Heat vs. Jazz: Miami's Positives in a Game Full of Negatives

See, I told you they weren't that good. They don't have size.

Look at those bandwagon fans!

Who's going to stop the big-time point guards?

LeBron is a punk.

There we go, got all of that out of the way, although I'm sure the B/R trolls will still say it, I said it first because three out of four of those things turned out to be true today. Let's look at each one, but I'll put it more in technical basketball terms.

 

The Miami Heat's Lack of Size Hurt Them Today Against Utah

I'm going to say that it didn't hurt us as much today as Milsap getting hot from three-point land, and the missed free throws did.

Last year Milsap was 1-for-13 shooting threes, meaning you'll take it if he attempts one. But today he was 3-for-3 shooting threes, which single-handedly kept the Jazz in the game at the end of the fourth quarter.

Remember, with less than a minute left to play, we were up eight. Ocho. But the Jazz's strategy of going for quick threes and fouling ended up working, again, mainly because Arroyo and Wade couldn't hit their free throws.

But the lack of size hurt them at the end of the fourth quarter, when up two, they let the Jazz get off a three, which bricked, however Milsap was there all alone to scoop up the rebound and send the game into overtime.

 

The Heat Have a Problem Stopping Premier Point Guards

This will affect us more Thursday night against Rondo and the Celtics. But food for thought:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200903140MIA.html

Take a look at Chalmers' line that game, go ahead.

Think about what Arroyo did. Exactly. Arroyo's main strength: ball handling.

The Heat have Wade and LeBron for that.

Translation: Chalmers needs to start. End of discussion. He's better defensively, which is what we need.

 

Heat Fans Have a Habit of Showing up Late and Leaving Early

This was proven true tonight. 

If you went to the game, then left before the fourth quarter, or during the fourth quarter, then please, give your tickets to me.

One of the beautiful things about basketball is that the crowd can affect the game in so many ways.

The louder and more hostile the crowd, the more likely referees will give the home team the benefit of the doubt.

On top of that, fans cheering actually has an affect on momentum. During that fourth quarter the Heat desperately needed a momentum swing. They had them, but couldn't keep it up on defense. 

But the fans, they disappeared unless something extraordinary happened.

Watch games played in Boston; do you see them leaving early? 

What about in New York, or Chicago, or even, *gasp* Cleveland?

Miami Heat fans: fan up, please.

Now I'll look at the positives. 

...

....

.....

Well we only lost by two? No wait they lost, that's not a positive.

....

......

.........

Ok, the Heat need to get better at closing out close games. They haven't shown that ability yet. They also need to show that they can beat good teams. Right now they're 1-3 against playoff teams. That's beyond sad; that's pathetic! 

Yes, I'll admit: The only team to really dominate Miami has been Boston in Boston, but still, this team really needs to mesh fast, like by Thursday.

Bosh showed assertiveness today, the kind we've been waiting for; that's a plus.

LeBron had a triple double; that's a plus.

Where the Heat messed up has been on the very thing they've prided themselves on: defense. They need to go back to what they did against Orlando a couple of weeks ago. 

But they also have to fill up a hole in the middle. I say we give Dexter Pittman a try.

Another good idea: bring back Patrick Beverley.  We could've used him both today and last Friday against New Orleans.

Another positive is this, hopefully this team will play with an angry ferocity against Boston that ends up winning them the game. However if they don't, then I might start thinking that all of those "haters" had a point. 

And that's the one thing that I didn't want this season.

But the key to remember, for both Heat fans and Heat haters is this: We're still only eight games in. Things will be better by January, and probably next month.

I still feel safe about that, so much so that I'll guarantee it.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/513756-heat-vs-jazz-some-positives-in-a-game-full-of-negatives

Andy Greene zach Parise bryce Salvador Wade Belak Martin Erat