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James Jones proves himself as Miami Heat’s closer
The official statistics from Friday’s game in Minneapolis between the Heat and Timberwolves will forever record the time that forward James Jones played in the second half thusly: one second.
Time is relative and so is James Jones’ role on his team.
Jones watched from the bench for the first 1,434 seconds of the second half Friday. But with six seconds left in the fourth quarter, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra inserted Jones into the lineup for the game’s most important play. Play over and lead taken, Jones was substituted immediately with a defensive replacement.
Such is an example of Jones’ invaluable yet stratified existence in the early games of this new season.
To quote the succinct and astonishingly prophetic words uttered by Spoelstra 105 minutes before Friday’s game, Jones is the Heat’s “closer.”
During his pregame news conference, Spoelstra called Jones the Heat’s “Mariano Rivera.” He’s not the Opening Day starter, he’s not even in the regular rotation, but, in a pinch, Jones is a reliable specialist for whom Spoelstra and his teammates would entrust the outcome of a game.
‘A role i relish’
“You don’t know how much a relief pitcher is going to pitch,” Jones said. “You don’t know if he’s going to pitch an entire inning, if he’s going to pitch at all, you don’t know if he’s going to be the set-up man or if you’re going to bring him in the eighth inning.“
So, given the depth on this team and the balance that we have, nothing is given. Every night will be a live-game save situation for me. That’s a role I relish.”
Jones is a shooter, pure and simple, but his current role is something much more nondescript. Friday offered a perfect illustration. Before the game, Jones was preparing to start in the place of Dwyane Wade if Wade’s bruised left foot proved too painful for competition.
The measure of responsibility awarded Jones would seem incongruous given his basic skill set. But such distinctions of merit are not based solely on perceived physical limitations. The level of respect for Jones inside the Heat’s fraternity cannot be measured empirically.
As it turned out, Wade fought through the discomfort, started the game and played almost 39 minutes – more than any other player on either team. It drastically changed Jones’ station in the game plan. He played a grand total of two minutes and 22 seconds in the first half and attempted just one shot, going 0 of 1 from three-point range.
As the second half developed, it became clear that Jones was not participating in the Heat’s rotation. Instead, Spoelstra went with Shane Battier, a more versatile defender who, like Jones, is a long-range shooter. But Jones stayed ready, awaiting the call to the bullpen.
It came with six seconds remaining in the game. Timberwolves forward Anthony Tolliver tied the score at 101 with the first of two free throws. He missed the second attempt and Udonis Haslem grabbed the rebound and called timeout. Spoelstra substituted Jones for Haslem for the penultimate possession of the game.
Jones was a decoy on Spoelstra’s sideline-out-of-bounds play but served an important function. While Wade was circling around a pick at the top of the key, Jones was racing under the basket toward the corner, clearing the lane of Timberwolves defender Derrick Williams. It gave Wade a clear path to the basket.
Williams was out of position when LeBron James lobbed his pass to Wade, and the Timberwolves rookie could not recover in time. Wade caught the pass in midair slightly behind his body and barely out of the reach of Williams’ long arms.
It’s not easy
Job complete – one second of service rendered – Jones returned to the bench after the Timberwolves called a timeout to set up the game’s final offensive possession. “My teammates rely on me to be my best regardless of how many minutes I get,” Jones said. “It gets easier with time but it’s still a major challenge.”
For his part, Jones says he likely would not have been able to perform his current role so admirably in the early days of his career. Time and experience have shaped the nine-year veteran’s perspective. He had a chance to play elsewhere this season – perhaps for more money – but Jones would rather play “meaningful minutes than minutes in general.”
Or, just one second.
By Joseph Goodman, The Miami Herald
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