EMAILS I GET: This one's on D-Wade

This email comes to us from Bert L., who is more than a little frustrated with Dwyane Wade's shot selection at the end of Game 4. Bert writes:

WHAT WAS THAT AT THE END OF THE HEAT LOSS TO THE KNICKS? Wade is not even a good 3-point shooter. Never mind that Lebron, the best player in the planet was just standing around by design being a decoy so that an erratic 3 point shooter fires a 3 point fade away while being well defended as time runs out.

A couple of more play designs like this at the end of games, with Lebron told to stand to the side as decoy, and you will have another disengaged Lebron like the one that showed up after the 3rd Quarter of the second game in last years finals vs. Dallas. He needs to take over games or you will have a disengaged Lebron.

This team will lose its biggest games on a last shot the same way again and again as it lost the less important ones during the season trying to satisfy Dwayne Wade's ego and Wade's love affair with off balance fade away jumpers when the situation calls for attacking the basket and at least get a foul, particularly against less athletic players as it was vs The Knicks.

If this was a one time occurrence, OK, but... I saw Wade do the same thing in 3 or 4 other games during the regular season, time after time, and he did not make good in any of those last shot fade always which the Heat loss those games in the last shot. In one game, against a tired and reeling Orlando, Wade was given the whole floor, everyone to the sides, isolated against J.J. Reddick, one of the worst defenders in the league, and he had the whole lane on either side to just drive to the basket and instead Wade did his dribble-dribble-dribble that every dime a dozen player would do and when the whole World was expecting a drive past Reddick he turns and shoots that same off balance fade away from the left side of the key, a difficult and long shot at any point in the game. HE MISSED, HEAT LOSS AS THE CLOCK RAN OUT. He did it again twice during the next week or two when I was watching the end of games.

Wade's ego is immense but it is a very dumb ego. He does not recognize the situation at hand and selects playground fade away glory shots instead of what can tie or win the game. He has great potential to be a closer but he lacks the smarts as his dumb ego won't let him go with the right play.

Bert L.

Thanks for the email, Bert. It did seem like a puzzling call to leave LeBron out of the final play considering LeBron pretty much took over the final two minutes of the game. But Wade did have 11 points in the fourth quarter, so he was pretty hot as well. Why not incorporate both players on the last play, say...with a pick and roll.

Wade's shot selection at the buzzer was another head scratcher. He was driving to the lane but hesitated after losing his dribble. In a panic, Wade retreated backwards to create some space and lofted up a prayer. With Tyson Chandler out of the game (he had fouled out at that point), I understand the call to send Wade inside. He just needed to finish the play.

Comments

[SpoelstraSux]

Wade wanted to be the hero. Everyone thinks Spo Sux including SpoSux so that distracts from Wade's horrible play. Had it been LeBron Spo wouldn't even be mentioned.

[h.]

get over it. that lost wasn't on wade it was on the team. they played uninspired ball until the wanning minutes. had melo not missed two of his three free throw attempts the game would have been over. at least wade wasn't afraid to take the shot. and if bron is disengaged because he doesn't get the ball then he doesn't need to playing. no time for cry babies. had wade said screw y'all and taken over the finals last year we would have been champions. instead he deferred when the lead was slipping.

[jpejeff]

The officiating was terrible. Spo did what he is comfortable doing. Letting Wade or Haslem try and win games. I thought Bron struggled most of the game but had a look in his eye to get it done at the end. He got it done with a a 3 pointer and a amazing 3 pt play but just didn't get the chance at the end. Sometime Wade has it going like that and needs to take the last shot. Most of Bron clutch plays at the end of games have come on 2nd options. Spo more often will give Wade the decision to either win the game or give it up to Bron and let him try. He has no feel or he he feels like Wade is his man regardless of the sittuation. It look like there was a major discussion going on between Wade and Bron at the end. I hope bron was telling him to give me the dam ball. I hope Spo was listening. Every1 has confidence in Wade in that sittuation. He ego is what makes him D Wade. If Spo gives the ball to Bron when he is in a groove like that, Wade ego will not get in the way.

[jpejeff]

2nd worse called game. Ghost calls against Bron and Battier all day. That 3rd game in last year's finals was the worse. We won despite the refs trying to take it from us. Curious that we didn't win another game in the series after that.

[Deluqh]

I am so tired of listening to the fans that, through some miracle have become self-appointed experts on how to coach the Heat.
Wade has been closing games for years and he is damn good at it.
Are these the same fans that were getting on Lebron for not closing out games? Now, they want him to be the closer always.

Spoelstra knows way more than anyone (either writing or blogging) what it takes to win.

Give it a rest and leave it to the real expert.

[derbani1976]

Wade was simply horrible in that game period.
How many free throws he missed AGAIN?

[justin]

Why even post this ridiculous email? I'll put the ball in Wade or Lebron's hands every time at the end of games and live with the results. Wade bobbled the ball as he was gathering himself in the lane and panicked. It happens. Meanwhile, we are up 3 game to 1 with a close out coming Wednesday and then nobody will even remember the end of game 4.

[XXXJOSEXXX(HEAT FAN SINCE 97')]

first off the play wasnt a designed fadeaway, that was just the last option for wade, if you paid attention they designed a pick and roll with haslem, if that was guarded then that would mean the knicks would have to switch up and put amare on wade which is an advantage to for the heat with amare's hand messed up, but wade unfortunately lost the handle on the drive and by the time he regathered himself there was no time on the clock, i dont have a problem with wade taking the last shot, but to me it has to be on a case by case basis, wade was dinged up and lebron was fresher, i like the design of the play, an it probably would have worked had lebron been handling the ball,

[vaustn]

Here's a shot of REALITY for heat fans FROM A HEAT FAN AND BBALL PLAYER/COACH.....The heat showed us again what their WEAKNESS IS. IT's MENTAL TOUGHNESS they LACK. TALENT GOES ONLY SO FAR - AT SOME POINT YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITH YOUR HEAD. This is why you get bad shots, stupid turnovers and passes AND STUPID PLAY CALLING from the bench. The coach is learning on the job still, Wade is a shell of what he used to be, it's obvious to see by his play now. His confidence is not the same. Bosh is rarely used in last plays and it's stupid.

[greg gembe]

The play design was great, the execution lacked. Wade got the switch on the screen he wanted, (which is another reason you don't screen with a player the same approximate size (LBJ) - you don't get any advantage, whereas using CB or UD to screen gets you the guard-on-big advantage), got the penetration he wanted, and then lost the handle. Prior to that the play worked well, we had Wade driving to the basket, about 10' away, and I like our chances of Wade getting a good shot from that point. He only went to the perimeter after losing the handle. Every team, EVERY team runs isolations at the end of the game, not just the Heat. Fortunately we have more than one player able to get a good iso shot, that IS NOT a problem, it's an advantage. They aren't going to run a intricate weave at the top of the key, while the DJ plays Sweet Georgia Brown, to confuse the defense. Most every team is either playing a zone, or switching on screens at that point of the game, so all that 'movement' by an offense would be wasted. But let's don't let facts get in the way of a good fire-SPO arguement. If we want to talk about shots, talk about Wade's struggle at the FT line. He hits 70% of those and it doesn't matter about the phantom foul Battier got on Melo's three.

Let's help the Knicks start another streak on Wednesday.

3 down - 13 to go

[Rches7578]

Everyone knows what's wrong with the HEAT. LOL.
We all know more than SPO. LOL.

Let's go Heat.

[I am Number 4]

You guys, if you look at what Wade is doing, he is pacing himself physically. He still has it...he just changed his game to preserve his body. He's had a few minor injuries so he's decided not to put his body at risk given the compacted schedule and all. And LeBron having the season he's having it makes perfect sense for him. NONE OF YOU GUYS should blame him after what happened to Baron Davis, Derrick Rose, Noah, Shumpert, Josh Smith, Dwight Howard, etc. He's looking at the bigger picture, so in the Eastern Conference Finals and if they make it to the Finals, we'll see a much more aggressive Wade. Critics should cut him a little slack.

[I am Number 4]

Oh yeah, and a 80% Wade, is still better any other 2-guard in league with the exception of Kobe...

[greg gembe]

Kome today or Kome from 8 years ago?

80% of Wade on the defensive end is better than 100% of Kome on the defensive end EVER.

How does the media still massage Kome's ego with BOTH hands, after his multiple selfish explosions, his debacle in the Denver hotel, and his belittling of his coaches/GMs/and teammates????? And we still boo LBJ for leaving Ohio????? Selective outrage, I guess.

[Dave]

Bosh is being under-utilized. Bosh needs to be more aggressive in demanding the ball, he has a high shot percentage and he makes his free throws. I don't want to ever see a game where Mario Chalmers takes more shots than Bosh.

[XXXJOSEXXX(HEAT FAN SINCE 97')]

yea ok mental toughness, so i guess last year when the heat beat the bulls in game 5 by hitting like 4 threes in a row, they werent mentally tough, its not a fact if it can be disproved, so therefore its only an opinion vaustn, seriously who hired you as a coach

[XXXJOSEXXX(HEAT FAN SINCE 97')]

i see your point greg, but remember kobe did get blasted by the media after shaq left, they called him a ball hog and a team killer, sayin he cant win the big one without shaq and he needed him, but then the lakers stole gasol from memphis, the lakers win again, kobe is a champ(2) again an finals mvp, and as the sayin goes winning cures everything

[greg gembe]

or as Riley says, "winning hides a lot of mistakes".

My point about Kome - who, if I'm correct, CHOKED on a 3pt shot at the end of the game last night, can't close - anybody?, is that the media selectively forgets all of Kome's past baggage and massages his image with BOTH hands, while they can't seem to keep their bias against LBJ out of their reporting.