the Heat will have to raise their intensity and go after every lose ball and push defensively to win game 3. They have to stop backing off of shooters and getting up on players that like to create off the dribble. They need to stop being stupid with the ball and making poor shot selections. They also need to consider some personnel changes – why not put Daequan Cook out on the floor to spread the offense and force the defense to compensate? Adjustments will need to be made, but the question is, what will the Heat do to take game 3? Game 4? Don’t even think about it.

Filed Under: Postseason Tagged With: , , , ,

Heat and Celtics: Game 2

April 20, 2010 By jonnylons 1 Comment

The Heat will take on the Celtics tonight and will have a bit of an equalizer – no Kevin Garnett.

KG decided to do the chicken dance with Q-dog’s head. Sure, KG is an intense competitor and probably overreacted – truthfully, I would have liked to have seen him not miss a game because of the competitive factor. Truth be told, the Heat practically gave the game away with 24 turnovers – many of them unforced from just dropping the ball. Literally, the Heat let the game slip away. The Celtics bend but not break defense held as the Heat tried to do too much.

The question tonight is, if the Heat can play like they did in game 1, can they right the ship and use their advantage of not having to deal with Kevin Garnett in the paint? What will the Celtics do to counter? We’ll find out more tonight, but the Heat really should win this game – if they don’t, they must hold serve at home. If the Heat win, they have an interesting scenario to play with as they head back to Miami.

Filed Under: Postseason

MiamiHeatwave Forums Coming Soon

April 20, 2010 By jonnylons Leave a Comment

I know we lost the forums, but I am working on resolving it. Once I get them back on board – complete with archived posts from the past 6+ years – I will let everyone know.

So, stay tuned to the site – and Go HEAT!!!

Filed Under: Site Annnouncements

Heat vs. Celtics: 2010 Playoffs Game 1 Tonight

April 17, 2010 By jonnylons 3 Comments

I know, I know. It’s been a while. Where have you been, old friend? A lot of questions. Well, although I haven’t been blogging I have been keeping track of our beloved Heat. I haven’t had the time, I must confess, to keep up with the duties of maintaining the website and keeping updated on all Heat issues. I just haven’t had time – I am a teacher and have been focused on giving my students all my time. Literally.

But now the school year is winding down – and just in time, too. My favorite time of year – summer is approaching, baseball is back and the NBA playoffs are picking up. So, what are the Heat’s chances?

Now, I am not a fool. I love my team but I am not foolish enough to think they are going to take this series. Sure, we like to factor in a little drama and believe that it is possible. And it is. Considering I haven’t been able to watch very many Heat games this season, you may not agree with my opinion at all.

The Miami Herald gives a pretty generic position by position analysis. They give the Heat the edge at center just because Jermaine O’neal is making $23M a season. So what? That doesn’t mean anything if the guy can’t stay healthy. Look, he’s not the same guy who was out on the floor when he was with the Pacers. Can Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis  outrebound O’neal? You bet they can. Couple in the fact that Rajon Rondo can get into the painted area whenever he wants, and you will find O’neal in foul trouble possibly.

Other than that, there are intriguing possibilities elsewhere. Sure, the Celtics have the oldest team in the NBA, but Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen are a pretty good threesome. Better than the Heat right now, but you got to feel like Wade will find a way to make a difference in this series and will find a way to match that group’s production. Yes, I think Wade can match their production in points, rebounds, assists. Number for number? Probably not every night – but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was able to do it on two nights in this series. The question is, will it be enough to win?

Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel always does a solid job examining the Heat. He makes his predictions which also seem to be in agreement with what the Herald prints. (By the way, Ira, who is in charge of making the URLs for your blog titles? I mean, jeez man – we have all heard of SEO but that is frickin’ ridiculous!) But he, too, makes the mistake of assuming Jermaine O’neal is going to step up. Forgive me for being cynical, but just because you make $23M doesn’t mean you will play like it. And even if he does, it will be for a limited amount of time – he’s just not the same player he once was.

Let’s not overlook this notion – pinning hopes on a good performance from Jermaine O’neal still doesn’t make anyone think the Heat will win this series. Both the Herald and Ira pick the Celtics. It is interesting to note, however, that the Heat finished 18-4 with some minor tweaking. They are a hot team and typically, 4/5 matchups in the playoffs are highly contested. It could be anyone’s game. If there is anyone who will have the most to say about this series it is Dwyane Wade. His will alone can win games but that is only the case if his team plays clean, mistake free basketball. That challenge, for the Heat, lays mostly on Michael Beasley’s shoulders. The 2nd year player has had inconsistency in his performances. Can he be more than just a scorer, but an impact player on both ends of the floor? If he can, the Heat stand a better chance of winning.

The Heat really only need to steal a game on the road to have a shot. Winning at home is much easier, of course. So, if the Heat can steal a game on the road in these first two contests, watch out. I am not saying the Heat will win this series, but I feel a big testament as to Wade’s future in Miami is going to be based on how things go in this playoff run. Will the Heat show to be a team of the future? Or a team with no future? If the former, then Wade stays. If the latter, and an uncompetitive run with the Celtics, we may see Wade looking elsewhere.

Filed Under: Postseason

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