After Game 1 Eric Spoelstra was frustrated with Mario Chalmers because on a night depth was needed Chalmers was in foul trouble limiting his minutes.
Spoelstra should be even less happy now — Chalmers has been a virtual no show through three games of the NBA Finals.
Chalmers prides himself on unshakable confidence and stepping up in the big moments (as he has done since college), but he has averaged 3.3 points a game on 25 percent shooting through three Finals games against the Spurs. In Game 3 Chalmers was 0-of-3 on uncontested jumpers (he missed his two contested ones, too). When he is in the lineup the Heat’s offensive flow takes a noticeable hit and he has a defensive rating of 118.3 so far in the Finals, according to NBA.com’s stats.
Chalmers’ slump goes back a couple playoff series now. His teammates and Eric Spoelstra have talked about trying to boost his confidence, about telling him to just play the game and be himself. Just focus on one thing and do it well. But it hasn’t worked and the struggles seem to be weighing him down.
The brash, confident Chalmers didn’t sound it after the Heat got routed in Game 3.
Chalmers: "I think everybody else is doing their job and I'm being that guy that's not helping out. I don't want to be that guy."
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) June 11, 2014
https://twitter.com/EthanJSkolnick/statuses/476579122219859968
Eric Spoelstra leaned more on Norris Cole, who brought much better energy to the position, but that’s about all. Cole had 8 points on 33.3 percent shooting and was -8 with some defensive lapses in Game 3.
During the season the Heat have had some success with no point guard lineups — a Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen backcourt where LeBron is the primary ball handler. That didn’t work against the Spurs in Game 3, those lineups were -9. Not that anything worked in Game 3 for the Heat.
Spoelstra’s problem is he has no good options here — Chalmers has been bad but Cole is not a guy the Heat have really trusted. The no PG lineups are not a long-term answer, they force Tony Parker into some difficult covers but they also can be a defensive challenge for the Heat.
What the Heat need is their “Rio” back.
And fast.