The Heatles Must Protect Home Court

Miami Heat Mural by Serge Toussaint in Wynwood, Miami

After game one ended on Sunday evening, the Celtic's learned what Miami fans already knew, this is not the same team you beat in the regular season. Miami has made strides all season, but failed to be as consistent as they could of been. The Heat are now demonstrating the poise and experience to knock off the defending champs. With Sunday's victory Miami should be confident, but weary of a veteran team that won't just go away.

The Miami Heat knew their paths would meet and many suspect that Miami has been waiting for this series all year. Miami has evolved into a team, yes I said it, a team. As the Boston Celtic's found out in game 1, Miami has a defense that can stifle even the most efficient offense in the league. Holding the Celtic leaders like Garnett and Pierce to a sub par shooting night. Miami' line up of Wade, James, Bosh, Chalmers, and Anthony crushed every Boston run in game 1. Defense on a string is Miami' philosophy all season and that string will have to be reinforced and lengthened for game two and a more determined Boston team.

The keys to the game are quite simple limit clean looks, close out the lane for Rondo, and don't allow Allen  to shoot undefended. Miami did a good job of limiting Garnett and Rondo on Sunday, both will look to improve their performances. Miami can use the Celtic' aggressiveness against them by taking their time on offense in the half court and making the extra pass. Also pushing the ball and creating miss matches and forcing Boston to defend. Boston will not double or James and Wade will dish to open shooters. Boston will stay home on Jones this game, but I smell a decoy. The extra pass will stretch the floor and make Boston run around more than their old legs want. Miami must be aggressive and patient, allowing Boston to dictate the pace could backfire on the Heat.

Dwayne Wade played a smart game on Sunday and made some great decisions that helped Miami' offense by spreading the defense. Boston had no answer for Wade and will look to limit his open looks. The Bibby' and Chalmers' of Sunday, must step up and force Rondo away from his comfort zones. Rondo was too aggressive on Sunday and won't make the same mistakes, but that said, Chalmers must take him to the rim and draw fouls on him when the lane opens up. Chalmers is my sleeper for this game, his defense is his strength, but he can shoot and will. James Jones will have a bullseye on him all game, that will allow James to drive more than last game and he has been licking his chops. James wants this series win as does Wade, both have been booted by Boston and no one knows Boston better than these two. I see James being very aggressive tonight, both driving to the rim and posting up.

The bench has been Miami' achilles heel for most of the season as per most analysts, but they have proved their true worth. Jones of course had a great offensive impact in game 1, but the real strength of the bench is defense. Joel Anthony has played great for the second half of the season, his energy and presence in the paint keep opponents honest. Mike Miller was quiet in game 1 with no points, but had 3 assists and 3 boards. His game could help Miami spread the floor more and give the Heat one more weapon.

Miami cannot become complacent in game two. Miami made more turnovers than the Celtics in game one and the defensive stops bailed them out. Miami cannot miss free throws or give up offensive rebounds, not versus a scorned veteran team like Boston. Miami out hustled the Celtics in game one and must multiply that effort. Jeff Green' points of the bench kept Boston in the game and he must be checked in this game. Miami' effort and defense quelled ever Boston run on Sunday, they must repeat that performance to succeed and to earn the respect they deserve. To be champions, you must beat champions and Miami knows it. Nothing but net.....  

The MIami Heat Face Yet One More Test, Themselves.

Miami enters tonights game at the triple A, versus the Philadelphia 76ers with thoughts of round two in the back of their collective heads. Miami' nemesis the Boston Celtics defending Eastern Conf. Champions are already home game planning and resting tired bones. The Heatles look to finish off the Sixers and move on to round 2. First the Heat must figure out somethings that have become obstacles in their progression as a team, no not who the closer is, Miami' largest hurdle is themselves.

There is only do or do not, there is no try

Lebron James and Chris Bosh joined the Miami Heat to win rings and Dwayne Wade is the only player East or West, not playing for Los Angeles, Boston, or San Antonio with a World Championship win. Down 2-0 vs the Mavs, he put the team on his back, coming back to steal Dallas' lunch money and parade budget, but he did not do it by himself. Wade was part of a club with multiple Hall of Fame players including Shaq, Alonso Mourning, and Gary "The Glove" Payton all of whom contributed to the Championship run at some point. Wade looks to James and Bosh to contribute with similar performances.

Chris Bosh has never won a playoff series as the star player for the Toronto Raptors and Lebron James took his team to the NBA Finals after many years of failure in the early rounds. James' and Bosh' failures to achieve their goal of winning an NBA Championship can be seen as a failure, but failure is the greatest of motivators. In the world of sports psychology, Attribution theory seeks to explain how an individual’s perceived reasons for past success and failure contribute to their current and future motivation and success. The theory revolves around four causal attributions: ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck. Each is characterized as stable or unstable, internal or external, and controllable or uncontrollable.

James is widely regarded as the most physically gifted players with an incredible basketball IQ. His effort has been questioned by fans and his former owner alike. Last year with Cleveland, James was accused quitting on his teammates and has heard chants of Lequit, Lebum, and Lebrick, all due to his perceived failure wether internal or external. Lebron James arguably the most gifted player reinforced by his two back to back MVP's has had his fair share of failure. Most players would buckle and/or shy away from the bright lights after so much disappointment, but Lebron' drive and mental toughness used that only as motivation. After his long streak of misadventure, his decision to leave Cleveland for Miami can be directly correlated to his desire to succeed and quiet his detractors, but instead they multiplied. Dwayne Wade being a former Champion, has the GPS coordinates to success. He is the only player of all the contenders in the playoffs, not playing for Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Boston with the Championship road map. Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Joe Johnson, and of course Dirk Nowitski know that the road exists, but don't even have a map. Lebron' mental toughness has been put to the test all year long, every arena he entered from the very beginning of the season assaulted him with a plethora of slurs, boos, attacks, mocks, burns, digs, and I wont go into the all round general hate. Even his Mother's failure's have been thrown in to the mix, in an attempt to rattle his cage, yet James has not only performed, he's improved.

The Heatles are on the verge of confronting their Goliath, the proverbial monsters under the bed, The Baaaston Celtics! Boston' guile and perspicacity bring a formidable opponent to once again test the meddle of not only James, but Bosh' also. In the words of the Yoda of basketball Pat Riley "There can only be one state of mind as you approach any profound test; total concentration, a spirit of togetherness, and strength". The Miami Heat must close out the Sixer' tonight in Miami and prepare for the war versus Boston, they already have the physical edge, the rest in mental. Nothing but net...

The Heatles Look Forward to Boston Series

The Miami Heat enter Sunday's game vs the Sixer's looking to close out the series with a sweep. Miami has taken care of business in the first round and have demonstrated that they have that killer instinct needed to advance. The Boston Celtics, reigning Eastern Conference Champs have made quick work of the hobbled New York Knicks to take a 3-0 series lead. Both Miami and Boston both look primed to meet in the second round and Boston has won the past battles, but Miami has added a new general for the upcoming war.

The Heatles will have their hands full with Boston in the next round and are not underestimating their rivals capacity to execute in the final minutes as the Knicks have found out first hand. The Celtics lead the season series 3-1 vs the Heatles and have showed dominance in beating the Heat 18 of the past 21 times. Miami' last victory on April 10th versus the Celtics was a 100-77 blowout by the Heatles to earn the 2nd seed and home court in the 2nd round, it was Bostons worst loss this year. Though Dwayne Wade was limited to 14 points and 8 dimes, Wade limited the Celtic catalyst Ray Allen to 13 points for the game. While Lebron James added 27 points, 5 boards, and 7 assists to lead the Heatles to the win. The hero of this last game though, was Joel Anthony and his unique skill set and energy. Anthony plays the role of in the paint defender and shot blocker to a tee. His athleticism and incredible stamina keep Miami' opponents weary as they enter the lane. Anthony, off the bench had such a good performance the Kevin Garnett said "Anthony killed us by himself today" after "The Warden" on with only 9 points and 10 boards amassed he was able to limit Boston' interior scoring almost single handedly. Joel and his energy have been Miami' catalyst off the bench and will be much needed in the upcoming Boston/Miami series.

Miami has yet to finish the Sixer's off and Boston has the Knick's to deal with also, but with no team ever coming back from a 3 game deficit, both can see the series at the end of the tunnel. Boston' coach Doc Rivers mentioned after the April 10th lose that Carlos Arroyo previously the Heat PG had given Boston a free scouting report on the Heat. Boston' veteran team and coach know how difficult a match up they have on their hands, rumors were that Perkins was traded to bring in a better match up in Green to defend against the Heat' smaller and more athletic team. Miami' younger "Big 3" certainly have the athletic advantage on the more weathered "Big 3", but Boston still holds an slight edge on the "been there done that" advantage. The Heatles do have the benefit of having a Finals MVP in Dwayne Wade with his super human like capacity to lift his game to another level and with Lebron, a two time MVP himself with plenty of big game experience. Miami looks to capitalize on that experience and athleticism to make a run at the defending Eastern Conference Champs in the twilight of their careers with the help of some from key role players and of course "The Warden" Miami has a punchers chance in this rivalry.

History may repeat it self

In your face MVP, again?

Sunday the Miami Heat took a step forward and defeated one demon in the Boston Celtics 100-77. They started off slow and really freaked out the fans for the first minutes of the first quarter after falling behind by 9. Miami settled in and grabbed a lead into the 2nd quarter and didn't look back. The Heatles defense was stifling the Celtic offense particularly Ray Allen, he was Waded out. Wade didn't play his best game, but he created the flow along with inspiring play from Chalmers and Anthony. Anthony was all over the place, Boston never rotated to him of the pick and roll, and he made them pay.The energy and the hustle for loose balls gave the game a playoff mood. The fouls were hard and Miami quelled each Celtic run with a smothering defense and a transition game that reminded me old Laker Showtime. It's those small plays the Miami was missing in their game plan. Chalmers defense was great, Rio has been playing better and I see him making a difference in the playoffs. Everyone forgets he made the game winning shot after leading Kansas to National Championship. He may get a chance to snatch another Championship from Derrick Rose, if he continues playing like this. If Miami can harness that defensive energy, limit their turnovers, and make their free throws, Miami look prime to see their way to the Finals.

The Miami Heat welcome the Boston Celtics to South Beach

The Boston Celtics are the thorn in the "Heatles" side  for the past two seasons. The Miami Heat have not beaten the Celtics all season. This pivotal match up for home court in the first two rounds could be Miami' most important game this year.
The Celtics enter American Airlines Arena Sunday this afternoon for their last game in the regular season. After winning 14 out of the last 15 against the Heat, Boston' confidence is at an all time high and they have completely dominated the Heat and mostly Dwayne Wade who averages just  12 pts against the Celts. Wade will have to be aggressive and make his presence felt. Since the all star break Wade is posting 50% FG percentage, 26 points, 5 boards, and 4 assists per game. Wade must be aggressive and not turn the ball over.
Turn overs are the Miami Heats biggest problem this season. Miami averages 13 TO/games and in the games vs Boston it had averaged 16 to Bostons 13. Not much of a difference, but those three possessions could be the difference in the game.
Lebron James has been playing like a man possessed since the all star break, but his FT% has been poor, especially in the later quarters. 75% from the line just will not cut it in this game and in the games to come. Against Boston it drops to 73%, Lebron must shoot better to win and he must post up to give Miami a low post presence.
Miami' point guards will have their hands full with Rondo today, both Bibby and Rio must at least limit his drives and I say Miami' bigs must put Rondo on the floor a couple of times. Mike Bibby is shooting lights out from 3 point land and has made the offense flow easier than Rio. Bibby will play a huge role going forward and he needs to play big. Mario "Rio" Chalmers has a chance to prove he can be an integral part of this team by playing lock down defense today and keep Rondo out of the lane.
The" Heatles" will have to put together a good game from start to finish to beat the Celtics this afternoon to knock off the defending Eastern Conference Champions and take that intensity into the playoffs. Miami has been much maligned for their record vs plus .500 teams and beating the Celtics on their way into the playoffs, could be just what they need to make a run at the Lakers.