Posts Tagged ‘Miami Heat’

Chris Bosh Has Found His Place With The Heat

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

Coming off of a 34 point performance last night in a 96-85 win over the Chicago Bulls in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals, it’s pretty obvious to me that Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh is playing with confidence and has found his place on this team.  Early in the season, Bosh looked lost, passive, and out of place on the floor.  He was often criticized for his timid play and lack of rebounding.  Playing in Toronto, most people hadn’t really seen him play much unless you are a big fan of hoops and had the NBA League Pass.

Bosh was used to being the man for the Raptors, having the offense run through him and everyone else playing off him.  While he averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds per game and made six All-Star performances, he’d never won a playoff series and he never was a legit superstar player.  A player like Lebron James or a Derrick Rose type, who has enough talent to carry a team to high places with fair talent around them.  There were plenty of basketball fans that thought Bosh was that kind of player but he wasn’t, and hasn’t been that kind of guy.

Now, playing with two legit superstars who have the ball in their hands the majority of the time, Bosh had a rough time early in the season finding his role on the team.  The injury to Udonis Haslem made things even worse for him, as the team needed him to play a more physical role, similar to what Haslem would play.  The Heat struggled with chemistry and Chris was one of the [main] culprits.

As the season progressed, Bosh and the Miami Heat have gotten better on the offensive end of the court.  The Heat use him in pick & roll situations, which fits his game perfectly as he has one of the best mid-range jumpshots in basketball (big man or not).  He also has been playing well, finishing off passes from James and Wade and hitting the offensive glass.  In the three games against the Bulls, he’s averaging 25 ppg and grabbing 7 rpg as well.  You can see the confidence that he lacked during the season as each playoff game goes by.

Finally, I’ve never been the biggest Chris Bosh fan and after the WWE type celebration he, Lebron, and Wade partook in [after signing], it made me dislike him even more.  Add in the fact that he’s a fake tough guy and it irks me when he scowls and yells on the court, but I have to admit that he is playing well and will be one of the key reasons the Heat win it all this season.

Brandon Pemberton, Blogger for War Room Sports

What Have You Done For Me In The Last 5 Minutes?

Friday, May 20th, 2011

By Devin McMillan

Stop Flip-Flopping

I need to address the “quick to judgment” nature of the society we live in…and though this notion applies to MANY aspects of our everyday lives, I’ll keep it in sports.  Why is it that every night in sports makes the general public forget about the night before?  For instance, why do we (and when I say “we”, I mean YOU)…why do we jump to conclusions after every single game we watch?  For instance, the whole world castigated the Chicago Bulls for their struggles in both the Indiana and Atlanta series’ while concurrently lauding the Miami Heat for the efficient manner in which they dispatched the 76ers and Boston Celtics.

Then, after Game 1 of the Heat-Bulls series, everyone now wondered how the Miami Heat could ever possibly match up with the juggernaut, 85 Chicago BEARS-like defense of the Chicago Bulls.  Heat “wagoneers” were quiet, Bulls fans were crowing, the world was in immediate disarray.  I even heard several “experts” hinting that the series might be over after Game 1 and after the first quarter of Game 2, they were almost completely convinced.

Then the other 3 quarters were played (like they usually are in a basketball game).  The Bulls couldn’t score on the Heat’s stalwart defense, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller made significant appearances, Dwyane Wade was…Dwyane Wade, Lebron James scored a few clutch buckets, and the Miami Heat successfully snatched back control of the series by winning a game on Chicago’s home court.  The world was again turned upside down.  All I heard the day after Game 2 were Heat “wagoneers”…excuse me… Lebron protective cup holders…speak tales of legend in lure of their King.  I heard the SAME “experts” who had so adamantly proclaimed the day before that the series was over, now questioning the Bulls’ chances of winning the series.  Didn’t we just crown them Eastern Conference Champions after the prior game…GAME ONE?  On top of all that, I didn’t hear from any Bulls fans all damn day after Game 2.

So for all of YOU PEOPLE who flip-flop with the wind, IT’S A SEVEN GAME SERIES and it’s tied up at ONE!  Please folks, let’s allow it to play out and let’s refrain from making new CONCLUSIVE judgments after every single game…after every single quarter…after every single bucket.  Fans, “stans”, die-hards, and shameless wagon jumpers alike; try to see a bigger picture and stop basing your “moxy”, your fear, your sports knowledge, and anything else you have going on in those little brains, on one game.  Shut up and let them play PLEASE!

Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports

Game 2 Heat at Bulls: A Must Win for the Heat?

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

One of Taj Gibson's TWO highlight reel dunks in Game 1

The Miami Heat came out flat in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls and the play along with the final score showed.  Lebron James (15 points, 5-15 from the field) and Dwyane Wade (18 points 7-17 from the field) were flat out brutal, while Chris Bosh carried the team with 30 points and 9 rebounds.  When I watched James after the game 7 win against the Celtics on the ground resembling a player who had just won an NBA title, I thought to myself, “he is acting like the season is over and they’ve won it all”.  And he and his team’s play was a disgrace on Sunday night.

Yeah we all noticed that James and Wade played badly, but there was plenty of blame to go around.  The Bulls were the more physical team on both ends of the court and the Heat allowed Chicago to grab 19 offensive rebounds, which lead to 31 second chance points.  The Bulls also forced the Heat into 16 turnovers and held them to only 10 fast-break points.

The Bulls’ bench clearly outplayed Miami’s, outscoring them 28-15, providing solid defense and mistake-free basketball.  Taj Gibson scored 9 points off the bench, including two highlight reel dunks, one of them on Dwyane Wade.  Ronnie Brewer gave the Bulls some good minutes, drawing the assignments of James and Wade.

Look, I know it’s a seven game series and all, but the last thing you want to do is go down 2-0 and leave yourself in a spot where you have to win four out of the next five games.  I expect Lebron and D-Wade both to come out more aggressive and assertive, looking to go to the rack more and get the Bulls into foul trouble. There were too many occasions where they settled for jump shots instead of putting pressure on the defense by driving the ball.  It would help if the Heat could get some scoring from the bench, but at this point I don’t know if it’s really possible.  Mike Bibby, Mario Chalmers, and James Jones would help out greatly if they can hit the open shots available to them.

I’m looking at the Vegas line on this game and it has the Bulls (-2) as the home favorite.  That’s a Miami line if you ask me so I will take the Heat minus the 2 to cover and win the game.  If they don’t…they are screwed and the Lebron hate will be all over the place.

Brandon Pemberton, Writer for War Room Sports

The Miami Heat Are Officially a Problem: How Does It Feel?

Monday, May 16th, 2011

By Roy Burton

 

This one is for the haters.

For the people who hate LeBron James, despite the fact that he’s one of the best basketball players that you’ve ever seen.  For those who hate Dwyane Wade, who is pretty much just guilty by association at this point.  And even for those who hate Chris Bosh, who swears he’s tough, but in reality comes across as a man who – as Ghostface Killah would say – is softer than baby thighs.

For whatever reason, you may not like Miami’s “Big 3”, and you have every right to do so.  But deep down inside, tucked away in one of those places that you don’t want to talk about, you know the truth.

The Miami Heat are officially a problem.

To all of the haters, doubters and naysayers out there: How does it feel?

How does it feel to know that they’ve finally figured it out?  It took far longer than they (and some of us) expected, despite what they may have said at various points during the season.

But you can’t deny that they’ve turned it up another level this postseason, especially during their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics. 

A team that was routinely criticized as not being clutch came through when they needed to, outscoring the Celtics 55-31 during the 4th quarter and overtime periods of the final two games of the series.

The Miami Heat weren’t passed the torch of Eastern Conference supremacy last week – they ripped it from the Celtics’ old, dead hands.

Most of you don’t want to admit it. Maybe you still have some lingering resentment over “The Decision” (sponsored by Vitamin Water).

We can all agree that it was a poorly managed affair, spearheaded in part by Maverick Carter, who appears to have learned everything he knows about sports management from watching the first two seasons of “Arli$$” on DVD.

But who can blame LeBron for jumping at the chance to go to Miami? As a 26-year-old man, he gets paid an obscene amount of money to work with his friends during the day, and spend his down time enjoying the pleasures of South Beach.  If that’s not the American Dream, then it’s pretty darn close.

That being said, the situation this summer could have been handled better.  10 months later, James realized the error of his ways and apologized for the debacle that was “The Decision” (sponsored by Vitamin Water).  By that time, Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert was done penning missives in Comic Sans font, and busy sifting through the wreckage of a 19-63 season.

Perhaps you’re one of those still upset at the welcoming party/concert announcing the formation of the so-called “3 Kings.”  Shortly after signing the contracts that made their partnership official, James and Wade and Bosh proceeded to pose and preen and peacock their way through the American Airlines arena as they were greeted like rock stars by thousands of adoring Heat fans.

After the laser show ended and the last of the confetti fell from the ceiling, LeBron James made his now infamous “not one, not two, not three…” championship boast, predicting untold success for his new team.

Cocky?  Maybe a little.  But if their recent success is any indication, James might not have been too far off. 

And that bothers you.

It bothers you because your favorite squad probably can’t go the “superteam” route.  I’ve since reconciled the fact that barring an Act of God, my team of choice – the Philadelphia 76ers – can’t come close to a title in the foreseeable future.  I’ve accepted the Sixers’ place in the hierarchy of the NBA and have since moved on.

It might be hard for some people to come to grips with, but the reality is this: for the next few years, the fate of the Eastern Conference – and perhaps the entire NBA – lies in the hands of the Miami Heat.

Back in March, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra mentioned that a couple of his players were crying after the team lost its fourth game in a row.

It’s likely that this summer – and for several summers to come – there will be tears shed in the Miami locker room for an entirely different reason. This time, those tears will be dried with a T-shirt declaring the Miami Heat as the champions of the NBA.

Be mad.

***************

Roy Burton of The Broad Street Line, for War Room Sports

Roy Burton is one of the hosts of “The Broad Street Line”, a weekly sports podcast on Blog Talk Radio (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/broadstreet).  He also serves as a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and is a contributing writer for several other websites as well.  You can follow him on Twitter at @thebsline.

“He’s the best player in the world, and he may not even be the best player on his team!”
– Dan LeBatard on LeBron James

 

Lebron Scores 10 Straight to Close Out the Celtics: Is That Clutch Enough for You?

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

All throughout the regular season, people have questioned the Miami Heat’s ability to close out games and they had a legitimate case.  At one point during the season the Heat had one of the bottom 5 records in the league in games decided by five points or less.  Countless times they were unable to hold leads in the fourth quarter and down the stretch most of the shots were taken by Lebron James.

When the Heat decided to bring the trio of Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh together, everyone fed into the instant hype and said they would threaten the Bulls 72-win season from the 95-96 campaign.  I knew they had talent but it would take time to mesh and I really didn’t like their bench on paper.  They had a problem early in the season winning games against the top teams in the league and even had a moment after a tough loss where Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said “there were plenty of emotions in the locker room, and some crying”.

Well it’s the playoffs and they are playing their best basketball at the right time and have won their first two rounds of the playoffs each in five games.  D-Wade has taken his fair share of shots down the stretch and has closed games, and James has made some timely shots to close games as well.  At this point of the season the Heat clearly have it figured out and with the Lakers knocked out of the playoffs, Miami is the clear favorite to win the whole thing, in my eyes.

In games four and five, Lebron James hit shots in the clutch that finished the Celtics off.  In game four, Lebron scored 11 straight points for his team to send the game into overtime.  And in the series clinching game five with the scored tied at 87-87 with 2:33 left to play, James scored his team’s final ten points and sent Boston home for the summer.

Lebron James and the Heat are now four games away from playing in the NBA Finals and four more away from hanging a banner in the rafters.  There is plenty of Lebron and Heat hate going around, but Ray Charles could see that they are clearly the favorite to win it all and the excellent play of Lebron James is the reason why.  People, put the hate to the side and just watch this man play.  Prospectively, there is nothing he can’t do on the court and it’s not hard for me to say that he is now the best player in the league.

Brandon Pemberton, Blogger for War Room Sports

Not everyone dislikes the NBA trend of “Superteaming”

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

The Newest Episode Of The War Room

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Listen to internet radio with The War Room on Blog Talk Radio

NBAbsence

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

"The Heatles"

People ask me why I hate the NBA and this is what I tell them… “Because the NBA is filled with a bunch of self-absorbed prima-donnas who should be on reality TV shows instead of a basketball court.”  I have become very intolerant of the NBA lately, since all I ever hear about now is what he said or what he said.  It’s funny that the NBA seems like nothing but little boys trying to play men.  All of this melodrama (no pun intended) takes away from the game itself.  Since basketball started this season, I haven’t heard anything related to actual basketball over the radio waves.

The NBA has been reduced to highlights and soap operas that play out every day on radio or TV.  We have “Crygate”, “The Heatles”, Carmelo and Amare, Phil Jackson and Stan Van Gundy’s mouths, etc.  I have basically tuned out of my radio stations and sports shows until baseball comes along.  I can’t deal with the dribble that is the NBA.

Stephanie C. Curry, Guest Blogger for War Room Sports

How Lebron James can improve his game!

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

The Overuse of the Words “Hater” and “Hating” in Sports

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

Stop "hating" on Lebron

The other day, at the end of the school day, a few of my students had engaged in a conversation about basketball while preparing for dismissal.  The conversation quickly turned to the Miami Heat and Lebron James.  Several of the students began to praise Lebron James, “he’s the best player in league,” “he’s unstoppable,” etc.  The normal banter one would expect to hear from middle school aged children.  One student, while agreeing with the others, made the following statement about Lebron, “man, for as big as Lebron is, I wish he would post up more.”  I thought this statement was an accurate observation for an 11 year old to make.  However, this statement was quickly shot down by his peers and the student was called a “Lebron James hater”.  Was this student’s comment one based in hate?…Or just an observation he made about one of his favorite players’ ability, or lack thereof, to post up another player.  Yet he was quickly labeled as a “hater” by his peers.  These types of conversations happen on a daily basis in barbershops, in classrooms, in sports bars, and on social networking websites, just to name a few.  Hence, people making logical observations and expressing their opinion of an athlete’s ability on the court, field, etc that go against the “norm” are quickly labeled as “haters” in an attempt to dismiss the validity of his or her comment/statement.

The term “hater” is commonly used by individuals in an attempt to discredit anyone who criticizes him or her or displays displeasure in his or her actions or abilities.  Using this term appears to be the “trendy” thing to do in our society these days to discredit someone’s opinion, by saying he or she is “hater” or that they are “hating.”  Using this term seems to quickly dismiss the persons comments as jealousy, however, calling he or she a “hater” is not a very strong argument and holds about as much weight, in my opinion, as someone saying, “I know what you are but what am I”.  I refer to the use of the word “hater” as a form of “superstar athlete protectionism”.

In sports, if you notice, certain athletes appear to be above criticism, like Lebron James, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Sidney Crosby, Alex Rodriquez, Kobe Bryant, etc, rather it is the way the media portrays these athletes as players “above the game” in their respective sports.  It also appears that the casual fan perceives them to also be these “bigger than life” figures that are above criticism.  Even to the extent that they ignore certain players’ shortcomings on the field, court, etc and if someone else brings up these short comings.  For example, if I say “man Ryan Howard struggles with hitting a curve ball”, the casual fan will just respond, “what, your just a Ryan Howard hater”.  However, the same protection is not allotted to a lower status athlete such as Andre Iguodala.  For example, if you say “man Iggy plays soft or has no jump shot”, no one will respond with “you’re an Iggy hater”, yet if you say the same thing about a Lebron James, legitimate criticism, you are automatically labeled a James hater.

The really sad part is that some knowledgeable sports fans are guilty of the same behavior, discrediting other sports fans’ arguments when he or she believes the debate is not going his or her way, by labeling the other person as a hater.  In summary, I often refer to the words of one of my all-time favorite rappers, Common, who said “just because I don’t like it, that don’t mean that I’m hating”.  Using the terms “hater” and “hating” is a poor and easy defense against anyone in a sports debate who makes an observation or gives his or her opinion about an athlete’s shortcomings or poor performance, and the minute you resort to using these terms, your sports IQ drops 50 points in my opinion.

Nairann Merceir, Philly/Fantasy Sports Contributor to The War Room, and guest blogger for War Room Sports