Heat Fans Fear The Deer
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Despite LeBron James going for 40 points Wednesday night, the Heat still couldn't come up with a way to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, which left many Heat fans fearing the deer.
It was the latest setback for the Heat on the road. The Heat has lost four of their last five road games and in most of those games has led the game at some point during the second half.
Even Wednesday night's game saw the Heat leading heading into the fourth quarter.
"What that second half showed is we still have a long way to go as a ballclub just in terms of playing consistently," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We were playing very good basketball in the first half. It's a fragile game. In this league it can go the other way quickly if you're not staying consistent to your identity."
Unfortunately for the Heat, finding an identity has been tough this season due to Dwyane Wade's injuries.
With Wade out, LeBron picked up the scoring slack, but almost at the detriment of his playmaking ability for his teammates.
Plus, something still isn't right with Dwyane Wade just yet. For the season, he is now shooting 31 percent in the fourth quarter and he just doesn't look the same as he did before his injury.
If he's not at 100 percent, it's another obstacle the Heat face in silence each night.
The Bucks loss was a classic example. LeBron scored 40 points, but Chris Bosh couldn't muster double-digits in the game and was essentially outplayed by NBA journeyman Drew Gooden.
The game also showed the difference between good Mario Chalmers and bad Mario Chalmers.
The bad Chalmers showed up last night and allowed Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings to completely abuse the Heat throughout the game. Jennings finished the game with 31 points, 8 assits, four rebounds, four steals, and zero turnovers.
On the flip side, Chalmers managed just 16 points, five assists, five turnovers, and five personal fouls in the Bucks loss.
The Heat only played eight players and didn't get any production from the bench. Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier, Norris Cole, and Mike Miller combined to score seven points and pull down 10 rebounds in the game.
The Heat must now regroup and continue on the road with a game Friday night against one of the hottest teams in the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Heat easily defeated the 76ers at home just a few weeks ago, but on the road, the Heat is a different team.
The 76ers and Heat are tied for second place in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia has won seven of their last 10 games and their last four in a row.
