You are not giving the Heat enough credit

[Walker Wiggle]

Miami was a fairly mediocre team during the regular season, but they're playing near-flawless basketball in the playoffs. This team is 10-1 in the playoffs for a reason. They are playing way, way above their potential right now and I don't think any team can beat them if they continue to play at this level.

- Their 3pt shooting has been unbelievable. Jae Crowder? He's a 34% career 3pt shooter that has somehow morphed into a combination of Steph Curry and Larry Bird. Prior to coming to Miami, he was shooting the 3 at a 29% clip with Memphis. Since then he's shooting 40%. Similarly, Jimmy Butler is a 31% career 3pt shooter who has made HALF his attempts in this playoffs. That's to along with the usual good shooting from guys like Robinson, Herro, Dragic etc.
- Some of their late-game execution has been incredible. You see those last two jumpshots from Dragic in the final minute of game 2? Celtics could not have defended him better, he just made them. Same thing in game one with that big 3 from Jimmy Butler as well as the and-1 on Tatum, who played good defense. They are just executing incredibly well right now.
- Bam playing the best basketball of his career.
- They are executing their zone defense nearly perfectly. In the regular season the Celtics were able to loosen that zone up and find easy shots, but they've totally tightened the screws. In addition, they are getting up well over the three-point line to muck up some of the actions the Celtics run above the break. The result is they've essentially forced the Celtics to slow down their offense.

The bubble has been weird, and well all knew that meant the results might be weird. The fact is that the Heat have lost exactly once in 7 games against the Bucks and Celtics. They are playing with unbelievable confidence. I don't know if they can keep this up (I'm hoping they can't), but if they do, I'm not sure they can be beaten playing at this level.

[SparzWizard]

They aren't that good lol. Otherwise, they should be blowing out the Celtics. The Celtics are just abysmal, constantly shooting themselves in the foot.

[Walker Wiggle]

They aren't that good lol. Otherwise, they should be blowing out the Celtics. The Celtics are just abysmal, constantly shooting themselves in the foot.

If they're not that good, how are they 10-1 in the playoffs? They beat the team with the best regular season record 4-1, and are up 2-0 against a really good Celtics team. I think they're playing way above their baseline, that's the point.

[Donoghus]

They aren't that good lol. Otherwise, they should be blowing out the Celtics. The Celtics are just abysmal, constantly shooting themselves in the foot.

If they're not good, why do they keep grinding & coming back rather than roll over?

Obviously, some of it is on the Celtics but this Heat team is a resilient bunch.  Playing solid D and getting it done in crunch time.  It's a good basketball team.  You don't beat MIL and go up to BOS 2-0 by sheer luck.

[Neurotic Guy]

After 2 games v. Toronto, Boston looked like the better team - which I felt throughout the series. To have lost that series would have been painful. 

But...   Miami looks like the better team in this series. Not just because they are up 2-0.  But there has been a present expectation at every point during the first 2 games that Miami will answer.  The only point at which I had a moment of hope was yesterday when up 17 in the 2nd.  Kemba missed an open 3 from the corner that would  have put C’s up 20.  Instead, Miami brought it to 13 at the half.

They seem to have too many weapons.   I’m not expecting C’s to win Game 3, but of course still hoping.

[Tr1boy]

Heat playing trick/sneaky basketèball. Also have several tough players

Spoelstra is throwing different combinations and plays

1.  Celtics guarding zone and perimeter pretty tightly.  Instead Heat go for the endless alleys to Bam.  Brad stevens does nothing to fix this.

2. Statting the 3rd. Walker is guarded closer at the halfcourt. 1.5 man on him. By the time the offense is set. There is less than 14 sec. Team panicking to make a play

Celts do zero to counter this. So spol keeps abusing it. Why not.  Stevens is too slow to react

And also he has to bring back Theis late in the game when Grant was playing much better

Its a fixed system. Vs Spoelstra who is adapting on the fly

[PhoSita]

They're the deepest team that made it past the 1st round, they've got more shooting than anybody remaining, and Jimmy Buckets is near the top of my list for guys I fear most when the game is within a possession inside of 2 minutes. 

Not to mention that of the teams that made the Conference finals they're the only one with a championship proven coach.


The Heat have more shooting and they own the paint against the Celtics.  I don't know how you win a series when you're at a deficit in those two areas.

[KeepBigAl]

They are shooting better - but not convinced they actually have more shooting, particularly if Hayward returns.   

Dragic, Crowder and Bulter all shooting over their head.  Herro is shooting at expected rates - but overall play may not be sustainable at these levels.    Robinson is going to shoot great - we need to attack him/post him and dare him to drive whenever possible.

That being said, sure seems like Spo has them believing they can concur the world.

[Fan from VT]

I think anyone who didn't think it was at least a tossup if not Miami favored given the injury to Hayward was wrong to think so.

1: Hayward is important, because it is a steep dropoff from our top 6 to the next tier
2: Milwaukee was historically good in the regular season, with a + 10 point differential. Miami beat them in 5 games.
3: Miami and Boston were close in the total regular season: Boston 5th in SRS, Miami 8th (SRS is point differential weighted for strength of schedule). But then take out Hayward.

[Rondo9]

Then become a fan if you like them so much. Just root for the Heat to sweep the Celtics and just become a fan of them.

[Donoghus]

Then become a fan if you like them so much. Just root for the Heat to sweep the Celtics and just become a fan of them.

Do you plan on adding anything productive or just continuing to trash everyone & everything on here?

[86MaxwellSmart]

Great....but you just KNOW they will roll over and play Dead for LeBron....Book that now.

[jambr380]

Great....but you just KNOW they will roll over and play Dead for LeBron....Book that now.

Yeah, that's the worst part. You can't be clutch forever, especially when you only have two average all-stars and a bunch of supporting role players. It's the same reason DEN will get rolled. Jokic is of course better than anyone on the Heat, but coming back twice from being down 1-3 - it's just not the kind of run that can be sustained.

Not that I think the Cs would be favored against the Lakers, but we have four legitimate all-star caliber players and an All-Defense 1st team guy. I'm extremely disappointed Hayward didn't play last night and blame him for not taking this seriously enough.

[Ogaju]

Heats is a Pat Riley team they are going to go down swinging. Pat Riley is in the bubble. He takes this thing very very seriously. The Heat are going to be a tough out with this 2-0 lead.

[ashanm10]

Yo - long time no speak

Ive been watching a video like this here and just malding over every wrong play made lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z6JEu9TxwU

Very first one is this random ass Theis pass to the hands of a player in his face:

https://imgur.com/a/bqWV000

If you are a bit patient - everything can be solved but our offense is stagnat as fk and just rotate - never.

Now a super thing that Heat have going for them which before I mention that - I want to give credit to the god level executive/coach/mentor

Pat Riley

This guy has groomed a coach for years to come - keeps on bringing the right pieces to build the culture of basketball he wants to see - what more to say...

Anyway - do you know why we looked better with Thomas vs Kemba so far here in the playoff grind when needing to score and why mr Dragic is smurfing on us and everyone?

Left Handed beauties - its one of the many factors besides us not knowing how to play against a zone (as the video shows above in abysmall ways that you want to pull your hair out for each decision they make)

Check our games and see how many times we have conceded from the left lol - hes the number 1 scorer in this series for a reason - he can abuse us by his natural ways lol and thats what Thomas did too and we can name a ton of lefties who just didnt fail.

Freely creating offense for his team...that will give them points no doubt.

What we have to do? Learn to break the zone with patience and use their brains - why the hell is Kemba going to his right and Smart is 2 metres in the corner right side just standing there in a 2-3 zone....... ETC.

Unless they use their brains - they wont be able to maintain the leads they build - Miami is a good team - all due respect etc - though dominant teams play 48 mins of dominant basketball and not just come back from behind which is why the door is still open for us...good luck to us lol.