Take a Seat



A must win game for the Miami Heat

again ended the same way it had the

previous four, a loss. The Heat,

(43-21), are third in the Eastern

Conference, and would face the New

York Knicks in the first round of

the playoffs, if the season had ended

today. The difference between the third

seed, and the very close second seed, is

first round opponents. The second seed

would face the Philadelphia 76ixers,

opposed to the Knicks. Yet only one

game separates the 76ixers and the

Knicks, star power is what sets

them apart. Carmelo Anthony,

Amare Stoudemire, and

Chauncy Billups; two of the

greatest scorers in the league,

along with a NBA  Finals MVP,

and much experience. A team

that should be feared in April.

The Miami Heat, who have

lost five straight games, and six

of their last seven, act as if they

don't know what the reason is

for their struggles. Everything

that's wrong is right in front of

them, whether it is Bosh's 

inconsistency, lousy bench

production, late game fails,

or just poor coaching, it's

there, and they aren't improving

at all. At least, they aren't

showing it. The biggest reason

for the Heat's downfall, is their

bench. Tuesday night, they

scored only eight points, which is

two points more than sunday night

against the Bulls. In two games,

the Heat's bench scored just

fourteen points. That's as much as

Dwyane Wade scored in the fourth

quarter of tuesday night's game.

Mike Miller, the guy who gets

the most minutes of the bench,

and is relatively their six man,

has not been producing at all.

He continues to miss the

outside shot, which is supposed

to be his favorite. He turns the

ball over, and commits unneeded

fouls. When he starts to make his

shots, the Heat will be able to

spread the court, and open it up

for Wade and James.

Tuesday night, Miami received almost

no production from their frontcourt.

From their four bigman, just nine points.

C. Bosh - 40 Minutes, 3-11, 7 Points.

E. Dampier - 12 Minutes, 1-2, 2 Points.

J. Anthony - 13 Minutes, 0-0, 0 Points.

Z. Ilgauskas - 3 Minutes, 0-0, 0 Points

So no points? You would think,

"They're big men, they get rebounds."

Well, the two top rebounders were,

Lebron James, and Dwyane Wade.

L. James - 11 Rebounds

D. Wade - 6 Rebounds

C. Bosh - 4 Rebounds

E. Dampier - 2 Rebounds

J. Anthony - 2 Rebounds

Z. Ilgauskas - 0 Rebounds

As of now, Lebron, and Dwyane, are the only ones doing

pretty much anything. They lead in points, rebounds, and

assists.

A guy who should get a lot more credit, is Mario Chalmers.

He really has become the three point shooter for the Heat.

Defense is not his downfall either, he plays aggresive, and

stays with his player.

Another guy who needs more playing

time is James Jones. He does need help in the

defense end of the game, but his shooting is

great. He could spread the floor and

do what Mike Miller can't, as of now.

All the Miami Heat need to do,

is get back to their rhythm. Get their

rotation back, with more Eddie

House, and James Jones, and less

Mike Miller, even it out. When it

comes down to late game situations,

the ball should be in Wade's hands.

Thursday, the Heat, and their five

game losing streak take on the Lakers,

 and their eight game winning streak.

This will be a good time to turn

things around and makea statement.