The Miami Heat, aka "the greatest team in the history of basketball", lost to the Boston Celtics for the second time this year to fall to 5-4 on the season. It's a little to early to make the statement that this is what their season is going to be like. Get back to me at playoff time when it matters. But right now, this is the baseline, from which they can make changes and improve.
Reggie Miller identified many issues during last night's TNT broadcast. For the Heat, I'm sure it's a little overwhelming, but they know it as well. So give it time, and this team will be a lot better than it is today.
Here is how they will do it.
1. They are too small. The Heat are small, rebound poorly, and don't defend the front of the rim well. This is the same thing that cost the Celtics the championship in Game 7 of last season's finals. Joel Anthony is not the answer at starting center. In case you didn't notice, he is 6'9". Chris Bosh is 6'11" and a hybrid power forward. Reggie Miller correctly pointed out that Bosh should get more than six rebounds a game. Also, Rajon Rondo and Nate Robinson got to the front of the rim easily without much resistance from their defender, or the big men inside. At one point, Rondo blew by his defender and posterized Bosh. The Celtics (this year) and Lakers would not allow this to happen. The shot would be contested, or the player would end up on his back. Zydrunas Ilgauskas can play back-up minutes, but they need a proper starting center.
2 The Heat do not need a traditional point guard, since LeBron James and Dwyane Wade handle the ball most of the time. Both are better playing on the ball. So, Carlos Arroyo is not a good fit - trade him. They need a spot up shooter who can defend and a big guy who can bang. Imagine James, Wade and Bosh with Steve Kerr and Bill Cartwright. Sound familiar? Kerr and Cartwright were pieces who played alongside Jordan, Pippin and the Bulls. Mike Miller is one of the shooters when he returns from injury. Eddie House and James Jones can also fill spots on the wing.
3. Half of the time Bosh looks lost on offense. He's a ball stopper, who needs to be given the ball, then get out of his way. Which reminds me, why don't they run the high pick and roll every time they are in the half court offense? Bosh should set a pick on the ball for James or Wade. The other one cuts, a shooter spots up, and a big guy rebounds. You can run many variations off a basic high pick and roll, so mix it up a little. They have the play. I have seen it. John Stockton and Karl Malone did it for 15 years, and they are two of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
4. Develop a rotation. Doc Rivers has gotten the hang of it, with more depth to balance. The Celtics starters are doing well, and bench players, Glen Davis, Marquis Daniels, Nate Robinson, and Turkish Gasol are thriving in defined roles. Ray Allen is often on the floor with the Celtics "Green Team" and the Heat should keep Wade or James in with the subs. Wade, James, Bosh, House, a real center, Jones, Ilgauskas, Haslem, Stackhouse, Anthony. Add Miller when he returns. Done and done.
5. I am not sure how much job security Head Coach Erik Spoelstra has. Without knowing much about the situation, I think he's a good coach, but there is always talk of Pat Riley looking over his shoulder. There must have been 10 shots of Riley during the TNT broadcast. Now that's the network creating a subplot, but if Spoelstra isn't the guy, they need to decide who is, and make a move.
6. Who is the defensive stopper? Last season, James was first team and Wade was second team All-NBA Defensive Team. Yet point guards dominate them and they do not have good supporting defenders inside. If Bruce Bowen taught us anything, it's that defensive specialists can play large roles on championship teams.
7. The Heat need an enforcer or two. I nominate Udonis Haslem and whoever they can trade Arroyo and Anthony for. The "Big Three" can't dish out all the punishment, and they certainly can't always reply when someone fouls them hard. Enter somebody like Charles Oakley, Bill Laimbeer, Greg Kite, Kurt Rambis, Anthony Mason, and James Edwards. These guys do the heavy lifting and allow the stars to be stars. Sure, the Celtics have Shaq and Garnett, but they also have Glen Davis, and eventually Kendrick Perkins to do the dirty work.
8. Resist the temptation to play "The Big Three" too many regular season minutes. ESPN said LeBron did not like having to play 44 minutes against the Celtics. You know what? I agree. Again, develop roles for the bench and fulfill them consistently. KC Jones used to call a timeout late in the first and third quarters, bring in the bench, play them into the following quarter, then bring the starters back for "winning time". The starters got extra minutes of rest that way. As much as I thought I could coach the '80's Celtics better than KC did, this was an effective strategy that I'm surprised I don't see more.
So what I'm saying is that the Heat do not need to jettison everybody aside from the "Big Three". They have some parts and the blueprint is out there. Look at Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, Bulls, and Spurs championship teams, and look at the players that surround the stars. They do need to replace Anthony and Arroyo in the starting lineup, get bigger, get defensive, get tougher, and develop a consistent rotation of players. They have time. The winning will follow.
And if anybody from the Heat ends up reading this, I would gladly "take my talents to South Beach".
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