Breaking down Miami's impressive performance in the Eastern Conference championship series.
Alright, I'll admit when I'm wrong but I just want those of you that thought like me, to make the same admission. You've got to hand it to the Miami Heat as they advanced to the NBA Finals with a stunning come from behind victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference championship series.
Now the Bulls didn't help their cause by melting down but Miami's defense had plenty to do with Chicago's struggles. It was only the 10th time in the last 15 seasons that a team has come back in the last five minutes when trailing by 10 points in a playoff game. So was it as good as Dallas' impressive Game 4 win in Oklahoma City. Yep, better, and the Heat stuck to their bread and butter but giving the ball to thier playmakers and hoping for the best. This time it worked
It had been noted here that the Heat's low assist totals were due to a lack of ball movement and a penchant for isolation plays. Well, Miami averaged less than 16 assists per game, even fewer than its regular season total. The Heat's superstars not only made plays on offence, but LeBron James' stifling defense on Rose was the difference in the series.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra admonished his team in Game 1 saying isolation ball would not work against Chicago. But their defence gave them easy opportunities to score in transition. The team got a big boost from Chris Bosh, who provided a consistent scoring presence up front. It's not like the Heat ran terrific misdirection plays. They just had their big players make plays when they needed them the most.
The other factor that was a common thread in both collapses by Oklahoma City and Chicago was a lack of experience. It's no accident that two of the NBA's oldest teams are in the final. Yes, experience definitely counts.
So we get a rematch of 2006. Bring it on!! I'll give my thoughts and a prediction in the next musing.
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After Miami eliminated Chicago, former Bulls legend Scottie Pippen said that James might be the greatest player ever to play the game. Pippen was asked about comparing James to his former teammate Michael Jordan, and claimed James might be the greatest player of all-time. From this chair, I can't agree with Pippen. James has all the tools but no rings. Currently James is on a list with one of his opponents, Dirk Nowitzki that have an MVP trophy, but no title. And for those of you still thinking about it, remember last year when James signed with Miami, there was this talk about LeBron's "legacy". Well, Jordan stayed with Chicago and built them into championss and didn't leave his teammates behind. Eventually, others wanted to play with MJ and went there to do it. So in these eyes Jordan is still in a select discussion when they sit around various establishments and barber shops to hash out who the greatest of all-time is. James' name for that discussion needs to wait just a bit.
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Mike Brown is the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, huh? As much as people don't like the hire, the Lakers went for a guy who could possibly help address their biggest need, which is team defence. While it looked like Brian Shaw had the inside track, including an endorsement from Kobe, Brown could be the right man for the job. He's already coached a superstar in LeBron James, and he did a good job as his teams always had had very respectable defensive and offensive efficiency numbers.
