Feb 24, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters (center) drives to the basket as Miami Heat power forward Udonis Haslem (left) and Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (center) defends during the first half at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Going into the 2012 NBA Draft, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim compared Dion Waiters’ explosive style of play to Dwyane Wade’s. The current Miami Heat (40-14) superstar didn’t exactly explode onto the scene, but he did have an admirable rookie season comparable to what Waiters has accomplished thus far. Although Waiters did outplay Wade from an offensive and defensive standpoint for most of the night, experience became key in the final period.

Wade went into the fourth quarter with just nine points, while Waiters had a team-high 18 points. Although last year’s No. 4 overall pick finished off the game with 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting, Wade totaled 15 points in leading his team in a comeback effort in the fourth. After being outscored by 19 points in the third quarter, the Chicago native elevated his game and had Waiters running circles around the court trying to defend the All-Star starter.

Minute mistakes and lockdown defense prevented the Cleveland Cavaliers (18-38) from making a full comeback after being down by more than 20 points in the contest, as the Heat won in a close match against the Cavs for the second time this season in Miami by a score of 109-105.

LeBron James and an early three-point attack from the Heat resulted in a quick 13-point lead to open up the first 12 minutes of play. The former Cavalier threw down a ferocious dunk to get the party started and was a frequent visitor in the paint all night long. James finished 10-of-19 from the field, along with totaling 28 points and eight assists.

The level of teammate awareness shown by Wade and James was a primary reason that the Heat were able to find success throughout the game from beyond the arc. Out of their 12 converted three-point attempts, 11 of them came off of assists. Wade and James played an integral part in spreading the ball around on offense, as the two combined for 14 of the team’s 23 dimes. The Cavaliers were unable to keep track of Miami’s sharpshooters off the bench, as Ray Allen and Shane Battier combined for 7-of-10 from three-point land.

While Miami was busy distributing the ball in the first half, Alonzo Gee was struggling with limiting James. We knew going into the game that Gee wasn’t going to be able to stop James completely, but there were too many instances in which James was given uncontested shots in the paint. Off-the-ball defense is extremely important when guarding LeBron, and Gee simply didn’t get the memo on Sunday.

The seven turnovers that the Cavaliers had to start off the game also didn’t help in slowing down the best transition team in the game. Miami scored 14 points off of Cleveland’s first seven mistakes.

It also didn’t help that the Cleveland bench didn’t start to get things going until late in the third quarter. The Cavalier reserves were only outscored by five points in the first half, but how long would you want Luke Walton covering LeBron? In a game where mismatches were already tough enough to overcome, Byron Scott didn’t do his best job when game planning for his lineups.

But certain players can get hot, and luckily for Scott C.J. Miles did when his team needed him the most. After cutting the Miami lead to 10 points with just under two minutes to go in the third frame, Miles hit three huge shots in a row: all of them three pointers. On his final make of the quarter, he was fouled on a call that James argued until he received a technical foul. Miles converted both attempts from the line, putting his team up by one going into the final quarter. He finished the game with 19 points off the bench.

Afterward is when Wade became Mr. Fourth Quarter and Kyrie Irving went missing. After a 10-point third quarter, Irving only managed to score two points at a crucial time in the game. The Miami guards hounded Irving to their best ability, as he finished with 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field.

Wade’s 15^th point in the fourth quarter came at the most critical spot in the game. With his team up by two points and under 30 seconds left on the clock, Wade rode a nice pick and took off in the paint for an emphatic dunk. That dunk pretty much sealed the deal and completely stalled any momentum that Cleveland had built up going into the final moments of the game.

However, the Cavaliers fought, and it was an exciting match to watch. One day Cleveland will be able to finish against a team like Miami, but that time is still yet to come. The Cavaliers will be at it again on Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls at 8 p.m.

July 24, 2012; Barcelona, SPAIN; USA players James Harden (12) , LaBron James (middle) and Deron Williams (8) walk off the court after an exhibition game against Spain in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic Games at Palau Sant Jordi. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

Team USA wrapped up their five-game exhibition tour against Spain on Tuesday with a 100-78 runaway victory. With the Olympic games getting underway with the opening ceremonies taking place on Friday, the USA men’s basketball team will begin their play in Pool A against France on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Argentina, Lithuania, Nigeria and Tunisia accompany France and the United States in Pool A while Australia, Brazil, China, Great Britain, Russia and Spain form Pool B. The four highest-ranked teams in each group after the round robin preliminary games are finished on Monday, August 6 will then advance to the Quarterfinals.

Team USA created a lot of buzz when Kobe Bryant proclaimed that this year’s Olympic team could upend the 1992 Dream Team that won their game by an average of more than 40 points per contest. After those remarks the Americans struggled to get by Brazil in their second exhibition game and even staved off a loss from Argentina before their matchup against Spain. Bryant has never been one to renege his comments, but after an average showing before the games in London the five-time champion may have to rethink what he said about a team without stars such as Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade.

There are a lot of interesting story lines heading into the summer games this year, but here are five things that I took away from watching the United States in their exhibition games.

1. What the U.S. lacks in height they make up for with speed

Team USA has one traditional rim protector in the 7′ 1″ Tyson Chandler, but will that be enough if by chance they happen to meet up with Brazil or Spain again? The New York Knick center will need all the help he can get from Kevin Love and Anthony Davis, who is taking the spot of injured USA teammate Blake Griffin. I’m not too concerned about the evident height problem that they have because of the speed that head coach Mike Krzyzewski can put on the floor at any time.

Take a lineup of Chris Paul at point guard, Kobe Bryant at the two guard, Kevin Durant and LeBron James at the forwards and Carmelo Anthony at the five (James can also play this position, along with any other) and you have a team that can bury any opponent within the span of the first quarter. In the five-game exhibition series Coach K used Chandler, Paul, Bryant, Durant, Anthony, James and Deron Williams as starters, most of the time in different position sets. So anything is possible.

July 22, 2012; Barcelona, SPAIN; USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski and guard Kobe Bryant (10) react in the second half of an exhibition game against Argentina in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic Games at Palau Sant Jordi. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

2. Kobe Bryant may have a loud mouth, but he can still back it up

Kobe Bryant made some highly-debated comments about how the Olympic team he is on this year could  take on the 1992 Dream Team in their prime and win. A 13-year-old Bryant grew up watching every game that the so-called “best team ever assembled,” but that hardly brings validation to anything Kobe has said in the past few weeks.

Bryant, who averaged 8.2 points in the exhibition games leading up to the Olympics in London, came into the training sessions 16 pounds lighter. For a 33-year-old veteran that is pretty impressive and shows that he is determined to win another gold medal. Playing with young and talented players such as James, Durant and Anthony means that Kobe won’t be taking as many shots as he’s used to, but the usually-selfish guard is ready to contribute in any way he can to achieve the goal they have all set out to reach.

3. LeBron James needs to be the new leader of Team USA now and looking into the future

The 27-year-old James has become the face of USA basketball. Since winning his first championship the Miami Heat forward has been talked about as the best basketball player in the world and is one of the most polarizing faces in American sports. He can play any position on the court, making him one of the most valuable assets to the U.S. Olympic squad.

What I’m looking for in James these coming weeks will not be found on the stat sheet. I’m looking for an on-court leader, someone who won’t give up on a play, smart shot selection, a full-court assault on offense and for him to make the extra pass instead of forcing a tough shot. If LeBron can do that, I think he will be the voice of Team USA in 2016. By then he will be 31 years old.

July 24, 2012; Barcelona, SPAIN; USA forward Carmelo Anthony (15) reacts after making a three point basket during the first half of an exhibition game against Spain in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic Games at Palau Sant Jordi. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

4. Carmelo Anthony’s big game against Spain is only a preview of what we will see

Anthony exploded off the bench in Team USA’s final exhibition game against Spain, scoring 27 and making 10 of 15 shots from the field. With elite forwards such as James and Durant getting the most attention, the Knicks star played great off the bench whenever he wasn’t starting and shot 52.2 percent from the field.

With that said, it’s not surprise that the bench players received the bulk of the minutes in the games prior to the Olympics. Anthony, whether he is starting or coming off the bench, will see an increase in minutes anywhere from five to 10 minutes. The U.S. shouldn’t play many close games in the 2012 games, but whenever coach Krzyzewski needs  someone to close out a game, Anthony will get the call.

5. Don’t be fooled by Team USA’s blowout of Spain, as they were without Marc Gasol and gave the U.S. problems in the 2008 gold medal game

In the 2008 summer games Team USA met up with Spain in the Second Round and won by a margin of 37 points. Then Spain came back in the gold medal game, losing by 11 points after fighting close with the Americans in the final three quarters of play. Although Spain had Ricky Rubio by their side in Beijing, they have a new secret weapon in store for Coach K and the United States with Serge Ibaka.

The Oklahoma City Thunder shot blocker registered 16 points, scoring early and often in the first quarter. Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers netted six shots and also made six from the line, totaling 19 points. With Marc Gasol added to the mix, the Spaniards have a huge height advantage against the Americans. I’m not taking the United States’ victory against Spain very seriously because Marc was missing. Look for a much closer game and a much tougher matchup if these two teams meet again.

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Here are the results from the men’s exhibition series:

July 12 — USA 113, Dominican Republic 59

July 16 — USA 80, Brazil 69

July 19 — USA 118, Great Britain 78

July 22 — USA 86, Argentina 80

July 24 — USA 100, Spain 78

Here are the scheduled preliminary games for the USA in Pool B:

July 29, 2:30 p.m. — USA vs. France

July 31, 10:15 p.m. — USA vs. Tunisia

August 2, 10:15 p.m. — USA vs. Nigeria

August 4, 2:30 p.m. — USA vs. Lithuania

August 6, 10:15 p.m. — USA vs. Argentina

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Jun 17 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) drives to the basket past Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) and James Harden (13) during the fourth quarter of game three in the 2012 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. The Heat defeated the Thunder 91-85. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

Zachary Kolesar’s reaciton

I still don’t understand why the question of LeBron’s clutchness keeps on coming up after every game. The question we should be asking as fans is “Does LeBron James need to be clutch in order for his team to win?” And even when he is clutch, like when he fearlessly plowed ahead through the middle of the lane with 3:47 left to go in the game to dunk over Kevin Durant for the and-one.

So after going 12 for 12 from the free throw line on Thursday night in Oklahoma City and just recently coming up with a clutch dunk and a converted free throw to put his team up by seven points after a furious fourth-quarter Thunder comeback which had OKC up by one-point with 7:31 left on the clock.

Something that amazed me more about the time left in the fourth quarter than the two examples above has to be what the Heat’s “Big Three” did in the final 7:11.  LeBron and Chris Bosh collected a combined seven rebounds, the three went 9-10 from the charity stripe and scored the final 15 points of the game for the Heat. Although the three also combined for four turnovers and a unimpressive 3-9 from the field in that same time, they did manage to close out the game and outperform the “Big Three” in Oklahoma City.

From a team perspective, however, I was very impressed with Miami’s efforts from the free throw line compared to the Thunder’s off day. The Heat got to the line 35 times in Game 3 and shot 88.6 percent from the stripe while the Thunder got to the line 24 times and couldn’t even match half the number of free throws that the Heat made (OKC made 15 of their attempts compared to Miami’s 31 conversions).

So I know I started this article trying to sway away from talking about the great recent play of Miami’s “Big Three” in the fourth quarter and slowly transitioned into talking about how great they’ve been in high pressure situations. But it’s hard to ignore a sudden change in the down-the-stretch play of the Heat that critics and fans have been harping them for since Bosh, Wade and James joined forces in South Beach. They may have finally found a cure to their fourth-quarter blues, and it’s about time that people recognize it.

From a Thunder perspective, nothing really changed. Russell Westbrook came out and shot the ball like he always does (but this time more successfully), Durant found himself in foul trouble for the second straight game and they couldn’t find a way to tie the game up with under a minute to go. With Durant and Westbrook both missing shots to tie the game in crucial possessions that pretty much cost them the game, is it time to question the clutchness of the Oklahoma City Thunder?

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Chris Manning’s reaction

Jun 17, 2012; Miam, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden (13) during the second half in game three in the 2012 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. Miami won 91-85. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Let’s make one things clear: the Oklahoma City Thunder cost themselves a victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. They made several mistakes, most notably only shooting 15 of 24 from the free-throw line, which is an atrocious 62.5 percent. Adding on to that, Coach Scott Brooks mismanaged Kevin Durant’s foul trouble, neglecting to put him back in the game in order to curb the surging momentum of the Heat. James Harden was also uncharacteristically off in Game 3, shooting 2-10 from the field and committing a dumb foul on LeBron James when they didn’t have to. Erase these mistakes and the Thunder may have won.

But when it comes down to it, the Thunder’s “Big Three” of Durant, Harden, and Russell Westbrook was simply outplayed by the Heat’s “Big Three” of James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Thunder’s “Big Three” accounted for a combined 53 points on 21 of 37 shooting as compared to the Heat’s Big Three who scored a combined 64 points on 22 of 57 shooting. The Heat’s trio also simply looked more into the game than their Thunder counterparts, grabbing offensive rebounds for second chance opportunities. James himself actually out-rebounded the Thunder’s Big Three by his lonesome on the offensive end five to three.

The previous games of this series paint a similar picture. In Game 1 The Thunder’s “Big Three” outscored the Heat’s Big Three 68 to 60. In Game 2 the Heat’s “Big Three” was outscored 80-72, but were 20 of 23 from the line as compared to the Thunder’s 14 of 18.  As these stats show (as do other ones like rebounding totals and three-point percentage) the team whose “Big Three” plays the best will win the game.

That being, the big question going into Game 4 is who is going to be fourth man for the Thunder? The Heat have found their man in the grizzled veteran Shane Battier, who has been money from three the whole series. The Thunder desperately need to find their guy.  Will it be Derek Fisher? Thabo Sefolosha? Or maybe Serge Ibaka? Whoever he is, he’ll be needed in Game 4 along with a strong “Big Three” where all three score.  It’s important for both teams, but for OKC, having a missing “Big Three” could mean being put on the brink of elimination.

Stay tuned to Right Down Euclid for more NBA Finals coverage