On a national stage, the Miami Heat reminded everyone of what could be, and left a lump of coal in LeBron James’ stocking.
The Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-91 in the highly anticipated Christmas showdown featuring LeBron and the team he played with for four seasons, helping the Heat in making four consecutive Finals appearance, and winning two championships. After an embarrassing loss Tuesday night to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Heat came out looking to ruin LeBron’s homecoming and show that they could hang with the big boys on any given night.
The big drama before the game was how would Heat fans react when LeBron was introduced before the game. Columns were posted, while talking heads voiced their various opinions as to what the fans would or wouldn’t do. In the end, it was much to do about nothing (isn’t it always?) as the crowd, for the most part, gave LeBron the respect he deserves.
Then it was time for basketball.
Thinking the Heat had nothing left to offer, LeBron decided to go back to the team that he and his buddies could run freely since ownership wouldn’t stand in his way he felt would give him a better chance to compete for the foreseeable future.
For one night, it didn’t look like the right decision.
LeBron did his part, leading the Cavs with 30 points and 8 assists. He shot 9 for 16 from the field and a staggering 10 for 18 from the foul line. He had more attempts from the line than the Heat had as a team, so it’s nice to see him getting all the calls *walks away slowly*.
His new running buddy, Kyrie Irving had 25 points, on 10 of 19 shooting, while dominating the Heat’s two-headed point guard dumpster fire. Meanwhile Kevin Love was a non-factor, scoring 14 points, and only grabbing 5 rebounds. If Chris Bosh had this kind of night over the last four seasons, he would have been ripped to shreds in the press. Love gets a pass because Cleveland is the lovable underdog that is trying to grow together or something.
Things that pleased me: LeBron was the talk of the game, but it was Dwyane Wade that stole the spotlight. In his first regular season meeting against LeBron since 2010, Wade led all scorers with 31 points. Although he wasn’t his usual efficient self (12 for 28 from the field), Wade was as active as can be on the big stage. It’s what big time players do.
Yet as eyes were drifting towards Wade, Luol Deng rose to the occasion. Deng was fantastic, going for 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, as he stood toe-to-toe with the best player on the planet. He got his lion’s share of the shots (16 shots – hitting 12 of them), showing how well he fits in when he has the ball in his hands. After the Sixers loss, Deng was the subject of criticism from Heat fans on Twitter, who seemingly had no idea what kind of player Deng was before coming to Miami. Expecting him to carry an offense isn’t what he does. He complements a ball-dominant player by playing off-ball and Thursday was no exception. The Heat are 5-0 when Deng scores 20 or more points. Might be time to get him the ball more.
The Birdman cometh, as Chris Andersen started again in place of Bosh and had his best game of the season. He went for 12 points and 8 rebounds, in 29 minutes.
Danny Granger wasn’t at all a complete disaster, as he scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench. He hit a big fourth quarter three to extend the Heat lead back to six to help stop a 4-0 Cavs rally. It’s his second solid effort in three games, so maybe he’s starting to prove to be useful after all.
Things that annoyed me: What’s a Heat game without a terrible third quarter? Or as fans now call it – turd quarter. Even with a thirteen point halftime lead, there couldn’t have been a Heat fan that was feeling comfortable, because you knew this was coming. The Heat couldn’t buy a basket, shooting 5 for 21 in the third, while missing all six of their three-point attempts. They even missed six of their nine shots in the paint, so they were an equal opportunity disaster. The Heat have to know giving a team with LeBron on it a chance to stay in the game isn’t a wise move. Then again, the Heat just learned giving a team with Michael Carter-Williams a chance to stay in the game wasn’t the best of moves. The Cavs would outscore the Heat 25-15, while trimming the lead down to three.
Things that perplexed me: What in the world were those jerseys? The logo on the front was something I can deal with, but it’s the names located below the numbers that were perplexing. To make matters worse, the nameplates had the player’s first names on them. In seemed like something from a youth basketball camp. The nickname gimmick from last season actually was better than this.
Scale of 1 to 10, how bad did I want to throw a lamp because of Mario Chalmers?: 6. I was at someone else’s home watching the game, so throwing a lamp would probably have been in poor taste. Looking to steal the show on a national televised showcase game, Chalmers unleashed a stink bomb. He was 2 for 12 from the field, for 5 points, as he didn’t get the memo that he shouldn’t be shooting so much when his shot isn’t falling. But Chalmers doesn’t care for minor details like that. Chalmers gonna Chalmers.
What we’ve learned: The Miami Heat are a weird team. It’s difficult to figure out what this team will do on a nightly basis. After the debacle against the Sixers, the Heat were facing a Cavs/Grizzlies gauntlet that could have sent them into a tailspin. Instead, the Heat played inspired ball in a marquee game. Maybe it was the atmosphere, or just a wakeup call after the Philly game, but the Heat came out strong and proved they could hang with anyone. Even after the Cavs rallied, the Heat didn’t falter, outscoring Cleveland 24-17 in the fourth quarter, and finishing the game on an 8-4 run.
Can they build on this? That remains to be seen. With Bosh still out, the Heat won’t be at full strength, and they have another daunting task waiting for them Saturday night when the Memphis Grizzlies come to town.