For the Miami Heat, their make-or-break road trip isn’t off to the greatest of starts.
In the fourth and final game of the regular season against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Heat took several body blows before getting knocked out in the second half. The loss splits the season series at two games apiece, with a possible rematch in the playoff looms largely.
But that rematch is in question as Thursday’s loss could prove much more costly for the Heat’s playoff chances, as they now fall into a tie for the final playoff spot in the East with the Boston Celtics, while maintaining a game and half lead over the Charlotte Hornets, and two games over the Indiana Pacers, with whom they play in Indianapolis on Sunday.
To make matter worse, Dwyane Wade left the game with what is being diagnosed as a bruised left knee, when he took an awkward slip in the second quarter. His status for Saturday’s game in Detroit is unclear, which isn’t the best of news, as the Heat need all the help they can get to hold on to a playoff spot.
The Cavaliers were led by LeBron’s 23 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks, as this was clearly his best game against his former team this season. Kyrie Irving also had 23 points, while dishing out 5 assists, and 4 steals. Escapees from New York Iman Shumpert and JR Smith have found new life and hope with Cleveland, as they combined for 29 points, on 11 for 24 shooting.
Things that pleased me: Hassan Whiteside looked a bit more comfortable in his second game back from his hand injury, finishing with 17 points and 8 rebounds. He had a couple of nice dunks and alley-oops, as he was looking like his old self. Definitely a sign of encouragement.
Also with a 17 point, 8 rebound stat line was Luol Deng, who missed Tuesday’s game with an injury. He didn’t get an easy assignment in his first game back, as he was tasked in trying to cover LeBron.
James Ennis also deserves credit for stepping up when given the chance, chipping in 12 points and 5 rebounds in his 27 minutes of action.
Things that annoyed me: The defensive effort in the second half was abysmal, as the Heat were at the mercy of whatever the Cavs wanted to do. Cleveland finished the third quarter scoring on 11 of their last 14 possessions, as Miami was just over-matched. Wade’s injury didn’t help matters, but the Heat just looked slow. The Cavaliers shot 51% from the field in the half, while going 8 for 16 from downtown in the final 24 minutes.
Things that perplexed me: So early Thursday afternoon, word got out that Wade was under the weather and had missed practice. With pivotal games against the Pistons and Pacers coming up on this road trip, the thought of Wade sitting out a difficult game against the Cavs seemed logical.
But Wade felt good enough to give it a go. Then he injured his knee in the second quarter, and the air just deflated from the Heat.
Why bother even playing him? Coach Erik Spoelstra hasn’t been shy in sitting Wade (7 points in 12 minutes) for a number of reasons, so playing him after no practice in a game that was likely going to be an uphill battle while bigger games are approaching doesn’t seem like the right idea.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how badly did I want to throw a lamp because of Mario Chalmers? 7. Take the good (7 assists) with the blah (6 points, on 2 for 5 shooting), mixed in with the bad (4 turnovers) and awful (-22 on the court) and you get Chalmers’ performance on Thursday.
What we learned: Once Wade left, and Goran Dragic and Whiteside on the bench, the Heat fielded lineups against the Cavs that would have been like walking into a gun fight with a picture of a sling-shot.
But as emotional as this particular game can get for both the team and fans alike, it’s the two games coming up that mean the most to the Heat, as the Pistons and Pacers cling to hopes of sneaking into the playoffs. Now with more question marks surrounding Wade’s health, the Heat’s margin for error is veeeeeeeeery slim, as Miami clings to the eighth spot in the East thanks to its owning the tie-breaker against the Celtics. Yet lose either – or both – of these upcoming games, and the playoffs could be in jeopardy.