Heat are absolutely ridiculous

[LakersFan_33]

Also, I think it's pretty obvious that Lebron is great in the regular season, even in the clutch, but once it gets to the post-season, he will choke.

[Dybdal]

I find it laughable that someone would bring up the game against the Blazers and use it as a arguement for why the Heat are good. Infact that game just goes to show the flaws of that team and why it will faulter in the playoffs.

If anyone thinks that 2 people on a basketball team can win anything alone, there is TONS of reasons as to why that wont happen. Just look at the Cleveland teams with Lebron, the Heat teams with Wade, The Laker teams without Pau Gasol (after shaq) the early years of Jordans carrer.

No one wins it alone and no one wins it with 2 people, this is the era of the team game and the Heat was a horrible team last night.

Case and Point:

L. Aldridge | 14 Rebounds, 7 Assist, 31 Points

And 90% of those points came from 1on1 play against Bosh that didnt spend alot of energy on the offensive end, that points to something everyone knows.. Bosh is just plain terrible on the defensive end.

N. Batum | 9-16, 1-5 from 3's, 22 Points

This is what happens when Lebron plays this way, we have seen this in the Playoffs.. he spends so much energy on the offensive end that he takes plays off on the defensive end and come playoff time its going to cost the Heat way more than 22 points.

Not to mention that alot of the points that the Heat got in that game came off penetration from Wade/Lebron were the help defense just wasnt there.

What this game is, is a game where the Blazers played a sub-par game on the defensive end and the Heat got a taste of what might come playoff time if they continue to ride Wade and Lebron this much on the offensive end.

I will venture to say they get 2 games off us in a 7 game series, Pierce will eat Lebron on the defensive end, Lanes wont be open for drives against us and guys like Miller/Arroyo will have to shoot close to 35-40% to beat us not to mention they will need way better production out of Chris Bosh.

[Atzar]

Also, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one here who thinks this (which I'm fine with), but I think that the Clippers have a decent chance of beating them on Wednesday. I've been watching them closely all season, and they're playing very good right now, and I've seen them beat a lot of good teams.

I'd love to see it, but they'd have to play a perfect game for it to happen.  The thing that could give them a chance is that Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are both good rebounders - they'd have to get their share of putbacks while limiting the Heat to one shot per possession.

The lineup that I think would have to be effective for them to win is Bledsoe/Davis/Gordon/Griffin/Jordan.  Aminu will probably start, but playing a rookie against LeBron is like fighting a forest fire with an eyedropper.  Instead, go smaller with Bledsoe, Davis and Gordon on the perimeter.  EG is a credible defender - he's given Kobe a battle in the past, and he should be able to stay in front of LeBron as well as anybody.  Hope that LBJ is off from outside, but if he gets hot he'll just shoot over EG.  Likewise, Baron Davis is a decent defender when his head is in it, and he'll be able to annoy Wade.  Blake will have to dial in on D to contain Bosh, and DeAndre will have to find a way to stay on the court and be an eraser in the paint at the same time.

With this lineup, Bledsoe would probably have to hit some big shots when Gordon drives or when Griffin passes out of a double team.  

Oh, and I'm hoping Griffin and LeBron meet in transition.  LeBron's chasedown blocks are standard SportCenter fare, but I don't think he's tried to catch anybody like Griffin before.  I'm hoping Blake mashes on his face.

I ended up writing way too much on this, lol.

[Who]

I don't think the Clippers big men provide enough team defense to trouble Miami's offense.

Eric Gordon did do a terrific job defensively on Dwyane Wade when they met last season though.

[soap07]

If anyone thinks that 2 people on a basketball team can win anything alone, there is TONS of reasons as to why that wont happen. Just look at the Cleveland teams with Lebron, the Heat teams with Wade, The Laker teams without Pau Gasol (after shaq) the early years of Jordans carrer.


No one wins it alone and no one wins it with 2 people, this is the era of the team game and the Heat was a horrible team last night.

Yeah, the "Heat teams with Wade" won a championship so...


This Heat team is playing the best of any team in the NBA right now. And it's not because of their 3-on-5 offense. They are an absolutely dominant defensive team, getting serviceable contributions from Z, Chalmers and Arroyo. Bosh is playing much better than early on in the season. Haslem will apparently be back in late March. The C's are their only potential road block to the Finals - but that's only if they're healthy.

[hwangjini_1]

Also, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one here who thinks this (which I'm fine with), but I think that the Clippers have a decent chance of beating them on Wednesday. I've been watching them closely all season, and they're playing very good right now, and I've seen them beat a lot of good teams.

I'd love to see it, but they'd have to play a perfect game for it to happen.  The thing that could give them a chance is that Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are both good rebounders - they'd have to get their share of putbacks while limiting the Heat to one shot per possession.

The lineup that I think would have to be effective for them to win is Bledsoe/Davis/Gordon/Griffin/Jordan.  Aminu will probably start, but playing a rookie against LeBron is like fighting a forest fire with an eyedropper.  Instead, go smaller with Bledsoe, Davis and Gordon on the perimeter.  EG is a credible defender - he's given Kobe a battle in the past, and he should be able to stay in front of LeBron as well as anybody.  Hope that LBJ is off from outside, but if he gets hot he'll just shoot over EG.  Likewise, Baron Davis is a decent defender when his head is in it, and he'll be able to annoy Wade.  Blake will have to dial in on D to contain Bosh, and DeAndre will have to find a way to stay on the court and be an eraser in the paint at the same time.

With this lineup, Bledsoe would probably have to hit some big shots when Gordon drives or when Griffin passes out of a double team.  

Oh, and I'm hoping Griffin and LeBron meet in transition.  LeBron's chasedown blocks are standard SportCenter fare, but I don't think he's tried to catch anybody like Griffin before.  I'm hoping Blake mashes on his face.

I ended up writing way too much on this, lol.

Excellent analysis. Thanks and a tp. It is good to read a detailed and intelligent post on another team. I hope you provide the same when the celtics meet up with your clips.

Thanks.

[nba is the worst]

The Heat are an impressive recipie - for playoff disaster.

It's working right now, but consecutive OT games vs the Bucks and Blazers shouldn't put much fear into the good teams.

The Heat are doing just enough defensively to force late mistakes from their opponents on the road, gotta give them credit.

I will have to see this formula of 90% of a teams' points coming from 3 players putting in 42, 44, and 46 minutes work in the playoffs before I'm sold...

I guess since they won, we won't hear the "too many minutes" issue from LeBron this time.

[Snakehead]

If anyone thinks that 2 people on a basketball team can win anything alone, there is TONS of reasons as to why that wont happen. Just look at the Cleveland teams with Lebron, the Heat teams with Wade, The Laker teams without Pau Gasol (after shaq) the early years of Jordans carrer.


No one wins it alone and no one wins it with 2 people, this is the era of the team game and the Heat was a horrible team last night.

Yeah, the "Heat teams with Wade" won a championship so...


This Heat team is playing the best of any team in the NBA right now. And it's not because of their 3-on-5 offense. They are an absolutely dominant defensive team, getting serviceable contributions from Z, Chalmers and Arroyo. Bosh is playing much better than early on in the season. Haslem will apparently be back in late March. The C's are their only potential road block to the Finals - but that's only if they're healthy.

I agree, though I think we are a BIG roadblock and if healthy we should win. 

It's funny to see people find ways to discount the Heat's wins and successes... I'm sure if we were beating these teams we would say "Impressive victory" but if the Heat do and their 3 best players dominate it's a sign of weakness or something.

Maybe a 3 man focused attack isn't best for playoff basketball but the thing is we have been able to stop one man attacks the last few years.  Last year for example we could shut down or contain Wade on the Heat, LeBron on the Cavs, Kobe on the Lakers. 

The question is, can we stop a 3 man attack?  The two man combo of LeBron and Wade is so interesting to me because we have never seen two perimeter players of this quality playing on a team together in the history of the NBA maybe.  IMO they are the two best players in the whole league, I don't think that is something that has ever happened either.  So to say we can shut them down and they cannot succeed in the playoffs is without basis IMO.  It will be something we have to see play out this year.  Then you add in Bosh, who will reap the benefits if we focus too much on Wade and LeBron.

I think those that assume they won't work in the Playoffs based on history are way off base.  This is not the Cavs team of the last few years, this is a far different animal with two players alongside LeBron that are far, FAR more talented than anyone he played with in Cleveland.  Who was the most talented player he played with in Cleveland?  Mo Williams?  It's not even a comparison so going off the Cavs history is not useful in any way.

And at the end of the day they are a great defensive team, and that is what is most important in the Playoffs, and we have seen Wade carry his team to a title already and LeBron carry his weak team to the Finals.

[vinnie]

I find it laughable that someone would bring up the game against the Blazers and use it as a arguement for why the Heat are good. Infact that game just goes to show the flaws of that team and why it will faulter in the playoffs.

If anyone thinks that 2 people on a basketball team can win anything alone, there is TONS of reasons as to why that wont happen. Just look at the Cleveland teams with Lebron, the Heat teams with Wade, The Laker teams without Pau Gasol (after shaq) the early years of Jordans carrer.

No one wins it alone and no one wins it with 2 people, this is the era of the team game and the Heat was a horrible team last night.

Case and Point:

L. Aldridge | 14 Rebounds, 7 Assist, 31 Points

And 90% of those points came from 1on1 play against Bosh that didnt spend alot of energy on the offensive end, that points to something everyone knows.. Bosh is just plain terrible on the defensive end.

N. Batum | 9-16, 1-5 from 3's, 22 Points

This is what happens when Lebron plays this way, we have seen this in the Playoffs.. he spends so much energy on the offensive end that he takes plays off on the defensive end and come playoff time its going to cost the Heat way more than 22 points.

Not to mention that alot of the points that the Heat got in that game came off penetration from Wade/Lebron were the help defense just wasnt there.

What this game is, is a game where the Blazers played a sub-par game on the defensive end and the Heat got a taste of what might come playoff time if they continue to ride Wade and Lebron this much on the offensive end.

I will venture to say they get 2 games off us in a 7 game series, Pierce will eat Lebron on the defensive end, Lanes wont be open for drives against us and guys like Miller/Arroyo will have to shoot close to 35-40% to beat us not to mention they will need way better production out of Chris Bosh.

They have lost ONE game in the last month and a half. That is to what I am referring. I just happened to make the post after the Portland game, because I started thinking about how well they have played. They are beating everyone and destroyed the Lakers.

In the NBA, it has always been said that with three stars you can win a championship. The main argument here would be that Bosh is not a star. We shall see, but in my opinion they are one of the two best teams in the league and they will be there at or near the end -- either losing to the Celtics in the East finals or winning/losing the championship.

[soap07]

The Heat are an impressive recipie - for playoff disaster.

It's working right now, but consecutive OT games vs the Bucks and Blazers shouldn't put much fear into the good teams.

The Heat are doing just enough defensively to force late mistakes from their opponents on the road, gotta give them credit.

I will have to see this formula of 90% of a teams' points coming from 3 players putting in 42, 44, and 46 minutes work in the playoffs before I'm sold...

I guess since they won, we won't hear the "too many minutes" issue from LeBron this time.

Obviously, in a vacuum, OT wins over the Bucks/Blazers won't impress anybody. But overall, going 21-1 over their last 22 games, the impressive point differential...road wins over the Hornets, Hawks, Lakers, Knicks, etc.

[csfansince60s]

Heat? Schmeat....Heatles?...gimme a break..how about a cereal ad with the three? Heat superstars...maybe they'll change Wheaties to Heaties, or maybe they'll just call these guys the Heaties (kind of a combination of basketball hotties and the breakfast of champions...)oh wait, they're not yet champions....I haven't heard those words come out of South Beach at all yet, nor do I expect it too, ever, not with the full of themselves egos that they have down there from Riley on down..

If you recall all during our first (championship) year with KG, RA and PP, you kept hearing from all of them (even when they were dismantling everyone except the Hawks)"we haven't won nothing yet". You'll never hear that from the Heat camp or from all those who are gushing over them, even though it's the truth. THAT IS WHAT IS RIDICULOUS!!

As we have learned (the Hawks especially in '08 playoffs taught us this lesson): It's all about the matchups, and in the East, certain teams matchup well against the Heaties: Us, Orlando, Chicago and even (to a much lesser extent) Milwaukee.

Let's see what happens before there are any coronations.

[NoraG1]

They get bailed a lot by the refs. If the games were calling fairly, they'd have another 4-5 losses EASILY.

I've watched a lot of their games.

This is what makes them the most dangerous and confident. They know the refs will help them at the end. I mean Dwade and Lebron on the same team? Talk about superstar calls. There was quite a bit of that at the end of Celtics-Heat games this year. That is the only reason they are scary to me imo. They are good but without the refs I think they would have lost more then 1 game in a month.

[mgent]

They get bailed a lot by the refs. If the games were calling fairly, they'd have another 4-5 losses EASILY.

I've watched a lot of their games.

This is what makes them the most dangerous and confident. They know the refs will help them at the end. I mean Dwade and Lebron on the same team? Talk about superstar calls. There was quite a bit of that at the end of Celtics-Heat games this year. That is the only reason they are scary to me imo. They are good but without the refs I think they would have lost more then 1 game in a month.

I agree with this.  If the refs called games fairly the Heat wouldn't have as many "come from behind" victories, and the Celtics would probably have a few more wins also.

I remember in both games the refs tried to let them back in it.  If they do it every game it's bound to work eventually.

[CelticG1]

I'm not really worried about the Heat at all. I don't care how many games they win. They need to beat us before I will take them seriously. I think we match up too well against them and create too many match up problems.

Their 2 biggest strengths Wade and Lebron still have to play against 2 of the top other guys at their position in the league (pierce and Ray)

[pearljammer10]

When two or three players are scoring most of their points, it makes them very easy to defend against for good defensive teams, and they don't stand a chance against an unselfish team like the Celtics ... they just don't worry me much.

Yeah, the Celtics should be able to use their great team defense and rotations to lock down the Heat offense. Let one of the big three get big points on offense and lock down the rest of the team. Three players, one players cant beat us,  it would take an entire team.