MIAMI – Let’s put it out there. The last two nights, the Miami Heat has played like ass. “The last two games,” coach Erik Spoelstra allowed, using more intelligent language, “it’s been a struggle for us.” Miami lost at Oklahoma City, 103-87, on Sunday, and it lost at Indiana, 105-90, on Monday. Two losses in two nights by a total of 31 points. A big reason for the struggles has been the halfcourt offense, and that reflects poorly on the point guard play.
MIAMI – The Miami Heat have been playing better than ever during the past 10 days. Think about that. Better than ever. Last season the Heat had stretches in which they won 21 of 22 games, and 15 of 18 games. Yet this is the best stretch ever. That’s not me talking, that’s Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. The Heat are on a six-game winning streak over the past 10 days, and five of those wins were blowout victories on the road. Those
Before we look at last night’s games, you might want to add J.R. Smith to your team. It’s being reported that he will sign with the Knicks, and play on Sunday. It’s a great fit; instead of trying to guess between Bill Walker, Steve Novak and Iman Shumpert, you can be fairly confident that Smith will soon be the primary bench scorer. In addition to threes, he’s a decent source of STL and REB. Don’t go overboard dropping a productive
MIAMI – Yes, they like to run more than they did a year ago. But when you watch the Miami Heat closely it becomes apparent that one of their biggest improvements from a year ago has been in halfcourt offense. There’s much less confusion and malaise, and much more of a crisply-run, definitive, attacking game. “We’ve put a great emphasis on getting out running and being a fast-break team and getting easy points,” forward LeBron James said. “But we know there are
Players such as rookie guard Norris Cole are providing quality depth for the Heat.
MIAMI – The zone defense is killing the Miami Heat. OK, it’s not really killing the Heat. After all, they won 58 games and went to the NBA Finals last year, and so far they’re 5-1 this year. But you know what I mean. The zone is hurting the Heat badly when applied correctly by good teams. Dallas did it in the Finals last year. Boston did it this year. And on Monday, Atlanta did it well enough to defeat the Heat,
// That calming breeze you feel outside is the collective sigh of relief coming from the West, originating in Los Angeles. Unless the wind is blowing from the Northeast, near Boston. Then it’s cold and bitter. The folks who sit in the front row and wear their sunglasses indoors had a little extra bounce in their step as they strode to the valet stand last night, a measure of normalcy having returned to the Staples Center as the Lakers — the first team