LeBron comes up lame

It hasn’t been a good weekend for the Miami Heat and mega-star LeBron James.

It begun on Friday when after building a 24 point league against fellow Floridians the Orlando Magic, Miami collapsed, going down by 3 points. Only 6 times all season has a team surrendered a 20 plus point lead, Miami has done it twice. This collapse is even more calamitous as it came against not only at the hands of their greatest rivals, yet more importantly against one of its biggest playoff challengers. Orlando have made the Eastern Conference Finals both of the last two seasons, and are surely a team Miami will have to contend with if they are to get anywhere near their title aspirations.

By the time the Heat trudged off the court in San Antonio on Saturday, Miami were in a whole world of trouble. San Antonio decimated the Heat, romping to a 125-95 win. If we’re being honest this was a game San Antonio should be winning. They currently have the leagues best record, which coupled with home-court advantage, makes a Spurs victory the expected outcome. The loss still hurts Miami, yet the way it came about is where the real problem lies. The effort shown in such a crucial game was well below par. It was a completely uninspiring, flat performance. After such well-documented hype once this team was put together, the gloss is starting to wear off the Heat.

Miami currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with 43 wins and 19 losses. Yet like much of the Heats’ season, dig deeper and the gaping flaws are there to be seen. Of those 19 losses, 17 have come against teams with winning records, teams that will make the playoffs alongside the Heat. Miami have been involved in 17 games decided by less than 5 points; they’ve come up short in 12 of those games. Against Chicago and Boston, the two teams above Miami in the East, they haven’t won in 5 attempts.

What does all this mean?

It shows that Miami aren’t performing when it really counts. Time after time this season, Miami have come up short in the clutch. So has their superstar acquisition.

LeBron James – two-time reigning NBA MVP – isn’t performing in the big moments for Miami. Missing an equalizing three at the death against Orlando, marked the third time in as many tries LeBron has failed to come through for his new squad. Against Chicago, James couldn’t even manage to hit the ring with his 3-point attempt to tie the game; this after Chicago MVP candidate Derrick Rose orchestrated the go-ahead bucket for Luol Deng. Against the New York Knicks, Amar’e Stoudemire blocked James as he once against attempted the match winning shot, after driving to the ring ignoring the support of his teammates.

NBA matches often come down to one defining moment, the moment where matches are won and lost. Great championship teams have all had someone who always found a way to get it done. Michael Jordan made a habit out of hitting shots at the death for Chicago, as has Kobe Bryant for the Lakers, Chauncey Billups for Detroit, Paul Pierce for the Celtics and even Miami’s Dwyane Wade when the Heat won it all back in 2006.

LeBron James isn’t entirely responsible for Miami’s struggles, yet his performances offer great insight into the Heats’ play. He’s averaging over 26 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game, sensational numbers. 82games.com equates that when James is performing at this level, Miami will win just under 80% of the time. It makes James one of the most efficient and influential players in the league.

However, James’s Clutch Statistics – once again equated by 82games.com – paint a very different picture. After compiling his performances in the last 5 minutes or over-time of game with a margin of less than 5 points, Miami’s win percentage drops to only 55%. By contrast, Chicago’s Derrick Rose has a Clutch statistic of 70%, while Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant has a phenomenal 76.2%. Both teams could realistically battle the Heat in the playoffs, and over a seven-game series, that increased Clutch Rating could be the difference between going forward and going home.

For Miami to reach their goal of winning a second title this June, James needs to drastically improve his play in the clutch. Whichever team is crowned champions will have had to play great basketball throughout the playoffs and come up big when the game is on the line. Miami need to work out how they can get it done in the big moments, LeBron James finding his killer touch will go along way to helping that.