MAY 25, 2013
Q: Did the Heat run out of steam Friday night or was it just a case of LeBron James trying to do too much? -- Chet.
A: The issue is that LeBron had to do too much, with Dwyane Wade in a diminished state and Chris Bosh for too long in a passive state. Save for a few flashes from Chris Andersen, the Heat bench was awful Friday. With Wade and Bosh playing closer to the top of their games, that wouldn't be as much of an issue. The Heat can live with less from Wade or less from Bosh. But with less from both, the 3-point shots have to be there from others. They weren't on Friday.
Q: When is media going to put blame on Erik Spoelstra? He continues to make zero adjustments. -- Eddy.
A: Whoa. He went to Mike Miller in the second quarter and might have gone back to him if Mike didn't find a way to get hurt shooting that 3-pointer at the end of the first half. And he showed that he was willing to go more often to Birdman, if Chris didn't get into foul trouble. And he went back and forth between Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole trying to find an answer there (hmm, perhaps a third point guard?). Heck, he even tried Joel Anthony. Rashard Lewis? OK, that just might be next, and might be worth a look if Shane can't get it turned around.
Q: We aren't winning in Indiana. The season is done. -- Jeffrey.
A: Just like it was done after that sky-is-falling home loss to the Bulls in the second round? Yes, Indiana is very good, but they're not suddenly the better team in this series. The Heat aren't even trailing in this series, which wasn't the case during the final three rounds on the way to last season's championship. Sunday is big, but getting at least one in Indiana is biggest, considering the Heat came back from down 2-1 against the Pacers in last season's playoffs.
MAY 24, 2013
Q: Ira, if Ray Allen is not making his shots, what purpose does he really serve on the floor other than spacing? It's so frustrating watching him on the defensive end. -- J.P., St. Petersburg.
A: Actually, you answered your own question. Ray's career body of work arguably creates spacing like no other player in the NBA. The perfect example was LeBron James' game-winning drive at the end of overtime of Game 1 against the Pacers, when Indiana didn't dare come out of the corner to offer defensive help for Paul George against LeBron. Against any other player (yes, including Mike Miller or Shane Battier) there likely would have been a bit less hesitancy to step away from such an assignment. Yes, Ray shot 1 of 8 against the Pacers, but he still merits the type of defensive attention as if he was 8 of 8. Now if only he could put together a pair of free throws.
Q: Ira, with Mario Chalmers hurting, and with Ray and Shane so cold from outside and a glaring need for rebounding, couldn't the Heat use 10 to 12 minutes of Mike Miller? -- Jason, West Boynton.
A: Just as Erik Spoelstra has shown with his loyalty to Udonis Haslem in the starting lineup, don't expect much to change during this 46-3 run, unless injuries create such a need. While there might be adjustments with minutes, such as with Chris Andersen, injecting a new face into the tight, nine-man rotation seems unlikely at this stage.
Q: Ira, Birdman played the game of his life. Why did he not get more playing time if he was on fire? -- David, Plantation.
A: One of the advantages of seeing the game in person, and being able to see the entire court, is being able to notice how Chris Andersen often plays himself to the point of fatigue. Chris is best in short bursts. Erik Spoelstra knows that. That's why he plays him that way.
MAY 23, 2013
Q: Ira, there was a national columnist (not a fan) who said that Frank Vogel would outcoach Erik Spoelstra in this series. I wonder what he's saying now, with Vogel keeping Roy Hibbert out on LeBron James' winning drive. Vogel said Hibbert is the best vertical defender, or something like that, and then he doesn't have him in for his team's biggest defensive sequence of the season? We're lucky they have Vogel. -- Sam, Miramar.
A: More than anything, the Heat are lucky they have LeBron, who tends to make Erik Spoelstra look pretty good every now and then. To a degree, the final sequence was bigger than Spoelstra, it was Pat Riley putting together a roster where he could space for the floor for exactly such a sequence, with Chris Bosh, Shane Battier, Norris Cole and Ray Allen lifting the entire Pacers defense to the perimeter. We often talk about coaches making other coaches match up to them. Spoelstra did it on that final sequence. Still, no percentage was going to be higher than LeBron to the rim with 2.2 seconds to play, which is plenty of time. In the same situation, you can bet that Hibbert will be in the game next time, which likely will leave it to an all-or-nothing Bosh jumper from the elbow.
