Gun Shy

Hey Spolestra, you have over $327 million of superstar. Use it!


Imagine you are wealthy celebrity with an extensive car collection. You are asked to participate in a celebrity automobile show where all the rich and famous put their prized possessions on display. Each participant will choose one car from their lot to enter into the contest.

So you go to your garage and ponder over the possibilites. You gaze over a Lamborghini, a Ferrari, and a Porsche. You consider your Ferrari and Lamborghini, which you purchased since they are known for their high-performance. And then you look over at your ol' reliable Porsche. You have owned it for a while, it has turned some heads, and it is the backbone of your collection.

But then you end up choosing a used Toyota Prius to display in the show.

And to no one's surprise, you lose the competition.

This is exactly how late-game situations unfold for the Miami Heat. Despite having three of the top 20 players in the world, role players such as Eddie House and Mike Miller are somehow taking game-deciding shots.

I don't know if Coach Erik Spolestra is drawing these plays up. I don't know if LeBron, Wade, and Bosh think it is smart to give the ball up in those situations. But if the game comes down to one shot, I would want one of my big three seizing that opportunity. After all, they're each getting paid over $14 million this season. There's a reason why Mickey Arison is paying them the big bucks.

To put their salaries in perspective-- James, Wade, and Bosh are being paid a combined $43 million for the 2010-2011 season. The other 16 players on the roster are being paid a combined $22,356,624. (That is a difference of over $20 million.)

So why would Spolestra draw up plays for Mike Miller and Eddie House?

Why would Wade and LeBron defer to Miller and House?

Is this a case of being too gun shy?

And where does Chris Bosh fit into all of this?

Don't get me wrong, Miller and House are exceptional shooters. They are some of the best three-point guys the league has to offer. But if it comes down to one shot, give me LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh over either ten times out of ten.

Here are the close late-game situations the Heat have encountered thus far:

vs. Boston Celtics (February 13th)

James:
Why not hold onto the ball and shoot? He could have held it, crossed over to his left, and pulled up for a jump shot. If James had went left after Miller in-bounded the ball, he would have had an open shot with Pierce leaning over to the right.

Wade:
He sets up a great pick on Glen Davis. It may have been a questionable no-call, but not that late in the game.

Take note at the :10 second mark in the video. He points LeBron to Mike Miller instead of calling for the ball. Wade has hit a countless number of clutch shots over his career. Why pass up this opportunity especially against the Boston Celtics?

Bosh:
No fault on this play. He's not a three-point shooter, so he sets up a screen on Ray Allen to free up Wade. Again, a questionable no-call as he extends his right leg on the pick.


vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (January 30th)

James:
Here's where most, if not all, of the fault is. Instead of deferring to House, James could have had an open three-point jumper. Yes, Eddie House sinks the three, but anyone would much rather have an open James over an open House.

Just say House misses the shot. At the time LeBron catches the pass from Miller (the :03 second mark), the next closest defender (Daequan Cook) is all the way in the paint. So wouldn't it make sense to pull up for the shot when you have 3 inches over a defender that is at least 15 feet away? Why pass it up to a guy that was struggling with his stroke the whole season?

Again, House makes the three. But if James missed it, every show on ESPN would have questioned LeBron's choice to pass up on an open shot.

Wade:
Nothing

Bosh:
Again, nothing.


vs. New Orleans Hornets (November 5th)

James:
Why is he standing around in the corner? Shouldn't LeBron be trying to get open or trying to grab some position under the hoop for an offensive board? He's not being paid to watch the plays.

Wade:
He gets a much better look than House does. Wade's defender is attempting to defend him from his left side opposed to House's defender who had him defended straight on. Plus, Wade's pass to Eddie House in that situation was a bit dangerous. It is across his body as he is in the air. Not the best passing conditions.

Bosh:
And once again...can't really pick on him here. Down three with under eight seconds left so you can't really resort to the fouling game.

The only thing he did wrong was failing to gain position for an offensive rebound.

Maybe I shouldn't have included Bosh in this, but there has to be some use for the big man in these types of situations.