Miami Heats’ solutions to losing games may be as simple as their substitution system

LeBron James is my man and I love to watch him play that game of basketball but I also like to see his team win.  He went to Miami hoping to finally capture that elusive Championship Ring and I believe that between there and Chicago, he has the best chance to do that.  That was until I watched a few recent games where they lost their lead in the final minutes of the game at a time when he, Dewayne Wade and Chris Bosch had always demonstrated an ability to finish.  It became my mission to try and determine why that was.

I was grateful to read and article by the Associated Press Sports Writer Tim Reynolds titled Riley gives Spoelstra vote of confidence because after looking at the possibility of it being the coach’s fault, I came up with nothing.  I watch him send in plays and I watch each player acknowledge and set up.   This tells me that this coach is very much aware of what he wants to see and what works.  Reading in the article where “Riley dismissed any notion of Spoelstra being on shaky ground as "the media being neurotic" made me feeling better.  What I have noticed is that ever so often Dewayne Wade will make a mistake of covering someone else’s man in the late minutes of a game which results in his man hitting a three (3) or making good on a jump shot.  This has not happened once in just one game but in several games.  I have noticed that there are so many willing to make that last shot and because of that it may be very difficult to decide who will take it.  My problem with that is that this Miami Heat team is so good on paper that there should never be an opportunity to take a last shot.  They should command a game from start to finish like the former Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers (in Magic Johnson era) or the Boston Celtics.

What I am left with in the substitution system.  During the game may players will get winded and need a rest, at this time I think it would better suit the Heat to rest LeBron while Dewayne leads and with the new addition of Bibby the sky is the limit.  Start your big three in the first quarter; rest them in the second and midway through the third.  After that point cut them loose and let them fly.  Trust that with all of those superb athletes on the bench they will be able to stay ahead or close enough to make sure that you big three have plenty of leg left for the remaining of the third quarter and the entire fourth.  Just my opinion, I could be way out on a limb here or completely out of my tree.