Heat becoming kings of the collapse

I just love watching Lebron and his talents in South Beach. What we have on that team is two superstars and Chris Bush.....ahh...Bosh. And nobody else. They somehow thought that they could win a ring with three players and a group of also-rans. You just gotta have a supporting cast. All championship teams have them. Hell, Lebron had a better one in Cleveland than he has in Miami. Maybe the owner of the Cavs was right when he said that the Cavs would win a ring before Lebron would.

Now the Heat will get the Lakers on Thursday, winners of 8 straight. You think the Lakers might be a little miffed at getting embarrassed by the Heat on Christmas Day in LA, on national TV? Nothings guaranteed, but do I hear 6 losses in a roll for the Heat?

NYCelt wrote:Los Spurs beat Le Heat 125-95.

Anyone starting to get the feeling we might be spending some time with The Spurs this coming June?

NY Celt,

Not so fast, LOL. Lakers are not dead yet.

Matty wrote:

im beginning to wonder myself, and it sucks, the lakers should have the decency to make it back to the finals for the arse whooping for the Celtics got waiting for them. The way i figgure it, l.a. knows there will be hell to pay if they face us again in june and its turning out their more yellow than purple...

Matty,

You still may get your wish. Lakers starting to put a pretty good string of victories together lately. Keep the faith for the rematch. I did the last two years and finanly got it last year for the 2008 train wreck that was cause by the Boston Celtics. My perspective of course. " More yellow than purple". That was cold, real cold. Take care and good luck the rest of the way.

MG

Heat bench outscored 41-8 by Portland's bench tonight.

Heat players not named Wade, James or Bosh scored a total of 20 points tonight. Mike Miller, signed as a free-agent for his deadly shooting now shooting under 40% for the first time in his 11 year career. Miami played their only two legitimate centers, Dampier (12:36) and Ilgauskas (3:20) less than 16 minutes combined.

Gator!!

Aint seen ya around for a bit, been thinking of ya'll and hoping the famiy is good. Dont be a stranger! As i said before, even though your one of them, ur still one of us!

The whole "yella" thing I just couldnt let slip by, hopes of a rematch were starting to fade there for a bit, looking better now, ya'll've put together some great wins and the best streak going at the moment.

Im sure both of us will feel somewhat disapointed in anything short of a game 7 triple overtime in June being played by Boston and the Lakers, obviously we'd both look for differing ends to that game- LOL, but nothing currently comes to mind that would be more enjoyable to watch

Just saying.....

This is the first time, maybe the only time, that Lebron can experience what it is like to have a target on your back for every game. A target that the Celtics and Lakers have felt many times over as NBA champs. Miami's 3 amigos claimed they were going to win a championship, 2, 3, 4, championships. I am not sure they ever thought of the target they would become for the league this year. Every team wants to bring their best efforts against the NBA Champs. Well this year the Heat were declared the NBA Champs by their version of the big 3. They might want to strike that phrase, the big 3.

Of course the Heat brought all of this on themselves. All we heard the first couple months of the season was the Heat this, the Heat that. Nothing about the defending champs. Maybe they did the Lakers a favor.

MG

gator your boys are lookin plumb scary...beat some heat!

Matty,

Myself and the family is doing fine. I have been really busy with work, family, and other intrest. I do read the board frequently. Just have'nt had time to post, or for that matter, nothing intelligent to post. Thats not to say anything I have posted tonight is intelligent.

I started having a few doubts a couple of times this year with my team. Especially after the Cavs loss, then they go on this 8 game winning streak. Go figure that one out. Bynum has been a monster lately in the paint. Tonight against Atlanta he had 16 points, 16 boards, and 3 assists. He has, and I feel has always been the key to success in the post season.

Donald was slightly crushed when he saw the trade with Nate going to Orlando. Then he quickly said he wanted a Thunder jersey shirt. He is such a fair weather fan that son of mine. I quickly told him no. He has special Olympics Basketball practice every Monday Night. He wears his Nate number 4 Celtics jersey that you and Sam got for him.

Hope this post finds you in great heath and doing well.

MG

Jeb,

Hope your doing good. Lakers are starting to get that playoff look in their eyes. The last 8 games may have been Bynum's best stretch in quite some time. He has been awsome lately, and the key to their recent success. They MUST beat the Heat on Thursday to revenge the embarrassment they received on Christmas Day from the Heat.

By the way Jeb and Matty,

The Celtics are not looking to shabby lately either. Especially with all the injuries, trades, different line ups, etc. This might be Doc's best coaching year.

By the way, I think with Jeff Green they may have found the transition to the next Celtic's era after the big three are retired. Someone to carry the torch.

Mustang,

Enjoyed our off-board communication the other day. Great to see you on the board. Even if you want to send one-word posts to let us know you're okay, it's fine with us.

Sam

Thanks Sam.

I was just thinking of you and saying to myself that I should respond to your email. I enjoyed the exchange also. I had to respond in this thread. A few too many posts that wanted revenge of the Lakers, but have almost written them off. Can you imagine that Matty even sunk to the depths of calling them more yellow than purple. I couldn't walk away from that, LOL.

Sorry Matty. I will let it go after tonight, LOL.

MG

For the final 8:25 of the game tonight, the Heat had Wade at small forward (and at 6'4" that's a SMALL forward), Lebron at PF, Bosh at center and Bibby and Chalmers at guard. Spoelstra's explanation: "I was looking for anything that could spark us."

In the last seven games against teams with winning records (all losses) Miami's bench has been outscored 216-76 by their opponents' bench.

very happy to see you here gator...your boys are looking spoookky and the bigs are at long last PLAYING BIG, i dont know why yall dont do that all the time cuz it makes the boys in yellow pretty damn hard to beat.

Hug Donald for me mustang gator

I decided to take to heart what DWade and LeBron were saying after this game about the bench needing to step up and did some rough statistical analysis to see if this is really the benches fault. I'm doing this as I write this so bear with me.

% of total time on court MIA/POR

Starters = 73.75%/59.6%
Bench = 26.25%/40.4%

% FGM to total

Starters = 92%/62.5%
Bench = 8%/37.5%

% FGA to total

Starters = 84.7%/58.2%
Bench = 15.3%/41.8%

OK, that's enough. How can you blame your bench for not stepping up when you're not even feeding them the ball to shoot it and hardly even on the court? Some will argue you can dump Dampier and Chalmers to the bench and just do the Big 3 vs. the rest but that has been overplayed to date. This is very revealing. Of course your bench needs to step it up, but don't blame them for not shooting!! Clearly, cleary this reveals a complete lack of trust on the part of the starters vs. the bench. And yes, you can extend that to the Big 3.

This goes back to the microcosm I mentione in another thread about having Chalmers win games for you down the stretch and that MIA is going to have to let these guys jack it up and win or lose a few games so as to fool the rest of the league away from hounding the Big 3 at the end of games with the same results. MIA is clearly satisfying the definition of insanity.

I know this is one game, but I'd be surprised if I went back a few games and found the numbers were radically different.

The Tepids are starting to look like a bunch of self-annointed losers. What a shock. I guess the problem wasn't the quality of your sidekicks in Cleveland after all, huh LeBum?

The Lakers are playing really, really well. In my full-blown "green-centric" mode, I find it amusing how teams follow the Celtics' leads; starting with having sixth men like we did, to wanting a Big Three of their own, to what is looking like the Lakers playing oppossum for the first half of the season and saving themselves for the Playoffs like the Celtics did last year.

Gator, it's great to see you on the board again. It has been too long.

bob

.

Cow

just glancing back to game stats re: the Heat. When in a close game seems Bron Wade and Bosh go into the 40+ area for minutes played. Last eve for example James was 45:32 Wade 42:38 and Bosh 40:09.

Seems that way for them in every close game. Conclusion as to why they can't close out a close game. They are tired. Coach feels he can't rely on the bench, (and they do suck) but by playing his "stars" long minutes he sets them up for rubber legs and misses when it most counts. Lord knows no one else wants to take a shot in the waining moments. And even if they did would they even get a touch?

So Spoelstra in a spot, if I get a lead, do I play the bench, lose the lead, how guickly do I bring them back? how big do I allow the hole to be? ect ect ect.

Just a lot of fun right now watching all the crow these guys are eating right now.

beat

Nice comment from Phil Jackson, just before they play The Tepids. Way to produce some bulletin board material for the enemy, Phil...

Lakers coach Phil Jackson launched this shot at the Miami Heat and crying in the locker room before even getting to town.

“This is the NBA: No Boys Allowed,” said Jackson, whose Lakers face the Heat on Thursday night. “Big boys don’t cry. But if you’re going to do it, do it in the toilet where no one sees you.”

Jackson had initially said to KCAL/9 reporter John Ireland’s question: “I don’t want to talk about Miami’s situation.” But Jackson couldn’t help himself.

bob


.

Bob

Toilet ................Jackson

lot in common

beat

I don't know. I think Phil's comments are going to make the ensuing, revenge-oriented flogging even more painful for MIA. I'm quite certain we are going to see LAL's fully operational death star tomorrow.

Remember, we want to see MIA implode. We're awful close. (to pull an overused phrase from Eric, LeBron and DWade.)

dbrown,

someones gotta lose, and I can enjoy it either way!

beat

Hopefully CHA can help us out a little tonight v. CHI as well. Odds look pretty good, but their past victories v. CHI were pre-trade.

dbrown4 wrote:Hopefully CHA can help us out a little tonight v. CHI as well. Odds look pretty good, but their past victories v. CHI were pre-trade.

What odds look pretty good? You mean the Charlotte team that after trading Gerald Wallace for mainly draft picks and is now on a five game losing streak (and losing by an average of 18 points a game)? You think that team has a prayer in Hell of beating the Bulls? Come on.