So let me try to inject some common sense:
The real reason why the Heat look much worse than last year has nothing to do with not having Dalembert or Bynum, and role players getting older is just a small factor.
The Heat are coasting HARD !!!
And Lebron is the captain, especially on D.
You have too look beyond the box score, but Lebron's D has been horrendous (compared to previous seasons, not to the league average). Not just his blocks, or his on ball D, but his discipline in general. He gambles A LOT for steals, often leaving the rest of the team play 4 on 5, doesn't bother too much to run back on D, doesn't rotate well - or at all (like the time he yelled at Mario when he was the one who had to rotate).
I thought I was seeing things, but recently others started taking notice too (Haberstroh, for example).
Lebron (and the others) not rotating is a big reason why teams have been getting tons of open looks against the Heat this season and shooting sometimes 60% or more for a half.
The difference is HUGE. Lebron was IMO the DPOY last season. Besides being able to defend multiple positions, he was the only elite perimeter defender that didn't have an elite big man defender to back him up. Just think about it: Tony Allen - Marc Gasol, Sefolosha - Ibaka, Avery Bradley - Garnett, Shumpert - Chandler. Lebron - Lebron?. Having a big man defender behind allows you to gamble more on D, be more aggressive, stay closer to your man (cause someone will be there to stop a drive), risk a bit more. Lebron did it without taking gambles, just by being defensively sound.
And you know what ?
I am perfectly fine with it, and so should you.
It's very rare for a team to make 4 finals in a row, and it takes a huge toll, physically and mentally. So the Heat made up their mind before the season started to coast like crazy. You sometimes see the competitive nature of the players during games, but overall they don't give a **** when they lose a game. Even Spoelstra looks on like a child who didn't get his favourite toy for Christmas, but understands that's all his parents afforded. He doesn't even try to push them like he was doing in previous seasons.
This is the best course of action if they hope to be as rested and as healthy as possible for the playoffs. They obviously don't care much about HCA in the ECF or Finals, they are comfortable in the 2nd place in the East and their record is still damn good even with all this hard core coasting.
So just relax and enjoy the ride. Take a chill pill and stop with the panic.
After 3 finals and back to back titles, I think Riley, the players and (even) Spoelstra have earned the right not to be second guessed by random clueless nobodies on the Internet.
I am pretty sure that when the playoffs roll in, we'll see a different Heat team.
