Kemba Walker Makes Statement Against Miami Heat

Sunday night the Charlotte Bobcats came into Miami and were underdogs as usual against the back-to-back champion Miami Heat. Charlotte and its second ranked defense would be heavily tested and they would give the Heat all they could handle as they were led by third year point guard Kemba Walker and his superb play. With 27 Points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals on 10-22 shooting the Bronx, New York native proved just how deadly he can be when he is clicking on all cylinders. Walker was arguably the best player on the floor which says a lot due to the fact that he shared it with Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and teammate Al Jefferson. He nearly led the Bobcats to a huge road upset but three consecutive Chris Bosh three-pointers prevented Charlotte from upsetting the Champs. It felt like a flashback to his days at UCONN when he was always the best player when he stepped on the floor.

Kemba Walker nearly led Charlotte to its biggest win in the last three seasons but the fact that he went out on the floor versus an elite defensive team in an environment where the Heat play their best basketball deserves some attention and respect. Had they pulled it off the national media would be scrutinizing the Heat and it might have forced them to take a look at Walker. The Heat won by a single point so the media will not give Walker or Charlotte credit for playing the Heat well, at the end of the day it's about winning.

Now I'm not praising Kemba for losing but what I am saying is that people need to pay more attention to him because this guy can flat out play the game of basketball at a high level. The Bobcats are second in the NBA on the defensive end of the floor only allowing 91.8 points-per-game from their opponents. Kemba is huge part of why the Bobcats are the most improved defensive team in basketball as he is a leader on the team and does a great job in the help defense area. Kemba is top 10 in points, rebounds, blocks, steals and minutes among starting point guards this season and while his numbers have taken a hit this season the Bobcats are playing better basketball as they sit at sixth in the Eastern Conference. Kemba can't score like Kyrie, Kemba can't pass like Rubio, nor can he shoot like Curry. What Kemba can do though is impact the game from many different areas and put his team in the best position to win with his intangibles and leadership and that deserves recognition and respect.

Check out my video assessing Kemba Walker in Sunday nights Heat game.