http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/BobYoung/163765
Is Dwyane Wade getting a free pass?
The NBA is supposed to be a player's league. That's what we're always told. The best coaches are just supposed to stay out of the way of their superstars.
*Yet, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has been a lightning rod for criticism during the Eastern Conference finals between the Heat and Boston Celtics. Every pundit from Magic Johnson to Tim Legler wants to know: "Where's the offense?"
*It's in the hands of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, that's where.
*Maybe Spoelstra isn't drawing up anything ingenius. *Or maybe he is, and James and Wade are doing their own thing.
*James has certainly gotten his share of criticism, and most of it is deserved.
*But Wade seems to be the Teflon Shooting Guard.*
*Did you know that after the Celtics beat the Heat in Game 5 in Miami Tuesday night James ranked No. 1 in the playoffs in NBA.com's "efficiency" rating?
Wade, meanwhile, rated only 15th among all players in this year's playoffs.
*The efficiency formula accounts for points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, field goal attempts and makes, free throw attempts and makes and turnovers. It is an all-around measure of a player's contribution during his minutes.
*James is criticized for his late-game failures, but it was Wade who deked Marquis Daniels at the end of Game 4 and had a wide-open look or at least* the chance to lean into Daniels to force a foul and go to the free throw line.
*He took the shot and missed. Good move, good shot, seemed to be the theme. What reaction would the same shot and result have been for James?*
**And remember when Rajon Rondo explained during an ESPN halftime interview of that game that* the reason Boston was able to score at will against the Heat's highly touted defense was because Miami was "complaining and crying to referees in transition?"
*Is there any doubt that was directed primarily at Wade, who makes a habit of crashing to the floor after any contact then staring at or whining to* whichever official he thought ought to have made a call rather than hustling back on defense?
* In Game 5, Bill Russell had to be shaking his head somewhere when Wade went up for a spectacular shot block on Brandon Bass with about six minutes to play. Wade broke Russell's Rule by going for style points instead of assuring that his team ended up with the ball.
*He sent it out to the perimeter where Rondo tapped it into the corner to Mickael Pietrus, who hit a three-pointer.
**If the Heat don't turn the tables and win in Boston in Game 6, Spoelstra will take the fall.
*Only when it's time to point fingers does the NBA suddenly become a coaches league.
Is Dwyane Wade getting a free pass?
The NBA is supposed to be a player's league. That's what we're always told. The best coaches are just supposed to stay out of the way of their superstars.
*Yet, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has been a lightning rod for criticism during the Eastern Conference finals between the Heat and Boston Celtics. Every pundit from Magic Johnson to Tim Legler wants to know: "Where's the offense?"
*It's in the hands of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, that's where.
*Maybe Spoelstra isn't drawing up anything ingenius. *Or maybe he is, and James and Wade are doing their own thing.
*James has certainly gotten his share of criticism, and most of it is deserved.
*But Wade seems to be the Teflon Shooting Guard.*
*Did you know that after the Celtics beat the Heat in Game 5 in Miami Tuesday night James ranked No. 1 in the playoffs in NBA.com's "efficiency" rating?
Wade, meanwhile, rated only 15th among all players in this year's playoffs.
*The efficiency formula accounts for points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, field goal attempts and makes, free throw attempts and makes and turnovers. It is an all-around measure of a player's contribution during his minutes.
*James is criticized for his late-game failures, but it was Wade who deked Marquis Daniels at the end of Game 4 and had a wide-open look or at least* the chance to lean into Daniels to force a foul and go to the free throw line.
*He took the shot and missed. Good move, good shot, seemed to be the theme. What reaction would the same shot and result have been for James?*
**And remember when Rajon Rondo explained during an ESPN halftime interview of that game that* the reason Boston was able to score at will against the Heat's highly touted defense was because Miami was "complaining and crying to referees in transition?"
*Is there any doubt that was directed primarily at Wade, who makes a habit of crashing to the floor after any contact then staring at or whining to* whichever official he thought ought to have made a call rather than hustling back on defense?
* In Game 5, Bill Russell had to be shaking his head somewhere when Wade went up for a spectacular shot block on Brandon Bass with about six minutes to play. Wade broke Russell's Rule by going for style points instead of assuring that his team ended up with the ball.
*He sent it out to the perimeter where Rondo tapped it into the corner to Mickael Pietrus, who hit a three-pointer.
**If the Heat don't turn the tables and win in Boston in Game 6, Spoelstra will take the fall.
*Only when it's time to point fingers does the NBA suddenly become a coaches league.
