It has been an online sports betting season of inconsistencies for one of the top teams in the NBA Eastern conference, a rocky road that continued Wednesday night in South Beach. Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder dismissed Lebron James and the Miami Heat with a 96-85 victory to end the home team’s three-game winning streak.
The loss was also the sixth Heat loss in their last 10 games. Miami has struggled with consistency all year, which could in big part be due to how short of a period of time that this team has had to grow together, but there is another possibility that is beginning to make its presence more and more relevant. It’s one that Heat fans don’t want to be true.
A look at the NBA standings would reveal that Miami is right there with the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and Orlando Magic in the top-four of the East, but there is much more to this situation than people have realized. The Heat have a major hole in their supporting cast, and it goes beyond their bench and to the starting lineup where head coach Erik Spoelstra has struggled to find the winning formula.
The play of Wade, James, and Bosh should open up room for these other players to pick their spots and put up solid numbers, and if they are not scoring then there is no other option but change. Mike Bibby led all scorers off the bench with 10, while the five other reserves that saw time combined for just 13. The onus will fall on Spoelstra to figure things out and help these players to start putting up numbers, especially with the talent this team boasts. Even at their best the Big Three from Miami can’t take down the top contenders on their own, and the pay per head bench will need to find its groove in a hurry before the weaknesses get even more apparent.
LeBron James Jersey: adidas Revolution 30 Black Replica #6 Miami Heat Jersey
Get your NBA swag discounted on Amazon.com
NBA 2K11 Video Game on all consoles