And a point guard and a bench. Boston looms.

SCOTT JACOBS

With a chance to ice the pesky Philadelphia 76ers and move on to what will be a much bally-hooed second round series with the Celtics (whenever it does become official, most likely Wednesday night), Miami did what’s done all season when the going gets tough, and the tough games get close.

They isolated.  They missed.  They lost.

Different game.  Different setting. Same story.

LeBron or Wade?  It doesn’t matter when the play doesn’t give your guys chances to succeed.

Elton Brand knew he was coming.  That’s what happens when your offense at the end of games becomes stale and predictable.  That’s when you put the ball in the hands of one guy and everyone else becomes pawns.  No ball screens, no movement, just isolation to one side, and the predictable, afformentioned clang.  Or in the case of Sunday’s finish, a swat.  More questions.  Fewer answers.  #LeBrick trending in the U.S. on Twitter.

Look, baring a total and complete collapse of epic proportions the Heat will win this series in one of the next three games, and will get the mighty Celtics: a team that looked lost at the end of the regular season, and now looks renewed after flattening the Knicks in a four game sweep.  But the same questions continue to linger, the same lack of a point guard continues to kill them, and that bench, o that bench has been awful to invisible in some portions of this series.

The Heat are not a great team.  Not yet at least.  Maybe they make that next step in this post-season, maybe they don’t.  Hard to say right now.  But the trends are alarming.  Miami has been outscored badly in three of the first four first quarters this series, and their lack of a killer instinct has to have Boston salivating as they await.

NBA Props can be found at BetUS but Mike Miller and Mike Bibby were no where to be found in this one. Mike Miller the $5 million a season man has been absolutely invisible, and the toughest looking player on this team right now is James Jones (aka: not a good thing).  Chris Bosh has been lackluster on the road, Joel Anthony is defense only, and not having Udonis Haslem throughout the year as that safety valve has really stunted the Heat.

That said, Miami is still just a win away from moving on, and when they click on all cylinders they’re next to unstoppable.  But maybe that’s the problem.  When they’re not clicking they’re vulnerable.  Maybe not so much against a young, happy to be here team in Philadelphia, but against the more serious teams — the Bostons and Chicagos of the world this kind of play won’t fly.

When LeBron was on his own in Cleveland, he got the ball and he drove.  Either he got a good look or he dished it out to one of his team-mates for a back breaking three.  There doesn’t seem to be any ball movement in these late-game situations and that is killing the Heat and making them look way too predictable.

I don’t think Erik Spoelstra is a great coach.  I think he’s a decent coach in way over his head.  I think he’s been badly outcoached in this series and that talent only trumps team for so long.  As a baskebtall team you want to move the ball around and get the opposition on their toes.  You bring in a guy like Bosh so he can be a decoy, or maybe — as he so often did in Toronto, the final shot guy.  He was a franchise guy with the Raptors and has taken just 1 game winning/tying shot all year.

He missed it.

Just like the Heat have all year when the close ones have gotten air tight.

Not exactly a recipe for long term playoff success.  Or for Coach Spo’s long term security with Pat Riley looming in the backdrop.

Photo: Reuters

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