Two imperative questions that the Miami Heat have to answer in the off-season – NBA Special Report
Miami Heat were very close from landing their second NBA championship in this years’ playoffs, but they were undone by the brilliance of a certain Dirk Nowitzki and his spirited Dallas Mavericks team. The lost broke many hearts
at the South Beach and also denied the two times MVP LeBron James his first stride towards greatness.
The Heat were the team to beat throughout the play-offs. They weren’t given a chance by many, but as the post season progressed, the Heat in general and the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh proved how good
they are together. They stamped their might on the two top teams of the league, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls, to clinch the NBA Finals berth and then gave the Mavs a run for their money early in the series.
But then, James faded away, Bosh got neutralized and Wade was left all alone to fight the Mavs. The Big Three never got the help from their not so big player on the team and the Mavs broke through their guards. The season is over
now and the championship ring will have to wait another year, but there are some big issues that the Heat need to address rather quickly.
How to perk up the bench play?
The major problem that Miami faced throughout the season was the insufficient support from the fringe players. The Big three ran the show completely throughout the regular and the post season and never got any substantial support
from the bench.
Before the play-offs, Miami acquired the sharp-shooter Mike Bibby to infuse some experience. Bibby who is known for his prolific shooting, especially from beyond the arc, however failed to live up to his reputation. Erik Spoelstra
gave him ample opportunities as a starter but nothing came from the clutch of Mike. Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem all contributed in bits and pieces, but when it really mattered the most – late in the NBA Finals – they failed to back up their
more vaunted team mates.
What Miami need is another hand, who can marshal the Miami defence and rid James of the burdensome defensive duties that effectively took a toll on his offensive output in the Finals.
Is Eric Spoelstra the best man for the job?
There is no doubt that Eric Spoelstra was outcoached by the Dallas Mavericks’ coach Rick Carlisle. The surprising thing is that Miami continued to collapse epically in the fourth quarters and it seemed like Spoelstra had no idea,
how to go about preventing it. Secondly the much touted Miami defensive system never found any answer to restrict Dirk Nowitzki late in the game and he consistently tore apart Miami in the clutch. Spoelstra never experimented with his rotations and stuck to
the old school wait and see policy.
It’s a coach’s job to take care of these the factors but Spoelstra seemed oblivious of the fact as Heat collapsed in one game after another. So it’s a major question for the team that whether Eric Spoelstra is the right man for
the coaching position.
Tags: