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The Heat Hangover

May 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Now that the Heat have won the Eastern Conference, there is a lot of backpeddling. Where does this Heat team stack up? Are they good enough to not just win this year’s championship, but several over the next few years? Some have said that if you wanted to beat this Heat team, this was the year to do it.

What about their players, where do they stack up? Suddenly Scottie Pippen is remarking that Lebron James might go down as a better player than Michael Jordan. Jordan was, according to Pippen, the best scorer he’s seen while Lebron is the best all around player he’s ever seen. Later, Pippen, backed off a bit via his tweet:

“Don’t get me wrong, MJ was and is the greatest. But LeBron could by all means get to his level someday.”

Why all of a sudden the confusion? Why was the Heat the most scrutinized team in NBA history to begin with? Admittedly, it all goes back to the Decision. Yet, look at Derrick Rose – the league MVP. Why was he getting all the PR from the talking heads while Lebron, and the Heat, continued to be lambasted?

Derrick Rose shot just 6.4% when guarded by Lebron James. When defended by Dwyane Wade, he didn’t fare much better either. The fact of the matter is, what Derrick Rose is experiencing is what both Wade and James went through. You win over 60 games, get the coach of the year award, an MVP, and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Who are you? The 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lebron James didn’t want to go through what Derrick Rose is going through. He decided to take less money and swallow his pride and admitted that he needed to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to meet his expectation of winning championships in this league. James knows his greatness will be evaluated not just by his accomplishments, but by how many rings he gets. Even now, with Pippen’s remarks, Lebron is in the discussion in comparison with Michael Jordan, but only will truly be considered once he wins some rings.

So, you get beat up in the press for it. You beat the Celtics, a team that swept you in the regular season, then the Bulls, another team that swept you in the regular season, and only lose 3 games in the playoffs. Yet, at every turn, you were catching flack. Now, the hangover. Oh boy. Maybe this team is pretty good after all?

Michael Wilbon writes an essay trying to digest the Game 5 loss for the Bulls. He was obviously invested in his team, the Bulls, but his opinions seemed to be agreed upon by most of those in the media – and there was very little to support their picks for the Bulls over the Heat in this series. Ric Bucher, who I think is an extremely horrible judge of talent and terrible observer, defended Derrick Rose, irrationally, on Colin Cowherd’s radio show after Game 4. I wonder what he thinks now that Rose missed a free throw in the clutch.

The hangover spreads. Charles Barkley commented last night on TNT, after Game 5, why he picked the Bulls over the Heat – the Bulls bench was better. Does he realize you only play 5 guys at a time? The bench only comes into play when you rest your starters and with three starters of this caliber, there is practically never a minute that one of them is on the floor.

So, while the media backpeddles and lets this latest dish of crow cool off, let’s put this team in its proper place. They assembled because of the blueprint adopted by the Celtics and Lakers. If you wanted to win in the East, you had to get by the Celtics. They did. The Bulls, grabbing the number 1 seed, didn’t have to face the Celtics but the Heat proved they were the better team. No matter how “Hollywood” Joachim Noah might say the Heat are, he’s the one faking it and sitting at home watching them in the Finals. The Heat simply kicked off the party back in July when they landed the biggest free agent in NBA history in Lebron James – a feat not achieved without the certain additions of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. It took all the efforts hall of fame architect Pat Riley could muster. They’ve proven not only that they can play together, but that they can carry each other when needed. Lebron closed games. Bosh found his voice in becoming a force inside. Wade, playing horrible for stretches in Games 4 and 5, allowed himself to be carried.

Now, the masterpiece has been assembled. The critics are late to the party, but the quality of the assemblage is undeniable. Only one final obstacle lays in the way.

Filed Under: Featured, Heat Index, Postseason Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Heat Coaching Staff Quietly Arrives at Expectation

May 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There has been much hulabaloo about who signed with the Heat this offseason but very little ink (or pixels) have been spilled on the subject of who was going to be coaching them.

Well, sort of. There was an early season media frenzy over Erik Spoelstra’s pedigree and questioning whether or not he was the right man for the job. In fact, we did a little squawking about it ourselves early on – but only because it was a fundamental question to ask. Spoelstra was entering his second season at the helm and had acquired an embarrassment of riches to work with. Yet, as the saying goes. great players make great coaches. Right Phil Jackson? (Phil even called the coaching staff of the Heat into question suggesting that Riley was going to do to Spo what he “did” to Stan Van Gundy. Of course, Jackson grossly overstated the situation and was not properly informed about the SVG situation here in Miami.)

Yet, here is this Heat team – despite all the scrutiny from the media and the poisonous invective from the fans on the outside. As they should be – when you have two all-time greats like Wade and James on the same roster, and a pretty nice star in Bosh, too – how can this team not make the playoffs? It wasn’t by their talents alone – they had to be steered along a path, united with a vision. That vision was forged in training camp from Day 1.

The vision? Defense. This team was going to win by first building on its defense as its strength and generating its offense from there. What resulted was a season of gradual improvements – with some steps back from time to time. This Heat team is nothing like it appeared to be during the regular season and is playing its best basketball right now. Credit the Heat coaching staff – which is practically the same as the staff that was in place when the Heat won its first franchise title back in 2006.

Erik Spoelstra wasn’t the main coach on the bench, but one of several. Along with him were Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, original franchise head coach Ron Rothstein, and long time assistant and ex-Heatian Keith Askins. All three of these coaches, along with Spoelstra, were a part of Riley’s staff when the Heat franchise rose to prominence during the mid-2000s, ultimately winning the title over the Mavs in 2006.

It isn’t by coincidence. This is Riley’s team still, his system, his culture. Watching Spoelstra at press conferences you can see a mix of Stan Van Gundy and Riley in him, in his cadence, inflection, and explanations to the media. SVG was a Riley guy, make no mistake, but the situation was very tough for him when he took over for Riley and was ultimately forced out when Shaq refused to be a good teammate along with some other then Heat veterans. This is why this year was different – Riley was adamant to support Spoelstra but he also didn’t provide any lip service through the media to support Spoelstra as it would only give fuel for the media to speculate about Riley’s return. There would be nothing more damaging to a young coach faced with a roster of superstars to hear whispers about a Riley return.

So tonight the Heat will take on the Bulls for the Eastern Conference title. For the Bulls, the accolades flowed. It is the first time they have appeared in the conference finals since Michael Jordan was donning the red uniform in 1998. They have climbed back with the league MVP going to Rose and coach of the year going to first year coach, Tom Thibodeau. For the Heat, they were able to put together a dream offseason, masterminded by architect Pat Riley, who also had in place his system led by his hand-picked coaching staff. The expectation is to win titles and right now, this coaching staff has delivered this team right to the doorstep of another one. It was all by design.

Filed Under: Featured, Heat Index Tagged With: , , , ,

Charles Barkley Isn’t Turrible: He’s Right About Heat and Wade

March 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Heat did bring this on themselves. They did have the parade, the packed house with the stage for this spectacle. In fact, the Heat were asking for this. It took the organization over 2 years to get to this point.

And it isn’t going to apologize.

Pat Riley knows what all of this means. He knows what it means to get Lebron James in a Heat uniform. He knew what it would take to achieve this vision: sacrificing a couple of seasons of competitiveness for the chance at a big pay day. He knew it would take giving Wade a chance to win and get to the playoffs while also keeping him focused on the target – the 2010 free agent season. Riley had to both show he was committed to winning and doing so with Wade while also trying to line things up just perfectly to get Lebron James in Miami. He did it with precision while also grabbing the key lynch pin of Chris Bosh along the way.

So when Charles Barkley criticizes the Heat for their melodramatic press conferences – he’s right. Stop crying. Start winning.

What is interesting is not just the way Barkley blasts the Heat for their perception of the world – as if the world is against them, because it is and that shouldn’t be a surprise – but what he recommends for the Heat to right the ship. Barkley suggests that the Heat focus on getting Wade the ball at the end of games because he is the more proven closer. It’s his town. The Heat’s lone championship rafter – mind you the limited amount of franchises who have been able to win a title in this league – is largely due to Wade’s efforts in the 2006 Finals. Lebron may have been to a Finals, even bringing his team there, but he hasn’t been able to win one.

This is astounding. The Heat got there and won while the Cavaliers, backed by Lebron, were unable to win it. So, no one should have a problem with Wade having the ball in his hands at the end of games because Lebron and Bosh are the new guys in town and need to defer to the man who brought them both here and who has the more impressive resume in regards to winning. They both have to learn how to win; Wade already knows. This is part of the problem with this team. Sure, you could cite this lack of depth, their thin bench, whatever. But at the end of the day, this game is played by five guys on the court for each team and three of the Heat’s are among the best – if not the best – at their given positions.

The Heat did bring this upon themselves. And they shouldn’t have it any other way. Do they have the right to view the rest of the world as against them? Yes. Besides, it makes for a stronger identity in that locker room and helps steel their purpose. The 5 losses up to this point have also helped humiliate them and humble them to the point that they realize they can’t get away with playing lazy, bad basketball all the time. They might get away with it against the weaker teams, but against the contenders they lose.

This is reflected in the 118-85 win over the Grizzlies yesterday. Erik Spoelstra cited the fact that the Heat didn’t settle for jumpers and a perimeter game but continued to attack the basket and get more ball movement in the offense. This is something the Heat may have realized but didn’t work on in games because they were arrogant and just felt they would win by showing up. Now, faced with five straight slaps in the face, they are listening to their coach a bit more and, after two straight wins, may have turned the corner.

“Crygate” may have had its unintended effect on this team – to help break them down and listen to their coaches. The rant by Charles Barkley is also spot on – this team asked for this. No one put them into this position but themselves. Guess what? No one will get them out of it but themselves and it is at those critical moments in life when we are most willing to listen and learn. The Heat are listening, but will they continue to learn? Only they will be able to show us if they are indeed a championship team in the making.

Filed Under: Featured, Heat Index, Regular Season Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Axing Coach Spo Would Be Admitting Failure

November 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It is very palatable right now to put all the blame on Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. The Heat are 9-8 and caught in a downward spiral. The haters are out in full force and citing that Dwyane Wade and Lebron James are not a great match on the court.

The latest evidence comes to us from Dallas tonight in a 106-95 loss. The Heat couldn’t get a road win tonight and, in fact, haven’t had a win in 13 straight regular season matchups with the Mavericks going back to 2004. You can wipe away the memory of the 2006 championship – certainly Erick Dampier has moved on. As tonight the Heat were dominated in practically every facet of the game. The stats don’t tell the true story; the 3rd quarter does though. The Mavericks scored at will, posting 31 points to the Heat’s paltry 17. It was like watching a fat kid at a buffet – both disgusting and painful to watch. And it seemingly happened all too fast.

So, what happened? People will cite the lack of preparation, the lack of energy, the lack of defense, the lack of a reliable and consistent post presence. All of it is bunk. This team knew what to expect – they are now 17 games into the season and have seen how every team is coming out gunning for them every night. Doesn’t matter who they play.

When you have last year’s MVP and a 2006 Finals MVP on the same squad, not to mention 3 gold medal winners from the past Olympic team, you don’t expect performance anxiety. Yet, this team did fail when it had a pretty good chance in the 4th quarter with just under 5 minutes to go. The Heat were down by 6, 98-92 with 4:52 left. What they did next was telling – they shot three pointers. And they missed.

Spoelstra brought this team into camp with the focus being on defense. That was the foundation of this team – defense and getting the ball into transition. He was right, the Heat ran out of the gate despite an opening hiccup against the Celtics. Yet, as of late, this team is playing confused and with no sense of identity.

As the coach, this is something Erik Spoelstra needs to address. Many feel that Pat Riley would have a strong enough personality and message to get this team to buy into the identity. That from Riley can be forged the path upon which this team must walk. This may be true, as Riley notes the 15 strong theme from 2006, but that isn’t something this team doesn’t already know. Wade and James are the de facto leaders of this team – despite what ink may be spilled over Chris Bosh’s presence. They both have lead their teams to postseason successes and know what it takes to get there. Is there a chance that this work in progress is coming along more slowly that anticipated? Yes. Might the fans be suffering from the overhype? Yes. Do people have a right to be concerned about Spoelstra’s ability to guide this team? Yes, they should.

Spoelstra has the credentials to be a fine NBA coach. He even has the personality you would like to see in a young coach. He can relate to his players and even help them get their games where they need to be. Dwyane Wade cited years ago that his work with Coach Spo’ helped him develop his outside shooting.

Pat Riley could definitely coach this team and get things moving in the right direction. At least for this season. But what about next? Who would take over then? And how much credibility would that person have after seeing Riley swoop in and take over for two of his former proteges? At Riley’s age, does he really want to subject himself to the tortures of NBA life on the road coaching these players? Sure, it is tempting, but Riley has proven himself to be a mastermind – he completed the journey in 2006 by leading the Heat to a title. For his next trick he pulled off the impossible and landed the new big three this offseason. There is little to gain for the old master.

In many ways, axing Spoelstra would be a huge mistake for this franchise. It would be admitting defeat and failure. It would possibly even have mislead the guys who did come here, too. This is a new era, a story that will be written by a new voice – as it should be. The Stan Van Gundy era ended not because he was incapable or even because he really wanted to be with his family, it was because the dissidents grew so loud that Riley had no choice but to save face. Sure, this wasn’t necessarily a problem for Riley given the temptation of winning another title and the accolades that would accompany it. In this situation, with Spoelstra, it would be almost unforgivable. This is Spoelstra’s best shot ever for coaching in the NBA and being successful. If not now, then when?

For Riley, it would literally be a step down. Sure, it would be something of a certainty that the Heat would be in good hands and would get things rolling in the right direction. It would just come at great cost and would be a move made too premature.

This is a tough situation. Spoelstra has the promise to be a very good coach in this league. The question is, can he guide this team to a championship? Is he ready to do so? His task is now less about strategy and watching film as it is about forging an identity and seeing it through. He has to sell this team on what it needs to do and to do it. Now, more than ever, when the chips are down. The spotlight is on this team. The doubters are having their say. This is the ultimate test for a champion, its ultimate obstacle. Every story has its protagonist, its antagonist. There is always tension and a release. The question is, will the release bring about a happy ending or not? Erik Spoelstra will figure to be an author, perhaps the author, of this drama. Taking him out this early would turn this into a stale rerun more than a special story.

Filed Under: Featured, Heat Index, Rumors Tagged With: , ,

Phil Jackson is a Douche

November 27, 2010 By 1 Comment

Let’s see, I’ve had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’neal (in his prime) and have won more championships than any other coach in NBA history. And I’m a genius.

Really? I would think Tex Winters might have something to say about that. As would getting a rape of a deal with Memphis a few years back that landed you Pau Gasol for…can you name one piece of that deal that was actually favorable for the Grizzlies? By that I mean a player that has come close to equaling what Gasol was putting up.

That’s right, you can’t. And you can thank The Logo for that deal. All you did was sit around on the bench, act like a guru, spout some BS, and have your players win titles. Sure, Phil Jack can manage people, but really a basketball guru that can win? No.

And that is kind of the point. The NBA is not about X’s and O’s. It is about managing professional athletes, their personalities and their entourages. For that Phil Jackson should be noted – he is not the greatest strategist of all time. Not by a long shot – he had Tex Winters on his bench for that. He was shrewd enough to understand this, and strategically, made sure he was involved with organizations and rosters than knew how to put together winners.

For Phil to take potshots at Erik Spoelstra is low, though. There is no reason for him to take a shot at him, Pat Riley, Stan Van Gundy, or the Heat organization. Except for the fact that there may be a little resentment from Phil. In his apology, he tried to downplay it and make it seem as if Stan Van Gundy shouldn’t have gotten defensive at his comments, but that is just Phil being a douche. Without 4 of the top 50 NBA players of all time, he wouldn’t be in the position he currently is in.

Yet, this is something that Spoelstra – and the rest of the NBA – should note. You don’t win anything without great players. Spoelstra knows this – and Riley most certainly knows this. Riley started out coaching the Lakers back in their hey day, and built them into the franchise they are now. Riley helped lay the foundations for Phil Jackson and has moved on to build the Knicks into something in the early/mid 90′s and now has built the Heat into a franchise that matters – winning a title in ’06. Riley tutored Stan Van Gundy and Erik Spoelstra. SVG moved on to Orlando – and if there is anyone to blame for that, it is Shaq. Shaq did not trust Van Gundy because he didn’t have the track record of a Riley – or a Phil Jackson at that point. He was forced out and ended up leading the Magic to some playoff success with wunderkind Dwight Howard.

Spoelstra has the chops to be a great head coach. He knows the X’s and O’s – no doubt. Right now, he is in a situation that few coaches EVER have been in. To have two huge stars like Wade and Lebron on the same roster is pretty much unparalled. It can be argued that not since Jordan and Pippen have a duo been so dynamic on the floor. So, if anything, follow Jackson’s example. He is a douche for his seemingly revisionist history and attacking a young coach that is in a similar situation that both he and Pat Riley were in. Maybe forgetting the past in this situation would be a good thing, because being condemned to repeating it would be a great thing for Erik Spoelstra.

Filed Under: Featured, Heat Index, Regular Season Tagged With: , ,
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