Before Wade, LeBron and Bosh played togheter, they came up big in the 4th. Simply because they were the go-to-guy of their team, they were the superstar ... now you have 3 'superstars' that usually won games in the 4th (in the past) and none of them are capable to close out the game. :grin: The 'Big 3' of Boston 'won' games as a team. The Heat are 'a 3 men show in 3 quarters' ...
This thought has been occurring to me during the finals. The Heat are acting a lot like the Lakers in that they have a tendency to let you get back into games.
I remember the Trailblazers and Kings of the early 2000's choking away some big leads to the Lakers but then the Lakers had a little extra help.
I disagree with your assessment. I think Dallas actually is built well for clutch situations. They have a star player that absolutely cannot be stopped by single coverage, and they surround him with three shooters who aren't afraid of the big moments and a very good offensive rebounder. Miami has three individual players who can come up big in clutch situations, if they have the ball in their hands and have had a chance to develop a rhythm throughout the game. But the fact that Wade, Lebron, or Bosh needs to dominate the ball at the end makes the other two worthless. And because Wade and Lebron are not catch-and-shoot players, they're easy to defend when they're standing around watching. Miami really needs some new offensive sets for next season. They've only made it this far because Lebron shot abnormally well from the perimeter for two series and Wade did the same for the first three games of this series.
I recall Cuban or Cuban's analytic guy saying that they appreciated the "clutch" factor of players, with Kidd and Dirk being prominent within that category. So they definitely look for clutch players.
Dallas deserves all the credit in the world for the late-game runs, but that still doesn't excuse the Heat or the Thunder for choking like dogs. Dallas' D was very good, but that wasn't all there was too it. You'll see that very clearly if LeBron snaps out of it in games 6 & 7 and if Miller or Chalmers hit some 3s with the game on the line.
The difference is the ability to make outside shots. Late in the 4th quarter, it gets much harder to get in the lane especially when teams pack it. One team has plenty of players that can make shots from outside. The other team hardly has any. Mavs are daring the Heat to shoot from outside the 3 point line. I knew this would be a problem for the Heat when I watched the Heat and Bulls series.
This is true, except when you are at home and have the refs in your back pocket. Then you can drive the lane with impunity because you'll always get the call. See: last year.
huh? how the rockets choked this year? they werent title contenders, and then Yao injures again, having no superstar in the team got better record than NY that has two superstars?
