Friday, March 5, 2010

Time to Heat up or Shut up

NBA.com blog writer Sekou Smith was impressed by the Heat's 114-111 overtime victory, saying the victory had "less to do with the Heat distancing itself from the likes of the Bobcats and more to do with showing the Los Angeles Lakers that its one-point Dec. 4 loss at Staples Center was a realistic depiction of how good it could be at the top of its game".

He says the difference between Miami and the other struggling .500 teams is the fact that we have Dwyane Wade, who "remains one of the games truly elite players". Like the rest of us, he wishes the supporting cast "came to play more often".

Nothing new here, we have all seen these guys show "flashes of absolute brilliance and complete disaster within the same calendar week". The thing I'm sensing is that the fan base is sick of it. Many of us have gotten so disgusted that we secretly want them to miss the playoffs and spare us the potential embarrassment of a playoff series against an elite club.

We figure we have a better chance to win the NBA draft lottery than to win the NBA title. Not true, if you believe John Hollinger's simulations which give Miami a 0.7% chance of winning the title. The third or fourth best teams missing the playoffs will have a 0.7% chance and 0.8% chance to win the lottery, so if you cannot see this team winning a title, you should not hold your breath on winning the lottery. John Wall would be a gift from the heavens, but I prefer to go for .

I have to admit I still feel the glass is half empty with this group of players, but I sincerely hope they play out the final 20 games and playoffs with a chip on their shoulder and take out their frustrations on their first round opponent. They need to make a commitment to each other and play as a team. That's all there is to it, play your game and pay no attention to the media. If they believe they can win, they need to play like it nightly.

A new season begins now. The goal should be to finish the season hot. Going 14-6 the rest of the way would give them a 45-37 record and strong chance of earning the 5th seed. It should also give them the confidence needed to become world beaters at the right time.

I am also not holding my breath on that scenario, but anything can happen and this is my wish for them. How likely is this scenario? What are your wishes for the rest of this season?

4 comments:

  1. I see a 45 win season as a real possibility. We finish with 8 very very winnable games, and we will be in a great position.

    I have been saying for a minute that the Heat will have a warm fuzzy feeling going into playoffs and have a chance to end the season on a positive note.

    Maybe they can make a run ala the NY Jets, though it pains me to type that. Go Phins just in case!

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  2. Hahaha. 45 wins would be something this team could be proud of. The Hollinger simulations have the team finishing with 44 wins and the 5th seed facing the Celtics in the first round.

    I wouldn't be too mad at being 43-39 and having a rematch with Atlanta. I think there is a budding rivalry in the making there. Looking forward to tonight's game.

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  3. Well Atlanta said it's not a rivalry & they aren't even worried about us. We won the last 2, but tonight's a big game. I think the winner is who'd win if these 2 met in the playoffs.

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  4. Atlanta is full of it. They were blown out by Miami three times in last year's playoffs. Miami could have won that series and could give them fits again this year.

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