Miami Needs to Step up on “D” against Dallas
Many other talking points receive far more attention, such as the psychoanalysis of LeBron James that has and will continue to dominate the discussion. However, although LeBron’s inability to score down the stretch continues to control the radio airwaves and internet message boards, it can be argued that it was Miami’s defense was the primary culprit in MIA’s collapse. The HEAT’s “D” (or lack thereof) let them down in Game 5, and it was their defense that disappointed in crunch time in Games 2 and 4 as well.
All season long, while the offensive exploits of the Big 3 often generated most headlines, it was their defense that became their calling card. Miami’s suffocating “D” became a weapon they relied on as they attempted to somehow incorporate Wade, LeBron, and Bosh into an offensive flow. Under the directive of Spoelstra and Riley, the HEAT hung their hat on their ability to lock down any opponent at any time. “Defense wins championships,” the old cliché teaches us. Well, Miami bought in.
During the regular season, Miami was undeniably an elite defensive team. They finished second in the NBA in FG% against (43.4%), while allowing only 94.6 ppg, despite playing at a relatively fast pace (Miami averaged 102 ppg).
Examining the advanced metrics, Miami finished the 2010-2011 regular season fifth in overall Defensive Efficiency (100.7 DefEff – per hoopdata.com) and first in Off/Def Efficiency Differential (+8.55). Miami was also ranked third in eFG% against.
Once the playoffs rolled around, Miami ratcheted up that tight defense even further.
Through Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the HEAT had played a total 19 postseason contests. Of those 19 games, only once had they allowed more than 97 points. On average, they were allowing fewer than 89 points per game, and holding opponents to a field goal percentage that hovered below 42%.
In the final four games of Eastern Conference Finals, the HEAT were absolutely dominant defensively, holding the Bulls to just 83 ppg during that span, as LeBron locked up league MVP Derrick Rose.
Early on against the far more offensively-potent Dallas Mavericks, the HEAT’s defense rose to the challenge yet again. However, late in Game 2, with their season potentially hanging in the balance the Mavs offense exploded – closing out the game on a 22-5 run. This would become a troubling trend…
{AUTHOR_BOX}Then in Game 5, with Wade dinged up and LeBron unable to find his flow, Miami needed its defense like never before. Instead, Dallas delivered and the HEAT had no answer. Dallas converted from all over the floor. Miami’s normally stifling defense was left defenseless.
When the final buzzer sounded, Mavs had hung 112 on Miami. The last time the HEAT had given up more than 110 points in a game was back on March 27th.
This stat, courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau, sums it up well: “The Mavericks made 56.5 percent of their field goals (39 of 69), including 68.4 percent of their three-point attempts (13 of 19), in their win over the Heat on Thursday. Only two other teams have had a field-goal percentage and a three-point percentage as high as Dallas’s in an NBA Finals game. In Game 1 in 1985 Boston made 60.8% (62 for 102) and 77.8% (7 of 9) of shots and threes, respectively against the Lakers. In Game 2 in 1987 Los Angeles returned the favor, making 61.5% (56 of 91) and 75.0% (6 of 8) against Boston.
Dallas hadn’t posted such high percentages in each category in any game, in the regular-season or postseason, since Feb. 17, 1990 against the Magic (57.6 FG pct., 71.4 3PT pct).”
However, Miami still had an opportunity to win the game late in the fourth quarter. They came charging back and actually took a three-point lead with 3:38 remaining in the final stanza. Yet, Dallas finished off Miami with an 11-1 run to seal the deal. As noted earlier, it was the continuation of a problem that had plagued Miami since Game 2. As Jeff Fogle of Hoopdata.com detailed this morning, Dallas is outscoring Miami 60-26 over the final six minutes of Games 2 through 5. As the article explains, 60-26 is “the score of the 24-minute composite representing the last six minutes…of the last four games in the NBA Finals. The equivalent of “one half” of a basketball game, but spread out over THE MOST IMPORTANT MINUTES of four different encounters.”
The series certainly isn’t over, as the HEAT have a chance to salvage their season at home on Sunday. However, in order to do so, they will undoubtedly need a premium effort on the defensive end of the floor.
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