Peninsula is Mightier

The late game debate- Dwyane Wade or LeBron James?

2012-05-16T16:42:36Z

The question is becoming as trite and overbearing as humanly possibly, plagued with endless media scrutiny and growing ambiguity. Should LeBron James or Dwyane Wade have the ball in their hands for the Miami Heat when the game is on the line?

The sudden absence of Chris Bosh has further exasperated the situation and perhaps shined an even bigger light over the Heat's late game uncertainties. Is this really a fair question? Now while it's seemingly understood that LeBron receives a plethora of undeserved blame and criticism for the Heat's late game troubles, it's impossible not to question any strategy or decision that subsequently fails. A more acute analytical question would be what kind of offensive set, lineup and player puts the Heat in the best possible opportunity to score in late game situations?

In layman's terms, if Dwyane Wade shoots the last shot and misses it's easy to say LeBron should have had the ball. Similarly if Lebron missed the last shot, it's easy to argue Wade should have closed the game out.

We have all grown to be completely enamored with statistics and seem to live and die by the numbers that populate in the box score. We research statistics from sports websites and analysts that pull data from the regular season, playoffs and NBA finals, desperately looking to attribute some sort of reason and mathematical logic behind who should do what on the court.

It doesn't matter that Lebron James is shooting 10-17 from the foul line in late games this year and Dwyane Wade is 4-13 in late game field goals. The Heat have 2 of the top 5 basketball players in the world and the questions should start and end with what offensive strategy puts them in the best position to close out a game. The answer:

Dwyane Wade

Before jumping at the question barbarically, we have to analyze the type of defenses teams play against the Heat in late game situations and the individual skill sets for both Wade and LeBron. LeBron is a better shooter than Wade from mid range and from 3-point land and while that might seem like an obvious indication that he should have the ball in his hands, it also alludes to the point that he is a bigger threat off the ball. If LeBron has the ball in his hands, before he even begins to attack the basket or make his move, defenders will be shading and closing in to protect the interior and force him to pass it up. We saw this against the Utah Jazz when Udonis Haslem missed an open foul line jump shot for the win. In addition, Wade is a better driver, quicker off the dribble and more physically flexible in sidestepping and dicing through defenses in the lane.

Multiple times this season LeBron has nailed big 3-pointers down the stretch by simply catching a pass from either Wade or another player. Ask yourself this, would you rather Wade catch and shoot a 3 for the win or Lebron? In addition, who would you rather have at the free throw line at the end of the game, Wade or Lebron? Most people would rather have Wade at the foul line and Lebron taking that 3-pointer/open shot and the scenario that makes that possible, is when the ball is in Wade's hands.

Should Wade always take the last shot? Absolutely not. It just means that this is the scenario for Miami down the stretch that best equips them to utilize their assets. Wade should have the ball but Erik Spoelstra needs to absolutely make sure that LeBron is a huge part of the offense either in a high pick and roll, a wing option or some back screen play that gets him open for a shot. If LeBron or Wade stand on 1 end on the court while the other goes isolation, they might as well be off the court and replaced with a 3-point specialist.

Poll

Who do you think should have the ball in their hands in late game situations?

Shaq & Chuck on LeBron not taking over Inside the NBA

2012-05-16T06:48:27Z

Shaq & Chuck on LeBron not taking over Inside the NBA

Sloppy play, poor free throw shooting doom Heat, lose to Pacers 78-75

2012-05-16T02:17:58Z

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade did as much as they could to make up for the absence of Chris Bosh in their first game without him. But missed opportunities at the free throw line and point-blank shots rattling off the rim by both superstars during the closing moments of the fourth quarter ultimately doomed the Heat as the Indiana Pacers pulled away for the hard-fought 78-75 victory to get the split on the road and head back home with the series tied at 1-1.

Critics will immediately jump on LeBron for missing 3 of 4 free throws in the closing minutes of the game, but in truth the Heat wouldn't have had a chance if it wasn't for what he and Wade did to keep the Heat close, who were trailing since the midway point of the third quarter. The team only mustered 14 points in the third quarter with a flat offense that featured little to no ball movement and zero creativity.

There were no bright spots on a team in which the third-highest scorers were Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier with 5 points each. The team shot a pitiful 1-16 from three-point territory and just 27-78 (34.6%) overall from the field. The Heat's only three-pointer so far this series was from Battier to break a 33-33 tie in the second quarter. The Heat only scored six fast break points, robbing them of easy buckets in a game in which they desperately needed them.

The Pacers weren't much better offensively the whole game but turned the game around with 28 points in the third quarter after a horrific shooting performance in the first half. Indiana couldn't make a basket the final several minutes of the first quarter after a good start feeding the ball inside to Roy Hibbert. However, in stark contrast to their opponent, four of their five starters ended up scoring in double figures.

Game 3 is Thursday in Indiana where the Heat must figure out how to get more offensive support for Wade and James or they will suddenly be trailing in this series. For the most part tonight, the Heat's defense was good enough to have given them a chance to win the game, it's just that no one else besides the Big 2 could be counted on to hit a shot. Someone among the group that consists of Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and Battier must hit double-figures or this series will get even uglier than it already is.

Dwyane Wade sick spin move dunk Heat vs Pacers Game 2 HD

2012-05-16T00:06:59Z

Dwyane Wade sick spin move dunk Heat vs Pacers Game 2 HD

NBA Playoffs Open Game Thread: Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat

2012-05-15T22:00:15Z

2011-12 NBA Playoffs: Round 2 Game2
	@
0-1		1-0
May 15th, 2012
American Airlines Arena
7:00 PM
TV: TNT -- Radio: 790 AM
Probable Starters
George Hill	PG	Mario Chalmers
Paul George	SG	Dwyane Wade
Danny Granger	SF	LeBron James
David West	PF	Udonis Haslem
Roy Hibbert	C	Joel Anthony

Miami Heat minus Bosh - ready for Game 2 with Indiana Pacers

2012-05-15T14:53:51Z

The Miami Heat will play their first full playoff game without All Star Chris Bosh today as they look to take an imperative 2-0 series lead over the Indiana Pacers.

The Heat are 4-5 this season without Bosh but will need an all around effort from their frontline, bench and superstars to pull out the victory. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James scored 42 of Miami's 53 2nd half points in game 1 without Bosh, but will need other players step up offensively to fill the void tonight.

Former All Star and veteran leader David West wasn't nonchalanat when asked about game 2 versus the Heat. West expressed his take on the Heat and seemingly took a shot at Chris Bosh when asked how the game will be without him.

"I don't think we can overreact to one guy going down. Wade and LeBron with Bosh going out, it actually puts the ball in their hands even more. When you've got two guys like that, I don't think them losing Bosh really effects what their trying to do other than his height" - West said

Pretty strong comments from West and when you add Roy Hibbert's pre-series comments about the Heat "taking the easy way out by signing two superstars", its apparent that the margin of error for Dwyane Wade and LeBron James just got signifcantly smaller.

Poll

How do you feel about Miami's chances in Game 2?

Bosh's teammates prepared to shoulder the load in his absence

2012-05-15T14:15:11Z

It was a question that was bound to be asked to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra at his customary spot near the entrance to the practice court of the AmericanAirlines Arena while his team wrapped up their first practice without Chris Bosh.

Who starts in his absence?

Unsurprisingly, Spoelstra declined to answer the question directly, as if he would give Pacers coach Frank Vogel advance notice anyway. When a lineup change is needed, he hardly ever confirms it moments before a tipoff but this time there's a chance he hasn't even decided for sure who will start. That's only part of the solution of actually replacing Bosh but who will actually match his production during the game when the Heat's remaining big men aren't exactly known for creating their own shot?

At practice, there was one player who confirmed he wouldn't be starting at the 4 spot. LeBron James made that clear when asked but it's likely he'll be shuffled over at some point in the game there anyway and he said he was fine with that. But LeBron can't possibly be expected to do even more than he already has been doing during his spectacular season but he's willing to try anyway.

"We're moving on as if he's not going to return in this series. We'll see," said the MVP. "We understand it's going to be a challenge for us. We're missing a big part of our team, probably the biggest part of our team. Chris is a huge part of what we do and our success, so guys have to step up and that's including myself."

Ronny Turiaf is precisely one of the guys that has to step up and he was surprised to see himself surrounded by a large media crowd as he sat down after practice. The Heat's biggest cheerleader on the bench was called upon to see his first action of the postseason and he responded with instant energy, grabbing an offensive rebound within seconds, almost scoring on a tip-in during the next possession and throwing down a couple of easy dunks after being set up with pinpoint passes in the paint.

"It's not a matter of Chris going out, it's a matter of staying the course," said Turiaf in his thick accent. "We have a philosophy, we have our goals, we have our defensive identity and we know what we're trying to accomplish. So we try to wear a team down over a game, not over one or two or three quarters. I think that's what we're going to have to keep on doing."

The Pacers frontline is imposing in size but Dwyane Wade didn't sound too worried about any matchup problems even with Bosh likely out for the rest of the series.

"We're never going to bring anybody in that's as tall as them guys so we can't worry about that," he said. "But we can bring guys in that are quicker that can do other things. We like our depth. Chris is going to be out, we're going to miss him. Offensively, we got to have guys step up - myself and LeBron are the first two guys to do that - but we got other guys that can come in and help us defensively with their energy and with their effort on both ends of the floor. They can bring different things to the game so we're going to have to do that."

In order to protect home court advantage in this series, the Heat's bench will definitely have to step it up tonight or that supposedly easy road to the NBA Finals could become a bumpy one very quickly.

What does Bosh injury mean for Heat?

2012-05-15T00:27:09Z

One could easily find him or herself confused after reading the comments from the Heat personnel about All-Star power forward Chris Bosh's strained abdominal muscle. He is officially listed as out indefinitely. LeBron James said he's preparing as if Bosh won't be available for the remainder of this series. Erik Spoelstra said that he and others feared a worse injury, so the MRI results were good news. Bosh said that he's not sure if he'll return this series, but added that "the season will need to be extended for me to play," a statement that one could interpret in a plethora of ways.

Will Bosh return for the Eastern Conference Finals if the Heat beat the Pacers? The Finals if the Heat advance that far? Who knows?

For now, let's operate under the assumption that Bosh will not return for the balance of this series. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade spurred a strong Heat second-half without Bosh to win Game 1 Sunday, but Bosh's absence extends to the two superstars and beyond.

Perhaps the most significant consequence of Bosh's injury is James' play and minutes. The three-time MVP said that he doesn't expect to start at the power forward - the Heat simply started the second half of Game 1 with Ronny Turiaf in place of Bosh - but he probably will spend a good deal of time there. He defended David West well when he played the four Sunday, forcing the two-time All-Star into 2-of-7 second-half shooting. James could also defend Tyler Hansbrough, mainly a pick-and-pop player, while using his quickness on offense to drive to the basket against Indiana's power forwards. James could force Indiana to downsize and put Danny Granger or Paul George at the four, neutralizing the Pacers' inside advantage.

The bad news? James' minutes will undoubtedly increase. He played the entire second half Sunday, and Spoelstra indicated that he'd play James for "40-plus" minutes. Some have attributed James' heavy load of minutes in the playoffs last year - as well as chasing opposing guards on defense like Derrick Rose or Jason Terry - to his sub-par performance in the Finals. James played at least 42 minutes in 15 of Miami's 21 postseason games last year. The Heat will have to rely on James with Bosh's absence, so the best the Heat can hope for is for Philadelphia and Boston to fight a long series and the Heat to finish off the Pacers fairly quickly.

James and Wade will take more prominent roles in the offense, but those two players have always performed well. Miami will need some timely contributions from the players who have played inconsistently this year, though. Joel Anthony had a great game Sunday, with Alonzo Mourning calling him the "Chevy MVP" of Game 1, but will he grab seven boards again?

Although Anthony and Turiaf provided energy Sunday, neither of them will attempt any mid-range jumpers like Bosh routinely does. (As an aside, Anthony's lack of offense actually helped Miami in his fourth-quarter pick-and-rolls with James. Roy Hibbert ignored Anthony when he set the screen, knowing he won't operate a pick-and-pop. But Hibbert gave James open jumpers after Anthony set the pick.) Udonis Haslem has been off with his shot all year long, but he needs to knock down those open shots. He tried to attempt hook shots and drive to the basket one-on-one in Game 1, neither of which has ever been in his offense repertoire. Haslem should stick to his game - pick-and-pop - and hopefully he'll make a few.

Additionally, the role of the Heat's 3-point shooters becomes more important. The Pacers will simply pack the paint to prepare for the drives of James and Wade if Haslem and the 3-point shooters can't knock down their jumpers. Miami failed to make a single 3 in Game 1, but Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller and Shane Battier need to help space the floor for James and Wade. Spoelstra also shouldn't hesitate to insert James Jones in the game. He's one of the best 3-point shooters in the league, and he helped Miami defeat the Boston Celtics in the second round last year.

The Heat should be able to defeat the Pacers without Bosh. Miami should also win a best-of-seven series against the Sixers or a banged-up Celtics team without their third-best player. But if the Heat face a healthy Boston team or whichever team comes out of the West, it would be wishful thinking to think Miami could win. For now, though, the Heat should solely think about the Pacers. Everyone will need to dig a little deeper for Miami to defeat this team.