Miami Crashes and Freezes, Lakers Show Why They're the Champions

Today there was a "marquee double-header" as ESPN loves to hype, the Chicago Bulls vs the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers vs the San Antonio Spurs. Although I usually hate how much ESPN hypes up key games, I was actually looking forward to these two games because they would ultimately be proof of whether or not the Heat were just going through a bad slump and if the Lakers' Playoff Switch indeed existed.

Copyright NBA 2011

Miami has been notoriously going through very hard times recently, blowing a gigantic lead tot he Magic, getting blown out by the Spurs, and now facing the possibility of getting swept in the season series by the Bulls. When the game started, it looked like Miami finally decided to pull out of their slump (if it was one) and play like ESPN had been hyping all season long... that is until halftime. Just like the Magic game, Miami blew a significant lead they had against their opponent. In the end, once again, LeBron failed to score ANY points in the 4th Quarter including attempting yet ANOTHER game-winning shot which again failed to go in. It was thankfully rebounded by Dwyane Wade, but even he couldn't get his shot to go.

In the end, the Heat lost again because of their hubris. Actually, that's not completely fair. LeBron James is the one person to blame, especially for this loss. LeBron scored no points in the 4th quarter and attempted the game winning shot. Why the hell would he think he could make that shot WHEN HE'S MISSED IT SEVENTEEN PREVIOUS TIMES THIS SEASON. After the game, LeBron blamed himself for the loss, but it was too little to late. The damage has been done and it's becoming clear that LeBron James is just not that good. ESPN talked non-stop about how good LeBron was as a rookie (which is an undeniable fact) and how he would become even better once he had 5-7 more years of experience. Well, it's been 7 years and LeBron has managed to improve sideways, in other words, he's remained the same player. The only thing that's changed is that LeBron is very rarely referred to as King James these days. I have a new nickname for him: Mr. 1st Half.

Not exactly making things any better, Dwyane Wade continues to make excuses for his team's continued shitty performance in games that actually matter. It's rather sad how Wade's team, formerly known as Wade County, has been usurped by LeBron. I've always liked Dwyane Wade and I really feel sorry for him. Wade had the opportunity to leave the Heat and go to his hometown Bulls, but LeBron convinced Wade to stay so that they could create a so-called superteam along with Chris Bosh and other free agents. At this point, Wade has to be regretting his decision to stay with the only team he's ever known.

Making things even worse though, was Erik Spoelstra, who decided to be a wiseass and call out his players for crying in the locker room. Although no names were given, most people predict it was either Bosh or LeBron. It'll be up to Pat Riley as to whether or not Spolestra's decision to call out his players was a good idea or not, though personally, I think Riley will fire Spoelstra either tomorrow morning or at the end of the season.

Copyright NBAE 2011

Now we get to transition from the Heat losing to... the team that the Heat most recently lost to. On Friday, the Spurs absolutely demolished Miami in a performance that was seen as dominating to the point of showcasing why the Spurs are legitimate title contenders.

And then Kobe and the Lakers came to town. You could tell something special was going to happen since the Spurs beat the Lakers handily back in December and won off an Antonio McDyess tip-in last month. The Lakers have been on a 6-game winning streak since the All-Star Break (or losing embarrassingly to the Crapaliers, pick your poison) and the Spurs have been on cloud nine after annihilating the Heat.

Instead of a classic match-up of the ages, we got another annihilation, but it wasn't who we expected it to be.

At one point in the 3rd quarter, the Lakers were leading by 32 points. That's all I need to say to illustrate how hilariously awful the Spurs played today. Actually to be fair, it wasn't for their lack of trying. If the Lakers' defense weren't so good, San Antonio would probably have played just like they did on Friday. The Lakers were just plain better in every single way and demonstrated exactly why they're the two-time defending NBA champions: When they actually care about a game, no team can possibly beat them.

The game got so boring at one point that ESPN's own Big Three of Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy started talking about how the Miami Heat choked yet again. Normally I would be offended by commentators talking about other games in the middle of a game, but the Lakers vs Spurs game was over and Breen made the most fascinating comment I've ever heard from an ESPN announcer: Mike Breen was unbelievably close to apologizing for ESPN hyping the Heat since LeBron's "Decision." The only thing that stopped him from all-out saying the apology was probably fear of getting fired. The best quote from Breen was "Miami has been hyped all season and we're responsible for that as well." My respect for Breen went up quite a bit after that quote!

This Thursday, the Lakers travel to Miami to face their rematch for losing on Christmas. The way both teams have been playing, it seems obvious that the Lakers will win, but stranger things have happened and I'm not taking my chances.