On a day in which most of the sports world was focused on the NFL Playoffs, the Miami Heat showed up flat and lifeless against the Bucks at home. The Heat had poor energy throughout the game and failed to make a strong push at the end. Aside from Lebron (28 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists) there were very few bright spots.
The Heat were never able to fall into a rhythm against the Bucks, perhaps because of the poor PG play. Mario Chalmers had a terrible game, finishing with 12 points (on 4-of-14 shooting), 6 turnovers, and just 2 assists. As you can see to the left, Chalmers played below his average in nearly every statistical category (courtesy of the NBA.com StatsCube). The biggest issue with Chalmers' performance this evening was his 30.6% usage rating. Usage percentage is an estimate of the percentage of a team's possessions used by a particular player while he's on the floor. By comparison, Chalmers averages a usage percentage of about 19.5% this season. Lately Chalmers has made impressive strides in his decision making and has vastly cut down on his unforced turnovers, but tonight he was back to his old, unreliable ways. In a game played without Dwayne Wade on the floor, Lebron had a usage percentage only 6% higher than Chalmers. Probably not what Spoelstra intended. Instead, Mario spent many possessions overdribbling and forcing his own shot, rather than feeding Lebron and Bosh in their mismatches.
Game Notes:
- Eddy Curry saw his longest continuous court time of the season, getting 6 minutes in the first quarter. He did not return to the game afterwards.
- Norris Cole's shooting woes continued, going 1-for-5 with only 3 points. The rookie plays with overwhelming confidence which can be good at times, but at this point he needs to go just half a step slower and work on seeing more of the floor.
- The Heat host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday evening which will air on NBATV as the Fan Night Game.
Watch below as Lebron throws down a vicious dunk on former Dukie Mike Dunleavy:
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