This cannot be the season that Pat Riley envisioned for the Miami Heat this summer when he signed a litany of free agents to replace LeBron James and the few other veteran players who took their talents to other franchises. Hanging on to the eighth seed in an extremely weak conference is nothing to brag about, nor is the current four-game losing streak that has plunged this team into absolutely mediocrity.
One of the most disturbing trends that has nagged the Heat this season is their absolute collapse in the third quarter. Games that have been seemingly in reach at half time turn in to wild blowouts by the time the fourth quarter begins. Over the Heat’s last five losses, they have been outscored in the third quarter by an average margin of 11.8 points. Two of these games were blowout losses, while another two were against lowly teams in the Eastern Conference (the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers).
If you were to dig a little deeper, you’d find that the majority of the Heat’s blowout losses throughout this entire season are due to lackluster third quarter play; it’s as if the focus and determination just shuts off after half time. Dwyane Wade in particular has been atrocious in the third quarter. Although he currently leads in the Heat in scoring per game, he has gone scoreless throughout the third quarter in most of the Heat’s losses. This could be a sign of his age, pointing to his inability to keep it going for a full 42-minute stretch. Because Wade is still one of the Heat’s best players, if he isn’t able to sustain a quality performance for a full game, the rest of team will collapse.
Jared Doyle is a Miami Heat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @outofboundsjay, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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