So how many seasons are the Miami Heat going to act like the NBA championship is their birthright and
merely a formality?
Not one, not two, not three, not four …
It’s sometimes hard to tell whether the Heat are bored, whistling in the dark or still trying to figure it out. But one thing is certain: the basketball they are playing right now is not good enough to win a title.
“We all know we have to take a real big step forward as a basketball team,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
To win a championship, you have to win road games in hostile environments against tough teams.
Since the All-Star break, Miami’s only road win vs. a winning team was March 16 at Philadelphia, where they
almost gave away a 29-point lead. The Heat get another shot this afternoon at Madison Square Garden, which should have its volume set at 11.
To win a championship, you have to beat quality opponents multiple times.
Since the All-Star break, Miami is 2-7 vs. teams currently holding one of the top four seeds in either conference. The Heat get another shot Thursday vs. Chicago.
The Heat should have a vivid image of the Bulls. Miami has been looking up at Chicago in the standings all season, primarily because the Heat like to play with their on-off switch while the Bulls just leave theirs on all the time.
Another indelible memory should come from this past Thursday, when the Heat couldn’t take advantage of MVP Derrick Rose’s crunch-time benching and lost in overtime to the Bulls, who called on noted finishers C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, Taj Gibson and Omer Asik – five reserves – to close things out.
“This is one of the worst feelings I’ve had in the regular season this year,” LeBron James said.
It should be. There are 12 days left in the regular season, and among the handful of true championship
contenders, no team’s current situation is more unsettled than the Heat.
With eight games remaining, Miami is still tinkering with its rotation. Spoelstra has used three starting
centers in the past two weeks. James Jones has a DNP, then drains six 3-pointers, then has another DNP.
When he’s healthy, Mike Miller appears to be in the mix – even though he’s shooting 25 percent since March
1. Rookie Norris Cole has disappeared.
And there is still the minor matter of Dwyane Wade, who is nursing a sore ankle and has three DNPs in the
last seven games.
After a home loss to Boston this week, Spoelstra spoke of a silver lining, claiming, “Our group, staff and
players, we’re getting to know each other now on the level that is needed for us to prepare for the
playoffs.”
Shouldn’t that have been in place by now?
TRIVIA: Who is the only player in the top 20 in steals and blocks per game? Answer below.
THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT: Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph was driving to shootaround Monday morning in a 2011 Dodge Charger when he was rear-ended. With that car needing repairs, Randolph drove to Monday night’s game in a Rolls Royce convertible.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace, offering employment suggestions to former Laker Lamar Odom, who was banished by the Dallas Mavericks:
“Maybe he can come back and be a ball boy and then next year, come play. That’s what he should do. He’d be the first ball boy in the NBA that can play. Come back; get the towels and next year, play. Why not? He
should be a scout. Lamar should be a scout.”
LINE OF THE WEEK: Andrew Bynum, LA Lakers at San Antonio, April 11: 37 minutes, 7-20 FGs, 2-4 FTs, eight offensive rebounds, 30 total rebounds, two assists, two blocks, zero fouls, 16 points in a 98-84. Bynum beat up Tim Duncan, DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter as he joined Kevin Love as the only players this
century to sweep 30 boards in a game. On the same night, the Suns had 31 rebounds, the Spurs had 33 and
the Nuggets had 34.
LINE OF THE WEAK: Derrick Rose, Chicago at New York, April 8: 39 minutes, 8-26 FGs, 4-8 3-pointers, 9-12 FTS, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block, eight turnovers, 29 points in a 100-99 overtime
loss. Playing for the first time in nearly a month, Rose should have sat this one out. Regardless of his
point total, he was responsible for 26 empty possessions in a one-point game, and his two missed free
throws late in regulation cost the Bulls a win.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Houston at Denver, April 15. The first of a true home-and-home series, with the Rockets hosting the rematch Monday. The opener is not on ABC or NBA TV but is by far the biggest game of the day. If there is a sweep, the winner will have virtually locked up a playoff berth, while the loser will be in
big trouble.
GAME OF THE WEAK: New Orleans at Charlotte, April 16. The worst of the West visits the least of the East. This one’s not on national TV, either.
TRILLION WATCH: A quiet week in boxscore hell as Washington swingman Maurice Evans topped the charts with a 5 trillion Saturday vs. Cleveland. Quincy Pondexter of Memphis still has the season’s “best” with a remarkable 11 trillion March 20 at Sacramento.
TWO MINUTES: The Bobcats are so bad that their record has NBA players scratching their heads. Journeyman forward James Singleton, recently signed by the Wizards after playing in the Chinese Basketball Association finals, was totally unaware of how much Charlotte has struggled to win. “I looked up and I saw 7-47 and I said, ‘Really?'” he said. Perhaps only long-time 76ers fans are aware of this, but if the Bobcats lose all of their remaining games, their final record will be 7-59 for a winning percentage of .106. That would be lower than the .110 posted by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who went 9-73 for the worst full-season mark in NBA history. Charlotte still has visits from New Orleans and Sacramento and also travels to Washington, so it does have what appear to be some winnable games left on its schedule. But also keep in mind that the Bobcats dropped consecutive games vs. Washington, at Cleveland, vs. Detroit and at Miami by a combined 88 points this week, running their losing streak to 14 games. … At the other end of the spectrum are the Spurs, who don’t have the burdensome expectations of the Heat, the injuries of the Bulls or the recent inconsistency of the Thunder and truly look like the most championship-ready team right now. They left quite an impression on Hornets coach Monty Williams, whose team took a recent beating from the Spurs. “They have shooting. They space correctly. They execute out of timeouts,” Williams said. “Defensively, they knew what we were running. They took us out of our stuff. Normally I talk about us and 
what we didn’t do, but that Spurs team is about as complete as I’ve seen. They have the point guard play, they have the guards. They have four or five guys who can play the pick-and-roll. They have the post option in Tim (Duncan) and (Tiago) Splitter. They space the floor well. Pop (coach Gregg Popovich) has those guys ready to play.” Williams is a tad biased, having coming through the Spurs’ organization. But if you watched the Spurs during their recent 11-game winning streak, you know his assessment is spot-on. …Rockets point guard Goran Dragic has been nothing short of phenomenal since replacing the injured Kyle Lowry in early March, scoring in double figures in 21 straight games and keeping the starting spot since Lowry’s return a week ago. Dragic is a free agent this summer and could command a deal worth $8 million annually. Houston coach Kevin McHale didn’t seem too concerned about Dragic’s potential departure this offseason. “I worry about my golf game in the offseason,” McHale said. … Orlando’s loss Friday at Atlanta marked the fifth game Dwight Howard has missed this month – and the first in which Glen “Big Baby” Davis did not have a double-double starting in his place. Davis is averaging 18.6 points on 47 percent shooting and 12.2 rebounds in place of Howard. “I feel like I’m more frantic when I’m out there (playing) for 20 minutes. It’s like ‘You got to do something,'” Davis said. “But when you’re out there longer you get a rhythm, you get a flow.” Unfortunately, Orlando is just 1-4 in those games, and Howard is out a minimum of two weeks. … In 36 games over his first two seasons with Boston, Memphis and Washington, Lester Hudson scored 76 points. In four games over six days with Cleveland – while on a 10-day contract – Hudson scored 83 points. He had six 3-pointers in one game and a running floater to force overtime in another. “I’m pretty sure he’ll be in a Cleveland uniform for the rest of the season,” Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. “He’s been fantastic for us.” … Rockets guard Courtney Lee made no secret of the fact that he was going at Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette in Sunday’s win. “Before the game I thought Tyreke Evans and Francisco (Garcia) were going to start, and when I saw that Jimmer was starting I wanted the ball a little more,” Lee said. “I was able to get going early, get to my spots and knock down some shots.” Lee matched a season high with 25 points, including 17 in the first quarter. … As horrible as Lamar Odom was this season, the Mavericks were actually 0-7 without him until this week, when they won their first three games after giving Mr. Khloe Kardashian plenty of free time to work on his reality show. In Tuesday’s win over Sacramento, Yi Jianlian – who had six DNPs in the last eight games – scored eight points in nine minutes. Meanwhile, Brandan Wright averaged 12.7 points and 7.0 rebounds. Are they as skilled and versatile as Odom? No. But they’re certainly more professional. … Magic forward Earl Clark was ejected from Monday’s game vs. the Pistons for arguing a foul call with 7.5 seconds remaining – and Orlando leading by 30.
Trivia Answer: Josh Smith. … Happy 56th Birthday, Michael Cooper. … I always wanted to be rich, and
Gavin and Joe Maloof have gratefully given me the blueprint: Don’t pay for anything.
Chris Bernucca is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Wednesday and Sunday. You can follow him on Twitter.