"We're the best 5-4 team in the league,"

[blake]

While I do think Mike Miller will help them out tremendously...I don't buy the whole "gelling" thing.  C's went 27-2 when their first year together.

[Fafnir]

While I do think Mike Miller will help them out tremendously...I don't buy the whole "gelling" thing.  C's went 27-2 when their first year together.

That was their second year, they went 20-2 in 07-08.

I also think the way the Celtics game together so quickly is the exception not the rule. Its unrealistic to ever expect anything like that again.

[LooseCannon]

Dear Miami Heat,

Even though Glen Davis no longer wants to be called Big Baby, that doesn't mean there are open auditions for the nickname.

Sincerely,
Me

[muddy02]

Doesn't this whole fiasco just make Danny Ainge and Doc look that much better?

All these excuses about chemistry and offense being lost and too many minutes... etc (i could go on).  Yet the first year the current C's starters were together, they flat out dominated everyone by 20 points a game. (and started out something like 20-2 as Fafnir stated)

[housecall]

I think the Nuggets have something to say about that...they did just beat the Lakers.If we are talking about which 5-4team is playing the better ball right now id have to say the Nuggets.

After watching what the Pacers did to them, I don't think I can put the Nuggest above the Heat.

Especially given that the Lakers choked that game away by allowing Kobe to just start jacking up shots like crazy.

Kobe's jacking up three's were not the only reason they lost that game.What about the Nuggets bench coming in and interjeting some life into their stagnat offense.I feel the backup pg for the Nuggets had more to do with the Lakers losing than Kobe's missed shots.

  The most recent performances are what we are judging this by,not games last week or days ago.What top team have the Heat beat lately?The Pacers game was the second game of a back to back.That bad game could happen to any team.

[nickagneta]

While I do think Mike Miller will help them out tremendously...I don't buy the whole "gelling" thing.  C's went 27-2 when their first year together.

That was their second year, they went 20-2 in 07-08.

I also think the way the Celtics game together so quickly is the exception not the rule. Its unrealistic to ever expect anything like that again.

They went 29-3 and broke an NBA record for best start ever.

Miami has lost four games to the three teams with the three best PGs in the league. They will also lose games like crazy to teams that have good depth and dominant big men like the Lakers and Spurs and maybe the Trailblazers after Oden returns. They just have too many weak points and it appears PF might be one that many didn't originally take into consideration. Right now the Heat's best low post player is coming off the bench in the form of Udonis Haslem.

[Fafnir]

I think the Nuggets have something to say about that...they did just beat the Lakers.If we are talking about which 5-4team is playing the better ball right now id have to say the Nuggets.

After watching what the Pacers did to them, I don't think I can put the Nuggest above the Heat.

Especially given that the Lakers choked that game away by allowing Kobe to just start jacking up shots like crazy.

Kobe's jacking up three's were not the only reason they lost that game.What about the Nuggets bench coming in and interjeting some life into their stagnat offense.I feel the backup pg for the Nuggets had more to do with the Lakers losing than Kobe's missed shots.

  The most recent performances are what we are judging this by,not games last week or days ago.

I was judging by overall performance for my opinion, not just the last game.

The Lakers didn't run anything through the post late which was a huge mistake.

[housecall]

I think the Nuggets have something to say about that...they did just beat the Lakers.If we are talking about which 5-4team is playing the better ball right now id have to say the Nuggets.

After watching what the Pacers did to them, I don't think I can put the Nuggest above the Heat.

Especially given that the Lakers choked that game away by allowing Kobe to just start jacking up shots like crazy.

Kobe's jacking up three's were not the only reason they lost that game.What about the Nuggets bench coming in and interjeting some life into their stagnat offense.I feel the backup pg for the Nuggets had more to do with the Lakers losing than Kobe's missed shots.

  The most recent performances are what we are judging this by,not games last week or days ago.

I was judging by overall performance for my opinion, not just the last game.

The Lakers didn't run anything through the post late which was a huge mistake.

There were several reasons they lost but the bottom line is they lost.Give us one team better than the Lakers that the Heat has beaten this season?

[mgent]

"Dwayne Wade can't play 40 minutes.  Ray Allen can play 41 minutes because he's 35 and he can torch us, but not me and Dwayne, we're not conditioned enough."

Seriously, who complains about too many minutes?

[Fafnir]

I think the Nuggets have something to say about that...they did just beat the Lakers.If we are talking about which 5-4team is playing the better ball right now id have to say the Nuggets.

After watching what the Pacers did to them, I don't think I can put the Nuggest above the Heat.

Especially given that the Lakers choked that game away by allowing Kobe to just start jacking up shots like crazy.

Kobe's jacking up three's were not the only reason they lost that game.What about the Nuggets bench coming in and interjeting some life into their stagnat offense.I feel the backup pg for the Nuggets had more to do with the Lakers losing than Kobe's missed shots.

  The most recent performances are what we are judging this by,not games last week or days ago.

I was judging by overall performance for my opinion, not just the last game.

The Lakers didn't run anything through the post late which was a huge mistake.

There were several reasons they lost but the bottom line is they lost.Give us one team better than the Lakers that the Heat has beaten this season?

Beating the Lakers by two possessions is not as good of a win as beating Orlando by 20.

[housecall]

I think the Nuggets have something to say about that...they did just beat the Lakers.If we are talking about which 5-4team is playing the better ball right now id have to say the Nuggets.

After watching what the Pacers did to them, I don't think I can put the Nuggest above the Heat.

Especially given that the Lakers choked that game away by allowing Kobe to just start jacking up shots like crazy.

Kobe's jacking up three's were not the only reason they lost that game.What about the Nuggets bench coming in and interjeting some life into their stagnat offense.I feel the backup pg for the Nuggets had more to do with the Lakers losing than Kobe's missed shots.

  The most recent performances are what we are judging this by,not games last week or days ago.

I was judging by overall performance for my opinion, not just the last game.

The Lakers didn't run anything through the post late which was a huge mistake.

There were several reasons they lost but the bottom line is they lost.Give us one team better than the Lakers that the Heat has beaten this season?

Beating the Lakers by two possessions is not as good of a win as beating Orlando by 20.

Beating the NBA champs by 1pt.is worth more than beating anyother team by any amount...what has Orlando won lately?Are you sure they are even real contenders any longer?

[NoraG1]

Look on the bright side, with the Lakers losing Hollinger will probably still have you first tomorrow.  

http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/powerrankings

Yup.  That Orlando blowout is still going a long way.  

How is a 5-4 team #1 in the rankings?  And he gets paid to write this stuff? LOL

I guess Wade's quote was correct.

He's an ESPN writer, and thus has order's to pimp that team.

ESPN has a full boat of TV coverage on the heat, and has them down as the greatest team of all time. Facts just get in the way of that 

Haha...anyone think that ESPN paid Hollinger to incorporate the "Heat Index" into his power rankings formula?

Apparently that's where we are...the completely number-driven, non-subjective formula that hasn't changed in a couple years is somehow biased specifically toward this year's Heat to serve the network's agenda. 

Seriously, the rankings aren't very good with a small sample, but a quick glance at the formula explains why Miami's on top - the formula favors margin of victory and strength of schedule, and doesn't care about W-L.  Heat have a high margin of victory, and they've played a tough schedule (us twice, Orlando, New Orleans, Utah).  No conspiracy, they just have a profile that works very well with the criteria of the rankings.

Problem with this is formula is you even if you lose to the tough team (they only beat Orlando in that group) you are ranked high.

[MBunge]

Miami has lost four games to the three teams with the three best PGs in the league.

The most concerning thing to Miami should be that after an embarassing home loss to Utah, they came out flat to play a team that punched them in the mount the first game of the season.  The only things that can compensate for the Heat's structural weaknesses are effort and intensity.

Mike

[Fafnir]

Beating the NBA champs by 1pt.is worth more than beating anyother team by any amount...what has Orlando won lately?Are you sure they are even real contenders any longer?

I disagree with this, at least for the regular season. In the playoffs only wins matter in the end.

But for the regular season what is more impressive: dominating a contending team (they did make the Finals and ECF the last two years) by a 10 + possession margin, or beating a better team by a two posession margin?

In close games like the Lakers/Nuggets luck plays a huge factor. Does the ball bounce off the rim to Gasol or Melo? Does J.R. Smith hit that deep three or miss it? Fundamentally those are matters of percentages and luck.

Meanwhile all the luck in the world wouldn't have kept Orlando from losing the game in Miami. No random noise effected that outcome.

I like what Bobby Cox said: "Don't confuse favorable outcomes with good decisionms."

[Papatrichs]

Before last game Green Street peg the Heat at 10 in their rankings saying that they are 1-3 against teams above .500.

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