Slumping Heat Stumble vs. Bucks
By Chris Posada
The juggernaut Milwaukee Bucks came into Miami and beat the mightily struggling Heat 91-84 to even both teams record at 5-5.
(I might have been lying about the descriptions of one of those teams; I leave it as an exercise to you to figure out which one was true.)
After winning in Dallas, if I told you the Heat would lose three consecutive games against the Pacers, Hawks, and Bucks would you have believed me? Slapped me? Well, that is where we are, and the Heat have to get players right, both physically and mentally so they can finish the month strong.
Dwyane Wade’s maintenance hamstring injury kept him out the last two games, but the Heat still couldn’t buy a basket for long stretches of the game, as well as the Bucks were able to get what they wanted when they needed it. The Bucks shot 47.3% from the field, and nearly doubled the Heat in points in the paint (46-24), as they came back from a 12-point deficit to put Miami away late. Local product Brandon Knight (Pine Crest High School, Fort Lauderdale) led the way with 20 points, including two big fourth quarter three pointers. Super rookie Jabari Parker contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds, while Larry Sanders and Giannis Antetokoumpo each chipped in 11 points, as Milwaukee continues their surprising start.
Recapping this game wasn’t easy, as the Heat made life painful for fans, as well as the time I had to take wiping the vomit off of my keyboard. But don’t ever say I don’t sacrifice for you.
Things that pleased me: The kids came to play, starting with Shabazz Napier scoring 10 points and dishing out 5 assists in 25 minutes off the bench. His speed made Bucks guards looking silly trying to stop him from getting to the basket. He matched the same minute output as starter Norris Cole, as Coach Erik Spoelstra is still juggling his two point guards.
The other Heat rookie, James Ennis, showed signs of a breakout when he got off to a fast start with 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in the first half. He shot 4 for 6 from the field, and 1 for 2 from downtown. The James Ennis Bandwagon that I like to think I’ve been driving has been battling a few bumps in the road, however Ennis showed glimpses of his potential. But he got relegated to just under nine minutes in the second half, as Spoelstra still won’t commit all in on Ennis, and only was able to contribute one assist and one rebound in that time.
Shawne Williams continues to put the Heat on his back, as he scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. Not entirely sure that this is a good thing, but Miami will have to take what they can get. Williams has definitely taken the ball and ran with it, as the injuries to Josh McRoberts has given Williams every opportunity to be the stretch four that the Heat need, as he shot 5 for 9 from the field, including 3 for 6 from three.
Things that annoyed me: Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Heat couldn’t hit water if they had fallen out of a boat during the second half of their loss to the Bucks. Miami shot an abysmal 12 for 37 (32.4%) from the field in the second half, and it wasn’t just jumpers as they missed 10 shots in the paint. The problem is that points in the paint should theoretically be an easier basket to convert, as you are physically closer to the basket when you’re shooting the basketball. But I’m not an expert on that. Miami had a grand total of four second half points in the paint, as they couldn’t generate anything on drives or guys cutting to the basket. Give credit to Sanders and Antetokounmpo for using their size and length to disrupt the Heat’s offense, but common sense says you should be able to stumble to more than four points in 24 minutes of game action.
Speaking of ineptitude from theoretical easy shots, the Heat shot 13 for 22 from the free throw line. The Heat are 24th in the league in free throw percentage (72.4%) and have shown no signs of improvement. Not sure if this has been a reason for not getting into the paint more often, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
Things that perplexed me: It’s safe to say that Chris Bosh wasn’t feeling it on Sunday. Bosh had his worst shooting game of the season, shooting 2 for 17 from the field, finishing with 10 points. This was a reminder of that brutal game he had in Chicago back in 2011, when he shot 1-18. Not counting when he got fouled, Bosh only took three shots in the paint. On a night when his shot isn’t falling, it’s imperative that find ways to be a threat down in the paint, as teams will take their chances letting Bosh try to shoot through his slumps. In the last three losses, Bosh has shot 12-50 (24%) from the field. Even with or without Wade, I’ve said it before that Bosh is going to be the Heat’s most important player (CHEAP PLUG!), so as he goes, so does Miami. That was the case this past week.
Scale of 1 to 10, how bad did I want to throw a lamp because of Mario Chalmers?: 3. Chalmers led the Heat in scoring, with 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting. We definitely got some Good Mario tonight. Of course, he finds ways to offset his good deeds, with his careless fouls (he fouled out) and had one of his “drive to the basket without a plan, then commit a turnover” moment, so he at least fulfills his quota. Chalmers drives are the basketball version of this.
What we’ve learned: Life is easier when Wade is playing. But when Bosh, and Luol Deng (3 for 11, 10 points), aren’t hitting their shots, the Heat might as well be the 76ers. The good times from the 5-2 start, especially after last Sunday’s win in Dallas, have all but disappeared. Bosh needs to find his way, and Wade needs to get healthy for the Heat to get out of this slump. The Heat don’t have time to rest as they fly to Brooklyn for a game Monday night with the Nets.