The Miami Heat are just 2 simple adjustments from NBA Title.

[Conclusion]

Its actually really 1 adjustment

Score more points than Dallas in 48 minutes intervals twice.

[nitetrain8603]

As a Bulls fan who has seen Chandler play, he's not a high BBall IQ player, despite what ESPN wants you to think. He's a very good defensive player, but it's very easy to exploit him. First, Miami should be running Wade and James off of double screens with Mike Miller and Chris Bosh. This way, you have Miller dive to the three point line and Bosh dive to the basket or dive to another area on the floor around 18 feet. With this, you free up Wade/LeBron to drive around their man, because they will get in the lane, and either they will get an easy dunk, Chandler in foul trouble, Dirk in foul trouble, and Bosh and Miller having open jumpers all day.

Dallas' defense is not as good as advertised. It just seems like, Wade and LeBron are the only two options they want to go to in the 4th. Even Wade yelled at Chalmers in Game 4 for passing the ball to Chalmers for a Wide Open 3 that he sank. It seems like Wade is the one who has trust issues with his teammates. In Game 5, they had Bosh going and Miller. Then, they went away from Bosh after the first, and away from Miller after Wade came back in the 3rd.

In the end, I don't think Spo is making any adjustments. Rather, he's going with what has gotten him this far. That's not a bad plan when you have Wade and LeBron who are arguably 2 of the 3 best players in the league. The thing is, Dallas has adjusted.

[nitetrain8603]

There's no doubt in my mind that Rick Adelman is the perfect coach for this Miami team. It's actually a shame that they got this far, because i doubt Spoelstra will be let go anytime soon.

That's only if they were to buy into Adelman. I don't know that they would. Wade, especially, seemingly doesn't trust his teammates outside of LeBron and sometimes Bosh. The only person other than Riley who would demand would be Phil Jackson.

Scheme wise, yes, Adelman would be the best fit. You could probably say that about every team in the league though. He, IMHO, has by far the best offensive schemes.

[Hon-essim]

As a Bulls fan who has seen Chandler play, he's not a high BBall IQ player, despite what ESPN wants you to think. He's a very good defensive player, but it's very easy to exploit him. First, Miami should be running Wade and James off of double screens with Mike Miller and Chris Bosh. This way, you have Miller dive to the three point line and Bosh dive to the basket or dive to another area on the floor around 18 feet. With this, you free up Wade/LeBron to drive around their man, because they will get in the lane, and either they will get an easy dunk, Chandler in foul trouble, Dirk in foul trouble, and Bosh and Miller having open jumpers all day.

Chandler's IQ has been rising for some time. You could say he still isn't really that good of a defensive player but now he's a lot smarter at being a threat and that has added elements to his game on both sides of the court.

As far as double screens, this is too strategic to be a mere adjustment. If Miami trained for this sure but the Finals is not where you want to experiment giving Mike Miller and Chris Bosh the ball when they haven't played well all season.

Now Wade can pull this off but how much should the team rely on Lebron right now for these kinds of important plays? It's not like there isn't some realistic logic that says these types of plays should always have Lebron driving to the basket instead of pulling up for the jumper.

Dallas' defense is not as good as advertised. It just seems like, Wade and LeBron are the only two options they want to go to in the 4th. Even Wade yelled at Chalmers in Game 4 for passing the ball to Chalmers for a Wide Open 3 that he sank. It seems like Wade is the one who has trust issues with his teammates. In Game 5, they had Bosh going and Miller. Then, they went away from Bosh after the first, and away from Miller after Wade came back in the 3rd.

I don't think it's trust issues. It's just Wade wants to be the man right now and it's affecting his attitude but really the team doesn't come off like a team who had an off season. All this issues are chemistry based and right now this team looks like they spent the entire off-season trying to get Wade and Lebron to play together and none of the other players.

Going to Wade in the 3rd is actually good in the hopes that it can spark a run but not going back to Bosh and Miller seems more like it's on the coach rather than on Wade.

In the end, I don't think Spo is making any adjustments. Rather, he's going with what has gotten him this far. That's not a bad plan when you have Wade and LeBron who are arguably 2 of the 3 best players in the league. The thing is, Dallas has adjusted.

Spoelstra is making adjustments but he's zoning out and he's not that good at adjustments to begin with. That's the problem. If he really wasn't prepared for this than they should have been a lot more strategic in their preparations during the regular season.

Dallas has adapted but in no way is Dallas adjusting. OKC gave them more fits than Miami. Right now the problem is clearly Lebron and nobody else.

The thing is: Spoelstra should at least have a plan B but it's like he isn't even interested at emphasizing the urgency of the situation and letting everyone play like it's still just a regular playoff game and not the Finals.

[nitetrain8603]

Chandler's IQ has been rising for some time. You could say he still isn't really that good of a defensive player but now he's a lot smarter at being a threat and that has added elements to his game on both sides of the court.

Eh, he still fumbles the ball and doesn't go up strong offensively. His free throw shooting form seems to be better and he's at least able to swing a pass better than he was with Chicago. That's pretty much it offensively. Defensively, it's rather easy to get him into foul trouble, because many times he doesn't go straight up, he usually tries to wrap you up to prevent a three point play.

As far as double screens, this is too strategic to be a mere adjustment. If Miami trained for this sure but the Finals is not where you want to experiment giving Mike Miller and Chris Bosh the ball when they haven't played well all season.

Now Wade can pull this off but how much should the team rely on Lebron right now for these kinds of important plays? It's not like there isn't some realistic logic that says these types of plays should always have Lebron driving to the basket instead of pulling up for the jumper.

Huh, here you say that's too strategic. In the end of your post, you imply he's not strategic at all, and should have been moreso in the regular season. Um, Spo got them here. Obviously, he's doing something right.

As far as the double screen, Bosh and Miller have played good this series minus a few spots. Both are capable of handling the ball. Both are also very capable of hitting open jumpers off a kickback. That's why it would work. You can throw so many variations into a play like that as well. Miller rolls to the three point line, Bosh dives to the basket and Wade/LeBron take two moves to the basket and pull up for a jumper. Or they pass the ball to the open guy. Or Bosh also rolls to the 18 ft jumper and Wade/LeBron drive in.

Also, Dallas has left spots open all game to make the interior pass on both Dirk and Chandler. Dirk especially though. Where they have gotten their steals is when Miami holds onto the ball or Wade/LeBron make jump passes(which also gets Derrick Rose in trouble too).

I don't think it's trust issues. It's just Wade wants to be the man right now and it's affecting his attitude but really the team doesn't come off like a team who had an off season. All this issues are chemistry based and right now this team looks like they spent the entire off-season trying to get Wade and Lebron to play together and none of the other players.

Eh, I think it is trust issues. Maybe it is Wade wanting to be the man. Either way, it's affecting them from getting the ball to the right players. And in the end, it affects a guy like Chalmers' morale when the star player yells at the other star player for giving you the ball on a wide open jumper that you hit. I've also seen LeBron yell at Chalmers for the same thing though in the playoffs. In fact, I think it happened in Game 3. And that was after Chalmers got an open layup and sank it.

Going to Wade in the 3rd is actually good in the hopes that it can spark a run but not going back to Bosh and Miller seems more like it's on the coach rather than on Wade.

I think it's kind of both. It doesn't seem like Spo demands the ball go to Bosh, nor does Bosh demand the ball. He just takes what he can get really. And I think a lot of that also happens to do with LeBron and Wade who basically demean him in unconventional ways. Stuff like demanding to do press conferences with each other, but not Bosh who supposedly was supposed to be a big part. Not really supporting Bosh either, but yet always having each other's backs. And never going out of the way for Bosh to get his. When Bosh scores 30, it's because he was that wide open or he sank almost all of his shots.

Spoelstra is making adjustments but he's zoning out and he's not that good at adjustments to begin with. That's the problem. If he really wasn't prepared for this than they should have been a lot more strategic in their preparations during the regular season.

Dallas has adapted but in no way is Dallas adjusting. OKC gave them more fits than Miami. Right now the problem is clearly Lebron and nobody else.

The thing is: Spoelstra should at least have a plan B but it's like he isn't even interested at emphasizing the urgency of the situation and letting everyone play like it's still just a regular playoff game and not the Finals.

I don't think OKC gave Dallas more fits. Nowhere near the case. And at the same time, Miami has been close in all the games. I would personally make the adjustments I mentioned above, but if Spo wasn't to do so, I wouldn't blame him. He has the horses to win the race. His scheme is good enough. It's just a matter of executing.

[Hon-essim]

Eh, he still fumbles the ball and doesn't go up strong offensively. His free throw shooting form seems to be better and he's at least able to swing a pass better than he was with Chicago. That's pretty much it offensively. Defensively, it's rather easy to get him into foul trouble, because many times he doesn't go straight up, he usually tries to wrap you up to prevent a three point play.

Yeah, this series isn't his most favorable showing but I seem to remember him to be far far worse in Chicago. To me he's a lot more active defensively as far as his rotations go and he's alot smarter and consistent now.

Offensively he chooses his spots better. Maybe not as much as when he was with Chris Paul but he was mostly catching alley-oops then but during his time with Charlotte, he's a lot more assertive in his offense.

As far as the foul troubles go, I think nowadays he gets into more foul troubles because he's active where as in the past it was often because he was late or just too passive and trying to be a stiff.

Huh, here you say that's too strategic. In the end of your post, you imply he's not strategic at all, and should have been moreso in the regular season. Um, Spo got them here. Obviously, he's doing something right.

No. Lebron shutting down Rose and Wade having great games got them here.

The thing with strategies though are that they are plays you do so that the team gets accustomed to the rotation. Dallas is a decent example. If someone like Terry is struggling or Kidd is turning the ball over, since the team has tried out so many rudimentary ways of playing with each other - it's less about the team playing great all the time but more about match-ups, impact, crucial plays, etc.

Meanwhile for the Heat it's all about the roster and then it's still about a coach having to create some sudden movements because the team is so used to playing iso with a dominant Lebron.

As far as the double screen, Bosh and Miller have played good this series minus a few spots. Both are capable of handling the ball. Both are also very capable of hitting open jumpers off a kickback. That's why it would work. You can throw so many variations into a play like that as well. Miller rolls to the three point line, Bosh dives to the basket and Wade/LeBron take two moves to the basket and pull up for a jumper. Or they pass the ball to the open guy. Or Bosh also rolls to the 18 ft jumper and Wade/LeBron drive in.

Sure in an open game that's good but as you said: this series. What happens when Bosh or Miller stop being decent or what happens when Lebron becomes a step too passive? The play breaks down because double screens require at least some evidence of chemistry where players know they aren't suddenly going to be yanked out or players have been decent all season.

Should they still try double screening? Duh, it's not a bad play. Of course they should. The problem is what happens during a tight game when Dallas is making a run and the series is 3-2. As a team has Spoelstra instilled enough discipline in his players to rely on the double screens? I don't think so and when that happens do you risk doing something so different and then resulting in a player turning the ball over or suddenly getting cold or do you hope Lebron suddenly gets back to form? If the team had practiced certain plays all off-season and season long and they are comfortable enough with playing like this then it's an "or" situation and both choices come down to picking the more optimal of choices.

Unfortunately since Lebron even when he was playing fine prior to this series, was always more or less in an iso situation when he dominated the game, the Heat would be extremely lucky if it somehow pays off the other way. Especially once Dallas re-adjusts and especially on a crucial down the wire play.

Also, Dallas has left spots open all game to make the interior pass on both Dirk and Chandler. Dirk especially though. Where they have gotten their steals is when Miami holds onto the ball or Wade/LeBron make jump passes(which also gets Derrick Rose in trouble too).

Yes and for some reason the Heat aren't making them pay for such an obvious lapse which is why I think it's chemistry issues. At least for these kinds of moves, Lebron/Wade are clearly familiar enough to do the right thing but it seems like the Heat didn't spend enough practice time making Wade and Lebron trust specific teammates in the Finals and so while they can do it, they probably feel more confident in being the players actually scoring the ball. (Well, Wade probably is.)

Eh, I think it is trust issues. Maybe it is Wade wanting to be the man. Either way, it's affecting them from getting the ball to the right players. And in the end, it affects a guy like Chalmers' morale when the star player yells at the other star player for giving you the ball on a wide open jumper that you hit. I've also seen LeBron yell at Chalmers for the same thing though in the playoffs. In fact, I think it happened in Game 3. And that was after Chalmers got an open layup and sank it.

I guess it all goes down to what we've seen of Wade before. I have never seen Wade flat out mistrust his teammates and so to me this seems like a consequence of what the team has been practicing all season long and Wade simply trying to get the team to play like they were all season long and not make any surprise adjustment plays that could lead to turnovers or bad shots.

With Lebron, no offense to him but to me the guy seems like he's putting on a show when he's angry.

As far as Chalmers though, I'm surprised you even bring up his morale. He's by far the most consistent player this series. (Of course relative to his talents.) Now is he a star? No but more often than not, how often do you hear fans clamoring for Chalmers to get additional minutes in crucial situations in the playoffs when Chalmers' MO involves making silly mistakes. From my perspective, he gets yelled at but he's only 2nd to Wade in being the calmest and sturdiest at playing his game in this series.

I think it's kind of both. It doesn't seem like Spo demands the ball go to Bosh, nor does Bosh demand the ball. He just takes what he can get really. And I think a lot of that also happens to do with LeBron and Wade who basically demean him in unconventional ways. Stuff like demanding to do press conferences with each other, but not Bosh who supposedly was supposed to be a big part. Not really supporting Bosh either, but yet always having each other's backs. And never going out of the way for Bosh to get his. When Bosh scores 30, it's because he was that wide open or he sank almost all of his shots.

Yeah... to me that's all on Spo. This is how they expected Bosh to play all season.

I don't think Lebron or Wade demean him so much as all year long he has let the Heat become the Lebron show and simply let that pass. Even when they first came together, he was more like the guy coat tailing to the championship and he made it clear: he'd be who the Heat wanted him to be and Spo allowed the green light on that and it's not like even with the way Bosh is playing he has the right to demand the ball and the only reason it's bad now it's because they are losing and he is/was a star.

As far as the press conferences go, I don't put a lot of stock there. It's just as demeaning to Bosh to be ignored even when he's there.

On the court though, right here/right now: Spo should still have the wisdom to play Bosh like the 2nd star if Lebron isn't getting it done and any competent head coach especially one that can get you to the Finals knows that.

This is why Spo is kind of getting exposed in this Finals and is also why I think something like a sudden strategic reliance on double screens wouldn't help. A lot of these things are all doable things within Spo's repertoire and he simply isn't rising up to the challenge. Any type of Finals head coach should at least expect there will come a time to play Bosh and Spo just seemed to...well...I don't know what he's doing other than roleplaying as Lebron.

I don't think OKC gave Dallas more fits. Nowhere near the case. And at the same time, Miami has been close in all the games. I would personally make the adjustments I mentioned above, but if Spo wasn't to do so, I wouldn't blame him. He has the horses to win the race. His scheme is good enough. It's just a matter of executing.

Well, OKC is less talented that's probably why appearance wise it looks that way but Dallas had by far the easier stranglehold on Miami.

If you watch those games, OKC vs. Dallas was always a back and forth battle. You watch this series against Miami and it has been close because of Wade but Miami just looks off especially on the defensive end where the Mavericks players are almost toying with Miami even though the games have been all within the style of how Miami plays their games.

It's one thing for a coach to be losing winnable games because the tempo has been stolen from them but Dallas makes these runs without even stealing the tempo. Spo simply checks out and his scheme is good enough but he isn't even purely sticking to a scheme anymore. He is making bad adjustments and at the same time he is executing but he is not executing his scheme in ways where it actually is a scheme and it's like he puts one guy there and then puts one guy here and hopes that he is fooling Dallas even though he's not even fooling the fans.

[G35]

How do you make Dirk work and get Tyson Chandler in foul trouble at the same time? The problem is that the Heat have an iso offense that can get people into foul trouble. Lebron, Wade, and Bosh can all attack any defender the Mavericks put on them off the dribble but it allows the Mavericks to either zone up (which can protect players in foul trouble and they aren't chasing players all over the court). Also if Wade or Lebron are doing the attacking then Dirk is resting on offense.

If Bosh had a post game then that might wear Dirk down a little but Bosh is the 3rd option and drifts around for kickouts. Plus Dirk is usually on Anthony and nobody is worried about Anthony on offense which makes it easier to double and use a zone.

I do think that Cardinal is going to be a factor also since he is a huge hustle player. He will take some hard fouls and his active hands can cause turnovers. As long as Chandler can get through the first half with just 2 fouls I think the Mavericks will be fine. And also Dirk does get a good rest in the middle of the first quarter.

How the Heat can affect that is by getting out to a big lead in the first quarter forcing Carlisle to keep Dirk in to keep the lead from becoming insurmountable....

[ComeAtMeBro]

ADJUSTMENT 1:

Put Lebron at the 4 to guard Dirk, and so Dirk guards him or Bosh.

ADJUSTMENT 2

Stagger screen Wade-LeBron-Bosh constantly. With either Wade or LeBron running the screen. Stevenson/Marion/Kidd-Tyson portion of it will move pretty well, Dirk though? He cannot overcome a basic P&R, a staggered? LOL he'll be lost in the wind.

You have Bosh and Wade or LeBron for cuts EVERY TIME. Jones/Miller & Chalmers/Bibby/House as the other two players. **** Haslem, very overrated. Liability on offense these days and he isn't "stopping" Dirk better than LeBron can. Worried about foul trouble? Dirk plays 40mpg. Joel gets 15(only 15 this scrub plays), LeBron gets 15, and Bosh gets 10.

[ComeAtMeBro]

There's no doubt in my mind that Rick Adelman is the perfect coach for this Miami team. It's actually a shame that they got this far, because i doubt Spoelstra will be let go anytime soon.

Yes, sir. Adelman's offensive system would make Bosh look great, as well as LeBron and just about everybody else.

Put things into CONTEXT. The Houston Rockets team is arguably bottom 3, 5 in offensive talent. They literally have very limited offensive capabilities and they were top 3, 5 this year. Give Adelman to Miami and you'll see one of the hardest offensives to stop EVER.

[Hon-essim]

How do you make Dirk work and get Tyson Chandler in foul trouble at the same time? The problem is that the Heat have an iso offense that can get people into foul trouble. Lebron, Wade, and Bosh can all attack any defender the Mavericks put on them off the dribble but it allows the Mavericks to either zone up (which can protect players in foul trouble and they aren't chasing players all over the court). Also if Wade or Lebron are doing the attacking then Dirk is resting on offense.

If Bosh had a post game then that might wear Dirk down a little but Bosh is the 3rd option and drifts around for kickouts. Plus Dirk is usually on Anthony and nobody is worried about Anthony on offense which makes it easier to double and use a zone.

I do think that Cardinal is going to be a factor also since he is a huge hustle player. He will take some hard fouls and his active hands can cause turnovers. As long as Chandler can get through the first half with just 2 fouls I think the Mavericks will be fine. And also Dirk does get a good rest in the middle of the first quarter.

How the Heat can affect that is by getting out to a big lead in the first quarter forcing Carlisle to keep Dirk in to keep the lead from becoming insurmountable....

The Heat does have leads and they give them up. Not only that, Dirk's game isn't predicated on minutes as much as effort. Offensively most of the time he just stands there.

Bosh doesn't have to post up, he just has to score and show up at the paint from time to time. It could even work if he simply becomes more active at rebounding the ball.

The iso offense is also not that good at getting elite teams into foul trouble especially if the defense knows the players can have inconsistent shots.

Iso is simply best for messing up the opposing d's spacing. If Wade and Lebron weren't that talented, they wouldn't even have gotten away with this much iso.

What is needed is simply ball rotation. This is where things like PnR and screening helps.

In terms of double tasking on Dirk and Chandler, just focus on Dirk and if the Mavs get embarassed enough, they will adjust and force Tyson to defend whoever is getting a freebie at the paint. That's when you focus on Tyson. Really this is not some magical formula, Dirk is not some great man to man defender that needs to be also put in foul trouble. He just needs to actually be made to pay attention to his man even if it means Joel Anthony goes 3/8 shooting over Dirk and just getting the ball and then passing it up the rest of the time.

[Collie]

I think you overestimate Joel Anthony to think he'd go 3/8 against anybody. Heck, put Jason Terry on him, and I'd think he'll still struggle. The dude is averaging THREE points per game on 38% shooting.

[Hon-essim]

True but from a career stand point, it's not like it is without basis. Maybe I'm putting too much belief in a role player but every defensive team has these moments where a scrub can score at least a few buckets to keep the offense in check.

Jason Terry is actually a harder defense than Dirk since the league still allows small to play physical on bigs. It's also not like Joel Anthony is going to be posting up and then shooting over Dirk. Just hand him the ball when the d is caught sleeping and let him try to score and see if he makes a bunch of buckets. It's a basic fundamental element of ball movement. Just a guy getting the ball unless he's a horrible passer could open up things that normally wouldn't be there. Dallas utilizes Tyson Chandler in almost the same way.

[eltwentyone]

True but from a career stand point, it's not like it is without basis. Maybe I'm putting too much belief in a role player but every defensive team has these moments where a scrub can score at least a few buckets to keep the offense in check.

Jason Terry is actually a harder defense than Dirk since the league still allows small to play physical on bigs. It's also not like Joel Anthony is going to be posting up and then shooting over Dirk. Just hand him the ball when the d is caught sleeping and let him try to score and see if he makes a bunch of buckets. It's a basic fundamental element of ball movement. Just a guy getting the ball unless he's a horrible passer could open up things that normally wouldn't be there. Dallas utilizes Tyson Chandler in almost the same way.

I GOT YOUUU

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2akdYIFJ2A[/youtube]

[Hon-essim]

Dude...3/8 is something that even Kwame Brown can do.

[C'mon Cavs]

Or LeBron could just play below average in the last two games and Wade would take care of the rest. Basically, LeBron just has to not suck and they win...even with the Mavs up 3-2.

Hopefully Wade is hurt and LeBron has to carry them. Or better yet, hopefully LeBron gets hurt too.

[Hon-essim]

Duh...of course that would work but still, Heat have to find ways around the zone and they have to find ways to tire out Dirk.

[nitetrain8603]

Eh, he still fumbles the ball and doesn't go up strong offensively. His free throw shooting form seems to be better and he's at least able to swing a pass better than he was with Chicago. That's pretty much it offensively. Defensively, it's rather easy to get him into foul trouble, because many times he doesn't go straight up, he usually tries to wrap you up to prevent a three point play.

Yeah, this series isn't his most favorable showing but I seem to remember him to be far far worse in Chicago. To me he's a lot more active defensively as far as his rotations go and he's alot smarter and consistent now.

Offensively he chooses his spots better. Maybe not as much as when he was with Chris Paul but he was mostly catching alley-oops then but during his time with Charlotte, he's a lot more assertive in his offense.

As far as the foul troubles go, I think nowadays he gets into more foul troubles because he's active where as in the past it was often because he was late or just too passive and trying to be a stiff.

Huh, here you say that's too strategic. In the end of your post, you imply he's not strategic at all, and should have been moreso in the regular season. Um, Spo got them here. Obviously, he's doing something right.

No. Lebron shutting down Rose and Wade having great games got them here.

The thing with strategies though are that they are plays you do so that the team gets accustomed to the rotation. Dallas is a decent example. If someone like Terry is struggling or Kidd is turning the ball over, since the team has tried out so many rudimentary ways of playing with each other - it's less about the team playing great all the time but more about match-ups, impact, crucial plays, etc.

Meanwhile for the Heat it's all about the roster and then it's still about a coach having to create some sudden movements because the team is so used to playing iso with a dominant Lebron.

As far as the double screen, Bosh and Miller have played good this series minus a few spots. Both are capable of handling the ball. Both are also very capable of hitting open jumpers off a kickback. That's why it would work. You can throw so many variations into a play like that as well. Miller rolls to the three point line, Bosh dives to the basket and Wade/LeBron take two moves to the basket and pull up for a jumper. Or they pass the ball to the open guy. Or Bosh also rolls to the 18 ft jumper and Wade/LeBron drive in.

Sure in an open game that's good but as you said: this series. What happens when Bosh or Miller stop being decent or what happens when Lebron becomes a step too passive? The play breaks down because double screens require at least some evidence of chemistry where players know they aren't suddenly going to be yanked out or players have been decent all season.

Should they still try double screening? Duh, it's not a bad play. Of course they should. The problem is what happens during a tight game when Dallas is making a run and the series is 3-2. As a team has Spoelstra instilled enough discipline in his players to rely on the double screens? I don't think so and when that happens do you risk doing something so different and then resulting in a player turning the ball over or suddenly getting cold or do you hope Lebron suddenly gets back to form? If the team had practiced certain plays all off-season and season long and they are comfortable enough with playing like this then it's an "or" situation and both choices come down to picking the more optimal of choices.

Unfortunately since Lebron even when he was playing fine prior to this series, was always more or less in an iso situation when he dominated the game, the Heat would be extremely lucky if it somehow pays off the other way. Especially once Dallas re-adjusts and especially on a crucial down the wire play.

Also, Dallas has left spots open all game to make the interior pass on both Dirk and Chandler. Dirk especially though. Where they have gotten their steals is when Miami holds onto the ball or Wade/LeBron make jump passes(which also gets Derrick Rose in trouble too).

Yes and for some reason the Heat aren't making them pay for such an obvious lapse which is why I think it's chemistry issues. At least for these kinds of moves, Lebron/Wade are clearly familiar enough to do the right thing but it seems like the Heat didn't spend enough practice time making Wade and Lebron trust specific teammates in the Finals and so while they can do it, they probably feel more confident in being the players actually scoring the ball. (Well, Wade probably is.)

Eh, I think it is trust issues. Maybe it is Wade wanting to be the man. Either way, it's affecting them from getting the ball to the right players. And in the end, it affects a guy like Chalmers' morale when the star player yells at the other star player for giving you the ball on a wide open jumper that you hit. I've also seen LeBron yell at Chalmers for the same thing though in the playoffs. In fact, I think it happened in Game 3. And that was after Chalmers got an open layup and sank it.

I guess it all goes down to what we've seen of Wade before. I have never seen Wade flat out mistrust his teammates and so to me this seems like a consequence of what the team has been practicing all season long and Wade simply trying to get the team to play like they were all season long and not make any surprise adjustment plays that could lead to turnovers or bad shots.

With Lebron, no offense to him but to me the guy seems like he's putting on a show when he's angry.

As far as Chalmers though, I'm surprised you even bring up his morale. He's by far the most consistent player this series. (Of course relative to his talents.) Now is he a star? No but more often than not, how often do you hear fans clamoring for Chalmers to get additional minutes in crucial situations in the playoffs when Chalmers' MO involves making silly mistakes. From my perspective, he gets yelled at but he's only 2nd to Wade in being the calmest and sturdiest at playing his game in this series.

I think it's kind of both. It doesn't seem like Spo demands the ball go to Bosh, nor does Bosh demand the ball. He just takes what he can get really. And I think a lot of that also happens to do with LeBron and Wade who basically demean him in unconventional ways. Stuff like demanding to do press conferences with each other, but not Bosh who supposedly was supposed to be a big part. Not really supporting Bosh either, but yet always having each other's backs. And never going out of the way for Bosh to get his. When Bosh scores 30, it's because he was that wide open or he sank almost all of his shots.

Yeah... to me that's all on Spo. This is how they expected Bosh to play all season.

I don't think Lebron or Wade demean him so much as all year long he has let the Heat become the Lebron show and simply let that pass. Even when they first came together, he was more like the guy coat tailing to the championship and he made it clear: he'd be who the Heat wanted him to be and Spo allowed the green light on that and it's not like even with the way Bosh is playing he has the right to demand the ball and the only reason it's bad now it's because they are losing and he is/was a star.

As far as the press conferences go, I don't put a lot of stock there. It's just as demeaning to Bosh to be ignored even when he's there.

On the court though, right here/right now: Spo should still have the wisdom to play Bosh like the 2nd star if Lebron isn't getting it done and any competent head coach especially one that can get you to the Finals knows that.

This is why Spo is kind of getting exposed in this Finals and is also why I think something like a sudden strategic reliance on double screens wouldn't help. A lot of these things are all doable things within Spo's repertoire and he simply isn't rising up to the challenge. Any type of Finals head coach should at least expect there will come a time to play Bosh and Spo just seemed to...well...I don't know what he's doing other than roleplaying as Lebron.

I don't think OKC gave Dallas more fits. Nowhere near the case. And at the same time, Miami has been close in all the games. I would personally make the adjustments I mentioned above, but if Spo wasn't to do so, I wouldn't blame him. He has the horses to win the race. His scheme is good enough. It's just a matter of executing.

Well, OKC is less talented that's probably why appearance wise it looks that way but Dallas had by far the easier stranglehold on Miami.

If you watch those games, OKC vs. Dallas was always a back and forth battle. You watch this series against Miami and it has been close because of Wade but Miami just looks off especially on the defensive end where the Mavericks players are almost toying with Miami even though the games have been all within the style of how Miami plays their games.

It's one thing for a coach to be losing winnable games because the tempo has been stolen from them but Dallas makes these runs without even stealing the tempo. Spo simply checks out and his scheme is good enough but he isn't even purely sticking to a scheme anymore. He is making bad adjustments and at the same time he is executing but he is not executing his scheme in ways where it actually is a scheme and it's like he puts one guy there and then puts one guy here and hopes that he is fooling Dallas even though he's not even fooling the fans.

Very good points all around. I disagree on still adjusting and drawing up different plays, but the rest is pretty spot on.

[Sache]

Oh my goodness !! Why hasn't Spoelstra, Bosh, James or Wade thought of this already ?? You're genius !! You shoule be the new coach of the HEAT !! You also show your humble by considering Mitch Richmond's opinion as well !!

[rottenzombie]

The thing with Chandler is, ever since Haywood went out, he had been much less aggressive early on in the game. It is noticeable that in the last two games, Chandler would routinely left lay ups or drives uncontested in the 1st or 2nd quarter.

[Hon-essim]

True but to be fair I think that is as much on him as it is due to the circumstances.

It's not like Dallas doesn't lead the series now. What Chandler is doing could just as much be a timely recognition by an NBA veteran to not pick up cheap fouls or randomly chase around the opposing team. I wouldn't really call how he is currently playing poor defense. Not yet at least.