Miami is currently on a 4 game losing streak (*grinning*). Their last loss came in overtime, against Atlanta. The Heat unraveled at the seams in crunch time- and when it was most critical to execute, they didn't (or rather, they couldn't, because they don't currently know how to). With 2:50 left on the clock in the 4th quarter, D. Wade connected on a jumper, putting the Heat up 72-67. It would be his last shot for the night.
Lebron took over the show from there. Over the course of the last 2 minutes of the game and during the overtime period, when D. Wade went 0 for 0 from the field, Lebron shot 5-9. I won't lie- I didn't watch this game. But my dad did, and when we spoke about it the next day, he told me how badly the two of them meshed on the court together. He said what struck him the most was that they weren't playing together- they were playing alongside each other, with two separate agendas and no collaboration.
In the aftermath of the latest loss, D. Wade had this to say:
“We're not the Boston Celtics,” Wade said Thursday in comparing the Heat's star power to the chemistry and experience shared among Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. “We're not these kind of teams that need to play together. We have guys that have the individual talent, and sometimes the individual talent, one-on-one ability, is going to take over. Boston has guys that have great individual talent, but they feed off each other. We're a new team. We're still figuring that out.”
Wait. What? You're not the kind of team that needs to play together? Did they not lose the game precisely because they were unable to play together? In that same article, Lebron goes on to say that the Heat don't need to learn how to win games by 5 or less points, because when they're playing good basketball they'll never be in that position- implying that they'll always win by blowout. That doesn't sound too realistic to me- and I certainly don't think it's a good game plan. Any team that wants to be successful needs to know how to work together. Duh. The Heat have a tremendous amount of talent and athleticism on their roster, that's undeniable. But D. Wade and Lebron might needa go back to kindergarten on this one, and re-learn the importance of a collaborative effort. All of that talent and athleticism will go for naught if they don't know how to properly utilize it. The Celtics are older, and D. Wade and Lebron might be better than anyone in Green one on one- but it won't matter, because the Celtics are a united and confident front. They are a team with a set game plan and a solid team identity. Everyone knows their role and is comfortable playing in it... Not to mention they're also extremely talented and feature much more depth on their roster than Miami.
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