The Bulls' victory on Sunday just reinforces the fact that the NBA world hates the Heat -- and for good reason.
View full sizeIf Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and the rest of the Miami Heat feel a little picked upon by the NBA (and on this play Sunday, referee Tony Brothers), Terry Pluto says they're not wrong. The rest of the league and many of its stars are enjoying seeing the Heat taken down a notch during their current four-game losing streak.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Miami star Dwyane Wade is right -- it seems nearly everyone outside of Miami loves to watch his team lose.
This is much bigger than a Cleveland story, where most fans believe the soap opera that is the Miami Heat sort of makes up for the struggles of their Cavaliers.
It's bigger than the basketball fan base in New York, Chicago and New Jersey -- teams that were allowed to interview LeBron James before he made his tasteless "I'm taking my talents to South Beach" announcement on ESPN.
It's most of the NBA players. You can tell -- they love to beat the Heat.
When Chicago dumped Miami, 87-86, on the Heat's home court Sunday, you'd have sworn the Bulls had just snared a trip to the NBA Finals. Players hugged and raised fists and reveled in every moment of watching James and Wade both miss shots in the last seconds.
Meanwhile, Wade told reporters this: "Inside our locker room, we stick together, we're like brothers. We win together, we lose together. Outside, the Miami Heat are exactly what everyone wanted, losing games. The world is better now since the Heat is losing."
On the subject of losing, Miami has lost four in a row. The last time James was on a team with a four-game losing streak was in the spring of 2006. That was the Cavaliers. It never happened again in his final four years in Cleveland.
As John Ansberg emailed: "The Heat need to go 18-1 to finish with the same record (61-21) as the Cavs last season. Guess we had more talent than given credit for."
View full sizeThe sight of LeBron James driving through the teeth of the Chicago defense -- and having his shot altered by the defense of Joakim Noah -- reflects a long-standing issue with James that the Heat are just now getting familiar with.Miami's meaningful numbers are terrible, be it 14-18 vs. teams above .500, or 0-6 against Eastern Conference contenders Boston and Chicago. Miami also is 5-13 in games decided by five or fewer points. The Heat are shooting 1-of-18 in games in the final 10 seconds where a field goal would tie or give Miami the lead.
After Sunday's game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said there were guys "crying in the locker room." That kind of remark can eventually help get a coach fired. He meant it as a sign that his players care. But it is raw meat for a media starving to talk about how the Heat are spoiled and soft.
As K. Vinson emailed: "Miami has to finish at 12-7 just to win 55 games."
At the start of the season, 55 victories was a given, 60 were expected.
Spoelstra added that, "It's not a matter of want [to win]."
Coach, yes it is ... and you know it. Yes, these guys want to win -- but win their way.
Any person with basic basketball knowledge realizes Miami could fix its late-game misery with a simple play. Wade dribbles the ball at the top of the key -- and James sets a pick. Then James rolls to the basket, which will cause any defense major problems. Wade either has an open jumper, or James can catch a pass for a layup.
But as Cavs fans know, James rarely set picks. He loathes the pick-and-roll unless he has the ball. Over the years, he often waived off a pick and preferred to play 1-on-1 with four teammates watching in clutch situations.
He does the same with the Heat.
Wade may think his teammates are like brothers, but they don't play that way. There was a sense that the Heat were assembled like a summer all-star team with little regard to chemistry and coaching, the players assuming their talent would be enough.
Most NBA players were annoyed by the arrogance of Chris Bosh, James and Wade, who were proclaimed "The Three Kings." Right after signing with the Heat, James, Wade and Bosh were part of a celebration ceremony at the arena complete with fireworks, smoke and adoring fans. This was before they played a single game.
It was for three guys who had a total of one championship ring. It would have been fun to be in a room with Kobe Bryant (six titles), Tim Duncan (four titles), and many of the other stars and coaches who have consistently won big games and hear them talk candidly about the Heat.
As the Bulls' Luol Deng told reporters: "All year, everyone wants to talk about Miami and everything and all these other teams, but we've just been doing a good job of getting better and focusing on us."
Oh, they also pay lots of attention to beating the Heat -- and the rest of the NBA loves it.
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2011/03/dwyane_wade_has_it_right_--_mi.html
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