Game, Set....Loss?

The Heat Lead the Division Once Again, But They Aren’t Invulnerable

By Kyle Basedow

As the clock wound down on the clock during Saturday’s game between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat, the look on Eric Spoelstra’s face said it all.

“Not again.”

In only the second game of the season, one game after dominating the Boston Celtics in a 120-107 win, the Heat got held to 84 points by the Knicks. The KNICKS. The same Knicks who let up 94.7 points per game last season although through three games this year they’ve only given up a league low 85.3 points per game.

The Knicks dominated the Heat, who almost looked like they were playing a step behind the whole game. As good as they looked in the opener, they looked like a mediocre team in their second game.

None of the Big Three had a good game, with only LeBron James getting above 20 points. James finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and three blocks in addition to 5 turnovers. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh finished with 27 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, and 7 turnovers combined. Bottom line: They needed to play better.

Chris Bosh responded in the Heat’s next game against the Denver Nuggets, exploding for 40 points, his most in a Heat uniform. Ray Allen also chipped in with his late game heroics, taking a pass from James and hitting a corner three while getting attacked by Corey Brewer of the Nuggets. Dwayne Wade and LeBron James played better too, with James one rebound short of a triple-double (20 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds). Still, had it not been for Allen hitting the game winning shot with seven seconds left, the Heat might have lost or gone into overtime.

The Heat then reverted back to their dominating ways against the Phoenix Suns, winning 124-99. They came out hot and stayed hot the whole time, out-scoring the Suns in every quarter.

Regardless of how they played the past two games, the game against the Knicks proved one very important thing: The Miami Heat are not unbeatable. They are vulnerable down low and are having some issues hanging onto the ball. They’re a very good team that needs to start playing that way, otherwise teams like the Knicks will move in and start to assert dominance in the Eastern Conference.

Either way, the Heat need to gear up for the long haul or else they could lose their place as the NBA’s best team.