ShareThis"The Vision,'' which was hatched by "The Decision,'' is unfolding nicely these days for LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Is "The Championship'' next?
As the rest of the NBA bounces along with upsets galore, James and Dwyane Wade are taking care of business in the Eastern Conference semifinals. After two home wins over the Boston Celtics, the Heat look not only like the best team in the series but the best in basketball. They'll try to put the aging-before-your-eyes Celts to sleep for good this weekend, starting with a critical Game 3 on Saturday night at TD Garden.
All winter long, the basketball world happily giggled as James, Wade (and to a much lesser extent) Chris Bosh and the Heat faced their share of struggles. There was a season-opening loss in Boston, a four-game losing streak in early January, a five-game slide in March and enough late-game mishaps to put the top playoff seed in the East out of reach.
This was not how the script was supposed to unfold. Ever since James made his decision and came to the Heat last July, Miami was instantly christened basketball's champion-in-waiting. So what if the supporting cast around Wade, James and Bosh appeared as thin as a paper clip. The NBA is a star's game, and no one glistened like the Heat.
But now the playoffs are here, and James' vision has begun to take hold. After being knocked out of the playoffs twice in the previous three seasons by the Celtics, James decided if you can't beat 'em, go get some help. Instead of sticking with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, he decided to share the headlines (and the ball) with close friend Wade in Miami.
James correctly said at the time that he was tired of holding the weight of an entire franchise and city on his broad shoulders. As he says, he likes "having options out there on the court."
"In the past, knowing that if I (didn't) bring my A-game, there is a pretty good chance we are not going to win that game," he said after a 102-91 win in Game Two. "Having guys on the court that can take over the game -- that takes a load off of you. That is the vision I had during the free-agent period when I decided to come here. It is all coming together at the right time."
The Vision. So far in the playoffs, that mental picture has seen James dominate one game, and Wade the next. If someone is rolling, stick with him. In six of the Heat's seven playoff games, either James or Wade has scored at least 26 points. They are both averaging 25 points so far in the playoffs.
That leads us to the Celtics. Because Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo beat James in the past, it seems like Celts fans assume it should happen again now. But the equation has changed. James plus Wade is a test the Celtics have never faced in the playoffs, and so far, it looks like they don't have enough answers.
In two unsightly games in Miami, Pierce lost his cool, Rondo never really found his groove and Garnett looked old. Instead of blasting Jeff Green or whining about the ghost of Kendrick Perkins, the spotlight needs to be shifted to the team's stars. The Celts will dig out of this hole on the shoulders of their leaders. So far, not one has stepped up and played well in back-to-back games.
"Honestly, I believe that they're attacking us and we're not attacking just the same," said Allen.
Saturday would be a good time to start attacking. It's clear that there will be no stopping James (28.5 ppg. in the two games) and Wade (33.0). They can get seemingly any shot they want -- or kick to wide-open shooters such James Jones, Mike Bibby or Mario Chalmers -- any time they want. They are both truly special offensive talents.
The Celtics can be better on offense themselves. When their attack runs through Garnett in the post and the ball swings side to side more than once a possession, the Celtics are very good. If Garnett (zero free throws in two games) stops settling for jump shots, Rondo shoots his open 12-footers with a little confidence, Pierce joins the series and Jermaine O'Neal makes the layups he's been missing, the Celtics will show the fight that's necessary to make this a series.
One thing the Celtics do not lack is confidence. As Allen said, "Being down 2-0 doesn't scare any of us, doesn't make us nervous." That's fine, but this group has never faced a bigger must-win than Saturday night. Lose that one, and the second Big Three Era is over.
"It is a long series," James said. "I am not getting too high, I am not getting too low. This is what we wanted to do. We wanted to win the first two games. We are looking forward to going to Boston."
(Contact Kevin McNamara at kmcnamar(at)projo.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
columnMust credit The Providence Journal
