It had to happen one day. Yes, Miami Heat finally halted its losing streak at five games – and at the NBA’s hottest team, LA Lakers, which had won eight straight before last night’s matchup.

It was almost inevitable, however, after Lakers coach Phil Jackson had commented that he is “not a big fan of the style that Miami plays”. He is not impressed by the Heat’s one-on-one variety of basketball, stating that he likes to watch a team with “everybody involved in the game”. He is a fan of the likes of San Antonio and Boston and is “trying to preach” the benefits of a playing as a team.

He got his wish, then, as Miami produced a nice all-round display to dispatch his two-time defending champions 94-88 at American Airlines Arena for a sixth victory over LA in the last seven meetings.

Chris Bosh finished with 24 points and nine rebounds, Dwyane Wade added five assists and five boards to his 20 points, LeBron James supplied 19 points, as well as eight rebounds and nine assists, and Mike Miller found 12 points and seven boards.

Maybe jackson will be a mite more impressed now, although that is doubtful after saying that the Heat’s approach to offense is “very much standing with Xbox games or whatever those games are. Basketball’s not a one-on-one game – it’s a team game”.

True – and one game does not make Miami a world-beater – but let’s hope Jackson gives credit where it’s due after the Heat’s six-point victory.

It’s not hard to imagine Bosh feeling particularly good after this victory, however, after Jackson – although not the first coach or commentator to make this point – suggested that the Heat rely too much on James and Wade, who have dominated Miami’s scoring to be ranked – before yesterday’s game – second and fourth respectively in the NBA charts.

The Heat do lack depth in offense, it’s true, but Wade, like the rest of his teammates, is sick of hearing it, stating that he doesn’t “care what people say about us”. Maybe a siege mentality has set in – and Miami will emerge from this slump a stronger and more creative side.

Jackson’s criticism was just the latest in a long line of digs at the Heat, including his belief that Miami coach Erik Spoelstra was almost certain to fired soon enough. The Lakers man – a winner of 11 NBA titles as a coach – did swiftly withdraw that remark, suggesting Spoelstra was “doing a good job”, and the is “going to be fine”, but it does seem that his words have returned to haunt him.

Interestingly, Kobe Bryant, although leading the way for LA with 24 points, had a closing minute-and-a-half to forget when missing his final three shots and committing two turnovers. Jackson’s belief that Miami struggles when James or Wade misfire echoes his confession that “we have a guy that dominates the ball in Kobe”.

This late-game flop will, of course, add fuel to the ‘Kobe can’t play in the clutch’ brigade’s mantra. That is way off target – much like Bryan’s last few throws, unfortunately.

The recent 4-game losing streak the Miami Heat find themselves stuck in, in my opinion, is indicative of larger problems that plague the team. While the Heat found their rhythm during the middle of the season, the beginning and end have been mired by poor defensive play and losing easily winnable games. The recent 4-game losing streak has seen the Heat blowing huge leads in the second half and really being off their game when it comes to communication and team play.

Winning those must win games, and staying cool under pressure are not the biggest problems facing the “Big 3″ in Miami (though they are problems). And it also seems the biggest problem facing the team is not the ability to score – we all know that LeBron, Wade, and Bosh can score points off the dribble and are always fast break threats. What they do not have is a defense, and they cannot seem to get any boards, on either end of the floor. In many ways, this makes the Heat akin to the Colts of the NBA – a lot of offense and not much else. While they will sell tickets, and certainly win a few games, it takes a complete game to win a championship, particularly when you play in the East.

The scoring percentages and all around game play of the Heat, when playing against competitive teams in the East – the Knicks, the Magic, and the Bulls – has been pathetic, and that is putting it nicely. They do not have big bodies or a rebounding threat, and attempts to generate steals to get turnovers seem to be non-existent. It would seem, when looking at the season thus far as a whole, that there really isn’t a strategy or style to the Heats game play. Whoever is hot, or is streaky, is who the game rests on the shoulders of. But without any defense, and nobody to crash the boards, this is not a good combination for long-term success against solid, playoff caliber teams.

While they may win basketball games against losing teams, or have the occasional flash of brilliance against a winning team, inconsistency has haunted the Heat throughout the season. When taking into account their being in the Eastern conference, and looking at their level of game play against these teams throughout the season, it isn’t much of a stretch to think that if they play the Knicks or Magic in the first round of the playoffs, that their road to the championship will end there. The holes inherent in the Heat lineup have continued to cause them problems throughout the season, and they have made no moves to get it together. Looks like the heat may have been taken out of Miami, making their hopes for a legitimate run in the post-season look pretty bleak.

The talent they have cannot carry the team – it is too one-sided. With three scoring threats in James, Bosh, and Wade, you have plenty of talent, but no clear leader to orchestrate the game. If you do not have big bodies on defense, rather than allowing 40 point runs, consider aggressive and fast paced defensive play whereby you use your speed and finesse to your advantage, steal the ball, stop the momentum, and find a way to get stops, or at least get some boards.