Postgame Breakdown: Cavs 111, Heat 104

In the end, there was disappointment. At the finish, the message was simple.

One-hundred and four points should have been more than enough for the Heat, considering it carried one of the league's stingiest defenses into Thursday's clash with Cleveland. But for the first time this season, the Heat's defense was the huge cause for concern in a 111-104 loss to LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

For as much as this is typically a showcase for LeBron's brilliance and Dwyane's dynamics, the difference in this game was determined by their respective supporting casts. While Michael Beasley's season-high 24 points kept the Heat going down the stretch and Jermaine O'Neal's 15 points and nine rebounds allowed Miami to establish a post game early, it wasn't enough to match LeBron's crew.

And it was a crew that, ironically, consisted of players the Heat either wanted but couldn't get or had but no longer wanted

Mo Williams continued his string of breakout performances against the Heat, the team he spurned two years ago as a free agent to take more money from Milwaukee, which traded him to Cleveland. It was Williams who carried the Cavs to their double-digit lead in the third quarter. He had 25 points on 10 of 15 shooting from the field, including 5 of 7 from three-point range.

It was Jamario Moon, the Heat's starting forward last season acquired in the Jermaine O'Neal trade, who was 4 of 5 from the field had a couple of big-time dunks in addition to spot-duty defense against Wade. Moon got away as a free agent after the Heat declined to match Cleveland's offer sheet.

Former Heat center Shaquille O'Neal did enough damage down low, when adding his 15 points, 6-of-10 free-throw shooting and five hard fouls he delivered. And of course, James closed the show with eight straight points in the fourth and 34 for the game.

"These are games you learn from," Wade said. "We're going to move forward from here. We're 6-2. If we are a good team, we're going to learn from this."

D. WADE'S DOINGS: Wade did his part to live up to the hype of these showdowns with James. And he should have been arrested for assault for that dunk over Anderson Varejao in the first quarter. "It's probably top 10 (dunks) of all time," said witness LeBron James. "Being a fan of the game, I know a lot of great dunks. I love Andy, but I'm speaking as a fan." Wade did most of his damage from the line, where he made 15 of 21 attempts. He did miss a couple of key ones from there. He was 9 of 21 from the field. He also had five assists, four rebounds and two blocks. But those four turnovers and six missed free throws were still bothering Wade long after the game ended.

TURNING POINT: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra insisted after the game that the Heat's start was the main problem. True, Miami surrendered 35 points in the first quarter. But it scored 33. He said his team's poor play at times on defense set the tone for a rough night. I tend to think this one got away at the end of the third quarter, when Mo Williams and J.J. Hickson sparked a 9-2 run that allowed Cleveland to create a cushion. Williams was shooting lights out. And Hickson was active around the basket and was able to nail a couple of baseline jumpers. Then, LeBron re-entered and closed the show in the fourth quarter.

LOSING EDGE: Most of the numbers evened out by the end of the game. But there's one obvious advantage in the Cavs' favor. Cleveland's point guards - Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson - outscored Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo 30-14. Williams, of course, did most of the damage. But Gibson hit a huge trey to close the third and put Cleveland ahead 92-84.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: You could question why Wade came out for rest to start the fourth quarter with the Heat falling further and further behind. But the man needed some rest, considering how hard he played and the intensity level of the game. The Heat was down eight entering the fourth. By the time Wade came back, Cleveland had tacked on two more points to its lead. But there's a bigger head-scratcher. At some point, we need to get to the bottom of this whole No. 23 retired jersey deal with the Heat. Quentin Richardson wore 23 until he arrived in Miami, where he may or may not have been told that number was unavailable because Pat Riley retired Michael Jordan's number/jersey. Here's to wondering if the franchise's stance might change during Riley's eventual recruitment pitch to LeBron next summer. Then again, James said in a postgame interview that he plans to change his number to No. 6 because he believes no one should wear Jordan's number again.

KEY CONTRIBUTION: Michael Beasley's 24-point effort was encouraging. Even more so was his presence at the finish of the fourth quarter. That alone hasn't been easy for Beasley, who has found himself on the bench during crunch-time. But Beasley had 14 of his season-high 24 points in the second half. He was 9 of 17 from the field, 2 of 5 on threes and made all four of is free throws. That said, he continued to have problems with defensive assignments. J.J. Hickson was a handful. And there was no way, Spoelstra was putting him on LeBron for any extended minutes. Beasley played late because the Heat was playing catchup and needed his scoring touch.

NEXT UP: Nets at Heat, 7:30 Saturday - AmericanAirlines Arena

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

Comments

[UD's biggest fan]

Beasley played late because Haslem sucked!

[cp12]

It’s hard to really put my finger on why Miami lost this game. Was it the lack of a second perimeter scorer? Was it the lack of height limiting the frontcourt’s success against Clevelands wall of 7 footers (Shaq and Z..and Hickson(!) )? Sure, Miami could have made it easier by hitting it’s free throws… but in the end, 3 pointers are what really screwed Miami tonight...

www.blogmiamiheat.com

[dman]

It was a good game Heat....you just can't win them all.

[Bill]

Heat could not contain Mo Williams. JJ Hickson´s hustle was also instrumental for the Cavs. If the Heat would have stepped up their defense earlier to stop the bleeding & cut the lead, they would have had a great chance to be 7 - 1.

[rockstarjc]

we see the difference now & wade need help it's time to make moves before we get nothing!!! or we gonna loss WADE...

trade Q-RICH & CHALMERS + 2nd round pick 2010 to (warriors) *ELLIS...

JAMES JONES, DIAWARA, MAGLOIRE + 1st round pick (last) 2010 & draft rigths BEVERLY to (memphis)
^GAY,RUDY & ^GASOL,MARC

sg WADE / COOK
pg *ELLIS / ARROYO
sf ^GAY / D.WRIGTH
pf BEASLEY / HASLEM
c O'NEAL,J. / ^GASOL,M. / ANTHONY,J.

> buy-out (QUINN)...

we got still afford to land AMARE...
i guess LEBRON would stay @ CLEVELAND!!!

thougths???

[heatstroked]

Posted by: Bill | November 13, 2009 at 07:56 AM

---

Yup. Williams is always a Heat killer and Hickson ("only" listed at 6-9) was apparently overlooked. The Heat also overlooked the need to communicate on defense. No one brought A-game defensive intensity or help alertness/awareness. Beasley didn't do himself or his team any favors -- but did help Hickson -- by constantly gambling for steals. Spo embarassed himself, as usual, by crowing about UD's "d". Haslem was no match for LBJ unless by "d" Spo meant setting records for fastest DQ. Chalmers played rookie D against Mo. JOneal disappeared again and Wade wasn't defensively together himself.

If Heat players wonder why the Cavs, Cleveland, NBA world at large don't perceive them as "true rivals," last night was exhibit A. The Cavs were ranked 19th in offense (4th last year) averaging 97 ppg @ 45%. Miami's "d" apparently cured what ails, allowing 111 @ 48%. This was a HOME game the Heat "shoulda coulda" won with better d.

[JPEJEFF]

We just lost to a better team is the bad news.The good news is they might not be the better team much longer.Like Wade said,"Good teams learn from games like this." I believe Miami is a good team and they will get better.
At 6-2,I'm not to worried about them.I don't know what Spro said to Beasley,but whatever it was he needs to keep saying it.That missed dunk on Shaq with the left hand showed confidence and heart by the youngster.He had a couple of jams that showed the agression that has been missing in his offensive game.Posterizing Shaq would have made my day.Oh well,I'll just have to settle for Wades
dunk.WOW!!!!The second team and freebees was the difference in this game.We never could get a good run and get the crowd going and letting Mo go wild just made this game feel like it was gonna be a long night.

[Rollsemfat]

I think the turning point in the game was when Shaq crushed Q-Rich. Q-Rich wasnt the same the rest of the game. He was hurting and it appeared to affect his ability to shoot. Q-Rich is batsh*t crazy for trying to take that charge. Anyway you add his 9 points a game and we win 113 - 111.

[JPEJEFF]

We might need a few games to get into sync.Cook coming back changes the rotaton a bit.Something look and felt different about this game.

[pugtv]

That was one Amazing Dunk over cheap shot artist Varejao. He totally deserved a Wade facial.

[pugtv]

Btw, for all you Spo Lovers, I have a stat for you.

6-2 Miami record

6 wins against teams with a current average of 37.5% winning percentage.

2 losses against teams with a current average of 73.7% winning percentage.

My point is, stop overstating those 6 wins. Spo isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread. We're an average team. Let's manage our team accordingly.

Looking forward to contending in 2010.

[black the trucker]

well, it came and went... but what it shows is, this team needs some changes... very simple.. wright, what were you doing,,, you are the reason they changed the rules, for four years you have not learned how to compete and play the game that many dream to have made it. i mean, your in the nba,,, why aren't you trying your best to be more aggressive player and use your talent... i see why they drated you, but do you see what you have in front of you.. and when you play with aggression it will change your game, your in my mind a waist of talent right now... you could be so much better, but for whatever reason you just don't show up... i say make some trades now... this season could be very good if we make some trades...... this wasn't a bad loss, this was an eye opener,, this team needs some changes... that was the cavs, what about boston, orlando, atlanta, the lakers, etc,.. there are teams that are competing at high levels and we haven't played them yet and with this team as is, when we do, it will be the same, and thats just the truth.. we have to make some moves...

[black the trucker]

you know what, wright's contract is up at the end of the year, why not trade him, either golden state or memphis, you get maggette or rudy gay but a draft pick has to given in the deal maybe exception also, and why not look at AI, when you brought payton in he was also a veteran who was on his out why not ai...

[JDOGTHEDOG]

anytime you have Udonis Haslem guarding Lebron James in clutch situations it usually leads to bad things lol.. Our starting unit should have ended the game. Sorry Spo but your boy U.D can hang so sit his asss!!

[ebag]

i think this was a good showing from the heat.

first big game of the season, playing against one of the elite teams in the nba. close game the whole way, but the heat could never quite get over the hump. mostly, this just shows that this team is not ready for big games yet. but there were a few obvious issues.

-mario is getting absolutely torched by good point guards. arroyo looked pretty lost on defense also. is bobby jackson still available?

-beaz is two years away from being the player everyone wants him to be. in the meantime, teach that kid how to set a pick for d-wade & cut to the basket

-this team took a bunch of bad 3's when it was a 7 or 9 point game with 1-3 minutes left. thats just bad coaching. get a couple 2-pointers and that lead is under 5 with one minute left.

-the bench is looking shakey. i hope jones and cook are practicing their 3-point shooting

-dorrell lives!

you can't win them all. good measuring stick for the heat; they will hopefully be ready for these games by midseason.

love the game recaps mike wallace. glad to hear some smart talk from the blogs (aside from fire spo or udonis sucks).

peace y'all

[dmt]

If Cook had hit just one of his 4 threes, that 7 point lead we were fighting against most of the second half would have looked a lot more manageable. Wade was also off on hos free throws early. There were a few rough calls from the refs too, though I usually am not one to talk about the refs. Anyway, it could have been much closer in the final minutes, and then we would have really seen what was what. But J.J. Hickson torching us was too much.

I mean, you expect Le Bron, Shaq and Mo Williams to get a certain amount of points, and then if the others step up, you're lost (Varajeo, West). But with Delonte West out and Varajeo facialized, then a J.J. steps up? What can you say... it wasn't our night.

Point guard is an obvious weaknes to our roster, though...

Chalmers actually did better than I expected, but still only okay. Definitely not a standout, at least not yet. Beasley hardly dominated, but his above the rim play was encouraging. He's still very young...

That Shaq is a load. He didn't seem quite so big when he was on our team, but when you have to play against him, you really start to notice his size. "Lane Filling" is the word. And he can still jump, and still get a few nifty passes off too. Too bad he quit on us...

[Joel Delgado]

Freaking Mo Williams!Freaking JJ Hickson!Those two dooshbags killed the heat last night.Maybe Jordan should attend heat games more often cause it felt like Dwade and Lebron were auditioning for his airness.Verajo should cut his hair,change his name and enter witness protection after that dunk(

[Greg Gembe]

"-this team took a bunch of bad 3's when it was a 7 or 9 point game with 1-3 minutes left. thats just bad coaching." .....so you are cetain that the coach called plays for a 3, or did he call another play, and the players didn't exectute, or did the players just settle for a jumper instead of attacking?

Beasley's attempted dunk over Shaq was with his RIGHT hand. Heck, scroll to the top of the page and see the picture.

Williams didn't hurt us until the second half. Chalmers had a couple of baskets early in the third and then Williams exploded. Mo was controlled in the first half.

We, whoever was guarding the PF most of the night, made Hickson look like an All-Star. Who was supposed to be guarding him? supercoolbeas?

"anytime you have Udonis Haslem guarding Lebron James in clutch situations it usually leads to bad things lol.."
I didn't like the fact the Haslem was asked to guard one of the better perimeter players in the league also, but it goes to show what a consumate professional team player he is. "Hey UD, you've been a starter and defended 4's and 5's for 6 years. Now, we want you, without any b*tchin', to come off the bench and guard 3's because the younger 2nd pick in last year's draft isn't fast enough, or have the desire to guard 3's."

O'Neal played pretty well overall, but there was at least two missed shots from less than 2' away from the basket that he missed. C'mon man, you gotta finish that stuff. It doesn't have to be a dunk, but get the two points.

Q was definitely effected by the contact with Shaq, but he'll be back.

And let's get off the 'nobody should wear #23 again' bullsh*t. Maybe we should retire Bill Russell's number(won more championships than mj) or Kareem and Karl Malone's number (scored more points than mj). Other than losing the game, the worst part of last night was having to listen to Reggie Miller slobber all over mj's .... Cheryl probably still kicks Reggie's *ss!

Lastly, as well as the young 'starter' Hickson played last night, I did notice that at the end of the game, Sideshow Bob was getting those minutes. Could Mike Brown be keeping Hickson from developing because he trusted Varejo to close it out. Is Brown and Spo in collusion, blocking the developement of these kids? Next thing you know Phil Jackson is going to have Derek Fisher closing games instead of Shannon Brown, when we all know that Shannon is the 'future' PG of the Lakers. These coaches need to heed the overwhelming basketball knowledge that is on this blog...to h*ll with NBA coaching experience.

[pugtv]

Greg Gembe,

1. Mike Brown and Phil Jackson has been to championship rounds. Spo has not. I trust the former's opinions. I don't trust the latter's.

2. The players you mentioned are players with relatively low upside. Beas has a higher upside. Wouldn't it be more productive for us in the future if we try to develop that upside now?

3. Haslem guarding LBJ is Spo's idea. I'm sure Beas would be just as effective guarding LBJ. He'll score over either one. If you don't like the idea of Haslem guarding LBJ, lay it on your beloved Spo.

[305 TILL I DIE]

MARIO CHALMERS GOT RAPED THE ENTIRE GAME BY MO WILL.... HASLEM JUST STRAIGHT OUT SUCKS... WADE & BEASLEY ARE ALL THE MIAMI HEAT HAVE!!!! THEY ALL WE GOT!!!!!

[thejuandiggler]

They shot the three better , sometimes that makes the difference in a pretty even game.
We cant guard small , fast PG's. Thats gonna be a problem all season.

[Greg Gembe]

1-Mike Brown and Phil Jackson has been to championship rounds....my point exactly, and they are doing the same thing SPO is with their younger players.

2-The players you mentioned are players with relatively low upside......Hickson certainly showed a HUGE upside yesterday, he played every bit as well as supercoolbeas. Shannon Brown is going to have a very nice NBA career. Potential doesn't win BBall games. Skill, determination, teamwork, etc... win games. Develope your game in practice. Let's don't throw away games because players don't want to bust they *ss effort-wise.

3-I'm sure Beas would be just as effective guarding LBJ.....WOW DUDE! Take two and pass the d*mn thing! Unbelievable! Of all the things supercoolbeas is, he IS NOT a good perimeter defender.

[UD's biggest fan]

Really?? Are we debating who is a better perimeter defender between UD and Beasley?

What a joke. They are both awful. Hickson murdered Haslem in so many ways. He got 10 of his points on Beasley who ended up scoring 24 and we are being made to believe Beasley was responsible for Hickson showing a HUGE upside?

Let's get real. Hickson only started making baskets when our perimeter defenders failed to contain their men and our bigs had to start rotating to help cover Mo and LeBron. We get better perimeter defenders and Hickson doesn't stand a chance. Wright should have seen more playing time covering either Mo or LeBron.

Spo continues to blow in the 4th. What was that game between Wright, Haslem and Joel? They should never touch the ball beyond a "catch and shoot" situation in our offense. They are appalling!

[JD]

JO sits way too much when he is needed in my opinion, if its to save him, screw that, not at 31, maybe 34-54...but he is a professional baskteball player and should be able to play a little longer than he does, wade deserves his rest, man but when beasley and haslem and the other dudes like joel and wright and arroyo were on the court, that offense was a complete joke!!! wow, no one was able to do anything , come onnnn even the fans were like helloooo haslem shoot the ball, in those situations i would just give it to beasley and give him the green light to score or create, its the only option, spo does not see that, he has to let beas know he expects it from him, we played scared at times, our defense was atrocious the whole night, and mo williams raped chalmers, something needs to be done, arroyo is also an embarassment to defense even though he hit a little streak shooting, we need a veteran who can score and defend a little better, i think tinsley would have helped this team, and if iverson is available i would take him anyway as long as he is willing to come off the bench whihc he probably wont

[ebag]

hickson is a load, and he is going to be a quality player in this leauge.

the main difference between him and beazy is their draft position. that is why hickson gets more credit for scoring fewer points, fewer rebounds and fewer blocks than mike beazy. cuz he has fewer expectations.

but the bad 3-pointers at the end of regulation is a sign of bad coaching because it shows the heat don't have a half-court offense that they can run at crunch time. so when they game was on the line, they were running down court and jacking-up threes like a rec-league team.

i am not saying spo is a terrible coach. the defense looks solid. but the offense has no flow. no chemistry. and no real identity. it has been obvious all season, and it was obvious last night. espescially during the end of the game.

mike brown took a lot of the same criticism when he started with the cavs, and now he is a much better coach. so i am not saying we should fire spo. but that is one area where he needs to imrpove

[UD's biggest fan]

the main difference between him and beazy is their draft position. that is why hickson gets more credit for scoring fewer points, fewer rebounds and fewer blocks than mike beazy. cuz he has fewer expectations.
---------------
No wonder Haslem gets treated like a king in Miami.

[pugtv]

Greg,

1. I don't recall Phil Jackson developing Michael Jordan, Kobe, Shaq via the bench, nor do I recall Mike Brown doing the same with LBJ. Each of these players had bad habits early in their careers. They didn't get benched. They continued to see playing time to help them develop.

2. My point is, please, stop comparing Hickson / Shannon Brown with elite players. I don't think you're going to get much consensus from others that these guys are elite. If you want to believe they are elite, what can I say? You're in the extreme minority.

3. You miss my point. I'm not saying Beas is a better perimeter defender. I'm saying neither Beas nor Haslem, equally, could have slowed LBJ down. The coach could have gone with either and the outcome would be the same.

Don't blame Beas for Haslem being on LBJ. Blame it on the coach. It's his call.