Final Thoughts on the Finals

I will give the Heat credit eventually, but first off holy crap did OKC blow this or what? Yes the Heat played good defense and all, but holy crap did Harden and Westbrook ruin this series or am I just totally off?  Harden regressed after blossoming into a great player through the rest of this season, shooting 20% in back-to-back games at one point, and Westbrook absolutely shit the bed in Game 5 with a mind-boggling 4-20 shooting performance. Fitting he was 4-20 since he certainly seemed stoned out there, at one point bricking a dunk for no reason.

And Westbrook made some bonehead plays at the end of Game 4 like his turnover and his intentional foul on Mario Chalmers. Yeah, Westbrook had 43 in that game, but bungling the game for your team in the clutch still ruins things. He was not the man. And I demand a tally on how many jump shots Serge Ibaka took this series, and how few he hit. Ibaka wasn't taking many shots per game, but he was taking an awful lot of jumpers from like 16-20 feet when he did get to shoot. Dude you were in the dunk contest and Miami is always criticized as being weak inside just go to the hole!

And how slow and bad is Kendrick Perkins? He is a great defender...if the person guarding him doesn't move. For a 28-year-old he looked like he was about 60 sometimes. He's there to lock down the paint.  Uhh yeah, he didn't.  OKC played like crap way too often this series, and Miami is a team you can't get sloppy against. The Thunder bungled big leads a few times and did not deserve to win the series.  The Heat out-worked them and out-hustled them.  Even in this Game 5 that just ended, OKC looked lifeless and weak.  Nobody was boxing out LeBron James on the offensive glass, when LBJ went to the hole nobody gave him a hard foul to let him know the paint is sacred, and when the Heat started rolling nobody other than Durant rose up for the challenge.

Durantula's theme. Was it too much to ask for Harden and Westbrook to not play so dumb so often?

I really promise I will praise the Heat, but seriously the Thunder screwed the pooch big time. Durant wasn't able to destroy everything in the 4th quarters of every game like people were thinking, but he was shooting over 50% for the series so it isn't like he was ruining it all. Westbrook shot 43%, down from 45.7 during the regular season and padded because of his 43 point game, and Harden shot 38, down from 49 during the season.  Along with the tally on Ibaka's bricked jumpers, I'd like one of how any times Harden and Westbrook waved off Durant as if to say "Nah man I got this," then either missed a jumper or had the ball stolen. It certainly seemed like it happened a lot when I wasn't falling asleep during these games. Durant's the best scorer in the game and was shooting well, those guys needed to help him out a little bit.

And for everybody complaining that the NBA is so rigged and the league got what they wanted, just shut up. I'm all about NBA conspiracies and whatnot, but really don't you think they would have wanted this series to go longer than 5 games? Come on, man. The Thunder had taken way more free throws than Miami early on until they just had no fight left in them. And that's all it was. Harden said last night they learned every possession counts. Duh.  They made stupid plays time and time again and let Miami take this series.  For lack of a better phrase, they fucked up.  OKC wasn't playing perfectly and just got screwed because of the league being corrupt.  They played like crap and they got broken apart by a better, more focused team.

Yes there were times when Miami got some bogus calls, or didn't get called for anything like when LeBron clearly threw the ball off of the back of the backboard and no whistle was blown for out of bounds, but the Thunder didn't play well.  OKC came out in Game 1 ready to destroy, then they got run ragged in the next four. Miami took a lot of free throws. They have three superstars and three of the games were at home so it makes sense and nobody should be surprised. Just because they're getting to the line it doesn't make them unbeatable. The Thunder had to kick some ass last night and Miami wanted it more and played way harder. It is that simple. OKC did not try hard enough to win. They let themselves get down big, they let the big three have a dance party all the way to the hoop, and the season is over because of it.

The NBA may rig a game now and again or favor superstars, but the league can't rig heart and determination. The Thunder showed none when everything was on the line, as shown by that lack of defense that allowed Miami to shoot 52% for the game.  Games 2-4 were still close.  OKC could have won them, but their youth and inexperience came blasting through and did more damage than any foul calls or non-calls could have.

As for Miami, they stepped their game up. The role players finally came to life and gave the superstars the help they desperately needed. Shane Battier was dropping threes, Mario Chalmers played big, and even Mike Miller showed he is in fact still a living human being with that nasty three point clinic last night. The role players finally played like they wanted to win and didn't seem like a bunch of veteran frontrunners who wanted to ride the coattails of LeBron's talent.  They all stepped up and gave a team effort and executed the way you need to when you're in the Finals.

Chris Bosh played big. That's two years in a row he's come through in a big game for Miami. Last year when the Mavs were readying their championship parade, Bosh played the best of the big three. Last night he proved that he may be every bit as important, if not more so, than Dwyane Wade.  As the most ridiculed member of the big three it is nice to see him prove his worth in a few big moments these playoffs.  As a whole Miami played great team defense and they went out and played hard. OKC seemed lost and totally over-matched.

LeBron James finally has his ring. I have never taken away from the talents he took to South Beach two years ago, I just think he's a bastard. I will give him some respect for admitting he acted like a punk when he went to Miami.  He shut up and he went back to playing like he was on the Cavs. He was like the guy who scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points and made this writer go out and get a Witness shirt and a jersey and hang a poster of him dunking all over the Heat above his bed. Hating LeBron comes out of frustration that he has all of the tools to be the best but he says and does dumb things rather than just shutting up and doing what he does best. Every year we hear that LeBron is a new man and focused and ready to win. I was sick of hearing that and refused to believe it until we actually saw him do it, and these playoffs he did it.

I don't like how on NBA TV and ESPN they were saying since LeBron has his ring now you can't hate on him anymore. Well no, I'm not just going to become a fan of his again because he won a ring. I'm not a frontrunner.  I still think he's a dick and I don't like that he quit on Cleveland two years ago and faked that elbow injury because he wanted to play with his friends in Miami. I don't like his flopping and pretending like he got seriously hurt. I don't like his hairline. Depending on how he acts now I'll take my stand on his ego.

It was cool that LeBron said the right things last night about how he realized he had to change as a person after the Finals defeat last year. You'd never hear Kobe Bryant own up to acting like a dick or making a mistake. LeBron was a man and admitted he did the wrong things and he had to change. You learn a lot about people with how they celebrate winning a title. We saw how bad Michael Jordan had wanted to win and how much it meant to him, we saw that Kevin Garnett is really that intense all the time, and last night we saw LeBron be very humble.

When asked what went through his mind, LeBron laughed and said, "It's about damn time." He was very gracious and said he was humbled after the embarrassment of last season.  I'll hold off on my judgement of him until we see how he acts next year since he was arrogant as hell without a ring, so who knows how he'll be with one.  But he very well could be redeeming himself from being that punk kid who ruined Cleveland's front office and as Adrian Wojnaroski pointed out, wasn't wanted on the '08 Olympic team. Will we see a mature, respectful LeBron James who just shuts up and plays, or are we back to dancing and flexing and acting like the world belongs to him?

Don't forget this gem from last year.  The Heat won their second round playoff series against Boston and they celebrated like they won the title. Now with an actual title, are we back to this kind of ego and madness or will they just be a hard working, dedicated team?

Idiots.

So now the Heat are champions. At the moment it seems like LeBron has finally become the player everybody hoped he would be, but a lot can change in a little time. As for the actual series, it was pretty simple. Miami played harder and they won. As much as I may want to say the NBA helped them out, when it comes down to it OKC played way too sloppy to ever deserve to win. The Heat were the focused and composed team, and they are the NBA Champions because of it.

I can't believe I'm not furious the Heat could win a ring tonight

Slowhand's subject matter may not pertain to the situation, but the hook for this song came to mind when trying to think of how I feel about the Finals

If you have ever read this blog before then you've seen any post I've done about basketball is usually straight on about how I hate the Miami Heat and LeBron James or a jab is taken at them somewhere. LeBron and his ego have been subject to a great deal of vitriol in my time writing both here and my old blog.  While he is the greatest talent in the history of the NBA, I loathe him.  To take a page out of Rashad Evans' book, I think he's fake.  He acts the way he thinks will make the most people like him. I don't like his sense of entitlement, marketing himself as the "king" then acting like he's so humble, doing ridiculous things to get attention then saying he doesn't want attention, dancing and flexing on the court, and I especially don't like the fact he openly quit on Cleveland in 2010.

But even after all of those rants on LeBron, I don't care about the Finals potentially ending in Game 5 tonight.  I probably won't even watch the game. I've been disillusioned with the NBA ever since 2007 where the Phoenix Suns were royally screwed by the NBA and then referee Tim Donaghy was arrested for betting on games. Honestly if Chicago hadn't drafted Derrick Rose the next summer I would have been done.  There have always been shady NBA conspiracies and Donaghy betting on games didn't seem like an aberration since the Lakers had 27 free throws in the fourth quarter along against the Kings back in 2002 and Dwyane Wade shot as many free throws (25) as the entire Mavericks team in Game 5 of the 2006 Finals and then only two less (21 to the Mavs' 23) in Game 6. I always believe every NBA series is rigged now, and I see more and more how the NBA is all about protecting stars no matter what and I don't like it.

My brother and I had this conversation on the phone the other night about how the Finals just don't seem to mean as much. He said basketball just isn't fun to watch really, and I agree. Even the Bulls are not fun to watch, but they need the support. I feel like I just watch it so I have something to do, not because I love it more than something like MMA. When Derrick Rose tore his ACL I said to somebody on Facebook that this is just speeding along MMA's rise as my favorite sport, a sentiment I echoed to my brother.  I hardly watched any games this season until the playoffs started. I'm getting so burnt out on the NBA, I don't even have the passion to flip over LeBron winning a title.

I want so badly to freak out about Miami closing in on their second championship and LeBron James getting his ring, but there is so much more I want to put energy in to.  Non-sports related things include:

• Lego Batman 2: This game is freaking sick. I don't like the Lego games but I got this since I'm a Batman fanboy and for the first time in a Lego game there is actual dialogue and not just "oohs" and "ahhs" and IGN gave it a good preview write-up.  It is so much fun. Playing as Superman, even in Lego form, is way more awesome and entertaining than I've found the NBA this year.
• Life by Keith Richards: I never read as much as I should and I've been plowing away on this book forever. I will finish it. I must.

That's what I'm looking forward to tonight more than seeing if Miami gets another trophy celebration or the Thunder step their game up.   Sports related things I care more about include:

• Silva vs. Sonnen II: Chael Sonnen took Anderson Silva to the limit in their first fight before being submitted in the closing minutes. Now Sonnen gets his rematch. Silva has massacred Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami since coming through in the clutch to beat Sonnen, now everybody wants to see if the first fight was a fluke. Was Silva just hampered by a rib injury and being stubborn by wanting to submit Sonnen? Sonnen failed his pre and post-fight drug tests, so was him being juiced the reason he could bring it to Silva so hard?  This matters more to me than the NBA Championship since with Anderson Silva we're witnessing real greatness, not ESPN greatness, which I'll talk about in a little bit.
• The UFC in general: As my brother said on the phone, it is two dudes going toe-to-toe, no superstar calls or favorable treatment from the officials. You lose because you lose and that's it.  That is far more interesting to me than basketball by this point.
• Brock Lesnar's WWE situation: I want to know if these rumblings of the WWE being pissed at Lesnar are all a work or if they are legit.  Lesnar is a big-time, marketable star wherever he goes, but rumor has it he isn't getting along with the WWE and they want to job him out to everybody to make the UFC look bad. I am curious to find out if they are going to push Lesnar or just use him as a big bully who never wins a match.
• The NFL season: Never thought I'd see the day when I really care about football, but I'm actually pretty excited for this season. I don't really have one favorite team, I just have a bunch of teams I like and I've found I just like watching football in general so I am eager for the season to get under way.

I'm so tired of basketball because of this 24-hour media cycle we live in.  ESPN has ruined the game for me.  When guys like LeBron James are on a roll like he is now, organizations like ESPN start talking about all-time greatness and where players like that stack up.  They did it big time when Kobe Bryant won his MVP in 08 then titles in 09 and 10.  But they talk about all-time greats yet only take a snapshot of a current player's career and start defining their greatness.  That is ESPN greatness. ESPN was giving LeBron so much coverage when he was only in high school and this is what fed into him being hyped as the next big thing.

It just bothers me that the fact it took LeBron so long to rise to the top will never be mentioned again if they win tonight because ESPN has to prove they were right about LeBron being King all those years ago.  Suddenly there was no quitting aginst Boston, no choking in the Finals and those are two pretty serious things.  And if they lose, then LeBron wasn't aggressive enough. If they still somehow lose the series then it is all LeBron's bad. If they win the title this year but not next year LeBron maybe isn't as great as we thought again and suddenly he's not the guy you can build a dynasty around, but should they win then he was the guy all along. It is the same, predictable coverage all of the time and I find myself not interested in it at the moment.

For all of my impassioned tirades on how I can't stand the Heatles, I don't really care that they could win the championship tonight. I'm not happy about it and you will never hear me say they deserve it. Make sure that part is clear. I'm not going to write off LeBron saying they will win eight titles and it would be easy. Or all of that shit the big three talked to Team USA after they got together saying they would best the '95-'96 Chicago Bulls' 72-10 record. At least Dallas shut them up last year and made them see they had to work for it, but still there should be no shortcuts to a title.  But whatever. The NBA wasn't going to let Miami fall flat anyways; I mean Christ they called a flagrant foul on Tyson Chandler for an illegal screen in which LeBron flopped and pretended like he got shot.

In regards to superstar calls, it of course is not just limited to Miami, they just get the most since they have three stars. And that is what takes out a lot of the fun in the NBA. It just comes down to who has the bigger star and who is going to flop and get to the line more.  It is just not fun to watch. I should have known something was up after hardly watching any games during the regular season, but then I realized what was going on when I didn't really feel that excited for Games 2-4 of the Finals.  There were parts of the games that made me mad, but as a whole I don't really care about this series.

Honestly I'm worried more about if Rich Franklin or Wanderlei Silva will have to retire this weekend after one of them loses their fight than I am about if the Thunder can come back. The Thunder have made stupid mistakes, the Heat have capitalized, and the bitter fan in me will always wonder if Miami would even be there if Derrick Rose hadn't torn his ACL and Avery Bradley didn't need shoulder surgery.

Last year when the Heat went up 2-1 I was furious and I was hoping so bad Dallas came back. This year when they went up 2-1 I didn't even bother watching Game 4 until the last few minutes.  I've become one of those fans. The loser who just checks in on the last few minutes since he's too preoccupied to just watch the whole game.  I fell asleep during Games 2 and 3.  I just don't seem to care. I want to care and I want to be so mad about this all, but really aside from getting frustrated for a minute watching the game, I don't care.

There is a serious possibility I won't be watching the NBA Champion crowned for the first time in 8 years.  From Game 7 of the Spurs-Pistons in '05, all the way to Dallas shutting up the Heat last year I've seen it all. But tonight I think I'll play Lego Batman or watch a movie. I don't need to hear Mike Breen yell "BANG!" every time any player hits a shot in the 4th quarter. I don't need to see Mario Chalmers pretend he got shot every time he drives to the hoop because he wants a foul call. I don't need to see James Harden choke like he's LeBron or something.  Just doesn't interest me. And like Eric Clapton sang, "I don't know why I don't care."

Scattered Thoughts on the NBA Finals

We have arrived at the NBA Finals! The fake analyst in me wants to say this is a great match-up between two hard-working teams and it will be a great series. The biased hack fan in me says this is just like last year’s Finals, in which a team that is all about the true team concept of putting five guys on the floor who can play well together plays against the Heat, a team of three superstars and a whole lotta front runners and ego. Either way you look at it, this will be a terrific series and it is going to define careers.

For Erik Spoelstra, this series means everything for his job. Pat Riley fired Stan Van Gundy when he failed to win a championship with Dwyane Wade and Shaq in their first year together, so why would Spoelsta be expected to keep his job if he fails two years in a row with the “Three Kings”? If Miami wins, Coach Spo suddenly becomes a master motivator on the level of Doc Rivers. People will forget they talked such trash about how inept and simplistic his style is and will instead say he was the right guy for this team all along. There will be no middle ground here. A tremendous amount of blame will be heaped upon Spoelstra is the Heatles fall short a second straight year, but a championship suddenly means he had control of this team all along and even through the struggles he had them right where he wanted them. That’s just how sports work. Look at how different the tune about LeBron James has become in just a few days.

When the Celtics took a 3-2 lead, LeBron wasn't doing enough and we were going to see LBJ fall flat yet again.  Then he went off for 45-15-5 in Game 6 and hit an unreal 30-foot three-pointer to seal up Game 7 and everybody is talking about how LeBron is in the best stretch of his career and he is finally ready to make the jump.  LeBron himself says he is a different man and is ready, but this is the same story every year and every year there is no ring for the king.  A loss in this series defines LeBron's legacy as the guy who fled his team to join up with the guy who had already carried Antoine Walker, old Gary Payton, and broken-down Shaq to a championship. LeBron was supposed to blow Jordan away, but yet Jordan never lost in the Finals and LeBron has already lost twice, and could lose a third.

If the Heat lose, the story of the East becomes that Derrick Rose got injured, Avery Bradley went down with shoulder injuries, Ray Allen may need surgery, Paul Pierce has a sprained knee, and Boston was old and used up.  LeBron joined Wade and Bosh tagged along because they thought it would be easy and they could run through the NBA, and a loss makes the Heat and LeBron look like a failure since even with an easier road to the title they couldn't get it done.  Losing this championship defines LeBron as a regular season wonder who could never get it done when it mattered most. It is all the difference between being Karl Malone or one of the true greats.

Of course a win changes everything. With one championship, all the criticism goes away.  Since Kobe Bryant won his MVP and then back-to-back championships, how many people talk about the dark days in Kobe's career? How often do you hear about the 2004 Lakers imploding because of the conflicts between Kobe and the rest of the team stemming from the rape accusations? What about Phil Jackson retiring and calling Kobe "uncoachable" in his book and LA trading Shaq away since they couldn't co-exist?  Not many. All you hear about is how Kobe is an amazing scorer and defender and the best player of the post-Jordan era. If the Heat win the championship then all the trash that has been spoken about LeBron for the last few years will vanish.  Winning that one title immediately makes LeBron the King and changes the narrative of his career from an amazing player that never reached his potential to a legend who vanquished all of his foes and became a champion.

For OKC, if Russell Westbrook has a bunch of games where he shoots poorly and the Thunder ultimately lose the championship, the talk of getting rid of him will once again pick up.  People have been praising Westbrook and Durant's ability to coexist, but all it takes is one loss in the Finals and it is right back to "Westbrook needs to go."  Of course Westbrook can be a problem and will take way too many shots when he should be deferring to Durantula.  Sometimes he needs to understand he is the Rosie to Durant's Sophia Grace and he just needs to stand there and give Durant confidence and do some cool moves.  If OKC drops games where Westbrook is shooting 30% then it will be seen as Westbrook's fault and people will want him traded.

It will also be interesting to see what happens with James Harden. He becomes a restricted free agent after next season, and with all the notoriety he is getting for his amazing play off the bench he could want a big pay day and sucker some team in to giving it to him.  If the Thunder don't win this year, maybe he starts thinking about leaving if they lose next year too.  Or maybe the Thunder win and Harden pulls a Trevor Ariza and goes and gets a big pay day after proving his worth on a championship team.  Scott Brooks had to give Harden the hard sell to make him buy into his sixth man role, and though Harden says he is fine with his role now money always changes things. Will he play his little heart out to try and get a fat contract with some other team in the future?

For Durant this is a chance to become the best in the world. He'll be going against a guy who is seen as one of the best, if not the best perimeter defender in the league.  He needs to be on his game for OKC to win.  He shot over 50% both times these two teams met during the regular season. Durant needs to do that a few more times and get to the line often.  He also needs to play good defense on LeBron and use his length to keep James from unleashing punishing drive after punishing drive and going off for monster games.  Durant has been the challenger to LeBron's throne since LBJ's second MVP season and if he can outplay LeBron on the biggest stage in all of basketball and lead the Thunder to a title then he becomes the king of the league, the MVP favorite for next season, and the Thunder are title favorites for years to come.

The perimeter defense of the Heat could give OKC some fits, but the post defense of OKC can also give Miami fits. The Thunder have better rebounders and shot blockers than Boston did so LeBron will have a tougher time bum rushing the hoop.  The keys here are if Westbrook can rip Mario Chalmers apart and still score when Dwyane Wade gets put on him, and if Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins can lock down the paint and exploit Miami's front court woes. However, a healthy Bosh, an attacking LeBron, and an active Wade could spell certain doom for OKC.

Thabo Sefolosha's defense on Wade will be a key to this series. Really OKC's team defense on Wade needs to take him out of the game since he may be more dangerous than LeBron in some respects.  If Wade is attacking and has it going then Miami is too tough to stop. How many games in the Boston series did Wade get shut down in the first half only to come and and start driving and get his shot going in the second, making the game wicked hard for the C's?  If OKC wants to win they needs to stop Wade from going off and they need Westbrook and Durant to play well. Also, on paper the Thunder hold a big edge on Miami in terms of the bench.  They need those bench guys to step up since one of Miami's biggest knocks is a lack of depth.

For Miami to win they need to shut down Russell Westbrook.  If he takes a ton of shots and misses a ton of shots, OKC is totally screwed. They also need to get the OKC bigs in foul trouble, which may not be that hard since the Heat are averaging 28 free throws per game these playoffs and if LeBron is driving then that opens everything up for his team and sends him to the line a lot. Miami has good defenders in James, Wade, Battier, and Haslem.  Durant and Westbrook are prone to turnovers and if you turn the ball over against Miami you're as good as dead.  Miami needs to use their great wing defending and get out and run in transition since that is where they break teams.

As for a prediction, my heart says OKC in six but my head says Miami in six. I would love for OKC to become this new dynasty and a superpower for years, but I think Miami has come too far to lose. You can blame it on NBA conspiracies, the Thunder's inexperience, or LeBron finally stepping up, but I think the Heat are going to win this series. I think LeBron and Wade are going to draw a lot of fouls and force too many turnovers. Westbrook is going to have two or three games where he takes way too many shots and costs the Thunder.  Miami may have had their struggles in the last two rounds, but for whatever reason I just can't picture them falling short here.  It would be pretty groovy if they lost though, but I don't find it likely.

Oh Boy: Heat-Celtics Game 5 Thoughts

And just like that, the Miami Heat's hopes for a second championship parade down Biscayne Boulevard were put on the ropes by a team nobody thought had a chance. Even this writer thought the Boston Celtics were getting swept.  But now we stand on the eve of Game 6, maybe the biggest game in the careers of so many parties, with Boston up 3-2 and Miami seemingly in search of their soul.

This was a Miami team that for a minute looked like they may not be able to beat the Indiana Pacers.  There have been multiple times this season where their aura of invincibility seemed pretty non-existent. People have said that Chris Bosh's injury doomed Miami. Injuries to Chris Bosh or not, the Heat have enough to beat Boston. Injuries can't always be an excuse since in 2010 the Celtics made the Finals despite fluid literally squirting out of Paul Pierce's knee before games.  Is it Bosh's injury that allowed Boston to get back into this series and put Miami on the brink, or is it something worse?

The Boshtrich is needed since he would make Kevin Garnett work on the defensive end, but you're going to rely on Udonis Haslem to stop KG from scoring. Garnett is 36 years old now, with career averages of 19.3 points per game on 50% shooting and 10.6 rebounds per game.  This series he is averaging 21.6 points per game on 49% shooting to go with 10.8 rebounds per.  Well thanks Haslem.  Missing Bosh sucks for Miami since it takes away an offensive option, but in terms of defense they should have enough to stop an old man like KG from taking them to the woodshed. And will somebody do something about Rajon Rondo?

Rondo's season averages: 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 11.7 assists with 45% shooting from the floor and 60% shooting from the foul line. His averages against Miami: 20.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 11 assists with 48% shooting from the floor and 71% at the foul line.  His scoring average is inflated thanks to his 44-point explosion in Game 2, but even without that his scoring and shooting percentage are up from his usual.  Rondo has no fear no matter who is guarding him and he is tearing Miami apart.

Not having Bosh on the offensive end hurts, but for a team that prides itself in defense the Heat should still have enough to take care of business.  Game 4 was decided by two points, Game 5 by four. Not having Bosh around is a bummer, but the Heat eliminated Indiana and went up 2-0 on Boston without him then lost in OT in Game 4 and had Bosh last night but lost another close one.  The chances were there and Miami has the MVP of the league and a former Finals MVP. This quick, aggressive, defensive-minded team should be able to pull out victories over the old Celtics.  Bosh's strained abdomen is a problem, but that is not why they are staring down elimination tomorrow. Pierce, Allen, and Rondo shot terribly yesterday but still Boston won. This is cause for alarm.

Erik Spoelstra's poor decision making may have cost Miami big time yesterday. Chris Bosh had not played in three weeks due to his strained abdomen, but he came back for Game 5.  His minute limit was 25, and in 14 minutes he put up 9 points and 7 boards and was very aggressive on offense, something the Heat sorely needed.  Bosh did not play in the fourth quarter.  Erik Spoelstra said it would not have been "fair" to put Bosh in that situation.  It is one thing to hold a guy back and let him rest in the regular season, but when an All Star scorer nearly has a double-double in 14 minutes and you are in a dog fight with control of the series on the line you can't hold back.  Bosh was a step slow on defense since he hasn't played, but you need offense from somebody other than Wade and LeBron and the Boshtrich is the best bet. As I wrote the other day, Bosh is needed to space the floor so Wade and James don't have to work so much and that would have been a huge help in the fourth quarter. Spoelstra didn't see it that way and that may be a big part of the reason Miami is down 3-2.

Another problem is that for all of LeBron's amazing play this series, it stunningly is not enough, and this is not because I'm not a LeBron fan.  LeBron is averaging 31.8 points and 10 rebounds per game and shooting 50% from the field. Very good stats, but there's more to it.  His regular season assist average was 6.2, but it is at 4 in this series along with 3.4 turnovers per game.  That is not good.  LeBron only attempted 2.4 three pointers per game during the season, but is attempting 4.4 per game against the C's this series.  James shot 36% from deep during the season, but now he's at 27%.  He had one of his best free throw shooting seasons at 77% but somehow against Boston it has dropped to 65.  And last night Dwyane Wade attempted more shots in the fourth quarter (9) than James (6).  LeBron is trying hard, but Miami still needs more out of him.

What is as frustrating as the fact LeBron is attempting so many threes and turning it over almost as often as he assists, is the fact that in the last two games he has only attempted a grand total of four free throws in the two fourth quarters. It is admirable that LeBron wants to get his team involved so much, but he needs to develop a killer instinct.  LeBron needs to understand that as the league's MVP and the greatest athlete to ever play the game he has to take over.  Nobody else even needs to really touch the ball, just put your head down and drive to the basket.  Wade may be his friend and he trusts Wade, but sometimes you have to realize you're the most unstoppable player and you have to put the burden of the team on your shoulders completely.

As good as LeBron has been these playoffs, he needs to be better.  He certainly isn't doing anything to shoot down the criticisms of not having the desire to win by saying things like "I think we played good enough to give ourselves a chance to win, and that's all you can ask for." The Heat are a team with everything to prove, and LeBron has to prove he is worthy of being the three-time MVP. Saying they tried hard and that's enough is not enough at all.  It is kind of sad and very frustrating that somebody with so much skill still apparently lacks the ferocious, take-no-prisoners attitude you would expect of somebody who wants to win so bad.

Of course it all comes back to Michael Jordan since LeBron was supposed to be on his level. Bulls center Luc Longley was once asked to describe MJ with one word, and he replied, "predator." Jordan didn't just say he wanted to win, he was going to do whatever it takes and would accept nothing less than a title.  If the game was tight, Jordan would drive to the hoop and try to get to the foul line. Wade did this same thing in 2006 against Dallas. LeBron needs to do it now. There can be no settling for a good effort, there has to be the MVP taking over.

Erik Spoelstra looked pretty bummed out in his post-game interview.  I felt so uncomfortable trying to watch him because he was trying to act like everything was cool and this was no big deal, but they were just empty words.  There's plenty of reason to be concerned. The Heat have had problems executing down the stretch for two seasons despite having two of the top players in the world. Their simplistic play designs have screwed them over for two seasons. Bosh wasn't in the fourth quarter last night despite playing well. I like Spoelstra and I think he has done a good job,  but if the Heat go home tomorrow, and I don't mean for Game 7, then Coach Spo is gone.  I felt awkward watching him try to brush this off as just another mountain for a tough team to climb. I had Bruce Springsteen's Dead Man Walking stuck in my head as I watched it unfold. The blame is going to fall on Spoelstra if they lose, and he will be gone.

Of course Miami is not done and a loss in Game 6 is not a foregone conclusion.  Bosh will play more in Game 6 and will be much more capable, most likely giving Boston's defense some fits and opening things up for Wade and James.  Also, just because the game will be in Boston it doesn't mean Boston will win.  The Celtics have problems closing teams out. They have for ages and there is not a great reason to expect anything different tomorrow. And everybody is talking about how Miami is done and unraveled. If the Heat win tomorrow suddenly there was never any cause for worry.  But Boston has exposed flaws in Miami and shown that no matter what happens in the rest of this series, the Heat are very beatable.

As for the Celtics, they remain pretty boring to discuss since they come out, play hard, go home. Their offense is hideous, but luckily they pride themselves on tough defense.  Rondo and Garnett are carrying this team and need to play magnificent one more time to make their third NBA Finals in five seasons.  You can sense the urgency since the big three all realize that their championship window is just about shut.  Rajon Rondo has shown he has all the tools to be the best point guard in the game if he could just shoot as well as he has been consistently. If he improves his jumper and foul shooting he could be unstoppable.  He is out-hustling everybody on the court and always seems to be in the perfect spot, like on his incredible tip to Mickael Pietrus for the three.

Doc Rivers is cementing himself as one of the greatest coaches of all time.  People have been saying Boston was too old by the third season the big three were together, but they could be back in the Finals. Rivers has his team playing terrific defense and their confidence is through the roof.  Just like in 2010 when nobody thought they had a shot against Cleveland, Rivers got his group to play at a level nobody thought they could by that point and they sent the Cavs home. They came so close to winning the championship that year but fell in seven games to the Lakers, failing to close LA out in six. Once again people were saying the Celtics were too old and banged up to make a run to the Finals, but all they have to do is execute for 48 more minutes and they can make it back.

And can we finally accept Paul Pierce is one of the greatest closers of all time? He is never afraid to take the big shots when it is all on the line. He took the ball to the basket to get to the line so he could give Boston the 87-85 lead, then despite being only 5-18 from the floor the Truth hit a wicked three over LeBron to make it 90-86 and send Miami reeling. His laughter afterwards was ridiculous. That play was indicative of the entire series. There is no reason old, hobbled Pierce should be able to make the young and athletic LeBron look silly just like there is no reason for these old Celtics to be making the quick and young Heat look bad, but somehow it is happening.

This has been an entertaining series and it has been full of surprises.  Tomorrow night is a huge game since the legacy of both team's big threes are resting on it.  The Heat have to execute and LeBron has to play even better than he already has through these playoffs.  The Celtics have to prove they can finally close out a team when they need to since if they let Miami back into it tomorrow, there will be no stopping the Heat from going all the way.

The Boshtrich Must Come Back - Game 4 Thoughts

Please play along with me for a minute here. When trying to think of a way to sum up the Miami Heat’s situation right now, this video was the first thing that came to mind. Pretend in this instance that Commissioner Gordon is Erik Spoelstra, since Coach Spo is on his death bed right now.  If Miami loses Spo is fired or he's going to suddenly want to spend more time with his family and will step down as coach. When he says, "This evil rises," picture Kevin Garnett in this Gatorade Rain advertisement.  When he says, "Batman," just replace that with, "Boshtrich."  And since Gordon is talking to Bruce Wayne, just imagine that is Chris Bosh.  Let's go.



That about sums up Miami's predicament.  The big three were all in this together, then with one strange abdominal strain after a dunk, Chris Bosh was gone.  Now after a series with Indiana that was tough, the Boston Celtics are rising and have managed to outplay the Heat in three straight games.  If not for some officiating many thought was poor in Game 2, the Celtics could easily be up 3-1 right now.  The C's have built up double-digit leads in the last three games but lost them in Games 2 and 4, but they have held home court and go back to Miami with the series at 2-2 and a good shot at stealing the game they need on the road.

The biggest reason for this, much like the evil Bane rising in Gotham since Batman is gone, is because Chris Bosh has been out since the first game of the Pacers series.  It should be pretty obvious to everybody that Miami badly needs Bosh, but it is still worth explaining. There was a game in that series with Indiana where up until late only two people other than Dwyane Wade and LeBron James scored the ball.  You can't win a championship like that.  The Heat can get contributions from guys like Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, and even the occasional Mike Miller quality appearance.  But in spite of the role players occasionally stepping up, it isn't enough.  Too much of Miami's offense is Wade or LeBron take the ball and everybody get back.  This was manageable against Indiana since their inexperience gave Miami something to capitalize on.  It isn't the same with Boston, and an All Star and proven 20 point per game scorer would help.

Dwyane Wade is struggling thanks to Boston's defense. He goes long stretches where he is ineffective.  Miami's offense is very much centered around the big three dominating so with Bosh out and Wade diminished, more pressure falls on LeBron James.  He has had a good series but much like Cleveland, LeBron playing well with some scrubs is not going to be enough to beat Boston.  If Miami had Chris Bosh this series would be different. It is hard to tell by how much as Boston's defense always keeps them in it and Rajon Rondo causes all sorts of problems, but the late game fails we saw from Miami would be less likely and LeBron and Wade would not have to do as much, and Boston's old legs would have to work harder on defense.

Bosh is mocked constantly and the Heat have been called the big two and a half, but really Bosh is every bit as important to the team as the other guys and is a very good player.  Aside from helping double on Dwyane Wade occasionally and maybe picking up LeBron off a screen, Kevin Garnett doesn't have to do a whole lot in this series on the defensive end.  Chris Bosh being there instantly puts another offensive threat on the floor and KG has to do some real work.  Garnett is getting up there in age, has fought off nagging injuries for a while, and has to do so much on the offensive end.  If he had to guard Bosh it would wear him out.  Bosh's jump shooting ability helps stretch the floor and would open up more holes for Wade.  Bosh's offensive skill set would save Miami instantly since just having him out there opens the floor more and makes the Heat tougher to guard.  If Bosh were there, think of how different those poorly executed final possessions Miami had in the fourth quarter and overtime would have been last night.

To end the fourth, LeBron got the ball, drove into a crowd of three people, and smartly passed the ball.  Despite the title of this video, LeBron did not choke. If that were Bosh, a far more capable offensive player than Haslem, nobody could have a problem with that, but the Celtics just played good defense so the play was doomed.  On ESPN somebody was saying LeBron should have given it to Chalmers. How would he even see Chalmers? If anything Haslem could have tried to get it to Chalmers but whatever.  It was a bad play, and in overtime LeBron fouled out and the Heat's final possession was just as bad. Watch:



Aside from Chalmers trying to get open, there was no play other than something to the effect of "get back and let Dwyane shoot."  An iso for a star at the end of the game isn't always a bad move or anything, but that seems to be what Miami does every time and they fail miserably.  Two thoughts hit me while watching that play. First, if Bosh were there it is likely there would have been a much better design.  To finish out the discussion on the importance of the Boshtrich, Chris Bosh is a terrific offensive player and for a team that seems to have so many problems executing on offense at the end of games it would save their asses and make them far less predictable if he were out there.

Second, why was Mike Miller on the bench?  James Jones was out there so Miller should have been too so you'd have more three point shooters, but yet the play was pretty clearly "maybe get the ball to Mario Chalmers but if not screw it Dwyane will handle it."  The other guys weren't even moving on the floor as decoys.  That is Erik Spoelstra's fault.  Jon Barry said last night after the game this is a recurring problem with the Heat.  They can't execute at the end of games.  It isn't always that somebody is choking, Spoelstra needs to design better plays than "maybe set a screen here or there then just stand back and let Wade or LBJ go to work."  It has been two seasons and they still have problems executing at the end of games.  Bosh being there is another option, but the Heat still have fundamental problems in design.

After last night's loss, the Heat are now complaining about the referees due to LeBron fouling out.  Yes, the Heat are complaining about the referees. In Game 2, Miami took 47 free throws to Boston's 29. Boston has attempted more free throws than Miami in only one of the four games so far, taking 26 to Miami's 20 in Game 3.  In Game 2, the game many said was horribly officiated, Miami was called for 18 fouls while Boston was called for 33.  Miami hasn't exactly been dumped on by the refs or anything.

While LeBron fouling out was strange, Paul Pierce fouled out for the second time this series last night. It isn't like only Miami was being dumped on, but if you talk to former coach and current Heat president Pat Riley you'll hear a much different tale.

"It was a typical night in the Boston Garden," Riles was quoted in Mark Spears' piece on the Heat being upset about the refs.  Keep in mind, when Boston was miffed about the refs Miami had just taken 18 more free throws and had been called for 15 fewer fouls.  Last night Boston was called for 30 fouls to Miami's 28, and Boston took 20 free throws to Miami's 24.  LeBron James attempted the most free throws out of anybody in the game with 8.  The refs really must have had it out for Miami then.  Was it the refs being mean, or was it Miami getting flustered?



The Heat need to worry less about the refs and more about the fact that in three straight games Boston has built up leads of 15 or more through devastating execution.  Garnett continues to turn the clock back, averaging 19.5 points and 10.8 rebounds this post-season. His career averages are 19.3 and 10.6. That is insane.  Even a good defender like Udonis Haslem hasn't been able to stop KG from getting his numbers and having a double-double in three of the four games so far.  Miami also needs to find a way to slow Rajon Rondo since he is shredding them. Rondo has been scoring well this series, and he has never been known for his ability to put the ball in the basket.  This is a Celtics team riddled with injuries, missing one of its best defensive guards, and thought far too old to compete.  But somehow they're pushing Miami around now.

Of course Miami isn't the only team that needs to figure things out.  Boston has blown big leads in two games now, dropping Game 2 because of this. Boston's offense can be downright dreadful on many possessions, and after great execution in the first half they find themselves struggling in the second. Boston also needs to play smarter.  Paul Pierce fouled out last night after two plays involving Shane Battier.  Battier took a charge on a fast break to give him five fouls.  The Heat led the league in taking charges during the season and Pierce was running slow on the break so he should have seen this coming.  Then he steamrolled Battier a few minutes later, shoving him in the back and getting called for the foul.  It was really bad. Almost as bad as Ray Allen foolishly trying to put up a lay up over Dwyane Wade the other night and getting stuffed.  Boston needs to slow down and execute like the Spurs of old since if they want to speed things up Miami will run wild on them. This is how they blow leads and get made to look like silly old men.

But despite the blown leads and silly mistakes, what seemed like the obvious end of the Celtics has now become an intense series.  Despite their age and having to battle nagging injuries, the C's have been outplaying Miami and seem ready to fight for the series lead in Game 5.  Bosh may return for that game, and if he does it will be interesting to see if he's close to full strength.  If he isn't healthy then he will most likely be ineffective and nothing much changes for Boston.  If he is healthy then the Celtics have to re-work their entire defensive scheme.  If not then it may be more of the same, with Boston putting Miami on the ropes.

The NBA Doesn't Protect Stars? Then Explain LeBron's Inability to Commit a Foul

For years people have said the NBA protects their stars and will make sure they win.  When the big three got together in Miami, many cried foul that the NBA would conspire to have Miami win and would protect them with ridiculous calls.  A tweet from die-hard Celtics fan and ESPN columnist Bill Simmons adds fuel to the Heat conspiracy fire. As I said in my post yesterday, the NBA will not punish Dwyane Wade for any cheap flagrant foul he may commit since they will make more money with the marketing juggernaut of Miami, as they have three stars, in the Finals. While in a rage as the Celtics collapsed against Miami , Simmons took to Twitter and ranted on the referees and said they were the reason Miami was winning. He showed off that interesting statistic that LeBron James is only averaging 1.8 fouls per game during these playoffs. Even Michael Jordan never averaged under 2 fouls per game in his playoff career.

LeBron mysteriously only committed five fouls in six games against Indiana.  Yes, he averaged 0.8 fouls per game in that series.  I'm not understanding how that is possible.  Here are the official stats showing LeBron is currently 97th in fouls per game during these playoffs.  It is worth taking a look at how similar players are doing this post-season.  Carmelo Anthony averaged 4.2 fouls per game in New York's five games against Miami, up from his season average of 2.8 (I will talk about regular season averages towards the end, especially LeBron's).  Paul Pierce is averaging 3.1 fouls, only having one foul in Game 1 against the Heat but fouling out in Game 2 as well as fouling out in Game 7 against the 76ers.  Pierce is averaging 38.7 minutes per game, Melo averaged 40.1, and LeBron 41.3 but both Melo and Pierce averaged more fouls despite being less tenacious defenders.  Kobe Bryant played in 12 games this post-season to LeBron's 13, but Kobe had 33 fouls while LeBron has 23

Keep in mind Chris Bosh went down in Game 1 against Indiana and LeBron had to start playing power forward. He was down low and goes for a lot of blocks and steals but some how went all of Game 2 against the Pacers without fouling anybody and then never had more than 1 foul in each of the remaining four games.  Playing in the post he didn't foul anybody. Even softie Chris Bosh picks up over 2 fouls a game, same with Dirk Nowitzki, though Bosh's playoff average was 1.6 since he had nothing to do against New York and got hurt against Indy. Guarding team's top scorers like Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, and Danny Granger, LBJ has only found himself on the brink of fouling out in one game against New York, and had 4 fouls in another.  Against Miami, Danny Granger fouled out in Game 2, came close in Game 6, and had 4 in Game 1.

Obviously superstar calls and not calling fouls on stars are nothing new, but this is a strange occurrence.  Simmons even pointed out LeBron ranks first in free throws attempted per game at 10.8, but he is so far down on the fouls per game list.  The conversation always comes back to Jordan since he is the measuring stick and the original of favored superstars, and a look at his playoff stats shows he used to get called for fouls.  In 10 games in 94-95 he had 30 fouls.  LeBron has played three more games and has seven less.  Just looking at random years in the championship era: Jordan averaged 3.1 fouls, 53 in 17 games, when the Bulls won their first title in 1991; he again averaged 3.1, 58 in 19 games, in the 92-93 season; 2.7, 49 in 18 games, in the 95-96 season on one of the greatest teams of all time; and 2.2, 47 in 21 games, in the last championship year of 97-98.  You can see the league started becoming more star oriented in the late 90s as Jordan's fouls went down, but still he never averaged fewer than 2.

Kobe Bryant averaged 4 fouls per game when the Lakers won their first of three straight titles in 2000, then 3.3, and then 2.8.  When LA won back to back titles in 2009 and 2010, Kobe averaged 2.6 and 3.3 fouls respectively.  In the 2006 seven-game series with Phoenix in the first round, he averaged 3.6.  He even averaged 2.8 when he was the MVP in 2008.

If you're curious, LeBron averaged 2.7 fouls in the playoffs last year, 2.1 in 09-10, 2.1 in 08-09, and his lowest average was an even 2 when he had 40 fouls in 20 games in 06-07 when Cleveland made the Finals.  He did average a high 3.4 in 2006 though.  I looked at the seven-game series with Boston from 2008 since I wanted to see what happened when LeBron was matched up with a much better Paul Pierce and found Pierce averaged 3.3 fouls and 6.1 free throws to LeBron's 2.9 fouls and 12.8 free throws.  Those aren't some hard, conclusive numbers that LeBron doesn't get called for fouls since he averaged almost 3 per game, but it is worth pointing out that while Pierce still got called for more fouls than LBJ, strangely the referees actually used to call fouls on LeBron. It is at least worth noting LeBron averaged almost 3 fouls per game in a series during his MVP era.

While I love using statistics, none of the other numbers really matter but LeBron having a fairly low fouls per game average in the playoffs regularly is pretty strange.  But whatever. We're talking about this year and LeBron's great skill at not fouling or the NBA's increased protection of superstars that is most evident with the lack of calls against LeBron James. But wait! What about LeBron's career regular season foul average?

While the regular season average shouldn't matter too much since playoff ball is way different and far more physical and defensive-minded, I did point out Carmelo Anthony's average since a 1.4 foul jump stood out to me, especially since it came against Miami.  Maybe I am putting too much thought into it, but I figured it was worth sharing.  LeBron averaged 1.6 fouls this season and for his career averages 1.9.  Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, the two players LeBron is most likely chasing, averaged 2.6 for their careers. Kobe's can change since he's not done of course, but it isn't going to drop below 2.  Other greats? Magic Johnson averaged 2.3, Larry Bird averaged 2.5, and Bill Russell averaged 2.7.  LeBron has averaged over 2 fouls per game in four of his nine seasons, never higher than 2.3, leaving him with that insane 1.9 career average.

The choices here are that LeBron is not a hard defender, defends so amazingly well he does not foul anybody, or the NBA is even more of a star-oriented league than in years past and wants to protect the jewel of the basketball world.  LeBron was the prized first pick in the 2003 draft, hyped as the "king" and is supposed to be the future of the sport.  With the constant hype about how amazing LeBron is, would it be out of the realm of possibility that the NBA protects him?  Think back to the 2006 Finals when Dwyane Wade took over 20 free throws in Game 5 and then again in Game 6 to secure the Heat's championship victory, and Miami as a whole took considerably more foul shots than Dallas.  Is LeBron's low foul per game average just another case of superstars being favored?

It cannot be that LeBron is just an incredible defender who knows how to not make contact with people.  That would be ridiculous to even think.  It comes down to either LeBron doesn't play hard defense and therefore can't commit fouls, or the NBA pampers stars and especially turns a blind eye to any contact LeBron James may dish out.  I would hope people aren't clamoring to accept the former.  All superstars are protected, but this is one of the most ridiculous aspects of the superstar protecting actions of the league.  LeBron goes for a lot of steals and a lot of blocks and is seen as a hard defender, so to think he is just so good he doesn't foul people is funny.  He would be a more amazing talent than any of have thought these last few years.

Every superstar is given favorable treatment, but LeBron's low foul count is unheard of for a player of his stature and with the increasingly favorable treatment the league is giving stars it isn't hard to see how this has happened with the league's star of stars.