The Heat don't have the bench they had for the last two years, which is a big reason they won those two championships. Obviously the big three had a lot to do with it, but their bench was consistently keeping them in games. When you have an injured Dwayne Wade, you have to rely on the bench when guys like LeBron take a seat. They can't rely on that this year. It's just not there.
Do you view this as the Heats most difficult season to win the title? I know the Mavs beat em but that had more to do with the Heat and particularly Lebron just completely dropping off.
No I agree the Heat aren't as good as the past Heat team and the Wade injury is concerning. All I'm saying is that the 2010-2011 Lakers regular season and 2013-2014 Heat regular seasons and cloud around them aren't comparable. The Lakers were completely different, there really isn't a similar discussion around the teams which is what @soxxx was trying to say. I think the only connection is that these two teams are chasing their 4th straight finals appearance. Outside of that, any other connection is forced and bent to fit this history repeats itself thought process. It may very well repeat itself as history shows making a 4th straight finals is tough in it's own, but I don't see the connections somehow tying this Heat team to the 2010-2011 Lakers regular season. They had completely different paths to their playoff appearances in the their chase for a 4th straight finals appearance.
Agree here. I get what you mean. That's what will always happen. People will try and bend it as much as possible just because they are in similar situations. Two different teams though.
Hmm good question. No. I thought the first year of Lebron was the hardest in the preseason. I was surprised they rolled through Chicago and Boston so easily in that EC. That was surprising to me. By this I mean if you asked me on a scale of 1-10 with 1 normally difficult to 10 being impossible, I would have ranked that first year the hardest for them to win the title. Although this season in the preseason would be the 2nd hardest because of the expected BK, NY, and CHI teams. Going into the playoffs and using how the Heat played vs their opponents, I probably would have ranked that first playoff the hardest. They had Boston to get through then Chicago, two great defensive teams. Rose had his season and what not. Although was Bosh injured before the playoffs in the Lebron/Heat second year? If he was that was probably the hardest heading into the playoffs. If he was injured during the playoffs, I probably would ranked 2nd year as easiest since I underestimated IND and BOS that year. Man that lockout year playoffs was a lot of fun.
Nice win for my Nets but I'm not taking much from it with no a Wade or Haslem. Playoffs will be a whole nother story. _
It was a road win and Wade is no lock to be healthy in the playoffs. I would take it as a quality win considering the Heat had already had struggles with the Nets, its not easy to go into Miami in win twice in a season. Matter of fact it might not have been done since the Mavs did it in the finals. (I could be wrong though)
Wade will be perfectly healthy in the playoffs. Don't be so naive (it's hard for you I see) but the playoffs are a different animal. I'm hopeful for my Nets. I'm just not naive enough to think because we've swept them we'd beat them in a walkover. _
Perfectly healthy? Thats highly unlikely. He hasnt been healthy in the playoffs since 2011. The playoffs are a different animal but Brooklyn has proven that they can make the championship type plays in the final minutes. Both games in Miami they were the team that made the closing plays to win the game.
That's a block. Don't be such a whiny, entitled brat like LeBron. He got ball first, after that hand is part of the ball.
Why not take something from it? We beat them this game without Garnett or Blatche, the previous game without Garnett and AK, and the game before that without Deron or AK. We have been just as unhealthy going up against them as they've been going against us. At full strength, I'd venture to say a match up between the Nets and Heat could easily go 7 games. Overall the Heat do not match up well against this squad, and bias or unbias I'd say of all the teams out there the Nets just maybe the team that has the ability to knock them off. But before all that, the Bulls/Toronto will not be an easy stretch of games in the first round.
I think the Nets won't suffer the same fate as Rose Bulls who went 3-0 against Miami in the regular season, then won the first game of the playoff series, then promptly lost 4 in a row to lose the series 4-1. I think the Nets are good enough if they face Miami to take at least 2 games. Getting there is the issue with the Nets as mentioned above. If the Heat hang onto the 1 seed, the Nets could see them 2nd round. If the Heat slide to the 2 seed, BK will have to win @ TOR or @ CHI then a series @IND then a series @ MIA. That's really tough to do. Also of course the whole Wade dilemma which is just wait and see now.
Nets fucked themselves with the slow start. Being the 3 seed would have helped them tremendously. Home court vs Washington, then to Indiana & finally Miami is a lot different then having to go to Chicago, then Miami and Indiana.
I said this last year, the Brooklyn Nets have a two year window to get this done. They surely started off slow, they have played very well over the past couple of months, the playoff seeding might be alot for them to overcame. I firmly believe they can win the Eastern conference, the Pacers are who I thought they were, and the Heat look like both vulnerable and just not as good. Dont underestimate Pierce and Garnett, in 2012 they were the 4th seed and at one point during the season looked completely dead, they ended up coming up a game short of the finals. With guys like Williams, Johnson, Thornton, etc. anything is possible. They have a lot of contributors and players who can take control of the game on any given night. They also have the ability to make the clutch plays down the stretch, both games in Miami they were down at some point in the final minutes and were still able to get wins.
Last time Pierce and Garnett won a playoff series was in May 2012. Last year they lost in the first round. Now they're another year older and playing even less minutes. Joe Johnson? He's never even gotten past the second round in his first 13 seasons. The only way they beat the Heat or Pacers is if Deron Williams returns to playing like he did in Utah. Or I guess if Indiana keeps playing as poorly as they have the last few weeks, but I doubt that'll happen.
Pacers resting the starters tonight against the Bucks. Maybe they figure it could hardly be worse than the last game. George and West will not play at all tonight, I believe.
