The not so Big Three

I am a longtime Miami Heat fan. So it hurts me to say this: the Heat cannot win the championship this season (good luck trying to get me to admit this vocally, the fan in me will never accept this). But the reality is they just can't.

For a moment I thought pride would force the Big Three to step up to critics and to the twits from rival teams' players (Paul Pierce,) and they would prove to everyone that if the Celtics could do it in the first season of the powerful combination of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rando, then the Heat were just as capable of winning it. Sadly I was mistaken.

Before you challenge my basketball knowledge, I approached my judgment mostly from a fan's perspective. But what about the other perspective, where talented players carry their teams to win. When LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the Heat, the two, along with Dwyane Wade, made a big splash on South Beach not long after LeBron's indulgent "Decision" was made on national TV. It was the biggest mistake the team made. The Heat placed a huge target on its back and ensured that it would be the NBA's villain. And when you do that, you better be prepared to deliver.

But the Heat has failed to deliver. A day after blowing a 24-point lead to lose to the Orlando Magic, Miami suffered an embarrassing 30-point loss to the league-best San Antonio Spurs. Miami has now lost three in a row and four of its last five. The Heat have now dropped to third place in the East, behind Boston and Chicago.

So far, the Big Three have shown up in games against non-contenders, but have an abysmal record against the top teams. Miami's 0-3 against the Celtics, the Heat's biggest threat to get through the East, and have only managed one win amongst the West's contenders (a Christmas Day showdown against the Lakers.)

So what exactly has been the problem? To begin with, the Heat's defense, once its biggest strength, has dropped significantly. And signing players like Mike Bibby, the Heat's latest acquisition, is exactly why it has dropped. The Big Three superstars choose when they feel like expending energy on defense and the role players include a bunch of guys like Bibby and Eddie House, who are known for their poor defense. Further, I may be the only one saying this, but I've never felt like Bosh was worthy of all the hype. Yes he averaged 20 and 10 numbers while in Toronto, but how hard can it be to get those kind of numbers on a talentless team? I knew his real contribution would be revealed once he joined the Heat and he hasn't failed to disappoint.

Now when it comes to Miami's real go-to guys, it's a wonder both of them are not feuding behind the scenes. Or maybe they flip a coin pre-game to determine who gets to take over games in the fourth quarter. But Wade and LeBron are proof that incredible talent doesn't equate automatic championship. The two have become more accustomed to isolation plays, which turns the rest of the team into spectators. Their teammates, such as reliable three-point shooters James Jones and Mike Miller become ineffective late in games because they go cold from standing and watching Wade and LeBron take turns at playing hero of the day.

So who gets the blame? Pat Riley! It's obvious Erik Spoelstra doesn't have the ability to rein in his two superstars. Meanwhile, Riley, undoubtedly aware of the the criticism he drew by firing Stan Van Gundy to coach the Heat after the team signed Shaq, reluctantly sits back and let's the situation unfold.

It's not too late to fix this problem. The Heat still has a shot at landing the top spot in the East, and even if it doesn't, it can still defeat Boston, Chicago and Orlando. But it needs to start seeing the bigger picture. The entire season is a long distance race, not a sprint. It doesn't matter who gets out to the fastest start, it's who has the endurance to finish.

What Miami needs to do is run the ball through LeBron in the first three quarters, but let Wade control it in the last five minute of games; particularly close ones. Wade is a better closer and LeBron needs to understand this if he's more interested in winning a ring than in becoming the greatest player to grace the courts.