Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry is having a real rough go of it in these playoffs, and things have gotten especially ugly in the last two games against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Lowry combined to shoot 1-of-12 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point land in Games 4 and 5, both Heat losses. In Game 5, he didn't score a point, hand out an assist, grab a rebound, block a shot or notch a steal. He did have five fouls and three turnovers in his 25 minutes, though.

Lowry has battled a hamstring injury in these playoffs and is clearly laboring because of it. Many think Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra should either bench Lowry or at least give Gabe Vincent more playing time when Lowry clearly doesn't have it. However, Lowry's leadership and the respect he commands means a lot to this Miami team, which could be making this decision more difficult.

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One example of this leadership came in the form of a Heat pre-playoff trip to the Bahamas that Lowry organized, according to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. While the organizer was a mystery at first, Haynes wound up learning it was Lowry and asked Spoelstra about it. Spo's answer is illuminating:

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“Kyle met with me and told me what he wanted to do with the team. He had all the logistics figured out and I gave him my blessings,” Spoelstra told Yahoo Sports. “There are only about a handful of players like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Udonis Haslem who’ve played for this franchise that I know could have pulled off something like this. It shows you how special Kyle is and how much we really respect him as a person and a player.”

Lowry is a respected veteran with a championship pedigree. He's a six-time All-Star. It's only natural to defer to these kinds of players in the playoffs.

Haynes says some “observers” are wondering if Lowry is getting too much respect because of his status as a team leader. It's a tough situation for Spoelstra and the Heat. You want to play your best players and your leaders, but when one of those guys is hurting and performing so poorly, there might just have to be a point where the plug is pulled.