LeBron James is receiving most of the blame for the Miami Heat losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. He should. The Mavericks played great defense on him and took away his best offensive weapon, but he also didn’t attack when he had the opportunity to do so. But it wasn’t just LeBron who passed up shots; late in Game 6, it felt like most of Miami’s players were afraid of taking shots, even if they were open. This video below stood out to me because the Heat pass up at least eight open looks before turning the ball over. This possession encapsulates all of Miami’s problems in the series.
When I watched that possession live, it stood out to me that LeBron didn’t even think to shoot despite having two great looks. After watching it again, I realized it wasn’t just him. While Jason Terry, Dirk Nowitzki, J.J. Barea, and DeShawn Stevenson were taking shots fearlessly, the Miami Heat players seemed scared to shoot. There’s no better evidence of that truth than that video.
