photo by Reuters
Once again, Dwyane Wade struggled. Once again, Miami turned the ball over like it was a fad going out of style. Once again, Miami lost to Boston.
For the third time this season, the Heat fell prey to the Celtics, losing 85-82 at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon. The loss broke Miami's eight-game winning streak, and more importantly, gave Boston a half-a-game advantage for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
But what exactly went wrong for the Heat? Despite the tight scoreline, quite a bit actually. From allowing a 35-point quarter to missing crucial shots, Miami once again made critical errors as it was bested by a Boston team that can officially be labeled the Heat's 'daddy'.
Here are some reasons as to why Miami is still winless against Boston this season:
Miami has no answer for Rondo
If Rajon Rondo was a thorn in the Heat's side before the game, he's now their kryptonite. Rondo not only got himself a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but he also proved to be a tough defender to beat for James.
Rondo obviously couldn't go pound for pound with James, but his speed and tenacity harassed the Miami Heat star to the point that James had to settle to backing down Rondo from the perimeter on multiple occasions. This defensive match-up proved a troubling one for Miami, and was part of the reason why Chris Bosh saw the offense run through him in the Heat's comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.
Boston continues to have Wade's number
As was the case in the other two meetings this season, Dwyane Wade had a rather pedestrian performance against the Celtics. He scored 16 points, but it came on on a night where he shot 6-17. Wade also committed six ugly turnovers, a chunk of which came during the second quarter in a stretch that forced head coach Erik Spoelstra to call a timeout.
Third quarter collapse
Miami began the game well, holding the hosts to 15 points in the opening quarter and just 39 in the first half. But when the third quarter opened so too did Miami's defense, which conceded 35 points. The Heat only scored 18 points that quarter, which made the margin for their comeback effort even larger.
Missed shots, missed opportunities
With 12 seconds left, LeBron James had a chance to tie the game with two free throws. He missed the first. Having to foul the Celtics to prevent the game from ending, Miami had one more chance to salvage a third loss to Boston after Glen Davis converted his pair of shots from the charity stripe. Mike Miller got an open look from the top of the perimeter, but the three-point specialist missed the shot, giving the Celtics the victory.
James and Miller's misses were undoubtedly costly ones, but that Miami shot 3-16 from downtown was as much a contributing factor to the loss as any.
