LeBron James once again proved to be the constant on this team as he registered 25 points 5 rebounds and 6 assists. However, his running mate Wade as yet to find his stride on a game in- game out basis as he went 1-13 from the floor and only registered three points on the night. The lone bright spot of the Heat may have been Chris Bosh registering his first double-double of the season as he had 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Entering the game with a series of injuries the Heat were left only four players coming off of the bench in James Jones, Eddie House, Jamal Magloure and Juwan Howard; not the deepest bench. With this being one of the question marks entering the season, it seems that there is some truth to the speculation on the Heat's depth outside of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade: the only player to score off the bench was Jamaal Maglouire.
The question becomes where do they go from here? Well, I guess the first would be to get healthy. Wade was playing with a wrist injury while they also lost their best player coming off of the bench, Udonis Haslem, to a foot injury. Star-shooter Mike Miller return remains a month away as well. Unfortunately the sports world as a tendency to ruin hype with injuries which is the current case with the Miami Heat. The stories are slowing down on ESPN's 'Heat Index,' while the crowds are starting to leave earlier. The calling for Head Coach Eric Spolestra firing may also be on the horizon due to the current President's track record for championships; something that is looking more and more difficult with each passing game.
One staggering stat is the only one that matters, the win-loss column. At this point last year, the Heat were 9-5 while they just dropped to 8-6 with this loss and whose weaknesses seem to be getting exposed with each passing game. With the injuries piling up for Wade, defenses may start focusing on him which will put additional pressure on LeBron James to perform, something that he was looking to get away from in Cleveland. Speaking of Cleveland, the December 2nd match-up looms closer, but the Heat have some challenges before that game; mainly Orlando Wednesday night.
Although the trip will be relatively short, it may seem longer on the ride home if the Heat fail to perform. This will be a difficult task as the Magic crowd will surely be energized for the interstate rivalry. Accompany this with the aspect that the Heat are currently facing depth problems, a strong point for the Magic, and also lack the size to manage Dwight Howard, it may be a long night in Orlando and even a longer ride home.
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