Wilbon - Heat should be blown up

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Green Street » Michael Wilbon on M&M: ‘Miami just doesn’t have what it takes to be a championship team’

Appearing on Mut & Merloni Wednesday afternoon, ESPN analyst Michael Wilbon said if the Heat lose the series, which he expects them to do, they will have to rebuild the team.

“It became apparent literally sometime in Game 3 — more likely in Game 4 — that Miami just doesn’t have what it takes to be a championship team. They don’t have it,” he said. “It doesn’t mean individually they don’t have the talent. … But collectively it doesn’t work. And that’s what’s become apparent. And that’s why the Celtics are going to put the Heat out of their misery tomorrow night.”

Added Wilbon: “If Miami goes out tomorrow night, and I expect Boston to close them out … you have to just sort of deep-six this thing, and you have to start over. You keep LeBron [James] and you figure out what else you’re going to do. And that means changes. It means changes in the coaching office, it means changes in that locker room. You don’t commit to $350 million or whatever it is to get a conference finalist.”

Asked whether he felt the coaching jobs by Doc Rivers and Erik Spoelstra represented the biggest mismatch in the series, Wilbon was unequivocal.

“No question. No question. It’s almost embarrassing. And that happened last year in the finals as well with [Mavericks coach] Rick Carlisle,” he said.

Wilbon pointed to Spoelstra’s inability to get his players to execute as ultimately dooming Miami’s chances.

“Spoelstra can’t get done what they need to have done,” he said. “The other night, in [Game] 4, when you got all these situations where Miami can win that game in Boston, people point out, they say, ‘Well, they aren’t running plays.’ Well are they not running plays because Spoelstra didn’t diagram them during the timeout? Of course not. Of course Spoelstra diagrammed a play during the timeout. Are they executing the play? No. So, whose fault is that? Either Spoelstra can’t get them to, or the players — I don’t think they’re defiant, but whatever the case, this goes back to disconnect. … There’s a disconnect between what they’re supposed to do and what they actually do — what they’re capable of doing, and what they actually do. Do I seem them suddenly putting it all together tomorrow in Boston? No, I don’t. I don’t see any scenario where that happens.”

In terms of the coaching job Rivers has done this year, Wilbon talked about a conversation he shared with Rivers last offseason that foreshadowed the coach’s regular-season strategy.

“I remember being with Doc, I think it was during the lockout, and he jokingly said a 66-game season was too long, he needed a 45-game season. And so what Doc then did, even though he was joking when he said it to me, he was crafting what amounted to a 45-game season,” Wilbon said. “He could have made that move with Kevin Garnett games earlier; he didn’t want to. Putting [Garnett] at center and other moves he made, introducing, spoon-feeding Avery Bradley, and how to get him into the lineup, and other changes. He could have done that stuff earlier, but he knew he really needed 45 games because he wasn’t going to risk getting Ray Allen hurt and risk getting Paul Pierce hurt and going into the playoffs without those guys being healthy. And so it was a balancing act. And it’s a great truly great coaching job.”

As for whether the Celtics have what it takes to win another championship, Wilbon said: “This team should’ve had more than one championship, to be honest. If Kendrick Perkins isn’t traded, to me, the Celtics are probably in the finals last year. … And if he’s not hurt [in 2010], they probably beat the Lakers in that series. If they can go out with one more championship, they see that as what they ought to do.

“Look, everybody else may be surprised they’re beating Miami. Trust me, Doc Rivers and the Celtics are not the least bit surprised that they are winning this series. And they’re not going to treat tomorrow night lightly.”

On whether people in the media are letting Dwyane Wade off the hook: “Yes, we all are. But there is a reason for that. Dwyane Wade has at least earned the benefit of the doubt by being the best player, the MVP on an NBA championship team. We saw it. LeBron hasn’t done that.”

On why Spoelstra said it was not fair to ask Chris Bosh to play in the fourth quarter: “I don’t get that. I don’t get it. … [Bosh] only played 12 minutes and [had] given them nine points and seven boards. Now, he was also minus-13 so maybe Spoelstra thought — and did not want to throw his guy under the bus, which would be admirable — that defensively he was just lacking in a way that he couldn’t help them. And he’s not going to come out and say that publicly. So, maybe that’s it. Maybe that minus-13 is a real indicator for them.”

 

[Grams]

Why are people acting like this series is over though? I hate the Heat but damn they still got a good chance to beat Boston away and finish them off at home. People were saying the same thing in the Pacers series.

 

[muzikfrk75]

Why are people acting like this series is over though? I hate the Heat but damn they still got a good chance to beat Boston away and finish them off at home. People were saying the same thing in the Pacers series.

 

[Rev]

Why are people acting like this series is over though? I hate the Heat but damn they still got a good chance to beat Boston away and finish them off at home. People were saying the same thing in the Pacers series.

no kidding, but -

Pacers don't have closers.

Pacers don't have "championship pedigree"

Hibbert dominated in 1 game...KG been dominating all series.

2 completely diff. teams in this situation...IMO.

 

[iamduval]

yeah we should listen to a bulls fan
we might trade bosh and if we do it would be for dwight which would make yall more mad

 

[Roadie pipeher]

such a johnny come lately article, dude had picked mia in six...he gotta stfu

 

[Listen]

such a johnny come lately article, dude had picked mia in six...he gotta stfu

Everyone picked the Heat.

 

[Brady-Carter]

I would not count the Heat out yet.

 

[THASTUNNA]

If they lose something going to happen. The window is closing on them.

 

[Grams]

no kidding, but -

Pacers don't have closers.

Pacers don't have "championship pedigree"

Hibbert dominated in 1 game...KG been dominating all series.

2 completely diff. teams in this situation...IMO.

True but last night every clutch play that needed to be made by the Celtics was made. The end of that game was one of the clutchest team performances. Pietrus's offensive rebound and big 3's (one was off Rondo's tip). PP's three dead in 's face. And the free throws at the end. Maybe that is that championship pedigree but I'm not gonna act like the Heat really can't beat the Celtics.

 

[Roadie pipeher]

Everyone picked the Heat.

which is true. How is this dude gonna throw that anecdote about doc before the lockout..like HE knew it would work? talking about 45 game season...doc prolly knew what he was doing but he didn't know he would lose both his center and sg to injuries.

 

[Kimo_bud]

lets save this talk for after they get eliminated

 

[Piff Perkins]

I'm neutral, don't have a team. But I gotta say I'm so fukking tired of the media's Heat freak outs. Same shyt happened during the Pacers series. And if the Heat come back and win the media the cycle will move on to "the Heat made an epic comeback, but how good are they really?" It's just an infinite loop of ESPN milking the team's popularity/hype for attention. Everyone gotta get that Heat fix like it's some good ass piff.

I do agree the team doesn't play like a...team, but at the end of the day they get bailed out by the big three so much that it often doesn't matter. I expect them to win tomorrow with Bosh back

 

[NelsonSwagdela]

What the fukk is the point of making an article like this. I don't even like Miami but they could easily still win it all. All this is doing is making me hope this phaggot eats his words. I hate the tone of almost anything he says and writes like this fat bald fukk knows everything.

 

[holidayinn21]

lets save this talk for after they get eliminated