Pressure continues to build for Memphis Grizzlies' foe Miami Heat
Everybody seems to have an opinion about the Miami Heat in a season filled with hype and extensive scrutiny over every win and loss.
Grizzlies guard Tony Allen is in tune with the well-documented highs and lows of the Heat. For him, one word comes to mind that applies to the remainder of the Heat's season: Sacrifice.
"They call themselves the Big Three. But I saw the first Big Three of our generation come together in Boston with Paul (Pierce), Ray (Allen) and Kevin (Garnett),"
Allen said. "One of those guys had to sacrifice. They said (Pierce) is going to be our scorer, we'll throw it to (Garnett) every now and then, and we'll run plays for Ray Allen. (The Heat) have to have that. They've got to put (sacrifice) first."
While the Heat will host the Griz this afternoon after beating the two-time defending NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, it's a star-studded team that hasn't put together an awe-inspiring season.
Before beating the Lakers, the Heat had been mired in a five-game losing streak and was waist-deep in controversy. There were allegations of players crying after a recent loss, which prompted more questions about Miami's lack of chemistry.
Miami's "Big Three"
of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have endured mostly criticism since their WWE-style introduction to South Beach following last summer's free-agent splash.
Yet Griz coach Lionel Hollins believes some of the commentary has been over the top. Hollins laughed in December at the dramatic concern media and fans had when the Lakers lost four straight games.
Hollins expressed a similar view regarding how the Heat's so-called struggles have been dissected. The Heat lost consecutive games to playoff-bound teams -- New York, Orlando, San Antonio, Chicago and Portland -- before beating the Lakers.
"I don't think they've played that bad,"
Hollins said. "They were in all of those games (except against San Antonio). They just weren't able to win them. It's not like they lost to chopped liver. They lost to some really good teams. You have to be playing at your best to beat them."
"But most people put them on a throne and said they were going to win multiple championships because the three got together. It takes a lot more than three superstars to win a championship. What happened to the Lakers when they went and got Karl Malone and Gary Payton? They were good enough to get to the Finals, but they lost 4-1 against a (Detroit) team that didn't supposedly have any stars."
Skeptics appear to outnumber believers on Miami's chances of a championship run. Perhaps it's fair to question the Heat's toughness considering coach Erik Spoelstra reported that players shed tears in the locker room after an 87-86 loss to Chicago on Sunday.
Miami certainly struggled offensively during its recent skid. Before Thursday, the Heat had averaged 91.8 points over the five straight games it lost. That's 9.5 points fewer than its season average, which said more about the Heat's bench than the Big Three.
But it's the Big Three's swagger that counts.
Griz forward Shane Battier wonders if the off-court drama is having an adverse effect on the team's psyche.
"The hoopla over every game that they play is probably draining for those guys,"
Battier said. "I'm mentally drained just watching every move they make on ESPN and reading about it in the papers. But they're a really good team. They have three of the best players in the league. There are a lot of good story lines in the NBA this year. I hope everyone doesn't forget about the other good story lines."
