Heat Slide Continues

The Heat has been bad against Atlanta and bad against Memphis. But it all paled in comparison to how Miami was in the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks as the Heat lost its third straight game to fall back to the place it has been floating around all season long: the .500 mark.

These last three games have proven one thing. When Dwyane Wade struggles, the whole team struggles. Last night, Wade shot 5-for-16 from the field for 15 points, turned the ball over four times and committed four fouls. Moreover, Wade only made it to the free throw line six games and missed his second dunk in as many days. No one was able to step up offensively, and the Heat found itself down 56-36 by halftime.

It was here where Coach Erik Spoelstra made a huge mistake. He only played Michael Beasley 23 minutes last night. Beasley did not have a bad game. He shot 5-for-11 from the field for 13 points. The rookie out of Kansas State was the player who could put the ball in the basket the most out of all of the players in the NCAA. He and Wade are the only players who can create their own shot for Miami (12-12). Spoelstra should always try to have at least one of the two on the court at all times. And it is not an issue of foul trouble; the 6-foot-9 forward committed no fouls last night.
Do not let the boxscore fool you. Although five players scored in double figures for Miami, the Heat's offense was stymied for the better part of the game. The Heat's late surge, which included a 13-4 run to end the third quarter, was simply a classic case of too little, too late.

It's not just on offense that the Heat is out of sync. Miami has lost its identity of a scrappy defensive team that will force turnovers. Milwaukee only committed 10 turnovers last night and the patient style of the Bucks confused the Heat. And even with Udonis Haslem back, Miami lost the battle of the boards, 45-35. No player was able to grab more than seven boards. Miami's leading rebounder was Mario Chalmers, Miami's rookie point guard. Yes, you read that correctly.

Chalmers had a great game, but the loss overshadows his great play. The 6-foot-2 guard out of Kansas had 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, the seven rebounds previously mentioned and eight assists. On the flip side, Chalmers did commit five personal fouls and five turnovers. But those turnovers were mostly in the early stages of the game. The second-round pick shot and executed better as the game went along.

Can Chalmers be a guy who can score off the dribble for Miami and be a legitimiate force offensively? Every player can have one good game. I see a lot of upside in Chalmers, but I would still like to see more of Beasley on the court. Beasley knows how to put the ball in the basket and he can do that consistently when he is given the minutes.

Shawn Marion, meanwhile, has been a very big disappointment for Miami. There were hopes of, with Marion and Wade going through training camp together, Wade would feed "The Matrix" with easy baskets and layups constantly. Instead, we have seen Marion aimlessly try to put a shot up in the air he has never become efficient at. He had a good game last night, but I know a lot of people who are expecting more out of the four-time All Star.

Keep in mind that Miami's last two losses were against teams with worse records than the Heat's. This was supposed to be a pick-me-up month for the Heat, with a pretty soft schedule in December. It even started to look like that with a 4-0 start to the last month of the year. But now Miami is back to where it was in the earlier. And this team better get back in its groove before it slides even farther.

Miami currently holds the seventh seed in the East, and will rest until Friday for its next game. The probably is, the next game is against the surging Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. leads the League in offense, with an average of 108 points per game. Spoelstra is going to need to get his players ready, and quick, or else they will find themselves embarrassed on national television.