The stars shined once again in Miami, as the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat locked horns in the American Airlines Arena for Game 2. Rajon Rondo's fingertips were on fire all night as he scored 44 points, however, the big two for the Heat were not going to be denied as Lebron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 57 points. With support from the bench and players like Mario Chalmers, who scored 22 points, the Heat were able to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
The Heat erased a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter and left the Celtics searching for answers on the trip home to Boston Garden for Game 3 on Friday. But while a 2-0 lead may make the Heat believe nothing is wrong in their game play, a major issue was overlooked after the final horn sounded Wednesday night.
When the Heat unveiled the big three two years ago, the question many fans asked was who would close the game. Lebron failed to answer that again last night with two missed shots at the end of regulation and left the door open for the Celtics to capitalize on that mistake.
While one shot doesn't always decide the outcome of the game, a missed free throw by Wade allowed Ray Allen to hit a three-pointer from the wing to tie the game and send the game into overtime.
In OT, James, Wade and the Heat rose to the challenge and put themselves two games closer to the finals. But while the lead of every story after the game focused on the performance of James and Wade, their inability to make clutch free throws could lead to yet again another off-season of turmoil and criticism.
There is no question about the Heat's talent, but letting the opposing team hang around can lead to trouble.
The Heat shot a disappointing 66 percent from the line (31-47), compared to the Celtics' 89 percent (26-29). This statistic can't be ignored. Although the Heat are doing an excellent job of setting themselves up for easy points (free throws), they are failing to convert them.
A 16-point lead from converted free throws would have made matters easier for the Heat and their fans, who sat through a nail-biting game. But can their poor free-throw shooting performance continue to fend off the league's best teams when it's all said and done?
The answer may surprisingly be yes. Both the Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, who also have a 2-0 lead in their series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, have not shot above 70 percent from the charity stripe. Yet both teams have commanding leads and may soon meet in the finals.
As free throws will be the focus for the Heat before Game 3 on Friday, fans may find out just how important each missed free throw is.
Back to the Miami Heat Newsfeed