Let's Be Honest, the Heat are Lucky to Play in the East

[Michael_Wilbon]

I agree that the Heat have it easier come playoff time and they would get beat on a little more in the West, but they will still get through the west and be the champs regardless. Who's going to stop them in the west

[Micku]

Match ups match ups, and match ups are everything in this league.


You cant just sit there and say since the Heat took out the Thunder in 5, that by default they should be greater than the people the Thunder eliminated.


IMO, Heat do not go through particular teams in the west.


I'd venture to say San Antonio does not lose to Miami in a series.


Unfortunately that is speculation of what I know of both team's strengths, and weaknesses.




I KNEW before the Heat/Thunder series, that Miami would make short work of OKC. I was laughing when people figured that OKC, since beating on the west competition would exploit the Heat.


OKC is EXACTLY the type of team Miami can dismantle and it showed. When you break the Thunder down, they ARE a perimeter based team, plain and simple.

The Heat and Thunder are very similar teams though. Especially with the athleticism, and they have no inside scorer either. While the Thunder have better defenders with the PF/C, the Heat was better with team defensive. The Heat probably attack more inside because Wade and LeBron are both slashers while the Thunder are more jump shooters. And despite the injuries that they faced, besides the Spurs and the Thunder, I don't really see anybody in the West really taking them out.

Some teams like Memphis and the Lakers could give them a bit problems with their size, but I don't really see them actually beating the Heat. The Heat's defense, I think, is too good. LeBron James was more consistent and harder to stop. An injured Wade was still the 2nd best SG with some solid d and capable of giving you 20 ppg. And Bosh was consistent in his contributions to the team.

The Thunder had a pretty good chance to take them out. What stopped them was Harden's play and some role players couldn't step it up and keep up with Miami's role players. Harden played pretty badly in the Finals, and was basically the major reason why they lost in 5 games. He had his lowest ppg in the whole playoffs in the Finals and couldn't really get that much done against them.

The Spurs probably had a good chance with them tho. But the Heat would've kept it competitive and who knows how would Wade and Bosh would do against them. Like I said, I don't think anybody could really stop them in the West besides those two teams last year. The Thunder is obviously out, and the only reason why they had trouble with the Pacers and the Celtics is because Bosh was not there.

[upside24]

I love watching the Eastern Conference constantly get degraded.

As much as I don't like the Heat, they smoked the bejesus out of the best team the West could offer last year.

It's a new era in the NBA. Both conferences have great teams.

[lilgodfather1]

It's a new era in the NBA. Both conferences have great teams.

The league has been like this for the most part of its history, with the obvious exception of the Russell era.

I mean look at the 80's which had the Lakers/Celtics dynasty's the 90's that had multiple great teams, the early 2000's were relatively weak, but got stronger as the decade grew older (I mean in the East), and now the 10's are shaping up to have multiple championship caliber teams in the East, and West (Lakers/OKC/Miami/Chicago/NYK/BKN/LAC) for at least a few years.

Of course things can change, injuries can come, as they did in the early 2000's leading to a weaker talent pool (Yao, TMac, Hill, Penny, etc all taken away by injuries), but it looks like if this current talent pool can stay relatively healthy then we will be in for some great seasons.

[DaSeba5]

A lot of you need a life. I understand you hate the Heat that's fine; I hate the Celtics and the Lakers, but I don't make 100 retarded threads about them.

[Clippersfan86]

Why you making so many excuses for OKC. Also, if its all about matchups, explain last year. Clippers match up well with SA, yet y'all still got swept.

Clippers happened to win 2 of 3 but all Clippers fans knew the Spurs were the one team to avoid at all costs. The Spurs have DOMINATED the Clippers for a long time. Besides the sweep had a ton to do with no Billups and the Clippers 5 best players being injured.

[Clippersfan86]

The Heat and Thunder are very similar teams though. Especially with the athleticism, and they have no inside scorer either. While the Thunder have better defenders with the PF/C, the Heat was better with team defensive. The Heat probably attack more inside because Wade and LeBron are both slashers while the Thunder are more jump shooters. And despite the injuries that they faced, besides the Spurs and the Thunder, I don't really see anybody in the West really taking them out.

Some teams like Memphis and the Lakers could give them a bit problems with their size, but I don't really see them actually beating the Heat. The Heat's defense, I think, is too good. LeBron James was more consistent and harder to stop. An injured Wade was still the 2nd best SG with some solid d and capable of giving you 20 ppg. And Bosh was consistent in his contributions to the team.

The Thunder had a pretty good chance to take them out. What stopped them was Harden's play and some role players couldn't step it up and keep up with Miami's role players. Harden played pretty badly in the Finals, and was basically the major reason why they lost in 5 games. He had his lowest ppg in the whole playoffs in the Finals and couldn't really get that much done against them.

The Spurs probably had a good chance with them tho. But the Heat would've kept it competitive and who knows how would Wade and Bosh would do against them. Like I said, I don't think anybody could really stop them in the West besides those two teams last year. The Thunder is obviously out, and the only reason why they had trouble with the Pacers and the Celtics is because Bosh was not there.

Naw man. Miami has slashing wing players like Wade and Lebron who get a ton of buckets in the paint (more than they do shooting jumpers in most seasons) and Bosh who is a very good post player in comparison to Perkins and Ibaka. Miami is far from a jumpshooting team at least compared to OKC.

[It's A VC3!!!]

Wait until playoff time when Philly has Bynum, Boston has figured it out, Chicago has Rose. NYK has Amare off the bench, and BK has a good D-Will and Joe Johnson. I'll throw Atlanta here too. The East is going to be the most difficult it has ever been in the last decade. It's going to be os much fun and I can't wait.

[G-train]

Clippers happened to win 2 of 3 but all Clippers fans knew the Spurs were the one team to avoid at all costs. The Spurs have DOMINATED the Clippers for a long time. Besides the sweep had a ton to do with no Billups and the Clippers 5 best players being injured.

Clippers should have been first round fodder, but Grizz choked.

[b0bab0i]

Even without a centre the heat can still beat all of the western conference teams you mentioned. If they grizzlies are truly as good as they have looked this season then they would give the heat hell but the spurs are outmatched.

Heat almost lost to the spurs bench .

[G-train]

Heat almost lost to the spurs bench .

They won.
And they also are the reigning NBA champions.

[Bigsmoke]

Heat almost lost to the spurs bench .

they beat the Spurs starters last year without Wade by 22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PniJBGvBbVo

[Clippersfan86]

Clippers should have been first round fodder, but Grizz choked.

So the team with their top 5 players injured and without HCA wins in 7 and they should have been fodder? If Clippers were healthy they would have won in 5 (they almost did).

[Dictator]

People don't understand that just because A > B doesn't mean A > C.

[red1]

Heat almost lost to the spurs bench .

72-10 bulls lost to the raptors, whats your point n*gga