Even when the Miami Heat have taken a step out of the spotlight, the early part of the NBA season finds a way to shine it back on them.
OK, it’s not so much about their play on the court, but that of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
OK (again), it’s not this year’s Heat that the Cavs have been compared to, but the 2010-11 squad, the first year that LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined forces with Dwyane Wade in Miami.
I was in Cleveland this past weekend and found myself at a local establishment watching the Cavaliers take on the Toronto Raptors. I would have gone to the game, but the All U Can Heat expense account was inactive (Wes Goldberg had a little too much fun at UCLA/Cal game a few weeks back and ruined it for the rest of us). While there, I watched the Cavs blow an 18 point first half lead and ended up losing by 17. The aftermath including some Cavs fans wondering whether they should trade Kevin Love (sound familiar?). Once it became known that I was a Heat fan, the immediate response was that the Heat started slow in their first season together, so they should be OK. Popular opinion appears to be that the blueprint of both teams are similar and that comparing the two is necessary.
That’s annoying.
First of all, this Cavs team has the luxury of not having to be under the same microscope that Heat team had. Every game in 2010-11 was covered like a playoff game. If the Heat won, something about how they couldn’t win closes games would be picked apart; lose? Armageddon.
Yes, they did bring upon themselves with the pep rally after the Big Three came together, with championship proclamations and “Beat L.A.” chants aimed at the then-defending champion Lakers. Cleveland has the loveable “Coming Home” and “Unfinished Business” narratives that LeBron tried so hard to cultivate over the summer.
Even when the Heat were 9-8 to start the season and going through their growing pains, the one thing they were locked in on was defense. It’s the blueprint that had been a staple of the organization in the 15 seasons since Pat Riley came to Miami. And Erik Spoelstra, one of Riley’s chief disciples, was the one that made it a point at the start of training camp that season, and it showed. Even in those 17 games, the Heat were giving up 89.2 points per game; the Cavs, through their first 13 games, have given up 100.5 points per game, and don’t seem to be giving much effort on that end of the floor. Miami’s issue was winning close games. The Heat were 3-7 in games decided by 10 points or fewer in those first 17 games, and 0-3 in games decided by less than 5 points. The Cavs are 4-4 in games decided by 10 points or less – 1-3 in games decided by less than 5 points- but already have 3 double-digit losses.
Speaking of blueprints, what exactly is the Cavs’? Their history is littered with ineptitude and disappointment. Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert once fired Mike Brown; hired Byron Scott; fired him; re-hired Brown; fired him; and hired David Blatt in the span of four years. Even this team coming together is the epitome of their blueprint. ESPN’s resident cheerleader of all things Ohio, Brian Windhorst, wrote that this was Cleveland’s master plan that they had been building to, which is like saying that you have a goal of becoming a millionaire, then winning a lawsuit because you got hit by a car driven by Donald Trump. Being terrible for four years and winning the lottery three out of those four years isn’t exactly a plan.
Another difference is that the Cavaliers don’t have a Wade, a peer that LeBron sees as an equal that has been to the mountain top and is there to hold his hand. What I found interesting was the postgame interview on the Cleveland broadcast that saw LeBron talk about the Finals loss in 2011 against Dallas as something for him to draw upon. But it wasn’t the quote that got my attention; it was the fact that he was giving a simple interview in a locker room by himself.
In Miami, every postgame interview had LeBron and Wade side-by-side. It was an odd set up, at first, but looking back at the epic LeBron/Irving “Family Guy/Survivor’s Remorse” argument (or not, since LeBron’s denying it even took place) after a loss in Portland earlier in the month, you can see that maybe the Heat had a larger plan in mind with their interview set up. Maybe they were trying to avoid running the risk of LeBron/Wade possibly saying something that the other wasn’t expecting, thus preventing stupid media-driven hot takes that could ignite and become another in a long line of distractions.
The lowest points of that first year for the Heat were the game in Dallas that saw LeBron bump Spoelstra (which reminds me: if 9-8 registers a bump, aren’t we a few games away from LeBron powerbombing Blatt?) then the five game losing streak that was capped off by Spoelstra’s now-famous “Can’t let go of the rope” line. No matter how dark it got for the Heat, Spoelstra was there to guide them out of it. Any team can throw stars together, but without the right guy steering the ship, like Spoelstra, or Doc Rivers in Boston, that team will be doomed to fail (the Knicks, Lakers, and Nets are recent examples that didn’t quite go so well).
What many don’t remember, LeBron had no desire to play in the post, while Bosh was adamant about not being a center. But after losing in the Finals to the Mavericks, Spoelstra had to show them that the most effective way to maximize the team’s potential was for them to take on those roles that they weren’t comfortable in playing. Three Finals appearances, and two championships later, Spoelstra was right because he drew the line in the sand. There was respect for Spoelstra because Wade respected him, so LeBron and Bosh followed suit.
Now in Cleveland? Well, LeBron didn’t even meet Blatt for a month, since he was busy going to Brazil for the World Cup and planning his own welcome home party in Akron (which everyone was fine with).
This season has seen Blatt play the role of figurehead, while LeBron is playing the role of leader, with guys like Love, Irving, and Dion Waiters – who combined have played the same amount of playoff games that I have – look to him. However, LeBron has taken a “hands-off” approach when it comes to leading the Cavs, letting them get the poor habits out of their system so he can then teach them how to achieve success. How Zen.
When that fails, LeBron tends to play “hero ball” to lead the Cavs. Comparing the start of this season with last season, LeBron is averaging more shots, while shooting a lesser field goal percentage. His post and mid-range games have taken a hit, while he’s jacking up more threes.
But can the Cavs rebound from their early struggles? Of course they can, and they probably will. There’s enough talent on this team that they should be able to be carried by their offense, so as long as they get something resembling a decent defense. You could argue this team is better than that Heat team, on paper. That Heat team didn’t have a Waiters coming off the bench that could provide instant offense from the second unit. With the exception of the few times Bosh played there in 10-11, Anderson Varejao is better than any center the Heat had on the roster that season. They’re just not on the same page in any capacity. Their rotations are out of whack – does Mike Miller even play? Who is Joe Harris? – that they can’t build any continuity.
It’s a long season, and as the Pacers showed us last season, the way you start doesn’t mean that’s the way you finish. Cleveland just needs to figure out what kind of team they’re going to be, as well as try to get something resembling a defense together.
The one thing the Cavaliers have to look forward to? Christmas Day in Miami. In 2010, LeBron went back to Cleveland for the first time. That game helped bring the Heat together, since it was clearly “Them vs. the World”. That would be their third win of a twelve game winning streak that helped the Heat re-position themselves in the top part of the Eastern Conference. Maybe the Christmas game will have the same effect for the Cavaliers.
But only time will tell. Until then, let’s tap the brakes on the comparisons between the two. It’s an insult to the hard work the Heat coaching staff put in to building a dynasty.