Heat Losses Causing Friction: The Shoulder Bump and The Making of a Scapegoat

With the losses piling up and the Miami Heat's inability to beat playoff caliber teams, it seems that everyone in the Miami Heat organization and ESPN have already begun to build the case for why the most overrated team in NBA history will not meet their own expectations of winning the NBA Championship this season. That case will star Coach Spoelstra in the role of scapegoat.

Erik Spoelstra's days as the head coach are numbered.

While greater NBA legends create moments , it may just be Lebron's legacy to be know more for moments like "The Decision", "The Vegas Weekend", "The Mental List Tweet", "The Song", and now, "The Shoulder Bump".

In yet another classic Lebron moment, during the loss against the Dallas Mavericks on November 27th, Coach Erik Spoelstra was frustrated by a breakdown by the Miami Heat on the defensive end, and he called a time out. With plenty of room to walk anywhere else, Lebron walks straight towards Spoelstra. Spoelstra is not really seeing Lebron, but despite seeing Spoelstra, Lebron leans his shoulder into own his coach. You will also see that Lebron also follows through afterwards, clearly indicating that he expected and initiated the contact.

"The Shoulder Bump" is just the latest example of Lebron's lack of maturity and leadership. After losing 3 of their last 4 games, Lebron and the Miami Heat have obviously had to explain why, after only 17 games, they already have nearly as many losses as Michael Jordan's 72-Win Chicago Bulls team and why they will have to go 63 wins and only 2 losses in order to match what the all-time winningest team was able to accomplish.

No, the 2010-11 Miami Heat are no where near the 72-Win Chicago Bulls team. Jordan did the dominating. Jordan did the leading. Jordan wanted the ball in his hands and the responsibility on his shoulders.

Lebron is the anti-hero for a new generation. Lebron wants loyalty, but he has already forgotten the fans that supported him for his first 7 years as a pro. Lebron has already had a game-winning shot busted in his face. Lebron joined a player who is a real, proven leader, Dwayne Wade. And he is grateful to give him the ball at the end of the game. As for the responsibility, Lebron is one of the best passers in the league.

More than a few people predicted that Erik Spoelstra's head coaching seat in Miami would be hot, but few imagined that Miami would struggle as much as they have in the first 17 games of the 82 game regular season. And with the way it seems that Wade, Bosh, and Lebron seem to talk to each other to the exclusion of the coach and the team, "The Shoulder Bump", the team meeting after the loss to Dallas, and the seemingly growing rift between team and coach, Erik Spoelstra is being painted and characterized as the scapegoat.

SHHH! Don't divulge my diabolical plan!

The most recent round of speculation of whether Pat Riley, who currently mans the Miami Heat front office, would dump Coach Spoelstra and return to coaching (as he did in 2005 after dumping then Head Coach Stan Van Gundy) began with a statement made by Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson during an interview. Recent events and the on-court actions of Lebron and other Miami Heat players seem to support the insights of Jackson.

However, Pat Riley made a public statement defending Coach Spoelstra saying that he was not looking to fire his coach. The most logical reason is not that he specifically supports Coach Spoelstra, but that Riley knows that the Miami Heat, with the present set of players, is not complete enough to contend for an NBA Championship with the likes of Boston and Los Angeles. Erik Spoelstra will help him buy time to get the players the team needs, either at the trade deadline or during next off season, and then, Riles may suddenly find that his support for Coach Spoelstra was unwarranted.

YOU MAKE THE CALL! INTENTIONAL OR NOT?


Whether it really was intentional or not, it is yet another shining moment for Lebron James.
Lebron is a LeBiatch.

Dallas Mavericks' Starters Dominate Miami Heat Starters in Thorough Team Victory

Dallas, Texas.  Another game against a playoff caliber opponent resulted in a loss for the most overrated team in NBA history on Saturday night.

Dallas used a huge run to begin the second half, including a pivotal play where Dirk Nowitzki split the defense provided by Dwayne Wade and Lebron James. With all three All-Stars hanging in the air, Nowitzki completed the layup against both Miami Heat defenders. With the momentum, Dallas would stretch to a lead of 18 points which they would never relinquish.

Tyson Chandler looked like an All-Star against the Miami Heat.

Once again, Miami was beat on the glass as Tyson Chandler grabbed 17 rebounds to go with 14 points and 3 blocks, and the Mavs starting frontline outrebounded Miami 26 to 19. Chris Bosh, who has been criticized throughout his career for being soft, has done nothing to prove otherwise, and with the probable loss of Udonis Haslem for the entire season, the NBA playoff hopes of the Miami Heat rest on the slender shoulders and non-existent testicular fortitude of Bosh.

After falling to a season record of 9 wins and 8 losses, worse than last year's mark of 10 wins and 7 losses at this same point in the season, the Miami Heat players had a team-only meeting lasting approximately 45 minutes. None of the Heat players were willing to speak about anything specific that was said during the meeting.

The loss capped a disappointing week for the Miami Friends (I've dropped the "Super" for obvious reasons), who have lost four of their last 5 games. The team-only meeting was just another sign that the Miami three of Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh are fracturing under the pressure of public scrutiny of, in particular, Lebron's Decision to leave a talented team in Cleveland to form a supposed "super team" in Miami to pursue an NBA Championship. The results seem to support those who believe that Lebron took the easy way out and will not win a title this way.

This was a tough week for Lebron in particular. After Rudy Gay hit a game-winning shot in his face to lift the Memphis Grizzlies, an ad for Jordan brand in response to Lebron's "What Should I Do?" Nike ad went viral on the internet; in the ad, Michael Jordan asks if Lebron was just making excuses.

Michael Jordan Responds To Lebron's "What Should I Do?" Nike Ad In Jordan Brand Ad

Michael Jordan lived these words every day of his career. He rewrote the record books through his own hard work and exceeded every basketball player that came before him. His play won him individual accolades.

His leadership fueled team success and carried his Chicago Bulls teams to 6 NBA Championships, winning every NBA Finals Series that he ever played in, and an NBA record, 72 win season.

Lebron James was offered the chance to follow in Jordan's footsteps in the Chicago Bulls campaign to bring the coveted free agent to the Bulls last summer. Even Jordan himself felt that the best situation for Lebron would be Chicago.

Lebron proved that he was not the player or the man that even Jordan believed him to be when he chose to join Dwayne Wade's Miami Heat, and Derrick Rose has lived up to his word after saying that he wanted to be "The Man" in Chicago.

Lebron is not and will never be on the same level as Jordan. What more needs to be said?

Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic Send Lebron and Friends To Third Straight Loss

Orlando, Florida.  The Miami Heat have been having a woeful Thanksgiving week, with losses to the Memphis Grizzlies and the Indiana Pacers, but everyone probably knows that with the excessive coverage of Lebron James and the most overrated team in history. And a visit to Eastern Conference contender, the Orlando Magic, was not going to make it better.

Miami's weak frontline recently got weaker with the loss of Udonis Haslem to injury, probably for the entire season. Haslem was truly the only source of toughness in the paint for a Miami Heat team that rebuilt their frontcourt from scratch around Lebron James and Chris Bosh. During Miami's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Haslem went down with a strained left foot and had to be carried off the court; he will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left foot that will probably end his season.

Despite Miami's injury woes, Dwight Howard didn't seem to feel sorry for the Heat big men, as he went for 24 points and 18 rebounds (matching the rebound total for Miami's starting frontline of Bosh, Lebron, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas) in completely dominating Miami's frontcourt. Jameer Nelson, J. J. Redick, and Brandon Bass made huge contributions, as well, in the team driven victory.

Dwight Howard dunks over the Miami friends as the Magic hand the Heat their third straight loss.

Meanwhile, the story for Miami was Dwayne Wade's continuing shooting woes, as he put up 18 points on 6 of 21 shooting. In two games since missing the game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Wade has made only 7 of his 34 shots (20.6%) and has only made 1 of 8 3-pointers (12.5%); the Heat have lost both games.

Orlando was able to avenge a loss to Miami earlier this season in the Heat's home opener on October 29.

Rudy Gay "LeBiatches" Lebron: Grizzlies Hand Heat Another Loss on Gay's Buzzer Beater

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. Lebron finally was involved in a "Jordan-moment", however it was Rudy Gay that hit "The Shot" while Lebron played the role of Craig Ehlo.

In dramatic fashion, it was Rudy Gay, the Memphis Grizzlies' big signing of the "Summer of Lebron", who measured and connected on a fade away jumper over a fully extended Lebron James, to sink the Miami Heat as the clock ran out in regulation.

Rudy Gay had been shooting just 4 for 12 on the night and had just turned the ball over on the previous play, resulting in an easy dunk for Lebron James on the other end to tie the game. However, when it came time to draw up the final play, Gay wanted the ball in his hands.

And with the ball in his hand and 5.5 secs beginning to tick away, Gay was not going to defer the shot to anyone else. Even with Lebron picking him up as he turned the corner, Gay got just enough space over the fully outstretched arm of the most coveted free agent of the summer, Lebron James, and buried the shot.

Here is a video of the play: 



Following the shot, the hometown crowd at the FedEx Forum erupted. It was an emotional victory for a Memphis Grizzlies team that was expected to challenge in the Western Conference but has been struggling in the early going of this season. O.J. Mayo and Zach Randolph had been demoted to the bench in favor of Darrell Arthur and rookie Xavier Henry in hopes of sparking the team. It seems to have worked, at least on this night.

The list of teams handing a piece of humble pie to the Miami Heat has gotten one more team longer. Joining the Boston Celtics, Utah Jazz, and New Orleans Hornets was a 5 win and 9 loss underachieving Memphis Grizzlies team. After obtaining the top 3 free agents available during the "Summer of Lebron" and then bragging about forming a basketball dynasty, the Miami Heat have stumbled out of the gate, with a record of 8 wins and 5 losses in the first 13 games of the season. They are on pace to finish the season with a record of  51 - 31.

A special slice of humble pie is reserved for Lebron James, who was the most coveted free agent of the summer. With every team in the league dreaming about adding his talent and several solid, "win a championship now", choices available, such as staying with a Cleveland Cavaliers talent base that put together back to back 61 win seasons, Lebron continues to be haunted by the worst "Decision" ever made by a sports superstar. He questions "what to do now?" in his latest commercial for Nike.

Rudy Gay's Jordanesque Game-Winning Shot Over Lebron James.

The Rudy Gay shot over Lebron had the "Air" of "The Shot", Michael Jordan's incredible floating shot on Craig Ehlo to propel the Chicago Bulls to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1989 NBA Playoffs. The way he floated just a little longer and jumped a little higher than the defender who, despite great defensive position and full extension to bother the shot, was helpless to stop him."The Shot" remains one of the defining moments of Michael Jordan's career because it illustrates the difference between Jordan and every other basketball player in the world; Jordan wanted to win more than any other player, and it fueled him to float a little longer, jump a little higher, practice a little harder, and make one more play.

The irony of the situation is that Lebron, this very summer, could have been the Air Apparent and the Chosen One to follow in Michael Jordan's footsteps in Chicago and as the icon of the NBA. Chicago was believed by the most knowledgeable basketball people, including Michael Jordan himself, to be the best destination for Lebron from the point of view of joining a team that would win multiple NBA Championships. The combination of Derrick Rose, Lebron James, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah would have been amazing; Derrick Rose is currently 4th in the league in scoring, and Joakim Noah is currently 2nd in the league in rebounding. Lebron would have been an ideal complement to the two superstars, and with talented role players like Taj Gibson, the Bulls (currently 7 - 4 on the season) would have been one of the most talented, deep, and complete teams in the league.

Then came "The Decision". And the landscape of the NBA has been forever altered, but two things have not changed. Michael Jordan's legacy is still that of the greatest of all time, and Lebron James will not be winning an NBA Championship this year.

Lebron Deserves Time Magazine's Person of the Year For Being a Shining Example of What Not To Do With Your Public Esteem

Does Lebron James deserve to be listed among the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr., Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Mohandas Gadhi? The answer is clearly a resounding "no".

Does Lebron James deserve to be listed among the likes of Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, George W. Bush, and Benedict Arnold (if Time Magazine had existed back in 1780)? Suddenly, the "no" is less resounding...

Barack Obama, President of the United States, is also a finalist for Time's Person of the Year along with James.

Time Magazine's Person of the Year article profiles a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year." By this criteria, Lebron certainly qualifies to be in the discussion.

In fact, what better way to cement Lebron's "legacy" than a Time Magazine article that details the events of the so called "Summer of Lebron", what was to be Lebron's finest hour, to show how selfishness, hubris, and conceit can truly cost you in the fame game. However, when the adoration of your fans are the only source of your power, influence, and income, it is probably a good idea not to humilate those same fans on public television.

Lebron's actions, and the pride that continues to keep him from admitting the utter stupidity of "The Decision", have kept his name in the news much longer than any sensible decision possibly could, and it is for that that he deserves Time's Person of the Year.

At the very least, the continuous chatter on ESPN, the television network that agreed to participate in Lebron James' ill-conceived 1-hour Decision special, about what Lebron tweeted about today and his opinion of the dismal Dallas Cowboys, for example, is evidence that the sports world has changed. Now rather than reporting sports news, ESPN has crossed the line of journalistic integrity, following in the footsteps of the Fox News' of the world, to now, creating and fabricating news.

A clear bias exists when ESPN crams Lebron James' opinions down our throats and calls it news. There is a clear bias when there is a special page chronicling the Miami Heat, called the Heat Index, when there are 29 other teams in the league, several of which are more likely than Miami to win the NBA Championship, and one of them has already proven that fact twice (Boston Celtics).

The Miami Herald has reported that Lebron, in a calculated PR move, responded to his nomination by saying that it was "crazy". Lebron said this about his vote for the honor, the Chilean Miners, "That's just crazy. What those guys did, the courage and what they stood for, I should be nowhere near that list. Nowhere near it."

If Lebron had made a sensible decision, he would not be anywhere near the list. He would just be the best player in the league, winning and leading a team, and showing his fans everywhere what it is to be a sports hero. Instead, we are forced to watch Miami Heat basketball to witness the inevitability of karma.

Celtics Beat Heat Again With Total Team Effort Despite Lebron's Near Triple-Double

MIAMI, FLORIDA.  Lebron James put up 35 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals. However, Boston left Miami with the only thing that mattered to them, and that was a convincing victory over the most overrated team in NBA history.

Boston beat down Miami for the second time in the early 2010-11 season.

The Boston Big Four dominated the game despite Lebron's nice statline. Ray Allen finished with 35 points and made 7 of 9 from 3-point land, and Kevin Garnett owned the paint to the tune of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 16 assists, and Paul Pierce pitched in with 25 points.

The biggest difference maker was the job the Celtics defense did on Dwayne Wade, holding the Heat star to 8 points on 2 of 12 shooting.

Once again, it was evident by Lebron's statline that he was being asked to shore up the inadequate rebounding of the Miami Heat starting frontcourt of Chris Bosh and Joel Anthony. Better teams have easily taken advantage of this Miami Heat weakness and will continue to do so. If Lebron leads the team in rebounding on a given night, the Heat will have lost.

FINAL THOUGHT:  With nearly 8 minutes remaining in the game, the standing-room-only, Miami Heat crowd at the American Airlines Arena began to filter out of the stadium. Did they get to watch Lebron flirt with a triple-double? Did they even care?

Millsap Dominates Bosh And Miami Heat For Utah Jazz Victory and Career-High 46 Points

Miami, Florida No, the chances of the Miami Heat going 82 - 0 for the season have long passed. However, at a record of 5 - 3 during this first month of the NBA season, the vaunted Miami "superteam" is on pace for a record of 51 - 31, not even matching the record of the Cleveland Cavalier team that won a league best 61 games and brought Lebron the honor of NBA MVP. Experts around the league doubt that even exceeding the Cavs win total from last season will bring another MVP Award to Lebron because he is not even the focal point or best player on this season's version of the Heat.

Chris Bosh has been exposed as a soft defender and weak rebounder.

The Utah Jazz took their talents to South Beach and handed the Miami Heat their first home loss of the season behind a career night for power forward Paul Millsap who scored 46 points in the overtime victory.  

Millsap was efficient; his career-high 46 points were scored on 19 for 28 shooting from the field, including shooting 3 for 3 from 3-point range. Millsap outscored the Miami Heat starting frontcourt, including Bosh (17 points), Lebron James (20 points), and rookie Joel Anthony (4 points).

In the first 8 games of the season, the Miami Heat's greatest weakness has been exposed. After having a roster that was completely gutted during the off season to make way for the Miami Thrice experiment, it seems that the filler players that were obtained to form the rest of the Miami Heat roster are not the only concern for the Heat.

For all their talent and skill, the Miami Heat front line, lead by Chris Bosh, is soft defensively and on the boards. Chris Bosh was the best player on a bad team with the Toronto Raptors, and he was able to accrue strong stats during mostly meaningless games. Bosh never led his Toronto Raptors team to the playoffs.

In the loss earlier in the week to the New Orleans Hornets, Bosh grabbed one rebound in 34 minutes of play. ONE REBOUND!

We saw in tonight's game that the Miami Heat plan to keep Lebron James back to help on the defensive boards. Lebron tallied a triple-double (20 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds) because of the strategy, but ultimately, the Heat lost the game. Going forward, we will see if other teams, especially teams that can dominate on the front line, continue to press the advantage to beat the Heat.

The teams that Miami is hoping to beat in the playoffs to play for the NBA Championship are teams that are powerful up front: Los Angeles, Boston, Orlando, New Orleans, and Chicago, to name a few. At this point, the Miami Heat are a fool's pick to win the NBA Championship.

Miami Heat Fall For Loss Number Two To Chris Paul and the Undefeated New Orleans Hornets

New Orleans, LA. Lebron may not have been able to do it alone in his seven years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but on this night, it was Chris Paul who played the role of a lonely David versus the Goliath of the Big Three of Miami.

Chris Paul finished the game with a modest 13 points, but made his teammates better to the tune of 19 assists.

CP3 keeps his Hornets undefeated against DWade, Lebron, and the Miami Heat.

Following a summer that was notable for an infamous Decision to go to South Beach, Chris Paul was very public about his discontent with the state of the New Orleans Hornets, fueling rumors of a potential "Big Three" scenario that might have landed himself, along with another disgruntled superstar, Carmelo Anthony, on the New York Knicks.

Following a fifth straight victory to start the season by New Orleans (a Hornets franchise-best record to start a season), trade talks have been silenced. The New Orleans Hornets front office has consistently gone on record saying that Chris Paul would not be traded; the franchise even traded talented back-up point guard Darren Collison, who played excellent during the significant minutes he played in Paul's absence, as a clear statement of commitment to Paul.

It seems that their clear commitment, along with other off-season moves, has paid off for the undefeated New Orleans Hornets.

On the other hand, Lebron's summer has been one of a lack of a clear commitment (other than to himself and his so-called advisory team), culminating in the self-aggrandizing and self-promoting, 1-hour Decision special on ESPN. We all know the subsequent backlash that has resulted from Lebron's decision to be Dwayne Wade's Miami Heat sidekick, along with Chris Bosh.

After much speculation and talk of breaking the 72 win record of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls team, the Miami Heat lost their season opener to the Boston Celtics, and they now fall to a record of 4-2 after this loss to the New Orleans Hornets. This would put them on pace to win 66 to 69 games this season.