Coach: Minor Miami Tweaks
Each week, HOOPSWORLD NBA analyst and coach Anthony Macri opens his notebook and offers an assortment of observations on games, players, and teams from throughout the league. Coach Macri serves as a player development consultant for the Pro Training Center and Coach David Thorpe, working with a variety of NBA players on their skills and game understanding. The Coach’s Notebook appears on HOOPSWORLD every Thursday.
What Would Dallas Do?
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Game 1 of the 2011 NBA Finals came to an end, and, if you listened to some, it felt as if the Finals were already over. Dallas had no shot in this series, Miami was entirely too good, and the result was a forgone conclusion.
Now, heading into a “pivotal” Game 5, many of the same people who championed the invincibility of the Heat are now questioning the heart / talent / mindset / greatness of LeBron James. Instead of asking what is wrong with LeBron James, a more cogent and appropriate question ask what is wrong with us.
All the things helping the Dallas Mavericks persevere in this Finals are lost on everyone who willingly (wantingly?) travels the ups and downs of public opinion. The steadiness and unflappability of Dallas is remarkable – they neither seem too high after success, nor too low during a rough patch – and that is the kind of mental resolve escaping Miami (team, coaches, and fans). The Mavericks have discovered the great secret: the NBA Playoffs are a novel, not a short story, and they play the game like there are more chapters to write.
For LeBron James and the HEAT, though, things are decidedly different. The public “eye of Sauron” is constantly shifting its gaze, beyond simple expectations and specifically seeking out the extremes. Did James play his best in Game 4? No. However, it was also nowhere near as bad as described (listless, horrendous, disengaged, etc.). And, even if one subscribes to the notion it was those things, the proper way for the HEAT to respond is to put it aside, to think of it as a statistical anomaly, and move forward toward the next chapter (isn’t that what Dallas would do?).
The ability to find calm in a storm is a great mark of championship level competition. How well the HEAT (and specifically LeBron) avoid hyperbole and embrace steady moderation will be my focus in Game 5. In the end the HEAT’s - and LeBron’s - goal will be to concentrate on the process of playing well, and not on the result (individual statistics or the perception of his play).
Miami needs to approach fourth quarters the way Dallas already does: by chunking it up. The Mavericks break the twelve-minute final period into four different segments, each about three minutes long. Their goal is to win the individual segments – to focus on playing well – and then to let the larger picture take care of itself. This is the value of championship-level experience, a lesson Dallas has learned from being on the short end the last few years. For Miami (and LeBron), school is in session on this lesson now – will they be able to implement what they have learned in these last few games?
Two small adjustments for Miami
As they prepare for Game 5, it seems likely Miami will tinker a little with ways to get LeBron more involved, if for no other reason than to calm the unsilent majority. Two simple ways to achieve this goal (and, quite frankly, improve Miami’s offensive flow) are things they have done at times throughout the season, but tend to leave by the wayside when they experience too much (or too little) success.
{AUTHOR_BOX}First, the HEAT need to get LeBron more touches on the move. Whether that means running him off backscreens toward the ball or having him perform more circle-behinds on penetration from Dwyane Wade and company, LeBron should be looking to catch the ball while moving in an identified direction. This kind of action hinders effective double-teams and defensive help, and it takes full advantage of James’ biggest asset: his overwhelming combination of size and athleticism. Two easy plays to establish this mindset early: Miami’s first set could be a UCLA cut for James off a backcreen from Chris Bosh at the elbow, and their second play could be a slice through on a Wade post-up. These are easy actions, and they simply open his mind to finding more plays like this throughout their offense.
Also, maybe counterintuitive to that point, HEAT coach Erik Spoelstra needs to return to using LeBron James as a screener (both on and off the ball – this was a part of their attack throughout the year). The true value of screening action comes from forcing a defender to make a decision: do they stay home, or do they provide help to their teammate? Using LeBron in the action where he is setting the screen instead of using it may seem to contradict my previous point (constantly looking to be on the move), however, it gives Miami a great shot at stretching Dallas’ defense and finding open shots. Defenders must account for the player coming off the screen – and, if the screener is as talented, multi-dimensional, and physically freakish as James, using him for screening actions makes it even harder to guard. Think Paul Pierce and Ray Allen as screeners in the Celtics’ devastating halfcourt offense. Again, two easy plays would include using James to pindown screen for Wade on the wing, and then having him reverse seal to post up. Another would be a James ballscreen for Wade followed by a backscreen from Bosh – I am not even sure how to defend such an attack.
Finding ways to engage LeBron James more fully in the overall Miami attack, without drastic overhaul, will be an important thing to watch in Game 5 and throughout this now “Best of Three” Finals.
Have questions for Coach Macri? Be sure and drop by HOOPSWORLD on Mondays at 2PM Eastern for the Coach’s weekly basketball chat! You can also follow Coach Macri on Twitter @CoachMacri.
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