Haslem may start, ‘Birdman’ see time
in the starting lineup and move Miller back to the bench? “We’ll see,” he said. Miller gave the Heat a boost in the first three games of the series, making nine of 10 three-point attempts. Spoelstra put him in the starting lineup for Game 4 after the Heat lost, and Miller drew attention on the perimeter, making room for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh inside, and the Heat won.
Now it might be time to move Haslem, who started 78 games in the regular season and playoffs, back into the lineup. The Spurs have done an outstanding job matching up some of their bigger players such as Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw on James and Wade. It allows the Spurs to play big and small at the same time because of Leonard’s and Diaw’s offensive and defensive versatility.
Haslem’s size could force the Spurs to realign, which could free up the Heat’s scorers. Spoelstra could also give more minutes to Andersen, who hasn’t played since Game 3. Anderson has given the Heat seven points and four rebounds in the series, but more important he provides an energy boost, something lacking in their three losses.
The Heat also have to address the play of point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole. Chalmers is 4-for-19 with 10 turnovers in his last three games, and Cole is scoreless in his last two games. Both had difficulty guarding the Spurs’ Tony Parker, who repeatedly drove to the basket in Game 5.
“They have had their moments where they’ve played well,” Spoelstra said. “Game 6 could be a different story. Different guys will step up at different times. And you just have to read the game.”
Two of Miami’s best three lineups in Game 5 came without a point guard on the floor. The lineup of veteran shooting guard Ray Allen, Bosh, Miller, James and Wade scored 25 points in eight minutes, and the lineup of Allen, small forward Shane Battier, Bosh, James and Wade scored 20 points in five minutes.
With so much at stake, don’t be surprised to see Spoelstra make quick decisions when the game doesn’t go Miami’s way.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich seems to have the edge when it comes to coaching adjustments in the series. After losing Game 4, Popovich responded by starting Manu Ginobili and was able to get more scoring and penetration in the lane by Parker and Ginobili, which led to open perimeter shots and left Miami’s defense scrambling.
“At this time we’re going to make another adjustment,” Wade said. “But that’s not what’s going to win the ballgame. Just like the adjustment they made with throwing more isolations at Tony Parker didn’t necessarily win the ballgame but it helped. It changed things.”
“So we have to go back, (and) we have to make adjustments. But more so than that, it’s a lot of mental mistakes we made. So we have to be more locked in from start to finish.”