Tuesday, 2/2/2016 - 8:00 EST - Heat @ Rockets

[BaDaBo]

Just a couple of observations:

*We started the third with no ball movement. Idk if we were trying to get Wade and Bosh going, but it really hurt our offense and that's when the Rockets got away and we never came (all the way ) back.

*Wade takes too many possessions off on defense. I rather he played 25min ( than 32min ) and give his all on both ends ( he can be a difference maker on both ends if he chooses).

*Bosh said they took too many shots early in the shot clock. I don't think that was the problem, if the shot is there you have to take it. It was not taking shots when you're open that hurt us. Deng had 2 turnovers because he didn't shoot the open three. Bosh was open numerous times when he normally takes the shot but then he either drove (softly) or waited for a double team..which brings us to the next point.

*When Bosh was doubled we were too static. Players without the ball need to be cutting when the double team comes, it makes the defense rotate and collapse.

*I have a strong feeling that when Bosh or Wade don't have a strong first half they force it in the second. Nothing inherently wrong with that, since they're our top players, but we better find a way that doesn't stop our offense ( this wasn't that big of an issue in this game, except for the start of the 3rd ).

*Against a team that shoots threes you have to run them off the line, once they get going it's over. We gave them a couple of easy shots in the first half and to start the 3rd and once they start hitting those, they hit everything even over extended hands.

*Dumb turnovers by Deng, Sloppy turnovers by Wade and ( Dragic once).

*Rockets came into the game with a game plan ( double Bosh ) we had nothing.

*I know you're not going to stop Harden, not completely. But we should have made him work just to get the ball. You can't stop him once he has it, you can only hope he's having a bad night. When I played BB and the opposing guard was their best player, we switched 3-4 guys on him, covered him all over the court made him work for every inch. By the time the 4th came around the guy was so tired he was a non factor.

tl;dr Three point defense, sloppy/stupid turnovers, passing up good shots, static offense to start the 3rd

Spoiler:

[DWadeno3]

Offensively, there is a very basic core problem that was hurting us tonight: We mostly let the ball stick to one side. Most of our turnovers resulted from us not moving into the open spaces and reacting to them shifting their entire defense to the side of the ball. A few times we at least played a skip pass but those are dangerous and can be avoided if we just fill up on those open spots.

Another problem was our bench production and the way we performed when Harden was off the court. We had Bosh and Dragic out there amongst others and could not significantly increase our lead in the first half when Harden was out and most of their bench was in. That's gonna kill you.

Lastly, we were simply lazy defensively as a unit. Save for Winslow, I couldn't name a guy who defended well. Luckily we have a game in Dallas tonight and thus can make up for the poor performance in Houston.

[DWadeno3]

This is all Wade's fault.........




















Just kidding Though he did only have 4 assists and 14+ attempts (18 - most attempts in the team). If anybody remembers the stats i posted up this usually means a loss......

But anyway.....i don't think anybody pointed out a whopping discrepancy. 6 to 16 three pointers That's 30 more pts than us on 3's alone!!!

That's pretty much how the ball game was won. Every single starter hit a 3 - most hit three 3's, Ariza out of all players had the least w/ just 1.

I think everybody has failed to bring up that we had 7 players in double figures Is this the first? I'm pretty sure it is. EVery single starter scored in DD and two off the bench scored in DD - That is quite significant. Going by stats this is usually a win......but the 3pt discrepancy is what sealed the win for the Rox, i believe.

How many games have we lost due to our opponents shooting lights out on us from the arc?! This has to be addressed. We need to defend the arc more aggressively.

And yet even after this game, Wade still averages 15.9 shot attempts in wins and 15.6 shot attempts in losses, so the amount really doesn't make a difference. Wade being sloppy tonight made a huge difference. Just from the top of my head I recall him missing three not so difficult layups. He also had three turnovers tonight, a key difference as in wins he only averages 1.8 of those while in losses, it's an insane 3.6.

Lastly, Wade's weak side activity was below his usual standards and that's always a killer for him and us. Particularly in the second half, those dangerous cuts into open areas could've been golden for us due to the Rockets completely overloading the strong side.

As for his assists, well given how the Rockets defended, the easy kick-out after a penetration or the pass to the roller was often not there, hence Wade didn't have many opportunities to pick up assists. We also shot the ball poorly but still had 26 assists as a team, so in that regad we were fine.

As far as our defense goes, the Rockets won't have all those easy threes if we don't constantly get beaten off the dribble, thus forcing rotations and creating open shots. Dribble penetration was a massive problem tonight and except for Winslow, nobody did a good job in that regard. We were constantly broken down, rotating slowly and thus got them one open three after another. It doesn't help when Josh Smith of all people goes 3 for 5 from downtown and James Harden hits 25-foot pull-up threes.

Wade was poor, but if there is one guy to be singled out tonight it's Bosh. The Rockets were smart in double-teaming him plenty, as Bosh is not a great passer out of the double-team. His decision making in those instances was slow and poor tonight, although he was also hurt by our lack of weakside movement.

[Burnie Riley]

This loss is on me guise. I'm the one that predicted Umbooki would get us a 4 game winning streak. I shouldn't have been so specific. I jinxed him.

Spoiler:

P.S.
Remember last summer when I posted that Marcus Thornton tweeted that he wanted to sign with Miami and I said the 3 pt cavalry was on the way... and some of us got excited... and then some people said we didn't need him... and then the Heat didn't sign him... Good times.

[KingDavid]

I have failed you all.

You shamed us all!

Redeem yourself by way of seppuku!

[KingDavid]

This is all Wade's fault.........




















Just kidding Though he did only have 4 assists and 14+ attempts (18 - most attempts in the team). If anybody remembers the stats i posted up this usually means a loss......

But anyway.....i don't think anybody pointed out a whopping discrepancy. 6 to 16 three pointers That's 30 more pts than us on 3's alone!!!

That's pretty much how the ball game was won. Every single starter hit a 3 - most hit three 3's, Ariza out of all players had the least w/ just 1.

I think everybody has failed to bring up that we had 7 players in double figures Is this the first? I'm pretty sure it is. EVery single starter scored in DD and two off the bench scored in DD - That is quite significant. Going by stats this is usually a win......but the 3pt discrepancy is what sealed the win for the Rox, i believe.

How many games have we lost due to our opponents shooting lights out on us from the arc?! This has to be addressed. We need to defend the arc more aggressively.

Chase the 3pt shooters off the line into the lane right in to the teeth of our frontline...Chris Bosh and Amar'e Stoudemire.

[3ballbomber]

How many games have we lost due to our opponents shooting lights out on us from the arc?! This has to be addressed. We need to defend the arc more aggressively.

The Heat allow the 8th lowest frequency of opposing 3-point attempts, and the 5th lowest opposing 3-point %.

http://stats.nba.com/league/team/defense/#!/3pt/?sort=FREQ_WHOLE_NUM&dir=-1

Didn't feel like it tonight though ...

Interesting. Perhaps it's safe to say then that the teams who were unconscious from the 3 against us and won were an anomaly.

[3ballbomber]

This is all Wade's fault.........




















Just kidding Though he did only have 4 assists and 14+ attempts (18 - most attempts in the team). If anybody remembers the stats i posted up this usually means a loss......

But anyway.....i don't think anybody pointed out a whopping discrepancy. 6 to 16 three pointers That's 30 more pts than us on 3's alone!!!

That's pretty much how the ball game was won. Every single starter hit a 3 - most hit three 3's, Ariza out of all players had the least w/ just 1.

I think everybody has failed to bring up that we had 7 players in double figures Is this the first? I'm pretty sure it is. EVery single starter scored in DD and two off the bench scored in DD - That is quite significant. Going by stats this is usually a win......but the 3pt discrepancy is what sealed the win for the Rox, i believe.

How many games have we lost due to our opponents shooting lights out on us from the arc?! This has to be addressed. We need to defend the arc more aggressively.

And yet even after this game, Wade still averages 15.9 shot attempts in wins and 15.6 shot attempts in losses, so the amount really doesn't make a difference. Wade being sloppy tonight made a huge difference. Just from the top of my head I recall him missing three not so difficult layups. He also had three turnovers tonight, a key difference as in wins he only averages 1.8 of those while in losses, it's an insane 3.6.

Lastly, Wade's weak side activity was below his usual standards and that's always a killer for him and us. Particularly in the second half, those dangerous cuts into open areas could've been golden for us due to the Rockets completely overloading the strong side.

As for his assists, well given how the Rockets defended, the easy kick-out after a penetration or the pass to the roller was often not there, hence Wade didn't have many opportunities to pick up assists. We also shot the ball poorly but still had 26 assists as a team, so in that regad we were fine.

As far as our defense goes, the Rockets won't have all those easy threes if we don't constantly get beaten off the dribble, thus forcing rotations and creating open shots. Dribble penetration was a massive problem tonight and except for Winslow, nobody did a good job in that regard. We were constantly broken down, rotating slowly and thus got them one open three after another. It doesn't help when Josh Smith of all people goes 3 for 5 from downtown and James Harden hits 25-foot pull-up threes.

Wade was poor, but if there is one guy to be singled out tonight it's Bosh. The Rockets were smart in double-teaming him plenty, as Bosh is not a great passer out of the double-team. His decision making in those instances was slow and poor tonight, although he was also hurt by our lack of weakside movement.

I can agree w/ majority of what you stated apart from shot attempts by Wade not being a factor. You can't merely calculate his averages in loss and wins and determine a conclusion by it. You have to dig deeper and observe each and every individual game. You are playing the hindsight game and that creates a false reality. I posted a 40 game example several weeks back, wich i can't find but nobody ever refuted what was written.

But anyway, i think it's in bad taste to harp on Wade since he has been playing quite well lately wich lead to our 4 game win streak. and plus i believe i am beating a very dead horse. We'll continue to observe the pattern as the season progresses.

[Chalm Down]

This loss is on me guise. I'm the one that predicted Umbooki would get us a 4 game winning streak. I shouldn't have been so specific. I jinxed him.

Spoiler:

P.S.
Remember last summer when I posted that Marcus Thornton tweeted that he wanted to sign with Miami and I said the 3 pt cavalry was on the way... and some of us got excited... and then some people said we didn't need him... and then the Heat didn't sign him... Good times.

It's okay Burnie, if the Heat had signed Marcus instead of Gerald, that just means Gerald would've gone off on them at some point this season

[Chalm Down]

Just a couple of observations:

*We started the third with no ball movement. Idk if we were trying to get Wade and Bosh going, but it really hurt our offense and that's when the Rockets got away and we never came (all the way ) back.

*Wade takes too many possessions off on defense. I rather he played 25min ( than 32min ) and give his all on both ends ( he can be a difference maker on both ends if he chooses).

*Bosh said they took too many shots early in the shot clock. I don't think that was the problem, if the shot is there you have to take it. It was not taking shots when you're open that hurt us. Deng had 2 turnovers because he didn't shoot the open three. Bosh was open numerous times when he normally takes the shot but then he either drove (softly) or waited for a double team..which brings us to the next point.

*When Bosh was doubled we were too static. Players without the ball need to be cutting when the double team comes, it makes the defense rotate and collapse.

*I have a strong feeling that when Bosh or Wade don't have a strong first half they force it in the second. Nothing inherently wrong with that, since they're our top players, but we better find a way that doesn't stop our offense ( this wasn't that big of an issue in this game, except for the start of the 3rd ).

*Against a team that shoots threes you have to run them off the line, once they get going it's over. We gave them a couple of easy shots in the first half and to start the 3rd and once they start hitting those, they hit everything even over extended hands.

*Dumb turnovers by Deng, Sloppy turnovers by Wade and ( Dragic once).

*Rockets came into the game with a game plan ( double Bosh ) we had nothing.

*I know you're not going to stop Harden, not completely. But we should have made him work just to get the ball. You can't stop him once he has it, you can only hope he's having a bad night. When I played BB and the opposing guard was their best player, we switched 3-4 guys on him, covered him all over the court made him work for every inch. By the time the 4th came around the guy was so tired he was a non factor.

tl;dr Three point defense, sloppy/stupid turnovers, passing up good shots, static offense to start the 3rd

Spoiler:

That spoiler

[DWadeno3]

This is all Wade's fault.........




















Just kidding Though he did only have 4 assists and 14+ attempts (18 - most attempts in the team). If anybody remembers the stats i posted up this usually means a loss......

But anyway.....i don't think anybody pointed out a whopping discrepancy. 6 to 16 three pointers That's 30 more pts than us on 3's alone!!!

That's pretty much how the ball game was won. Every single starter hit a 3 - most hit three 3's, Ariza out of all players had the least w/ just 1.

I think everybody has failed to bring up that we had 7 players in double figures Is this the first? I'm pretty sure it is. EVery single starter scored in DD and two off the bench scored in DD - That is quite significant. Going by stats this is usually a win......but the 3pt discrepancy is what sealed the win for the Rox, i believe.

How many games have we lost due to our opponents shooting lights out on us from the arc?! This has to be addressed. We need to defend the arc more aggressively.

And yet even after this game, Wade still averages 15.9 shot attempts in wins and 15.6 shot attempts in losses, so the amount really doesn't make a difference. Wade being sloppy tonight made a huge difference. Just from the top of my head I recall him missing three not so difficult layups. He also had three turnovers tonight, a key difference as in wins he only averages 1.8 of those while in losses, it's an insane 3.6.

Lastly, Wade's weak side activity was below his usual standards and that's always a killer for him and us. Particularly in the second half, those dangerous cuts into open areas could've been golden for us due to the Rockets completely overloading the strong side.

As for his assists, well given how the Rockets defended, the easy kick-out after a penetration or the pass to the roller was often not there, hence Wade didn't have many opportunities to pick up assists. We also shot the ball poorly but still had 26 assists as a team, so in that regad we were fine.

As far as our defense goes, the Rockets won't have all those easy threes if we don't constantly get beaten off the dribble, thus forcing rotations and creating open shots. Dribble penetration was a massive problem tonight and except for Winslow, nobody did a good job in that regard. We were constantly broken down, rotating slowly and thus got them one open three after another. It doesn't help when Josh Smith of all people goes 3 for 5 from downtown and James Harden hits 25-foot pull-up threes.

Wade was poor, but if there is one guy to be singled out tonight it's Bosh. The Rockets were smart in double-teaming him plenty, as Bosh is not a great passer out of the double-team. His decision making in those instances was slow and poor tonight, although he was also hurt by our lack of weakside movement.

I can agree w/ majority of what you stated apart from shot attempts by Wade not being a factor. You can't merely calculate his averages in loss and wins and determine a conclusion by it. You have to dig deeper and observe each and every individual game. You are playing the hindsight game and that creates a false reality. I posted a 40 game example several weeks back, wich i can't find but nobody ever refuted what was written.

But anyway, i think it's in bad taste to harp on Wade since he has been playing quite well lately wich lead to our 4 game win streak. and plus i believe i am beating a very dead horse. We'll continue to observe the pattern as the season progresses.

You're contradicting yourself here. You claim your 40 game sample states the truth but my 46 game sample is creating a false reality? The original claim was when Wade shoots a lot, we tend to lose whereas when Wade shots less, we win. That has been disproven by my statistics, as in an equal amount of playing time, he shoots pretty much the equal amount of shots in both wins and losses.

The differences lie elsewhere, mainly in turnovers (sloppiness), efficiency (shot selection) and free throw attempts (shot selection/aggressiveness).

Take tonight's Mavs game for example: In the early stages Wade went 0/7, but did he really waste seven seperate possessions? Technically yeah, but in reality most of it came from missed tip-shots. Wade also went 6/19, but did he take bad shots? No, he simply missed easy ones. I would be more than happy if he continued his shot selection of tonight, because on average, he will shoot a much higher percentage than he did tonight.
If he had lost, the narrative would've been him shooting too much. The reality of it is, he didn't. If anything on some of his misses he was looking for the pass too soon and hence ended up missing some bunnies.

[Heat03]

And yet even after this game, Wade still averages 15.9 shot attempts in wins and 15.6 shot attempts in losses, so the amount really doesn't make a difference. Wade being sloppy tonight made a huge difference. Just from the top of my head I recall him missing three not so difficult layups. He also had three turnovers tonight, a key difference as in wins he only averages 1.8 of those while in losses, it's an insane 3.6.

Lastly, Wade's weak side activity was below his usual standards and that's always a killer for him and us. Particularly in the second half, those dangerous cuts into open areas could've been golden for us due to the Rockets completely overloading the strong side.

As for his assists, well given how the Rockets defended, the easy kick-out after a penetration or the pass to the roller was often not there, hence Wade didn't have many opportunities to pick up assists. We also shot the ball poorly but still had 26 assists as a team, so in that regad we were fine.

As far as our defense goes, the Rockets won't have all those easy threes if we don't constantly get beaten off the dribble, thus forcing rotations and creating open shots. Dribble penetration was a massive problem tonight and except for Winslow, nobody did a good job in that regard. We were constantly broken down, rotating slowly and thus got them one open three after another. It doesn't help when Josh Smith of all people goes 3 for 5 from downtown and James Harden hits 25-foot pull-up threes.

Wade was poor, but if there is one guy to be singled out tonight it's Bosh. The Rockets were smart in double-teaming him plenty, as Bosh is not a great passer out of the double-team. His decision making in those instances was slow and poor tonight, although he was also hurt by our lack of weakside movement.

I can agree w/ majority of what you stated apart from shot attempts by Wade not being a factor. You can't merely calculate his averages in loss and wins and determine a conclusion by it. You have to dig deeper and observe each and every individual game. You are playing the hindsight game and that creates a false reality. I posted a 40 game example several weeks back, wich i can't find but nobody ever refuted what was written.

But anyway, i think it's in bad taste to harp on Wade since he has been playing quite well lately wich lead to our 4 game win streak. and plus i believe i am beating a very dead horse. We'll continue to observe the pattern as the season progresses.

You're contradicting yourself here. You claim your 40 game sample states the truth but my 46 game sample is creating a false reality? The original claim was when Wade shoots a lot, we tend to lose whereas when Wade shots less, we win. That has been disproven by my statistics, as in an equal amount of playing time, he shoots pretty much the equal amount of shots in both wins and losses.

The differences lie elsewhere, mainly in turnovers (sloppiness), efficiency (shot selection) and free throw attempts (shot selection/aggressiveness).

Take tonight's Mavs game for example: In the early stages Wade went 0/7, but did he really waste seven seperate possessions? Technically yeah, but in reality most of it came from missed tip-shots. Wade also went 6/19, but did he take bad shots? No, he simply missed easy ones. I would be more than happy if he continued his shot selection of tonight, because on average, he will shoot a much higher percentage than he did tonight.
If he had lost, the narrative would've been him shooting too much. The reality of it is, he didn't. If anything on some of his misses he was looking for the pass too soon and hence ended up missing some bunnies.

I agree with you. However many offensive rebounds Wade had were the number of tip shots he missed and he also chucked up a running 3 at the buzzer too that hurt his percentage.

[3ballbomber]

You're contradicting yourself here. You claim your 40 game sample states the truth but my 46 game sample is creating a false reality? The original claim was when Wade shoots a lot, we tend to lose whereas when Wade shots less, we win. That has been disproven by my statistics, as in an equal amount of playing time, he shoots pretty much the equal amount of shots in both wins and losses.

The differences lie elsewhere, mainly in turnovers (sloppiness), efficiency (shot selection) and free throw attempts (shot selection/aggressiveness).

Take tonight's Mavs game for example: In the early stages Wade went 0/7, but did he really waste seven seperate possessions? Technically yeah, but in reality most of it came from missed tip-shots. Wade also went 6/19, but did he take bad shots? No, he simply missed easy ones. I would be more than happy if he continued his shot selection of tonight, because on average, he will shoot a much higher percentage than he did tonight.
If he had lost, the narrative would've been him shooting too much. The reality of it is, he didn't. If anything on some of his misses he was looking for the pass too soon and hence ended up missing some bunnies.

This is where debating w/ somebody who caught statements here and there, added on top of other peoples similar opinions can go wrong. You failed to acknowledge the genesis of the main issue....particularly the issue i have had a problem with.

The primary issue was not w/ Wade shooting alone.....it was everything. It's taking up the shot clock, draining it while he pounds the ball at the arc, it was dominating the ball being careless resulting in TO's (bad passes, doing too much w/ the ball etc.). You add the settling for jump shots (especially when he hasn't been in rhythm all game) and the other issue was him not trusting his teammates (wich Wade has also specifically addressed in the media) and you have yourself the case of good ol' hero ball.

Don't let the Kade remarks distort what the true problems were. It wasn't just about volume of shots. It was essentially everything that he has currently addressed. Wade is now not only passing more, thus: trusting his team mates (producing team focused basketball), but he is also not settling and now attacking the rim. His TO's have been cut down and he is playing a far more smarter game. As a result not only is he far more efficient but the entire team is also - we go as far as where Wade takes us.....this is why i criticize him simply because he is the heart and soul of the Miami Heat. There is absolutely no hate here, i just understand that if we play a team orientated game we are a far better team - that's where my criticism stems form. It's never from a bad place. And now look at how well we've been playing as a result of all the adjustments. Just recently also in an article Wade was quoted as saying how when he is being doubled he told Dragic that he'd pass to him more:

Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “And every game’s gonna be different. One game they were double-teaming D. Wade on the pick-and-roll and he said, ‘OK, G, I’m gonna pass it to you more and you’ve gotta be aggressive as a scorer.’

http://heatzone.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2016/02/04/goran-dragic-not-paying-attention-to-stats/

This is a sign that Wade is finally acknowledging what he needs to do in order for this team to work. This is most likely a coaching adjustment w/ input from D.


And again i reiterate so people do not continue to misunderstand me.....Wade can hog the damn ball all he wants - just as long as he is making not only smart plays for himself but he is also making smart plays for his team mates and the team. This is why i am a big fan of Wade, he has always made the right plays throughout his career no matter how much he had the ball. It's the reason why he has always been so successful hera. He was always very selfless. He has also been our best passer. Not only is he getting his baskets now but his assist rates has also gone up. - this is a lethal combination for us. This is indicative of the adjustments the coaching staff and Wade has made and the results speak for themselves.

Another argument people tend to throw at me is 'but when he makes jumpers it's ok'. That's not the point, the point is not continuing to jack up shots when you're shooting a terrible %. W/ the adjustments Wade has made he is attacking the rim far more and not settling.....as a result he is getting his points at the basket and as you know once you start making those it gives you confidence and rhythm to then make your jump shots - wich is exactly what we are currently seeing.



In the end the adjustments speak for themselves in regards to my issues w/ Wade. You can post up all the stats you want but the fact he is:

1. Passing more (trusting his teammates)
2. Attacking the rim more (not settling)
3. Cut down TO's. (playing smarter)
4. Cutting down pounding the ball at the arc (indicative of the new quicker offense)

Are the exact things i had been stating i want Wade to change and he did EXACTLY that. Now you say in reply that it's all to do w/ Spo's new offense etc. etc. blah bleh blah but ultimately Wade has made the exact specific adjustments that were not only hindering himself but also hindering this team. Nobody can refute that!!

[Shewasfly]

This is pathetic