We Killed The Heat: You're Welcome Cleveland

Two years ago, an injured Jazz team went on a February tear, going 15 and 1 and winning 12 in a row. Everyone started to talk about the Jazz being the best kept secret, a team everyone had slept on that would actually be able to put up a very big fight. Then the Jazz lost to the Atlanta Hawks. That loss set them back a little, but they rose to fight on. The next team on their schedule was the Miami Heat, an only OK team. The Jazz, who at this point were not adept at ever winning away from Salt Lake (or crushing bad teams), took a lead and seemed like they would hold on down the stretch. But they failed. Committing turn-over after turn-over, failing to score on fast-breaks, and a general lack of killer instinct allowed the Jazz to let the Heat back into the game late in the fourth. The same thing happened in overtime number 1: we got up early, failed to hold on, Dwayne Wade scored a gillion (actually, just 50). And, amazingly, again in overtime number 2. Then, in overtime 3, the Heat ran away with it. I knew, frantically reloading the gamecast on my computer screen, that we had just suffered a devastating blow, one that had destroyed our season. We limped through some more games but could never recover the magic of February and ultimately exited the playoffs in the first round.

That was a blow to the Jazz, but one we ultimately recovered from, as evidenced by our recent play. Now we're so good we've gone for revenge. Early on in this season the Heat lost to the Celtics and the Hornets. Everyone wrote off the Celtics loss as the first game and the Hornets loss as a really close game against the hottest team in the league. People were still talking 70 wins. But then the Jazz came to Miami and, coming back from so far behind it seemed they couldn't see the Heat, let alone catch them, the Jazz coolly iced them on a Millsap career night. Up until that point the Heat had been congealing into a really good team. They completely joked on the Magic, shutting them down harder than Boston or LA could and, apparently (in games I didn't watch), did similar things to other teams that would get laughed out of the West. But after the Jazz took it to them people started to grumble, asking if the 70 wins, Finals in five, scenario might be more fantasy than reality. And that seems anathema to the guys on that team: their Kryptonite is being questioned. As soon as it began they proceeded to loose to every single team with a record better than .500. The Heat were always going to be met with a lot of vitriol, but they could have buckled down and welcomed it, much like the guys from the youtube video I am currently obsessed with would have. Instead, they have begun a circular firing squad. It seems like LeBron or his people have leaked his displeasure with Spoelstra to the press and that any day now, Mike Brown will be the Heat's head coach (ESPN will be setting up a Spoelstra suicide watch very soon).

This team will go through some very public pain and may be forced to trade one of the much hyped big three. All because an unheard about Millsap (Knapp sack) went off against an otherwise tightly controlled defense. Which now can't defend to save it's life. Defense is all about trust and chemistry, knowing that when you block the lane or switch up your teammate will come in and pick up your guy. The Heat used to have that, they don't anymore. While they unravel, we keep rolling, beating a Lakers team firing on almost all cylinders, and having fun. As Dwayne Wade smugly put it after murdering the Jazz in 09, "Just another day at the office." As was his loss in Dallas. I think this Heat team will improve and end the season at 50 wins, losing in the second round of the playoffs. There will be a time when this seems brash and cocky, but right now the Heat are hurting. And if they fire Spoelstra they could be hurting a lot more before they're feeling good. So, for now, you're welcome Cleveland, hope you too get a chance to kick 'em while they're down on Thursday. To Miami I respectfully give this advice: if you want to stop being kicked then stop going to the office, stop bitching about each other, stop letting your egos inflate like you just won a championship, and thug up.