Game Thread: Miami Heat Week 5-6 Game Thread

[Andresrenee]

BTW. Happy Thanksgiving to all!! Speak later gentlemen! The good news is that at Thanksgiving we will have a better record than the Cavs. Not likely to be the case at Christmas but it is all Good!

Take Care biatches.

 

[Andresrenee]

Just saw some stats. We scored 62 in first half and did not get to 100. Shot below 30% for the 2nd half and below 20% for the 4th quarter. Needed more ball movement and athleticism. My point on Williams. Once again, outstanding adjustments by our staff at halftime!

 

[bksballer89]

They won by that score on our home court and not theirs. And yes I watch the Heat and was at the Clippers game live and the games were not that close. Losing by 7 in the NBA is a big margin. Games come down to the last 5 minutes consistently. Guess you don't watch much basketball. LOL. Getting crushed in last 6 to 7 minutes is closing time and much more indicative of how close or far we are. Chalmers came crashing back to earth today and Cole had another off night.

You're a clown if you really think we are in the Warriors, Clippers, or Rockets league. You talk like you expect us to be .600 team against the really good teams in the league. We're 3-3 against the 6 really good teams we faced....About what I'll expect all year long when you talk about our record against teams who will around or abover 50 wins at the end of the season.

One bad game doesn't mean he came back crashing to earth. It's an 82 game season. EVERY player in the league will have several poor shooting games. Rio has scored 13+ points in 7 straight games. He is fine

 

[bksballer89]

Just saw some stats. We scored 62 in first half and did not get to 100. Shot below 30% for the 2nd half and below 20% for the 4th quarter. Needed more ball movement and athleticism. My point on Williams. Once again, outstanding adjustments by our staff at halftime!

I agree that we needed more ball movement but Golden State is the best defensive team this year based on the numbers....that was very unlike them to give up so many points. You had to expect a huge falloff in the 2nd half. This isn't some shitty defensive team we played

 

[Andresrenee]

You're a clown if you really think we are in the Warriors, Clippers, or Rockets league. You talk like you expect us to be .600 team against the really good teams in the league. We're 3-3 against the 6 really good teams we faced....About what I'll expect all year long when you talk about our record against teams who will around or abover 50 wins at the end of the season.

One bad game doesn't mean he came back crashing to earth. It's an 82 game season. EVERY player in the league will have several poor shooting games. Rio has scored 13+ points in 7 straight games. He is fine

Clown....no. The Sixers have not won a game and have a -16 loss margin. So you are saying that losing by 17 at home is acceptable?! Come on man.

 

[Andresrenee]

Also, what really good teams have we beaten? We beat the Raptors at home when they were missing a key player and beat Washington while they were missing two key players again at home and we did beat a 10-5 Dallas team on the road but hey even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. Losing to the Bucks and Pacers at home were bad losses.

 

[Paolo305613]

Just saw some stats. We scored 62 in first half and did not get to 100. Shot below 30% for the 2nd half and below 20% for the 4th quarter. Needed more ball movement and athleticism.
In case you didnt notice, you pointed out offensive stats - so all this does is prove that there just wasnt enough offense to win the game - the defense is what it is - the warriors were going to do the damage anyway - it was about our offense keeping up and they didnt

 

[bksballer89]

Also, what really good teams have we beaten? We beat the Raptors at home when they were missing a key player and beat Washington while they were missing two key players again at home and we did beat a 10-5 Dallas team on the road but hey even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. Losing to the Bucks and Pacers at home were bad losses.

I give you the Washington game but Raptors were missing their 6th or 7th best player? Big deal.

I'm pretty sure we were without at least 2 players that night. You make it seem like DeRozan or Lowry was out.

Amir Johnson is a role player....Just like UD, Bird, Granger, and McRoberts are. 3 of those 4 were out with injuries while the other played very limited minutes in his first game of the year. Let's not act like Amir Johnson is the difference in the Raptors being 50+ win team and a .500 basketball team.

I agree losing to the Bucks was a bad loss.

Pacers I kinda disagree on. We played poor but I no longer think it was a bad loss. That Pacers team will make the playoffs. They're still one of the better defensive teams in basketball and those guys who never used to take their warmups off are proven to be good basketball players. Since that night they went on to win road games in Chicago & Dallas.

 

[bksballer89]

Clown....no. The Sixers have not won a game and have a -16 loss margin. So you are saying that losing by 17 at home is acceptable?! Come on man.

Let's not put words in my mouth. Losing the way we did to LAC (also a 17 point loss) is unacceptable. I'm really not going to go crazy over 17 point losses to Houston and Golden State because I watched those games and I know for about 43 minutes of those 48 minutes, we went blow for blow with those teams in a pretty even match-up

 

[Andresrenee]

Let's not put words in my mouth. Losing the way we did to LAC (also a 17 point loss) is unacceptable. I'm really not going to go crazy over 17 point losses to Houston and Golden State because I watched those games and I know for about 43 minutes of those 48 minutes, we went blow for blow with those teams in a pretty even match-up

losing in closing time by that amount is much, much worse. Happy Thanksgiving though my brother. We will get better that is for sure. Hope we finally get our full team back soon.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

You all are making valid points IMO.

I agree with BK that the Clippers loss was much harder to watch then tonight or the Rockets game.

Reality is, all 3 of those teams have much better rosters then us and its magnified when you play them without Wade and others.

I also agree that good teams often separate from lessor teams in the 4th qtr like we have seen work both for us the last few years and now against us this year.

Anyway, as long as this team is competing hard for more or less 48 minutes and they most often have, I'll continue to enjoy watching and accept the results.

This, IMO, has little to do with coaching, rotations, or much else in that department. You can only mix and match what you have.

I will say that I was a bit surprised of the timing that Spoelstra subbed for Williams in the 3rd qtr.
He had just hit a couple of nice 3's and was all fired up.
I personally would have rode him until he cooled off.

 

[Paolo305613]

I'm all for signing Hassan Whiteside if he can contribute, but didn't Shannon Brown just start two games because of injuries to Dwyane Wade and Norris Cole? Unless the Heat are planning on signing another player soon, they look awfully thin at the guard positions. -- David.

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A: I agree that right now the roster is out of balance, with seven of the 15 spots held by players in the power rotation, when counting Chris Bosh, Shawne Williams, Josh McRoberts, Chris Andersen, Udonis Haslem, Justin Hamilton and Whiteside. It will be interesting to see what happens at the Dec. 1 deadline, when Hamilton is due the next installment on his guarantee. But with the ongoing concerns with Wade, there has to be something more than Andre Dawkins as the lone true shooting guard in reserve. Perhaps the Heat now see that as a reasonable spot for James Ennis, who had his moments there on Tuesday night against the Warriors. The problem with only playing Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and Shabazz Napier at guard is what we saw when Golden State simply had Shaun Livingston consistently take Chalmers into the post. The Heat need more length or bulk in their backcourt rotation.


Q: I like the current youth movement. Of course, no one knows if Whiteside or Hamilton will be difference makers, but seeing this team get big and young under the basket should be fun. And they released Brown and kept the rookie Dawkins, am I reading too much into this? -- Chet.

A: I think the move was made as much for what Brown wasn't as what Dawkins is. More than anything, I think it's a realization that Birdman isn't what he used to be and that another rim protector had to be added, thus a somewhat long-term commitment to Whiteside. But it is interesting that the Heat for two years had their eyes on Whiteside but instead worked through the development process first with Jarvis Varnado and now with Hamilton, even drafting Dexter Pittman ahead of Whiteside. I still think filling needs remains more of a priority than development a youth program. And if you truly favor a youth movement, then you have to accept games like Tuesday, when the lack of closing experience cost the Heat.

Q: Is Wade actually planning to play anytime soon? I thought that they were selling this initially as not as serious as last year? -- Stu.

A: First, no one knows how serious last season was with the knees, because just about all of his absences were precautionary. And among the reasons he has missed seven games is because how tightly these games have been packed, including two sets of back-to-backs. I think the schedule actually is the reason he was given Tuesday off, with the four-day break to follow. I would expect that he returns Sunday in New York against the Knicks. If he's not back then, then the concern meter should move to a higher level.

 

[Paolo305613]

Dwyane Wade said his goal is to “hopefully" play Sunday in New York after missing seven games with a strained left hamstring.
Chris Andersen said he indeed has a high ankle sprain, forecasts being out two to three weeks.

Per Ira Winderman

You know with Diva Wade, you have to see it to believe it. I would not be surprised if he sat out the rest of the season. As for Birdman, hope he can get healthy and be more productive - as he has just been useless this season - bordering on shane battier useless

 

[Paolo305613]

I watched the Golden State game. The Heat played fairy well, but with the last-quarter woes, do you think at times Erik Spoelstra over-thinks or over-coaches the game? Sometimes he needs to just let the players play, like Gregg Popovich lets his players play. -- Leon, Miami.

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A: To answer the second part first, the difference in San Antonio is that Popovich has veterans who have been there, seen that, done that. His Spurs know what to do and how to do it. If anything, Spoelstra probably should have been more forceful with his coaching as the Heat careened to 3-of-17 shooting in the fourth quarter. Unlike with Popovich, Spoelstra had a pair of rookies, in Shabazz Napier and James Ennis, on the court for extended minutes in the fourth, as well as newcomers Shawne Williams and Josh McRoberts. It is safe to say that if healthy, Dwyane Wade would have been the court, and likely the same with Danny Granger. But with so many new or younger players, running a structured offense might be the better option. Of course, with so many injured or ailing players, Spoelstra's hand was limited. The Heat are playing at one of the league's slowest paces for a reason: at this point, structure is the best option.


Q: I think we have all seen enough of Norris Cole starting. If this decision was meant to "showcase" Cole, all it has showcased is that he marginal NBA player and should not be starting. -- Manny, Coral Gables.

A: Playing with a splinted finger certainly did not help Cole during his 1-of-8 performance from the field Tuesday, but he has been uneven with his play for a while. Outside of starting Napier, Spoelstra's options are limited, with Mario Chalmers needed at shooting guard, and thriving in that role, as well. The Heat need Cole to play better and to make shots. I'm not sure there are many other viable options. Cole has to play. The only question at this stage is whether he has to start.

Q: As a Heat fan I'm dying to watch Dwyane Wade play. I even purchased League Pass for the second year in a row with the thought Wade will play more now that LeBron James is gone. Do you think Wade will finish out this season strong after the hamstring injury? -- Anthony, Bridgeport, Conn.

A: For the Heat to succeed, he has to. And that means getting back on the court starting Sunday in New York. Unless this is more than a hamstring issue. It is a fine line the Heat are walking, in trying to make sure Wade is healthy for when the games mean the most. In order for the Heat to position themselves for meaningful games, they are going to need Wade for more than half the time, which has been the case so far.

 

[Paolo305613]

Let's be honest, with everyone picking the Heat to finish in the second tier of the playoff seeding and getting knocked out in round one or two, the fact is right now they have a winning record and are nowhere near healthy, having to play rookies big minutes. With Shabazz Napier and James Ennis only getting better, Josh McRoberts surely recovering his form, newcomers Luol Deng and Shawne Williams proving a good fit, and soon adding the talents of former All-Star Danny Granger, is it not too much to imagine the Heat winning their division? Bingo, top four seed! -- Jack, Sanibel.

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A: The reality is the Heat have played a relatively soft schedule to start the season and hardly have maximized it, with five homes losses. That's something they likely will wind up paying for down the road. Plus, they have yet to have an actual road trip, with every road game to this point part of a one-game trip. When they play Sunday in New York and Monday in Washington, it will mark the first time they have had to play consecutive road games. The reality in the Eastern Conference is you better pad your record before you head west. The Heat still have all of their Western Conference road games left.


Q: Couldn't the Heat's problems be solved by starting McRoberts and Chris Bosh and letting Mario Chalmers and Shawne Williams come in with the second unit? When will we see the Big 5 of Bosh, McRoberts, Deng, Wade and Napier on the court to start the game? -- Kevin, Pembroke, Pines.

A: I'm not sure those five have earned a definitive nickname yet, and am not sure that Napier would round out such a unit. Shawne Williams has played so well that it could be a while until he is shifted to an alternate role. I would not be surprised if the Heat don't wait on the lineup until after Dec. 15, when they would be better positioned to make a move for greater depth in the rotation at shooting guard, perhaps freeing Chalmers to play again with the starting unit.

Q: How long will it take Shabazz to break into the starting lineup? -- Kenny.

A: When he can get opponents to respect him from the 3-point line, so the Heat can get their desired spacing. I think the approach with Napier will be to take the long view, which might not necessarily include a starting role this season. For now, Napier is thriving against second-team point guards. That makes it easier to grow before opening against the likes of John Wall, Chris Paul and Steph Curry.

 

[Paolo305613]

Saw this conference realignment proposal on twitter and thought it was genius. It would remain at an 82-game season which some fans and players(divas) wont like still. Either way its genius. I believe it was created by some fan who writes for SB nation - would hope this proposal is brought to the attention of the NBA because its as good as it gets. The ones the league seems to come up with are never as good or realistic - they want to shorten the season and the realignment never makes sense. The guy even comes up with a scheduling system that would help the cause.


This proposal will fix conference imbalance and the NBA schedule - SBNation.com

 

[bksballer89]

This assures us that Wade should play Sunday

 

[Paolo305613]

Confirming what you posted through David Neal of the Herald and Ira Winderman - Diva Wade seems to be over effects of his pap smear and did go through full-contact practice. But NOTHING is assured with the diva . I wouldnt be surprised if he decides to sitout again tomorrow. Its to the point where its only breaking news when he does play - anything else is just another day at the office for him

 

[bksballer89]

Confirming what you posted through David Neal of the Herald and Ira Winderman - Diva Wade seems to be over effects of his pap smear and did go through full-contact practice. But NOTHING is assured with the diva . I wouldnt be surprised if he decides to sitout again tomorrow. Its to the point where its only breaking news when he does play - anything else is just another day at the office for him

The entire roster will be sitting out tomorrow.....

 

[Paolo305613]

The entire roster will be sitting out tomorrow.....

Wouldnt surprise me if they did - considering they have a horrible leader who claims to lead by example - we all know he often sets bad examples when he does this unnecessary crap