Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesNeedless to say, this has been a tumultuous season so far for the Miami Heat.The biggest problem is that this wasn't supposed to be a tumultuous season for the Miami Heat. By this time, most of us expected the Heat to already be in the double-digits in the win column.Not to be the type of team that still struggles against the elite teams of the league.Where teams like the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Hornets were originally thought to be road blocks, have now turned into numbers in the loss column.Of the Heat's New Orleans Saints jersey
eight wins, six have been by double-digit margins, with the other two wins being by nine and eight points. Two of the largest wins by the Heat this season were against two quality opponents in the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns, who were defeated by 26 and 27 points respectively.The wins could be a direct result of how each team plays offense, seeing as how the Suns and Magic both heavily rely on shots from the perimeter. Miami has established themselves as a terrific defensive team from beyond the arc, while telling another story against teams that see most of their points come from the paint.As far as losses go, two losses to the Boston Celtics is definitely disappointing. But it isn't that surprising.The Celtics have an established chemistry that far exceeds that of the Heat's and was the main reason why Miami fell both times this season against Boston. The team's other losses have been far more inexcusable, as they fell behind Memphis and New Orleans in the first quarter by double-digits and were forced to play catch-up the entire way.The loss against the Utah Jazz? It's one of the more impossible feats in the NBA to stop a player who's hot.The Heat have some problems on and off the court.Chris Bosh is rebounding as if he was a foot shorter. Coach Erik Spolestra is receiving the most abuse from the community, as bloggers and critics are already asking for his pink slip 13 games into the season.They have plenty of room to criticize the coaching and the team, as 8-5 does not exactly reach the expectations they had thought prior to the season.One of the main reasons for these early struggles has been the inconsistency that has reigned upon the team thus far. Just this past week, the Heat beat the Suns by 26, proceeded to struggle against the Charlotte Bobcats two nights after before pulling away and then lost to a Memphis Grizzlies team on the road that was in the midst of a five-game losing streak.Miami is 5-4 in November; they are 1-3 against teams with a record above .500.Miami has handled their business when it comes to lower-tier teams—aside from Memphis—but have needlessly struggled against the above-average and elite teams of the league. Aside from the game against Orlando, teams like Boston, Utah and New Orleans have all had their ways with Miami.If you notice each team and their strengths, it is clear to see why the Heat lost those games.Boston has an elite point guard, Utah has an elite point guard and size, and New Orleans has an elite point guard and size as well. The inconsistencies that the Heat have suffered from are due to the fact that teams are taking advantage of positions that the Heat have clear deficiencies at.The Celtics Rajon Rondo took advantage of Carlos Arroyo, Utah's Paul Millsap took advantage of Chris Bosh and New Orleans Emeka Okafor took advantage of Joel Anthony and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.We have seen the best and worst of New York Giants jersey
this team. We were stunned by the show they were putting on against Phoenix when they won 123-97, and we have been disappointed by their lack of intensity in their most recent loss, when they fell 97-95 to the Memphis Grizzlies.A team with three pure scorers should not be struggling against a team like Memphis or Charlotte and should be in competitive games with the likes of an elite team, instead.They can maintain these inconsistencies by running a more solid offensive system. If a team runs a half-court offense, they are usually set to have a majority of their shots be from mid-range or farther.The problem for the Heat is that there aren't many players on the roster that see most of their points come from jump shots. In fact, the two most dangerous offensive threats in Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are average to above average, at best, when it comes to shooting.While Bosh can have field days when it comes to the mid-range shot, Wade and James are slashers and see most of their offensive production come from driving and drawing fouls. Because they are limited in the half-court, they usually struggle to find an easy opportunity to score.In fact, many offensive possessions have resulted in 24-second clock violations. Most of the time, the ball is being passed along the perimeter where each player is met by multiple defenders.With two of the most athletic players in the league, you would suspect that the Heat would allow their superstars to run-and-gun while giving teams more of a shock-and-awe treatment rather than the slow-paced, methodical treatment that they are giving teams right now. If the Heat were to run a more fast-paced offense, they would not only have easier scoring chances, but they'd intimidate their opponents as well.The team does have it's fair share of problems under the glass. But it's a problem that is up to Chris Bosh to solve.With Udonis Haslem now sidelined until February, he is set to become the sole rebounder on this team. Much like Pau Gasol did in his transition from Memphis to Los Angeles, Chris could do the same from Toronto to Miami and build up a stronger mentality when it comes to rebounding.Size is hardly an issue. Kevin Garnett, who might even be skinner, has made a career out of rebounding.Bosh being pushed around by the likes of Zach Randolph and Paul Millsap is a mentality issue that only he can solve, and is not up to the coaching to completely figure out. Unless they can find some help—Erick New York Jets jersey
Dampier is still waiting—then the rebounding situation is up to Bosh to solve himself.With a few minor adjustments and tweaks to the system the Heat currently run, this bi-polar play we have seen from the team thus far will be ended. The coaching staff needs to realize that restricting two slashers from driving is the last thing you want to do.Offensive lulls have killed the Heat numerous times this season. For a team that has three players that averaged over 24 points per game last season, that should have been the last of their worries.There's still plenty of time to adjust. Why not do it now?
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