pat riley is the one to hold accountable if the heat lose

spoelstra is a joke.   you see lebron laugh at sager's comments after game 5 when sager asked lebron about spo showing clips of the rumble in the jungle fight?   they must think this guy is the biggest joke of a coach.. one cliche after another

what the fu*k is jowan howard doing holding up a roster spot?   you can't put a young kid on the team who could possibly contribute?   joel anthony is alergic to the ball... rashad lewis sucks... and udonis haslem???   the last two games were a freaking aberration.   the guy has the most mechanical shot and provides nothing offensively... hustle and rebound guys are a dime a dozen.   look how easily birdman has supplanted haslem's minutes.  it's a testament to what a joke of a gm riley is.

and karma is a mofo.

Haslem is a thug
Birdman is a statutory rapist and moron
Lebron thinks flopping is cool
Wade has his mind on other things
Bosh is the Alien, in the movie, Alien
Chalmers is the whipping boy of the bunch

That being said Miami will probably win in Game 7.

Go figure....

Everyone talks about mia record win streak and backs spoelstra but I think its more the talent than the coach for the heats success ... even when they won the finals last yr.. he didnt seem like he was coaching. . Seemed more like players took over...

tont ur post is littered with non facts.

My record is 3-0 and +$4,500

What's your posted record?

all of them except the one about lebron are true... and the bosh comment is a half truth- he's actually a freaking avatar

And it's not going to get much better in the next few years with all the money tied up on those 3.   And zero draft picks this year.   

LeBron and the little two.  It is not the Big Three anymore.  Indiana has size and talent so anything can happen in game seven.  LeBron may be the best in the world but for one night he may not be.  I am pulling for Indiana.  This may be their moment.  Lance needs to contribute more. Paul and George are great as is Roy and West must come up big too.  Tyler and Stacy and Sam and bench will need to come up big.  I think Miami wins but it will be contested.  Birdman will be back, Cole is doing good.  Haslem, Wade, Chalmers, Bosh will all play better.  Ray and Shane and Mike need to do their share.  Nothing is gonna be easy.  Everyone wants this bad.

Damn I just wrote a super long, in depth piece on this subject and the page froze. So frustrating. But as the biggest HEAT fan on this forum Ill chime in and try to reason objectively. This team is probably the last team I will personally be very emotional about. As I advance in age, Sports in general no longer is about idols and such but more towards the gambling element. So thus emotion must completely be removed in order to be successful. 

Riley is not to blame, he is one of the best executives in this league. No one else has a deal like his. He convinced the MVP and greatest player of this generation to sign on board. He needed the help of Wade for the recruitment and did not expect for Wade to decline so drastically.

That's really the blame here. Wade's decline. I do not embrace excuses, but in this case I do believe the man is hurting so I will have to give him a pass. But on a team that, talent wise and on paper, should really be all about "Next Man Up." So where is Chris Bosh? We have to make excuse for him too. Ankle? My theory is he is disconnected from this team somehow. Would not surprise me if he bolts in 2014. I remember game 4 and James is at the top of the key in a 3 point stance with the shot clock running down. He sends a gorgeous laser pass to Bosh at the sideline. BRICK! Had Bosh made that shot, its a different series.

Additonally, SPO must GO if he does not win game 7. Plain and simple. Riley cannot just delegate coaching a mentally fragile bunch to his pupil. He put this team together like he did with his maneuvering to get Shaq. And the same scenario presents itself that Riley must return to the grind of being a coach. He owes that to this franchise.

Some of you chimed in about the roster additions of the Miami Heat. And to an extend, I agree. WTF is Juwan Howard doing. I'd almost rather have Dexter Pittman or Eddy Curry. Especially now. Riley does not trust younger guys and usually builds his teams with veterans. In this scenario most of his end of bench guys just aren't producing. Rashard Lewis role is to play in garbage time.

But as a GM I think Riley has done a fine job and not to blame. You live by the jump shot, you die by the jump shot with guys like Ray Allen and Shane Battier. And to this point they have been killing us. Battier is useless out there. He cant go up against West and cant make a shot. His contributions include frustrating Tyler Hansbraugh.

Call Haslem and Anderson thugs all you want. That's what they are suppose to do. They have done good in this series on the offensive end with Haslem's jumper and Birdman's putbacks. But this team is vulnerable simply because Indiana has made far more hustle plays, most notably on the offensive glass. Indiana missed plenty of shots but they get those second and sometimes third chance opportunities. That's where they have the HEAT at the brink of an elimination game 7.

Some say, including myself, that the regular season is meaningless. With the NFL in full swing, I refuse to pay attention to basketball in November and December and will not entertain conversations. But this is why it IS important. You win 66 games to get home court. And when you need it most, like a game 7, the effort pays off.

but yet people talk about LEBRON winning several rings????

pacers is gonna take out the heat in game 7 soo it was written soo it shall happen lol

Wanted to press submit so I didn't lose my work again.

BWS - Traditionally, Riley does not build teams through late picks in the draft. Additionally he sacrificed so much in the sign and trades to get the big 3. I think this strategy has hurt him over the years. But with this core, it does not matter what so ever that we do not have a pick this year. Although I'd love to see a Shane Larkin or Timmy Jr. on this team, whoever the rookie is would simply be at the end of the bench.

And yes, with the changes in the CBA, things will not get easier. But every year there is a handful of ring chasers and minimum vets looking to resurrect their careers. The main point is that as long as you have LeBron, you have a chance. It just wasn't supposed to get this difficult. Indiana has real talent and tremendous chemistry. They built from the inside and the emergence of Paul George is what elevates them. The Danny Granger effect was very positive to the growth of this team. I knew last summer that it would come down to Miami and Indiana in the East. Honestly, I didn't think it was going to be a game 7 though.

48 minutes will determine history. If Heat lose, then 1 title in 3 seasons will be a tremendous disappointment. That celebration they had when the BIG 3 game together will be considered a laughing stock. They may even be featured in a 50 for 50 by ESPN films in 20 years. But all this talk on Sunday June 2nd, 2013 is just talk. Tomorrow night is a game 7. There is nothing better.

Get your popcorn ready!

Heat 96 - Indiana 84

Riley has had success with some of his picks though.

Dorrell Wright, Mario Chalmers, and Norris Cole are all fine bench players. Wright has got himself a few contracts in this league. Say all you want bout RIO' but the kid is a winner and a fine ball player. Norris Cole has a high motor and is a very skilled small guard. Both should play a decade in this league.

Its funny how everyone talks about how much Miami sends on their payroll when they are 4th in total payroll and the top 1teams are within about 10 million of each other except the lakes who spent about 15 million more hand everybody

Like Lebron said it's like Cleveland now which he clearly doesn't like. If they don't win tomorrow then I expect next year to be the last in South Beach. I think he knows he needs a Pippen or a Kobe like Jordan and Shaq had, a Westbrook like Durant has or something like the Spurs and without it it's not fun. 

bizkilla- good write up.        How much do you think the struggles will affect the team mentally going into the next series/season?  If they lose, will James trust Wade or Bosh moving on?  Or does he throw them under the bus?  Tuesday could be a very interesting day....

BWS - Mental. That's the root for this bunch of ego's. In 2006 Pat Riley put out mystery in the center of the locker room. Pictures and cards written with  motivational phrases was presented. That seemed to inspire the bunch. At this point, they need something. That's what made Riley and Phil Jackson and also Gregg Popovich so successful. As great leaders they motivate. The look on the faces of Wade, Bosh, SPO and everyone besides James last night looked like a team that looks lost. There's no swagger and confidence there. Their legacies will be defined in 48 minutes on Monday.

 This team can climb back from large deficits, that's not an issue. For Christ sakes they were down 17 and brought it within 6. But when you play like that then everything has to go your way. If they fall behind 10 and start to shoot their way back in. ITS OVER. Its Dallas 2011 all over again.

In all honesty, they are a missed layup away from already being eliminated. That's a fact. That's the truth. I think that plays a pivotal role with this bunch at this moment in time.

But its a fresh start. You get one game on home court to define yourself in the history of this game. In 20 years well barely mention the names of Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, or Paul George. However, LeBron will be remembered. Will he be remembered for his failures, or will we speak of 27 game win streaks and game 6's vs. Boston and hopefully his triumph above Indiana in game 7.

If there is a loss then there is some serious issues that need to be resolved moving forward. They are a contending team and that's why they built this thing to compete. In sports though, upsets and miracles happen. That's why we watch. That's why we gamble. Otherwise it would be like the WWF. If there is a loss then next season determines everything. I really don't think they would break it up in 2013. But I WILL NEVER sleep on Pat Riley. He could always pull off some sort of deal. Who knows. Could he sell off Chris Bosh. because clearly Wade has 0 value at this point. Do the vets resign? Will they be able to attract the next group of ring chasers? By all accounts, Miami should be one of the favorites again next season. Its what happens next summer that will be more drastic than what could happen on Tuesday.

IMO, the big 3 gets broken up in some sort of way. LeBron stays but a new faces get brought in.

Didn't both Bosh and Wade take LESS money to sign with Miami?

bizkilla- excellent points.   my issue with riley as gm is this:  yes, the ability to recruit and sign (with the help of wade in non-contact windows) was huge.   but of all the gm's that went after lebron and bosh, if they were in riley's chair, do they not get them also?   i don't think it had so much to do with riley as it had to do with wade in their ear throughout the year and the ability to sell miami (the city).   either way, riley gets credit for the gm signings but to me, and this is purely my expectation of what a gm does, is evaluation of college talent.   i agree- i like chalmers and cole.   but with the talent around them, it's hard not to succeed.   it is a fact, that in 2003, riley wanted bosh over wade.   HUGE miscalculation.   it has also been reported that riley had to be taked into taking wade, that riley was also leaning lopez over wade.   this past year- how do you not take draymond green?  this guy they got from lsu will be another patrick beverley (who was another gigantic miss when you had marcus thornton).   it's like he's bypassing guys who were the best college players on their team, guys who are good basketball players, guys who would seem to be even better than what they really are b/c of the talent around them, for projects.   what? a guy is 6'2 and not 6'4 and you're going to overlook him?  drafting on potential instead of productivity?   this is what gets me about riley.   it's like he watches no college basketball all year, goes to a combine, and falls in love with a guy in a non competitive situation (combine or pre draft workout).   let the scouts who've been watching college basketball all year have the final say in who you're drafting.   then keeping guys like jowan howard on the roster who contribute nothing is mind boggling.   riley has the rings and the slicked back hair and these bizarro stories about scorpions crossing the road.   i'm not impressed at all about riley the administrator.