If there’s one common trait that all the recent sports dynasties shared, from the Lakers a decade ago to the New England Patriots to the Joe Torre New York Yankees, it’s that they always seemed to win the close games. It didn’t matter that the Lakers were down by 15 in Game 7 against the Blazers, or that they had no business beating the Sacramento Kings, or that the Yankees needed a Derek Jeter miracle flip just to advance to the second round, or that the Pats needed a fraudulent tuck call and then an improbable field-goal to beat the Raiders in the snow. At no point in watching them did you ever think a close game wouldn’t swing their way. It’s an intangible quality that you can’t quantify with any statistic; some teams just know how to win, and that’s the one thing the Miami Heat, for all their superstars, don’t have.
James to blame for Miami’s fourth quarter woes
Once again, the Heat failed to get it done in the closing seconds of a close game. LeBron missed a layup, Wade missed a fall-away jumper, and that was that. The Heat are now 1-9 against the top teams in the NBA, 5-13 against plus-.500 teams, and (most spectacularly) are 1-16 in games that came down to the final possession. Somehow, the team with three go-to closers can’t orchestrate a last-second shot; their only win in a close situation came when Eddie House nailed a three to beat the Thunder.
Before the panic meter reaches mass hysteria, a level of perspective needs to be appreciated. The Miami Heat only have five players of consequence: the Big Three, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. Miller is still finding his legs, and Haslem hasn’t played since November. Ilgauskas, House and Bibby are decent players, but they’re utterly disposable. So until we actually see a fully-functioning Miller and a healthy Haslem on the court at the same time, let’s reserve some judgment. After all, it’s not like they’re getting blown out by the NBA elite. Aside from the shellacking the Spurs gave them on Friday, Miami’s never been out of it when they played Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston.
That being said, something has to be said for how remarkably un-clutch they are. LeBron James is having a terrific season, and his absence is the main reason the Cavaliers dropped a record 26 straight games. But if there’s one reason why he won’t be the MVP, it’s that he simply doesn’t know what to do in the final seconds when he has the ball. LeBron can do everything well, but he isn’t a great shooter, especially at the foul line, where he’s flirted with the 69-percentile a few times in his career. When the ball is inbounded to him, he doesn’t want to shoot the three because of results like the last time the Heat played the Bulls, when he threw up what would have been an air-ball if not for the backboard. And he doesn’t want to drive the ball because he lacks confidence in his ability to hit free-throws. So more often than that, James starts out with the ball but winds up giving it up if he doesn’t settle for a mid-range shot. And Wade and Bosh, as good as they are, are no more proffiecient than anyone at creating a shot attempt when they’re handed the ball with four seconds on the clock and a swarm of defenders around them.
So the Heat really have two options the rest of the way. They can A.) keep giving it to LeBron, and hope that he improves on the fly, or B.) start giving it to Wade, who’s proven in the past that he knows how to win in the clutch. LeBron has been saved from criticism in the past for looking for the open man when the game’s on the line, mostly because the guy he passed it to has tended to be wide-open, like when House hit that three against the Thunder or when Mike Miller missed what would’ve been the game-tying three against Boston. But that’s the thing: James is looking to pass. Yeah, he’s finding open guys for these last-second shots, but that’s been his preference. He wants someone else to hit the big shot, and since that someone else has more often than not been one of the two Heat not named Wade or Bosh (because they’re being closely defended), it’s no wonder why Miami is 1-16 in last-second games. How good can you be when you put your fate in the hands of Mike Bibby, Eddie House, Mike Miller and James Jones?
Either way, James has to change his mindset if the Heat are going to go anywhere. They’ve been fantastic against the dreck of the league, but when it gets to the postseason, when they’ll exclusively play good to great teams, it’s hard to see them getting to the finals. James pronounced in the offseason that the Heat could win as many as seven consecutive titles, but they’re not going to go anywhere if their best player continues to flounder in these pressure situations. It’s his team as long as he gets the ball with the game on the line, and that 1-16 record stains his reputation as the best player in the league.
