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Miami Heat have problems on defense
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By Jeff Zillgitt
November 11, 2010
Miami, FL — The Miami Heat's losses have a common thread. They have come against All-Star point guards: to Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics in the opener, Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets last week and Tuesday to Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz.
The end of Miami's practice Wednesday was an unusually quiet exercise in free throw shooting, coming after the loss in overtime Tuesday despite a 19-point halftime lead. But there wasn't time to mope, with Rondo and the 6-2 Celtics in town Thursday (TNT, 8 p.m. ET).
With so much focus on what the Heat will be offensively, coach Erik Spoelstra is more concerned about what they will be defensively. He watched video of the 116-114 overtime loss to the Jazz three, four times.
He knows, as does the team, that Thursday will be another test of defending an elite point guard. Rondo is shooting 47% from the field and averaging a league-leading 14.8 assists.
"This team will pick you apart if you let them and don't stick to your defensive concepts," Heat guard Dwyane Wade says. "Coming off (the Jazz loss) … you have to be more aware of what we have to do as a team defensively."
Williams finished with 21 points and 14 assists Tuesday, but 19 and 12 in the second half. Rondo had 17 assists in the opener, and Paul had 19 assists Friday.
The Heat will see plenty of pick-and-rolls with Rondo and the Celtics. Rondo is extremely effective at finding holes in the defense and using his quickness and passing to create easy shots.
Miami's Carlos Arroyo is the Heat's only true point guard in the rotation. Spoelstra has tried to slow the opposing point guard in different ways, namely using Wade and forward LeBron James to defend the point.
"I do think it's important that you do have to mix up your matchups with the great players," Spoelstra says. "If they see the steady diet of the same things, same player, same scheme over and over, they're just too good.
"So it's not that we'll be able to trick him or show him something he hasn't seen. It's just maybe enough to keep his mind stimulated so it's not the same coverage every single time."
He doesn't want to witness another a horror film, as he termed watching the Jazz loss. Nightmare on Biscayne Bay Boulevard was giving up 84 points after halftime and a career-high 46 points to forward Paul Millsap.
"It was a long film session," Spoelstra said of Wednesday's pre-practice meeting.
"It's learning how to play consistently to our identity and that's to be tough, serious and defensive-minded."
Those were three things the Heat were not against Utah in the second half.
But Spoelstra and the Heat are not in panic mode. They knew it would it be a process making everything work, and they knew it would take time.
"Are we where we want to be?" James asked.
"No, I don't think so. It's still a learning curve for us, learning each other and learning exactly what we want to be.
• NBA News Archive Index:
2010, 2009
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