THE ROCK STARS THAT AREN'T ROCKIN'

One of the first things Erik Spoelstra did as the coach of the Miami Heat was instill a defense-first mentality in his team.  Even with players as talented as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, it's much easier to be consistent defensively than it is on offense.  The Heat's offense has been up and down this season, but they were able to ride their aggressive, intense defense to one of the best records in the Eastern Conference.

During this losing streak (5 straight losses), the Heat's defense hasn't been there.  The Heat were torched from beyond the arc by both the Magic and the Spurs, and couldn't get key stops when they needed them against the Bulls.

On Tuesday night against Portland, the Heat played well enough offensively to win the game.  Wade and James were clicking perfectly on offense, and even with both Bosh and the bench giving the Heat almost nothing, Miami was able to shoot 52 percent from the field for the game.

Unfortunately for the Heat, their defense was never good enough for them to control the game.  The Heat gave up 57 points in the first half.

Offense is like the Stock Market… there will be good days and bad days, But there’s no reason to ever have a bad day on defense.

(Thanks ESPN & John Krolik)