The Superior Spurs:
First and foremost, we all have to give credit where credit is due. The San Antonio Spurs were the better team from A-Z. All year the Spurs prepped for the NBA playoffs and their inevitable rematch with the Heat. First it was the resting of their stars. No one on the Spurs averaged more than thirty minutes a game and the Spurs big three (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker) rarely played back to backs, which lessened the chance of injury. The most important thing the Spurs did this year and have always done is having faith in each other.
The ball movement of the Spurs was beyond phenomenal. Why take a good shot when two more passes will lead to the best shot. No one worried about their stats or their winning streak or any other superficial things that could easily distract them from what they really are. And that was a team on a mission. Lastly, Gregg Popovich proved once again why he is the best coach in the NBA. Something as small as taking Splitter out of the starting lineup and adding Boris Diaw was a major change and shifted the series momentum in the Spurs favor drastically.
The Disappearing Bosh:
Miami's Big Three was put together with the assumption that when one would go down, that the other would pick up the slack. While Dwayne Wade had a phenomenal Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, his play in the NBA Finals was nonexistent. This forced LeBron to up his game and his numbers to accommodate for Wade inadequacies. Lebron stepped up when the team needed him. Chris Bosh did not. Bosh's points dropped from 16 a game in the regular season to 14 in the finals. If not for his game one and two performances (he scored of 18 points in each) his average would be a lot lower. The most disturbing thing is a lot of time the crowd and the announcers were unaware that he was even in the game. It's one thing to not score, but to be completely irrelevant in an NBA Finals series is completely unacceptable when you're looked at as one of the premier players in the league.
Roll over Role Players:
The biggest difference between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs is that beyond the starters, the Spurs players give them something whenever they are in the game. Patty Mills gives them timely three pointers, Splitter can give you around ten points, six rebounds, and a couple of assists, and Marco Belinelli can get you hustle plays and a three pointer or two. If you look at the Miami Heat’s role players only person showed up. That person was Rashard Lewis. His numbers may not have been spectacular, but he did score, rebound, and surprisingly played decent defense when he was in the game.
Other than that, the Heat bench just didn't show up. The one person that could have made a big difference in these finals is Mike Miller. Opting to bring in the troubled Michael Beasley (who didn't play much or at all in the finals) and amnestying Mike Miller came back to bite them in the tuchas. Not only does Miller do all of the little things like rebound and play tough defense, he is able to go off for twenty points in any game. Beasley was a giant mistake. The signing of Greg Oden was also a spot that could have gone to Joel Anthony. Instead they traded him to the Celtics and got nothing to help them win a championship.
What Now?:
The biggest concern now is obviously resigning LeBron James. That's priority one. Second, is actually getting him some consistent help. Wade is on his last leg. Unfortunately, he isn't the player he was a few years ago and who knows how healthy he will be going into the future. Chris Bosh probably won't resign. If he does, he has to start being more aggressive on offense and make his presence known on defense and on the boards. A smart move would be trying to acquire Tyson Chandler. He would give the Heat something they haven’t had since Alonzo Mourning: someone in the paint that can alter shots.
A move like this will allow Bosh to move back to the power forward spot where he is much more comfortable. Norris Cole can be a big piece to the Miami puzzle if he could be more consistent. He will show flashes of brilliance and then be missing in action for the next few games. Bringing in someone like Vince Carter off the bench would be a great idea as well. Carter scores, plays defense and will consistently give you something every game. Something that the Heat sorely need. The best thing the Heat could do if they plan on winning another title would be to surround James with a defensive anchor and a couple vets who can put up around fifteen a game. It couldn't hurt for them to take a look at the 2008 Celtics and the 2004 Pistons roster and take notes.