In the first half against the Spurs, the Heat looked desperately lost without their star Dwyane Wade in what looked like a run away victory for San Antonio. After some halftime defensive adjustments and some spectacular three point shooting by the Miami Heat, especially Lebron James, the Heat outscored San Antonio 39-12 with three straight 3 pointers by Lebron. LBJ led the way with 33 points on 12-21 shooting and dished out 10 assists, while Bosh tallied 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Perhaps the unsung hero of South Beach was Mike Miller, who played for the first time this season after coming back from an array of injuries that have plagued him throughout his career. Miller shot lights out from the land of beyond and never missed, shooting 6-6 from the arc, husting for rebounds, and taking some key charges.
Moreover, the Heat are now 4-0 without their superstar Dwyane Wade, arguably the best shooting guard in the league, and the question remains if the Miami Heat are better without Dwyane Wade? The answer? Yes, the Heat are undoubtedly better without D. Wade and probably are better without Lebron James as well. It’s evident that when either Lebron or D. Wade is out, the superstar that is in can dominate the ball freely without having to share the basketball. This is because both Lebron and D. Wade have such similar styles of game that require having the basketball in their hands. Notice how Lebron reverted back into “Cleveland” mode during the Spurs game and shot the ball about 5 times in a row at one point. This would not happen with Wade in the game because Lebron feels as if he has to share the spotlight and get the other star into the mix.
Consequently, if the Miami Heat do not win the championship this year, look for Pat Riley to make some drastic changes on the Heat roster that could ship out one of the Big 3. Miami’s next big test comes this Thursday as they host the Los Angeles Lakers.
