Derrick Rose for MVP not so cut and dry

The due date for members of the NBA media to get their vote in for the NBA's Most Valuable Player is April 14. Too bad the decision was already made weeks ago.

At least that's how many feel, particularly those that are fans of the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Los Angeles Lakers; fans that feel that their player has been unfairly banished from the race due to an early crowning by the media of Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.

This isn't a piece designed to undermine Rose, who has had nothing less than a truly great season. He's led his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference with a current record of 53-20 and has managed to do so without starters Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer for 30 and 18 games respectively. He is the only player who ranks in both the top ten in scoring and assists, an undeniably impressive accomplishment.

Is Derrick Rose really the MVP?

But I can't help but wonder if this common understanding of "Rose for MVP" by the majority of fans and media alike, has more to do with exceeded expectations than anything else. Because before the season began many analysts and NBA writers figured the Bulls would finish no better than the fourth seed. Clearly, those expectations were low. Now, because a player proved a couple of doubters wrong and managed to keep his team afloat while two of his teammates were injured, the race is over? I don't buy that.

The award shouldn't be about expectations, it should be about who's the best. Because the best is always the most valuable.

Lebron James is the most physically skilled player in the NBA. Many would say he's the best in the league. So does this mean that if Heat teammate Dwyane Wade went down early in the season and missed 30 games just like Noah, that the MVP talk of James and Rose would be reversed? Surely James' stats would be inflated due to more time with the ball in his hands. And I think it's safe to say that the Heat would still be relevant without Wade, with Chris Bosh becoming even more effective as the second option.

Instead, James' shot at a third consecutive MVP has been lost due to a media perception that despite the facts, Rose is a more "clutch" player than James and more valuable to his team. But if your idea of value translates solely to wins and losses, then Rose isn't the MVP, it's the Magic's Dwight Howard. Take Howard off the Magic and you're talking about a mediocre team at best that probably doesn't make the playoffs.

But if you break down the numbers, you'll find that since the 2006-07 season, James has shot a higher percentage (22.0) and scored more points (31) in the last ten seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime than his supposed super-clutch teammate, Dwyane Wade.

Or how about just this season. According to 82games.com, with five minutes left in the fourth quarter or overtime with neither team ahead by more than five points, James ranks second in the NBA, scoring 48.7 points on .439 percent shooting. Rose ranks seventh, at 45.2 points on .375 percent shooting.

So what's more important? One or two buzzer beaters that give off the illusion of the so called "clutch gene," or better overall fourth quarter production?

Lebron was named MVP of the league in back to back years with a Cleveland Cavaliers team that he clearly made infinitely better. Without him, the team has crumbled to worst in the league.

My point, is that James is the same player as then. It should not be held against him now that he's surrounded with two other great players. If anything, he should be rewarded for still managing to maintain much of his stats playing alongside one of the best players in the league.

If Rose is your pick, fine. You won't get an argument from me. But to say it's so clear cut, well, that's simply not correct.

Big Three each score 30 in win over Rockets

The Miami Heat snapped the Houston Rocket's five game winning streak Sunday, with an exciting 125-119 victory in which the Heat made Franchise history along the way. 

The Heat, now standing at 51-22, have won five straight and eight of their last nine and currently sit only a half game back of the Boston Celtics for the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. 

"A fan's delight, a coach's nightmare," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of a game that surely won't be remembered for it's defensive prowess.

Not only was this the first time in the Heat's 23-year history that three Heat players scored at least 30 points in the same game, but it was only the second time in NBA history and first since 1961 that a team had three players score 30 points and pull down 10 rebounds in regulation.

Lebron James finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, Chris Bosh had 31 points and 12 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade added 30 points and 11 rebounds in a game that probably made many ponder, "Why don't they do this every night?" 

Lately, it seems like they have.

No, they haven't been setting franchise records on a nightly basis; but in the last nine games the Heat's big three have shown the kind of nightly consistency that has been lacking for much of the season. Too many times this season the Heat lost big games due to a lousy night from one of the three. But with only nine games remaining before the playoffs, that no longer seems to be the case.

Take Chris Bosh for example. After unfairly taking the brunt of the blame for the Heat's struggles at various points in the season, Bosh has recently silenced his critics, putting up the kind of numbers that he did as the first option for the Toronto Raptors. In his last nine games, Bosh has had seven doubles (24 points and nine rebounds against the L.A. Lakers) and has scored 30 plus twice. 

Wade and James have looked like the best two players in the league at their respective positions, both earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors during the stretch. 

It may not have been the kind of defensive basketball that has been a staple of the Heat organization for years, but even Spoelstra couldn't help but smile when speaking about the historic night.

"That's what makes great players special, " Spoelstra said. "They can be great during the year and still find another gear, another level they could go to."

"We're just trying to win," Bosh said when talking about his team's historic accomplishment. "That's the bottom line, we're just trying to win games. And historic things that happen, we can have a sense of accomplishment." 

Heat look to avenge worst loss of season against league's best

Just four days ago the season and hopes of an NBA championship were all but over for the Miami Heat. The experiment had failed. Lebron James and Dwyane Wade couldn't couldn't figure out how to play together. Chris Bosh was too soft. Erik Spolestra wasn't the man to lead the team. At least that's what you might have been conned into believing if you'd watched only five minutes of Sportscenter during a five-game losing stretch that started back on February 27 and didn't end until this past Thursday.


But funny how a measly two games can change everything.

Heat point guard Mike Bibby hit five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points against Memphis

After an encouraging 94-88 win for the second time this season against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers Thursday and a 30-point beatdown to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, the panic meter has dropped for the Heat, (there's actually an ESPN Heat panic meter) if only momentarily.


"It feels good to get some wins. The expectation of us going out and playing at a high level every night was waring on us a little bit," James responded after the Grizzlies win when asked about the significance of this particular point in the season. "We said it's just going to take one win and everybody could let their hair down and relax. We've been able to do it the last two nights."


Now the Heat look to make it three in a row Monday night against a San Antonio Spurs team that embarrassed the Heat earlier this month in a 125-95 shalacking, that only further raised doubt in the minds of Heat critics and fans alike.


When the two teams last met, the Spurs dissected the Heat's defense with ease, as the Spurs finished with eight players scoring in double digits and set a franchise record with 17 made three-pointers.


The Heat hope for a much different outcome this time around, with the Spurs entering the game with the best record in the league and riding a three-game winning streak.


Regarded as being one of the better run organizations in professional sports, Spolestra has nothing but high praise for the Spurs.


"We've always had the ultimate respect for them and what they've been able to accomplish. This year, it's probably a little bit of a surprise how well and how efficient they've played. They've already been tested through adversity. They've been through playoff battles.They've been through all the ups and downs."

You have to believe this Heat team wants some sort of revenge. They may not all come out and say it, but leave the admission to Chris Bosh, who's never short of words when it comes to talking about how he really feels.


"They beat the crap out of us and it was on national TV. Everyone saw it." said Bosh.


"We want to redeem ourselves."

Lebron owning up to late game failures

After another brutal 87-86 loss to the Chicago Bulls Sunday, it was pretty hard for a Miami Heat fan to find any reasons for optimism.

Once again it had all the components of a "big-game Heat loss", such as blown double digit leads, lack of bench production, and missed final shots.

This time around it was the Heat's failure to secure a rebound that would have put them in position to close out the game.

With less than 20 seconds left in regulation, Bulls forward Luol Deng stepped to the free throw line with his team down 86-84. At this point, the Heat had to feel pretty good about their chances, considering that even if Deng hit both free throws, the Heat would still have about 18 seconds left to play for the final shot or at worst take their chances in overtime.

Deng would only convert on his first of two free throws, but in the ensuing scuffle for the rebound the Heat's Mike Miller was called for a foul on Deng which sent him back to the free throw line with a chance to take the lead.

This time Deng would convert both free throws giving the Bulls an 87-86 lead, and ultimately the win.

During the Heat's final timeout, Heat head coach, Erik Spolestra would draw up a play designed to get Bulls center Jokim Noah covering Lebron James at the top of the key. The play worked up to that point, but the mismatch wasn't enough as James missed on a driving left-handed layup. Dwyane Wade would then take one final fade away jumper after securing a great offensive rebound, but that wouldn't drop either.

But it's what was said after the game by the Heat's biggest star, and perhaps biggest culprit, that should make Heat fans feel a little better. During the post game press conference, a clearly worn out Lebron answered questions regarding the current mental state of the team and also alluded to his own late game struggles.

"I told the guys that I just keep failing them late in games," James said. "I won't continue to do that"

A simple, yet meaningful quote.

Lebron owning up to his struggles and taking the blame. Letting his teammates and fans know, that he has to be better.

And hopefully he will. Because being "clutch" in the biggest moments of the game doesn't always mean that you need to make the winning shot. Maybe creating for another teammate to have a better shot is what is sometimes needed.

But whatever happens in these last couple weeks of the season leading up to the playoffs, it's refreshing to know that despite the daily criticism from the media and the fans, the most talented player in the world isn't too big to admit his failures.

Heat need wins against NBA's best before playoffs

With a loss to the San Antonio Spurs Friday, the Miami Heat are now 1-8 against the top five teams in the NBA.

With their one true, signature win coming against the Los Angeles Lakers this past Christmas, the Heat have not won another game against a serious contender such as the Spurs, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, or Chicago Bulls this season.

In defending their team against all the "Heat Haters", (and my God, there are so many) Heat fans have often said to "wait for the playoffs"; meaning that no team could beat us in a seven game series. But how could we be so sure without any evidence?

The Heat need to get a couple of wins against some of the best teams in the league before the playoffs start just to instill some confidence in the players. They'll get another shot on Sunday when they host the Bulls for a 1:00 p.m. start.

But enough of the sad, gloomy talk for a minute. Instead of posting a video recapping the Heat getting massacred to the Spurs, I decided to post a pretty funny video mocking Heat forward Chris Bosh courtesy of onionsportsnetwork.com. Check it out.

Onion SportsDome
Tags: Onion SportsDome: Chris Bosh Left In Hot Car For Hours By Heat Teammates, COMEDYCENTRAL

Heat suffer biggest lopsided loss of season to Spurs

After perhaps the most dissipointing loss of the season to the Orlando Magic Thursday, the Heat had no time to lick their wounds, as they hopped on a flight to Texas to face the NBA's best, San Antonio Spurs, for a Friday night 9:30 tipoff that resulted in 125-95 Heat loss.

It seemed like this one was all but over early, with the Spurs tying a franchise record for three-pointers in a quarter, going 8-of-11, jumping out to a 36-12 lead at the end of the first.

The Heat managed to cut the lead to 12 at the half, but the Spurs outscored the Heat 33-22 in the third and went into the fourth quarter with a 24 point lead.

Heat head coach Erik Spolestra pulled all of his starters with about eight minutes to go in the game, in a statement that all but admitted defeat.

The Heat simply didn't have it Friday, in a loss that was their most lopsided of the season, in an effort that might have been their weakest. In what has become a recurring theme in the last five games, the Heat neglected to defend perimeter jump shots, with the Spurs converting on 17-of-28 three-pointers which was also a franchise record.

"This is a team that's clicking on all cylinders right now," Lebron James said when speaking about he Spurs. "Everyone on the team has confidence, Tim Duncan all the way down to the last guy off the bench. We saw tonight why they are the best team in the league."

The Heat's big three all put up solid numbers offensively with James leading the way with 26 points, but a lack of production from the bench aside from Mike Miller and constant defensive breakdowns is what proved to be the difference.

The Heat were again torched by one the leagues best point guards in Tony Parker, who dissected the Heat's defense with ease, finding wide open shooters at all angles of the court.

After the loss, Dwyane Wade spoke of the need to right the ship immediately, with a game Sunday against the Chicago Bulls, who took over the second seed in the East with a win Friday.

"We've been through losing before, so it's not anything new," Wade said. "In this league you can turn it around fast or you can stay in it for a while."