The heat is on Miami

In an alluring Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics evened up the series against the Miami Heat after a breathtaking final attempt by Dwyane Wade rimmed off the cylinder as time expired.

The Heat’s cruise-by victory in Game 1 and Rajon Rondo’s explosion for 44 points are all a part of the past; it’s now a best out of three series to advance to the NBA Championship.

With the odds heavily in Miami’s favor, the Celtics delivered in two must win games with their backs against the wall. The Celtics have been pushed aside this season for a myriad of reasons from age to depth, but here they stand tied with a far superior team— talent wise.  

After Derrick Rose’s injury in the first round, it was assumed that the Heat would return back to the NBA Finals. Wrong. The Heat may be the most talented “group” in the East, but definitely aren’t the best team.

Just as they dealt with last year, this team fails to have any team chemistry. Both the Indiana Pacers and Celtics have attacked this weakness which explains Miami’s perplexing half-court offense.

Miami is one of the best fast break teams because of how volatile Lebron James and Wade are in the open court. When it comes down to the x’s and o’s, this unit shrivels.

Chris Bosh plays a role in this to some degree. His versatility spreads the floor and serves as a major decode which ultimately frees space up for Wade and James. But even with Bosh, the Heat demonstrates signs of how stagnant their offense can be.

Relying on Wade and James to play one-on-one for 48 minutes is asinine. A majority of the time when James and Wade have the ball, the rest of the team fades to the opposite end of the court. Their offensive structure is deficient.

Watching the Heat run a diagrammed play is similar to watching children play the video game NBA 2K12 with player lock on Wade and James (player lock is a feature in video game consoles that permits the user to only control one player throughout the whole game).

The Heat offensive is too contingent on isolation. There’s nothing wrong with Wade and James scoring more than 50 percent of the points. The problem comes when it’s not within the flow of the offense.

There is too much “hot potato” going on in the half court. Defenses are elated when their opponents stand still and don’t cut through the lanes. It gives them a breather and benefits them more in helping on the weak side. Movement is key for any offense to excel.

Boston took Miami’s blows and countered back with two straight. The momentum is clearly on the Celtics’ side seeing as the Heat hasn’t played well since Game 1. Regardless if Bosh plays or not in Game 5, Miami needs Wade to play like the superstar he is. That’s the bottom line.