The Miami Heat were doing what every basketball coach wants a team to do: get to the basket. It was the second quarter of Sunday night’s Game 3, and there was LeBron James, steamrolling in for a layup. There was Dwyane Wade, gliding to the basket and drawing a foul. There was Chris Bosh, cutting for a dunk. Again and again the Heat went to the basket, and again and again they got easy shots or free throws.
And then they stopped.
From the third quarter play by play: James misses 21-foot jumper. Bosh misses 16-foot jumper. Bosh misses 20-footer. James misses 17-footer. Wade misses 19-footer.
Before long Oklahoma City was up nine. Miami pulled back ahead by the end of the quarter, but it was still settling for long jumpers — OKC fouled a Heat three-point shooter twice along the way.
Going to the basket had worked all game, all series, all season for the Heat. So why did they quit doing it? OKC’s defense tightened some, sure. But that’s not the main reason.
Driving to the basket, again and again, is HARD.