Despite four MVP seasons and a marvelous 48 point game (with 25 of 26 of his team's final points) against the Pistons in the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron's ability to show up in big games has been put into question. Whether it was a disappearing act in his last season with Cleveland against the Celtics or his hairline, LeBron James has been constantly under the magnification of scrutiny ever since his announcement to play in South Beach, where the Heat find themselves down one game to the San Antonio Spurs. While Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade have provided some help in Game 1, who is to blame for the Heat?
Calm down, LeBron nuthuggers. The King is not at fault here. As predicted in my NBA Finals preview, It is Erik Spoelstra, who is clearly outmatched by the legend himself, Gregg Popovich. While Spoelstra has led his team to the best record in the NBA in the regular season, a seven-game series may prove my theory. Popovich relies on Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan to run his offense, while maximizing the talents of his role players. These are some things that the Heat will have looked at in their game film and more than likely will make adjustments for Game 2.
1) No Off Ball Movement --> BAD SHOTS
According to BballBreakdown, the Heat ran their "5 Out" offense 35% of their half-court sets, earning a respectable 1.03 points per possession. In the last nine possessions of the game, however, they had no field goals, with only five free throws to show for it. Let's compare how the team's offenses look when there is ball movement.
According to BballBreakdown, the Heat ran their "5 Out" offense 35% of their half-court sets, earning a respectable 1.03 points per possession. In the last nine possessions of the game, however, they had no field goals, with only five free throws to show for it. Let's compare how the team's offenses look when there is ball movement.
Now let's look at the Spurs, who noticeable do not just stand around and wait for plays to come to them.
2) Lebron Must Dominate the Post!
LeBron's number was called only nine times during Game 1 to post up Kahwi Leonard; this is a matchup that needs to be exploited. Leonard is a good player and defender, but there is no way he can stop LeBron, who outweighs him by 25 pounds. Look for LeBron to get the ball closer to the block in Game 2, rather than 20 feet out and taking significantly lower percentage jumpshots. Below is LeBron's shot chart in the past 30 days. If he has such a significant skill and physical advantage on Leonard, look for LeBron to expose it.
There are three people at fault in this play, and I'll rank them in order of who should be blamed.
#1 -- Spoelstra -- Why are you not screaming at Bosh to stop shooting 3's? For his career, he is only 28.8% from behind the line. Sure he's been shooting 42.9% during the playoffs, but when you're down 4 with one minute to go, I would rather settle for a better percentage shot.
#2 -- Bosh -- Yeah, I don't even want to talk about you. You are absolute trash. I hope Lil Wayne had fun with your wife.
#3 -- LeBron -- You are the point guard of your team, and you should decide who takes the big shots. Yeah, your stat line looks nice and all with your loaded triple double, but you are THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NBA, TAKE THAT SHOT. Heat nation and the rest of your team surely cannot blame you for taking a shot with your credentials, but to dish it out to Chris Bosh for 3?! Inconceivable.
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 THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE PASSIVE! PREDICTION: LeBron and company will make the necessary adjustments and take Game 2. LeBron's statline: 34 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists. The Bayless Babbles is a sports blog is authored by UC Merced and USC alumni Justin Cheng.  For more about the author and the blog (Click Here) Email: baylessbabbles@gmail.com Follow The Bayless Babbles on Twitter (@BaylessBabbles) Like & Share the articles on Facebook. Do one of these! Thanks! |
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