4. Chemistry
Most, if not all the players on the Miami Heat have bought into Coach Spo’s system just seven games into the season, and it’s easy to tell. From Bosh being the team’s number one option to Chalmers accepting a new role off the bench, it’s quite clear that all the players on the roster know what role they play on the team. The Heat currently have five players averaging double figure points and have topped the 20-assist mark six times this season out of seven games (19 for the other game), meaning the players are sacrificing individual numbers for the good of the team.
The same can’t be said of the Cavs. Six games into the season, and the Cavaliers are having major chemistry issues. As a shoot-first point guard, Kyrie Irving is struggling to set up his teammates and has no idea how to play off the ball. Dion Waiters is not accepting his role off the bench, and David Blatt still doesn’t know who to play at what portions of the game.
LeBron even stated himself, “It’s going to be a long process, man. There’s been a lot of losing basketball around here for a few years. So a lot of guys that are going to help us win ultimately haven’t played a lot of meaningful basketball games in our league.”
While also adding, “There’s a lot of bad habits; a lot of bad habits have been built up over the last couple of years and when you play that style of basketball it takes a lot to get it up out of you.” In other words, it’s going to take a lot of time for this team to start gelling and building their chemistry where they want it to be.
Compared to the Heat, the Cavaliers have only topped the 20-assist mark three times this season, with their season low (6) coming against the Utah Jazz.
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