Top Ways For The Heat To Turn Their Season Around
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It's been a very tough season for the Miami Heat so far. After Wednesday's loss to the lowly Timberwolves, Miami is now barely hanging on to a playoff spot. They are currently holding the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race, leading ninth place Brooklyn by just half a game. Just the fact that they are still in a playoff position is a testament to how bad the East is considering that Miami's record is 21-28.
The thing that is really frustrating about the Heat's situation is that they have plenty of talent, enough to be above .500 at least. That just hasn't been the case though, with players severely underachieving and regressing to lesser forms of themselves. The good is that they can still turn it around, and fans know that the players on the roster certainly have the ability to play better. Here is a list of things that the Heat can do to get back on track.
Better Point Guard Play
No secret here as Miami's point guards have been pretty awful so far this season. The combination of Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole hasn't been anything close to what it was the past several years. Some can blame LeBron James not being around anymore on why they've played so bad, but the poor decision making, lack of defense and constant missed shots has nothing to do with anyone except for them. Rookie Shabazz Napier has gotten multiple opportunities to play but a poor attitude early in the season caused him to get sent down to the Heat's D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls and he has yet to make much of the recent chances he's received.
Stay Healthy
Injuries have really hurt the Heat this season. They lost free-agent pickup Josh McRoberts for the remainder of the season and have seen Dwyane Wade, Danny Granger, Chris Andersen and to a lesser extent, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng, all miss time with various injuries. Miami will need to get healthy and stay healthy if they want to ensure that they don't miss the playoffs entirely.
Play Better After Halftime
For whatever reason this year, the Heat have played much better in the first half of games than in the second half. There have been countless times where Miami held a lead at halftime only to find themselves trailing at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Whether it's better adjustments by the coaching staff or a focus issue with the players, the lack of execution after the half is inexcusable. The effort down the stretch of games has got to be better.
Improved Clock Management
Often times when the Heat are on offense they are forced to put the ball up quickly due to the shot clock running out. They must get into their plays sooner and allow for them to develop so that the players can get better looks at the basket. This falls mostly on the point guards.
Fewer Turnovers/Bonehead Plays
Again, this falls mostly on the point guards. The lackadaisical passes and general laziness has led to some really bad turnovers. Take Wednesday's game against Minnesota, which gave us a perfect example. The Timberwolves hit a jumper to take a 102-101 lead with 41 seconds left in the game. Cole retrieved the ball out of bounds and flipped it inbounds to Hassan Whiteside, who handed it right back to Cole when he stepped back in bounds. Cole then stopped, directed Whiteside to go out of bounds and flipped the ball back to him, causing a turnover. The Heat went on to lose by one point. For some reason, Cole thought his inbound pass didn't count. However, there were no defenders around them so why did it matter? This is just another example of how the Heat players' heads are just not in the game the way they should be. The stupid mistakes happen quite often this season and that must change.
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Play Better When Whiteside Is On The Bench
As Whiteside has emerged as one of the better players on the Heat, the team has done a whole lot better with the big guy on the floor. Unfortunately, when Whiteside needs a break, Miami's level of play has gone way down. Right now Whiteside is good for around 25 minutes per game, assuming he stays out of foul trouble. Those numbers will surely go up as he improves his game but if Miami can't maintain a lead without him on the floor than that is a big problem. This may very well fall on the coaches to work on the team's rotation, but the players have got to play up to their potential.