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The Heat Have Forgotten Fast

by David Snyder

The NBA champs complained about flops and fouls after their 96-91 loss on Saturday. Their leader, the Big Aristotle, said of his opponents, "They play fast and they play hard, a lot of flopping and messing around."

Most who saw the Miami Heat take on the Chicago Bulls Saturday saw a few flops and bad calls. But everyone who heard Shaq's comments after the game could feel the irony.

The Heat, the team complaining about foul calls, were crowned champion by an unprecedented number of free throw attempts in the 2006 NBA Finals. Their star player, Dwayne Wade, was able to utilize player contact to control tempo and scoring.

Granted, Wade did not flop or act for his fouls, but his game is to create free throw opportunities. Is there a real leap between creating a trip to the foul stripe by jumping into a defender who is not set, and Big Ben Wallace flinging himself backwards to limit Shaq's minutes?

The Bull's game plan was undoubtedly to control the most uncontrollable player in the last two decades. Man-to man coverage has proven ineffective on Shaq. Double teams have even proven ineffective. The only thing that can stop him is keeping him off of the hardwood completely. Flopping, it turns out, is effective.

The Heat let Chicago control the tempo and style of play, and in that sport, in a seven game series, the team that controls game play will be crowned the victor. Just ask the Dallas Mavericks.

So tonight the Heat must turn things around. How? By utilizing two of the top ten basketball players in the league. By allowing Wade to create chances to score, and making sure Shaq imposes his will on his opponents.

Some Chicago sports writers claim that the sheer speed of the Bulls is what killed the Heat on Saturday, and is what will win them the series. The 2006 Suns had the same hopes against the Mavericks.

This is a game of power, and O'Neal has proven that four times. He has a ring for every time he has crushed a team with his size. He has a ring for every time he has created the type of spacing on a basketball floor that only he has ever created. Speed can sometimes trump power, but not the kind of power that the Big Aristotle brings to the table.