America loves drama. We love the spectacle of last minute heroics. Think of great sports’ moments and events like The Catch, any of Michael Jordan’s game winners, and even Landon Donovan’s stoppage time goal to beat Algeria last summer will come to mind. Reggie Miller became famous because of his ability to nail the shot in winning time (ESPN 30 for 30 pun intended) virtually against one team. Analysts will argue Ben Roethlisberger is a better quarterback than Dan Marino because of his crunch time performances. So when the Miami Heat can’t perform under the clutch, their team is going to become scrutinized by the media, but only because they want all the attention on themselves.
Of course they’re going too far in saying the Miami Heat aren’t viable in the 2011 playoffs because everyone knows they are one of the best teams in basketball. However, it is a problem when your team has the worst field goal percentage (1-16) in the last 10 seconds of a game to either win or tie. Some Heat fans may argue that it’s only the regular season so it’s not indicative of the production in the postseason, but hitting a shot with 10 seconds left has nothing to do with regular season vs. postseason effort. It shouldn’t require any more effort or a presence of the moment for a player to do something he is paid millions of dollars to do and something he’s been doing for his entire life. Maybe it’s a problem that Michael Jordan was so good at claiming last second victories. There’s now an unfair expectation for every self-proclaimed superstar to perform under the pressure; if they don’t, they’re seen as less of a player. That being said, the NBA has rapidly become a win-in-the-last minute league and if a team can’t keep pace, then they will fall from the top. Maybe a little unfair but what, are you going to go cry about it. Oh wait…
Crygate or better known as the media’s inability to name controversies without adding gate to the end of it. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had one of the ultimate sports faux pas and told the media that “a couple of guys were crying after in the locker room after tonight’s loss.”
Now, every sports league is laughing at the Miami Heat and Lebron James and Dwayne Wade are attempting to defend their coach. It’s a joke. No crying in the regular season. Possibly if there’s a last second improbable loss in Game 7 of the NBA Finals but that’s it. The only man on the Heat team being genuine about their recent losing streak is Dwayne Wade in saying, “I don’t expect any sympathy from anyone. Media, fans, players…”
How can he? How can a team (read two and a half superstars) hold a pep rally with fireworks, a marching band, and dancers and proclaim they are going to win“five, six, seven, eight championships” and not expect other teams to play them hard each game? Why brag about selling out every away game and then question why the respective teams’ fans are taking shots at the Miami Heat any chance they get? What is there to gain when you call for “The Decision” to build media hype but only have that same media scrutinize every move, every game you play? The Heat wanted all of this, remember?
How about instead of dealing with the extracurricular activities that come with playing in the NBA, the Heat address the problems they are having on the court? Like, James’ and Wade’s inability to drive to the net against good teams because they ensure their defense forces James and Wade to beat them with their jump shot outside the paint. Teams recognize how uncomfortable James and Wade are with their jump shot, especially outside the three point range considering they are both below average three point shooters, so they use it to their advantage. Maybe they should consider their obvious lack of a big man down low, and how teams can focus more defenders forcing the outside shots by James and Wade. Is Chris Bosh the answer? Only if he receives the ball inside the paint, instead of expecting him to post up every time outside the paint which has generally resulted in him shooting an awkward fade away shot. Their supposed sharpshooters (Mike Miller, Eddie House, James Jones) that were key players on their previous teams can’t make a single shot but how can they provide any significant contribution when they play less than 10 minutes a game, if at all. Eddie House didn’t even play against the Portland Trail Blazers last night based on Erik Spoelstra’s decision.
The biggest question of all, is why the best shooters on the Heat are consistently on the bench when they need three point shots the most. Eddie House hit the three that won the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in late January. Why is he not even playing? Because Mike Miller missed an open three against the Lakers last month, is he not capable of handling the big moment? Is Chris Bosh really the right guy to shoot the three against the Orlando Magic? I don’t know, these are questions that Head Coach Erik Spoelstra has to answer. Maybe he believes that the Big Three are the only ones capable of handling the drama of late game heroics. Because really that’s all sports boils down to sometimes, drama. Be it comments, crying, Winning Time, clutch time performers; sports is fed by the drama of the moment. That’s why we watch, not for the intricate defenses or the blowout wins, but for living in the drama of the moment only sports can provide.
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