A few days to reflect on what happened...

[LeChosen One]

I'm not nearly as pissed off as when we lost to Dallas, I'll never forget that

But yeah a lot of great posts in here.. I think Bron and Bosh need to become the focal points of the team, and Wade pushed to a 6th man role.. Fill in the rest with young, hungry role players that can contribute and we're good (preferably the big 3 all restructure their salaries to bring in more help though, especially Wade)

[EscapoTHB]

I hope Riley retools the roster, makes us younger, deeper and more well rounded. Spo needs to evolve his defensive ideas so we can be a top 5 defense again. I don't want them to get Melo. I want them to retool around hte current big 3 and then get back to the finals again next year(for the the 5th time!?) and smash this same exact Spurs team.

Like Riley said, you don't run from a challenge. These things can make this team even better. Just like when they lost to the Mavs, they came back the next year even better. This is an opportunity and I think these guys will seize it.

I think Lebron is done running. If he comes back next year and helps the Heat to smash all of the doubters, he'll really add to his legend. Everyone doubts us now, what better time to rise to the occasion?

Same with Wade. Same with Bosh. Same with Spo. I believe in this team and their ability to evolve.

I think right after the finals things seemed pretty bleak--but after having some days to put it all into perspective, it's not really so bad. This team is certainly not doomed and the problems with the team are easily fixable by some shrewd roster moves whether the big 3 take paycuts or not. Riley has no doubt had this planned out for a few years. The Miller and Joel moves were I think because he saw this coming and wanted to have the flexibility to make the changes neccessary to revamp the roster.

I'll say this too, Lebron would make a huge mistake to underestimate Pat Riley. If Lebron leaves, the Heat still have Wade and Bosh, and a ton of cap space. You don't think Riley couldn't convince Melo to come in and replace Lebron? There's no team Lebron could go to in the East that would be better than that, so he would just be setting himself up to lose.

Don't bet against Pat Riley.

[Sign5]

I wouldn't give up on Wade just yet. Especially if you're a heat fan, there should always be hope. I'm optimistic that Wade comes back losing more weight( it seemed like he gained weight as the season progressed) add to his jumper and post-up game.

Everyone including Heat fans are caught up in the world's message that Wade is done. People have been saying it for years, now that they finally seem to be right they're putting the hammer on it while disregarding and ignoring other aspects.

Before the Spurs series Wade was averaging close to 20 5 and 4 on 52% shooting, destroying Brooklyn the last game and Indy for the most part on strictly his jumper, floaters and post ups. So it's hard for me to believe that a guy declined so much in a span of two weeks.

Everyone said Wade was done in 2007 completely, and he came back as arguably the best player in the league in 08-09, Wade continuously has proved people wrong. Another reference is Manu, dude looked like a corpse last year and virtually looked like a vintage PRIME manu this series. Elite players bounce back, as Riley said get a grip.

[heatlespeatles]

Wade used up all his energy in the Pacers series. I don't think wade is done but he's close. Doesn't matter either way though, will still get his $$

[PaulieWal]

Wade used up all his energy in the Pacers series. I don't think wade is done but he's close. Doesn't matter either way though, will still get his $$

Lol that's a little scary if he only has energy for one series. He did look a little puffy in the Finals and could stand to lose another 10-15 lbs.

I also believe in him as a player and prime Wade was one of my favorite players to watch but I think his body is breaking down. Maybe we need to reduce his MPG even more.

[theFRANCHISE]

Wade used up all his energy in the Pacers series. I don't think wade is done but he's close. Doesn't matter either way though, will still get his $$

both teams are so different tho (pacers/spurs). I think it depends on the match up, wade can't hang with chasing shooters around the court. Pacers offense was predictable, Spurs offense was just too clean. Wade's knees won't hang if he's trying to chase the ball & 3 pt shooters around.

[heatlespeatles]

Wade used up all his energy in the Pacers series. I don't think wade is done but he's close. Doesn't matter either way though, will still get his $$

Lol that's a little scary if he only has energy for one series. He did look a little puffy in the Finals and could stand to lose another 10-15 lbs.

I also believe in him as a player and prime Wade was one of my favorite players to watch but I think his body is breaking down. Maybe we need to reduce his MPG even more.

Yep I still believe In him. My heart won't let me believe he's done and I think that's something that's got bron acting the way he is lol he's seeing that he's now carrying a franchise lol but the franchise is still Wade county when it's all said and done.

Wade can sit all year, get paid almost the same, don't show up until a couple games in the playoffs and it's all good. This is the first time I've seen wade actually take some heat for his play. It is scary when you think of it. That LeBron will have to stomach that and team will have to deal with that, I really hope we can make moves this offseason. We have to hide the limitations of wade in a major way.

[heatlespeatles]

Wade used up all his energy in the Pacers series. I don't think wade is done but he's close. Doesn't matter either way though, will still get his $$

both teams are so different tho (pacers/spurs). I think it depends on the match up, wade can't hang with chasing shooters around the court. Pacers offense was predictable, Spurs offense was just too clean. Wade's knees won't hang if he's trying to chase the ball & 3 pt shooters around.

It's only gonna get worse, like if we play warriors or Houston or even OKc with Westbrook. Man we have a lot to think about.

[PaulieWal]

Wade used up all his energy in the Pacers series. I don't think wade is done but he's close. Doesn't matter either way though, will still get his $$

Lol that's a little scary if he only has energy for one series. He did look a little puffy in the Finals and could stand to lose another 10-15 lbs.

I also believe in him as a player and prime Wade was one of my favorite players to watch but I think his body is breaking down. Maybe we need to reduce his MPG even more.

Yep I still believe In him. My heart won't let me believe he's done and I think that's something that's got bron acting the way he is lol he's seeing that he's now carrying a franchise lol but the franchise is still Wade county when it's all said and done.

Wade can sit all year, get paid almost the same, don't show up until a couple games in the playoffs and it's all good. This is the first time I've seen wade actually take some heat for his play. It is scary when you think of it. That LeBron will have to stomach that and team will have to deal with that, I really hope we can make moves this offseason. We have to hide the limitations of wade in a major way.

Yup, this is the really first time he is being questioned like this and I am sure he must be really feeling the pressure (not as bad as LeBron in 2011 but similar). That's why it's important for Wade and Bosh to restructure their deals so we can bring in more pieces. It also comes down to Spo and how willing he is to change smallball and especially the trapping defense. Going forward Bosh really has to be the 2nd option and Spo better not be so frigid about his system. The GOAT coach Pop has continually evolved his system since the 2000s to account for the aging of his Big 3. It's time we do the same.

[xMADEinDADEx]

The thing that gets me so bad is that ever since '10, wade has been deteriorating and playing worse and worse..

Enough with the excuses, makes us sound like Kobe fans. Wade needs to improve his game or spo needs to manage his minutes, and call the right plays for wade.. His ISO days are OVER. and dude is so goddamn fragile. I'm so mad right now. Maintenance program for what? To only be injured in the finals? C'mon man..

[Roger Mexico]

and I'm still furious. I made an analogy before the Finals began comparing the Spurs to the 1991 Lakers, a team from the previous decade making their last stand against a younger, hungrier, better team that would dominate the next decade, the Heat were supposed to be the Bulls! It turns out we were the Lakers! How hilariously misguided that analogy seems today. The Miami Heat set a record for greatest average margin of defeat in an NBA Finals, that's a historic accomplishment this team should be embarrassed to have hung around their necks, but there it is. They not only lost, they were humiliated. They lay prostrate on the ground and let the Spurs beat them, kick them, take their manhood from them. It was a sickening display of gutlessness from everyone but LeBron. Sorry, I can't sugarcoat it. They were a few missed free throws from being swept like LeBron's Cavaliers were! That's inexcusable, I don't care how good the Spurs are.

Everyone comes in for excoriation here. The coaches, the players and Pat Riley. We like to take shots at Spoelstra and it is easy to do after watching his emotionless concession during his game 5 press conference, complimenting the Spurs on their exquisite basketball, or whatever the adjective he used, while seemingly doing nothing as a coach to prevent the exquisiteness of their execution. I assume Spoelstra is more stubborn than stupid, so perhaps an undressing like this will force him to junk his exposed defensive system and adopt something that might actually work without wearing players down to a nub. It might force him to junk small ball except where it actually works! As opposed to trying to use it as a universal construct.

And while it's easy to thrash the players for not performing, you can't really blame a washed up baller for not being able to outwork or outperform guys they just can't outwork or outperform anymore. For that I blame Pat Riley, a sainted figure who in my estimation comes in for some heavy criticism here. No one thinks more highly of Riles then I do, but the day you start thinking one guy is beyond reproach, your organization is going down a drain. Outside of Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, the 7 heaviest usage players on the Spurs roster are 27, 31, 22, 26, 36, 25 and 29! Outside of LeBron and Bosh, the 7 heaviest usage players on our roster are 27, 25, 38, 32, 35, 35 and 32! And frankly the 27-year old will not and should not be back. Riley constructed a roster of dinosaurs. We had another one that was amnestied. This was partly out of financial need, but a lot of it is Riley's philosophical inclination, he shuns young players for wiley vets, but when the wiley vets can't play anymore, it's a disaster. This notion that the Big 3 would just obfuscate our weaknesses or would just overcome them by sheer blunt force was flawed from the beginning.

It's looking very bad as a construct when you consider that Bosh has been neutered and Wade is just done as a force of nature on a basketball court. There is no getting around this, no paying deference to a legend. Wade had no impact on either series against the Spurs. I doubt it's because he was coasting. He wants to win as badly as anyone, so the only logical explanation is that he is spent as a player, he is an outright liability in the system we currently run. He has to have a new role, but can he have a new role when he's not developed his game any? This scares me. He's not retiring. I'd be shocked if he opted out of his deal. In my opinion we need to clean house. This team needs 5 or 6 new role players. Bosh needs to be utilized as a second option and Wade needs to start working on becoming a Ginobili type of player, but will his ego allow it? This team isn't going to win a championship next year merely by channeling anger about what happened in the Finals. It wasn't just a revenge motif that propelled the Spurs. They became much better as a team.

What I'm afraid of is the Heat might just go the route of trying to bring Melo in here and do what they did in 2011, just try to overcome the team's myriad weaknesses by bludgeoning opponents with the talent at the top of the roster. It might work against the Thunder or Clippers, but from here on out, if you can't field a team that can abuse the Spurs, then you're just admitting the team is constructed on the hope they don't play the Spurs again. Get 3 quality players in here for the price of a Melo, Riley needs to stop trying to buy depth and start trying to cultivate it, do what he did with guys like Bowen, Brown and Lenard back in the day, find some gems for crying out loud and force Spoelstra to give these guys burn. If this team isn't the #1 overall seed next year with a defense at or near the top of the league, they're just not serious anymore. I hope what just happened to the Heat burns their collective asses into becoming Supermen and frankly, I'd love to return the favor to the Spurs next year, I mean humiliate, don't just beat them, beat them down. Rant over.

Bravo...Well said. I sometimes forget that there are non-idiots on sports boards and then something like this comes along and reaffirms my faith in humanity. Thank you Alex.

[Roger Mexico]

I wouldn't give up on Wade just yet. Especially if you're a heat fan, there should always be hope. I'm optimistic that Wade comes back losing more weight( it seemed like he gained weight as the season progressed) add to his jumper and post-up game.

Everyone including Heat fans are caught up in the world's message that Wade is done. People have been saying it for years, now that they finally seem to be right they're putting the hammer on it while disregarding and ignoring other aspects.

Before the Spurs series Wade was averaging close to 20 5 and 4 on 52% shooting, destroying Brooklyn the last game and Indy for the most part on strictly his jumper, floaters and post ups. So it's hard for me to believe that a guy declined so much in a span of two weeks.

Everyone said Wade was done in 2007 completely, and he came back as arguably the best player in the league in 08-09, Wade continuously has proved people wrong. Another reference is Manu, dude looked like a corpse last year and virtually looked like a vintage PRIME manu this series. Elite players bounce back, as Riley said get a grip.

I agree, you can't give up on him. He's an all time great. However, the truth is that his style of play does not translate well into the later years. But no matter how great you once were, if your body abandons you, there is no fighting it. The hope is that he takes on a different role and can still be a valuable contributor to a championship team.

[Roger Mexico]

A lot of you guys always talk about wades inability to develop a 3pt shot. The most important part of 3pt shooting is having the leg strength to jump higher from that far distance when shooting. If he doesn't have that same leg strength to make a lay up or blow by his defender or stay with his man on defense, how do you expect him to even come close to hitting a three pointer? His health is the issue.

And the one thing the Wade die hards are reticent to admit. THAT Wade is most likely done. That doesn't mean that this Wade can't still help this team however. If Spo, Riley and Wade can come up with an effective role for Wade, this team can still be the team.

[xMADEinDADEx]

IMO spo should get as much blame for wade's play. As a coach, you must know how hard it is for a player to admit that they are slowing down and you as a coach have to call a few plays to give wade the ball in specific areas.. This is so amateurish I'm shocked I have to bring this up.

As usual, the silliest things only happen to us. Whether it's getting killed on the boards, playing down to competition, playing battier at the 4.. I mean c'mon man. Buzzer beaters being hit against us.

I've had enough.. My heart can't handle this anymore.. Sort this **** out Riley.

[theFRANCHISE]

I'm a die hard wade fan and I felt like game 4 in San Antonio in 2013 finals was like his farewell tour that was the last time I remember him being vintage wade

[Heat_Fan_87]

IMO spo should get as much blame for wade's play. As a coach, you must know how hard it is for a player to admit that they are slowing down and you as a coach have to call a few plays to give wade the ball in specific areas.. This is so amateurish I'm shocked I have to bring this up.

As usual, the silliest things only happen to us. Whether it's getting killed on the boards, playing down to competition, playing battier at the 4.. I mean c'mon man. Buzzer beaters being hit against us.

I've had enough.. My heart can't handle this anymore.. Sort this **** out Riley.

Not sure wade would have been effective doing anything... He looked done.

[Slot Machine]

The thing that gets me so bad is that ever since '10, wade has been deteriorating and playing worse and worse..

Enough with the excuses, makes us sound like Kobe fans. Wade needs to improve his game or spo needs to manage his minutes, and call the right plays for wade.. His ISO days are OVER. and dude is so goddamn fragile. I'm so mad right now. Maintenance program for what? To only be injured in the finals? C'mon man..

He can't improve his game with his knees like this. That's what kills me about this, there's absolutely nothing you can do but watch as a surgery he got as a college kid has pretty much cut the back half of his career off. It's just depressing.