Every now and then, James Jones becomes the third member of the Big Three. Last night was one of those occasions.
While the Miami Heat took on the Knicks without injured All-Star Chris Bosh (ankle), Jones stepped into the role as safety outlet for Dwyane Wade (34 pts) and LeBron James (24 pts). Jones scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range — one of only five Miami players to register on the scoreboard in the loss and the only one besides James and Wade to hit double figures. He also had five rebounds and two steals. In Miami’s previous game, a win over Toronto, Jones’ 15 points was again third-highest on the team to LeBron and Mike Miller in a game Wade missed with a migraine. For the season, Jones, a second-round draft pick in ’03, is averaging 7.0 points and hitting 43 percent beyond the arc.
Before last night’s game, while the Heat locker room was packed almost to capacity with reporters waiting for LeBron or Wade, I got a chance to talk with Jones for a few minutes about his role as the quiet assassin:
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Dime: Is the media frenzy like this in every city?
James Jones: Nah, not really. Some games more than others, you know? The major markets, the media usually comes out and it’s a frenzy, but you get used to it because of the makeup of this team. I think early in the season guys were a little surprised, but we’ve finally settled in and we’re used to it now.
Dime: Before you got used to it, was it annoying? Distracting?
JJ: Not that. I’d just say earlier in the year, everyone asked the same questions. For the first time everybody had an opportunity to interview and meet with these guys, but over the course of the season they’ve had multiple times to interact and there’s not so much speculation. It’s really vanilla now. The media comes in, they do their thing, they get in and get out and wait for the games.
Dime: Are the questions different whether you’re winning or losing?
JJ: No, it’s always the same. If we’re winning, if we’re struggling, it’s about how the Big Three are coming together. In the good times, the questions are about us playing really well. In the bad times, it’s about us not playing so well and what we need to do to get on a winning track. And it’s real simple: Play defense, get out in transition, and don’t turn the ball over.
Dime: What is your role in the whole operation?
JJ: I’m a shooter. I’m a shot-maker. My job is to make shots and create spacing on the floor. At the same time, I have to be solid and efficient. Just be a basketball player and help this team win in some form or fashion.
Dime: Just about every Miami game I’ve seen on TV, the announcers say that if you get your feet set and shoulders square, your jumper is automatic. How important are those two elements of the form to you?
JJ: A lot of it has to do with time. Teams are trying to (rotate) out on me, and some teams do it better than others. When a team is running you off your shot, you have less margin for error. It’s important for every shooter to have his feet set and have his shoulders square, but in this system sometimes even when your feet aren’t set and your shoulders aren’t square you still have to shoot it to make defenses respect you.
Dime: While developing your shot, is the form more important than just repetition?
JJ: It’s all repetition. Every shooter has his own form, every shooter has his own routine. It’s up to you to find your comfort zone and refine it to where it’s second nature, and that’s just repetition, no matter what your form looks like.
Dime: What part of your game do you think gets overlooked?
JJ: Just my overall offensive game. I’m a spot-up shooter, but I’m a guy who can also get my shot off with one or two dribbles. I can create looks for other guys, too. But luckily for me, I have a great role and a great situation where my primary skill set, which is catching and shooting, my team really needs.
Dime: Talk about what led you to re-signing with Miami this offseason. I heard you almost left.
JJ: It was tough, coming off the wrist injury I had. I still wasn’t completely healthy and I was still trying to find my rhythm. I had thoughts of retiring, and thoughts of moving on past Miami. Those were thoughts I had in the summer. But once they assembled this team and I had a chance to see the makeup of this team … Given what’s best for my family and being a Miami guy, born and raised and going to college there, it was just the right fit for me to come back home and do something special.
Dime: How close were you to actually retiring?
JJ: It was real. Probably physically I was healed, but mentally, with my wrist still up in the air, I just wasn’t sure if I could ever be the same player I was before I got injured. So those are thoughts that seep into your mind. You want to play this game and play it at a high level. If you can’t do that, you contemplate whether it’s time to step away.
Dime: They said being on this team would be like traveling with a rock band. Has it been like that?
JJ: I think this year in general, with all that transpired — with the emergence of some young great players, and the consolidation of elite talent with different teams in different markets — as a whole, NBA interest has peaked.
Specifically with this team, everywhere we go we’re either loved or hated. And we know that right away. That’s normally how it is when you have a product that polarizes people. It’s like musicians: Some musicians are loved — some rock bands that are considered the greatest of all-time are loved, and some are despised. You just continue to work, do what you do, and hope to win over the naysayers.
Dime: Being around them on a daily basis, have you seen anything in LeBron’s game or Chris’ game that you hadn’t seen before from a distance?
JJ: Nah, nothing they do really surprises me because you can see if you look at their track records that at different points in their careers they’ve done everything their teams have needed them to do. So it doesn’t surprise me that they’ve been able to adapt and do different things for this team.
Dime: Do you have a pre-game shooting routine?
JJ: No, for me it’s just shots. Threes from the corner, threes from the top, threes from the wing, one-dribble pull-up, catch and shoot. Really it’s just getting into a rhythm. I’ve always said, you don’t want to waste your makes in shootaround. Make sure you get a good rhythm and a good flow, but don’t over-exert yourself. You don’t win any games in shootaround.
Dime: Can you tell right away when you’re going to have a big game? Is it after you hit the first or second shot?
JJ: I always feel hot. Even if I miss a few, I figure I’m a good enough shooter that if I get enough attempts, eventually it will balance out. When you’re in that zone, though, it’s a great feeling. It’s indescribable. That’s why we enjoy playing this game.
