The Disappointment of the 2006-2007 Season

You know, I spent 4 long years going to college in Switzerland. That is also the number of years I have gone without Miami Heat basketball. Sure, I caught the tail end of the playoffs last year, but other than that, I have had nothing. I could only wake up the next morning and check out whether the team won or not. Finally, this year comes around and I am back in the US and what do I get?! A lackluster, uninterested team that will be remembered for bookend losses to the Bulls; our season started and ended at the American Airlines Arena with a shameful loss to those young kids from Chicago.

The Wrong Attitude

The team had struggled throughout most of the season. Sure, there were a few games where Miami looked absolutely brilliant and proved that they had tremendous talent, but they never gave a consistent effort. The fact is, they thought that come playoff time, they could just turn it on. Hell, everyone thought that; coaches, fans, the media. It was, they said, only a matter of time before the Heat would show up. But that time never came, and before we knew it, I was stuck watching one of the most boring post seasons in a while, without the Heat in the mix.

This upcoming year, the team will have to be hungry. They should want to win every single game as if it was their last. Only with that kind of attitude will they be able to succeed. Much of the blame can be put on the coaching staff, but the players should not feel like they did all they could have; they didn’t. The attitude of the team needs to change and it needs to change fast.

Too Old? Too hurt?

Pat Riley loves to assemble a team of veterans, but perhaps these players had too much experience. Sure, the starting lineup was relatively young, save for Shaq, but off the bench it was like a glimpse of the 1995 All Star team. Walker’s scoring was abysmal; Payton seems to have lost his focus; only Mourning appeared to have some passion left for the game. However, the Heat’s opponents were always younger, faster and more athletic. And when Wade or Shaq wasn’t on the floor, the team’s scoring just stopped.

As for injuries, the only one that truly mattered was Dwayne Wade’s shoulder. Sure, Williams was hurt, Shaq was out for a while, but Wade could literally put the team on his shoulders. With a full strength D-Wade on the roster, any team in the league could win. Granted, the team seemed to rely on his scoring ability a little bit too much, but Wade was capable of handling it. Unless, of course, he is injured.

Hopefully, the upcoming 07-08 season will be much better. If we can make a few moves and get better all around, we should be sitting pretty to make a strong playoff run. In fact, you should check out my series detailing how I see the offseason going!

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