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Heat turn to the tape to make fixes before Game 4

By WTOP Staff

BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James has learned an important lesson during his journey from 19-year-old rookie to two-time NBA champion: Never talk back to the coach during a film session.

“Let him make his point, whether he’s right or wrong, and you live with it and move on,” James said.

Especially when the coach has as much to show his players as Erik Spoelstra did to James and the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Miami’s defense didn’t offer much resistance early in Game 3 of the NBA Finals; the San Antonio Spurs played like they were on the court by themselves. San Antonio made 19 of its first 21 shots and shot a finals-record 75.8 percent in the first half of a 111-92 victory.

Just like last year, Game 3 was a blowout that left the Heat facing a 2-1 deficit. Miami came back to win the series, so nobody was overreacting to what happened Tuesday, especially since the Spurs themselves don’t expect to shoot that way again. But the Heat have things to clean up before Game 4 on Thursday, or they risk going back to San Antonio facing the end of their title reign.

“You’re always on edge in the postseason, but I don’t want to be concerned at this point,” James said. “For us, we have to make the adjustments.”

The Spurs had the same lead last year after a 113-77 victory in Game 3, a start-to-finish beating that was even more thorough than Tuesday’s win. So they were taking no satisfaction in their position, and certainly not comparing it.

“I don’t think about last year at all at this point,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I don’t think about last year Game 3, Game 4, at all. This is a different animal and I’m just concerned about the game tomorrow night.”

The bigger concerns belong to the Heat, whose defense was also sliced up by the Spurs in the fourth quarter of Game 1. So Spoelstra gathered his team to look at the painful tape of Tuesday’s performance, which featured among its problems:

–Chris Bosh getting only four shot attempts after scoring 18 points in Games 1 and 2.

–James trying to do too much to rally the Heat and ending up with seven of their 20 turnovers.

–Mario Chalmers missing all five shots and falling to 3 for 12 in the finals.

“We did not play a good basketball game,” Spoelstra said. “All of us have owned that. It doesn’t matter ultimately how many you lose by or what the game is like. You have to learn from it, move on.”

Spoelstra said watching themselves get clobbered on tape was “painful” and “frustrating,” but necessary. He wouldn’t reveal what he told his players, but whatever it was, James wouldn’t have argued. That’s a lesson he said he learned “quite a few years ago, when you realize that it wouldn’t change anything.”

“You know, the coach is always right,” James added. “It’s like a teacher. They’re always right, and that’s fine. That’s fair. They make the rules and we’ve got to live by them.”

Spoelstra’s process suits the Heat, who have won 13 straight postseason games following a loss. They followed last year’s Game 3 no-show with a rout of their own to swing the series back in their favor, and are confident they can make corrections before Thursday.

But the Spurs, who didn’t think they played that well in the first two games, have shown that not even the respected Miami defense can stop them when they execute the way they did Tuesday.

“We finally put a game together for not the full 48, but for as long as we could, where we did exactly what we planned to do and executed in that respect,” Tim Duncan said, “and that’s what we’re going to need again.”

No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, and a victory Thursday would guarantee the Spurs two chances to win the series on their home floor, starting with Game 5 on Sunday. Dwyane Wade said the Heat aren’t thinking that far ahead.

“We’re an in-the-moment team,” he said. “And right now in the moment is the day after a loss, getting better mentally, physically and then coming into tomorrow and playing the game of basketball here on our home floor and trying to win Game 4. That is all we focus on.”

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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