The Heat have now lost 5 of their last 6 games in the last 16 days after their dominant stretch of 21 victories in 22 games which followed an underwhelming 9-8 start to the season. So which team will show up at the end of the regular season? Injuries can be blamed for both stretches of mediocre basketball but this was yet another game that the Heat weren't able to close out a tight game. Remember the good old days when it was a bit of a surprise when Miami wasn't beating their opponents by double-digits?
Way too many iso plays in the fourth quarter with Wade and especially LeBron hogging the ball and swinging for the fences. That was fine in their first game at MSG when LeBron couldn't miss from the field but remember this is a Mike D'Antoni defensive system. Would it really be that difficult to swing the ball around and patiently look for the best shot? It seems like in a rush to be the hero of the night, the two superstars are forgetting that just because a player passes the ball doesn't mean the ball can't come back to them in the same play.
You have to admit, Wade actually pulled off his "professional cyclist" look with those shades.
The Heat were at their best when Joel Anthony entered for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mike Miller replaced James Jones in the latter stages of the first quarter. So naturally we didn't see that lineup in the fourth quarter nor did Spoelstra feel the need to give extended minutes to Eddie House, preferring to go with the lackluster duo of Chalmers and Arroyo in the second half. Little wonder that the bench was scoreless apart from Joel Anthony's 8 points, in and of itself was an impressive feat.
Landry Fields was impressive for the Knicks with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Say what you will about the Knicks organization but it's undeniable that they've been successful with drafts, even during the Isiah Thomas era. The 2010 second round pick is exactly the kind of find that the Heat organization have failed to unearth for several years and is extremely critical for them to begin doing immediately as they're faced with a long stretch of years that several picks have been ceded to the Cavs and Raptors. The Heat had a chance to go with potential by keeping rookies Patrick Beverley and Da'Sean Butler, instead they went with experience and consequently an aging bench.
With all the talk of how Kobe Bryant isn't clutch over at TrueHoop, it's alarming that LeBron and Wade haven't been able to will their teams to victory in close games no matter if it's the Knicks or the Grizzlies.
