How pathetic is Miami?

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I'm just going to say, I'm bitter and I need to stop commenting on Mia b.c I just boil inside with hatred.

[ScoobyDoo]

That's fair enough Moranis. Dominant was the wrong word to use for Gasol. He wassone of the better big men in the league for a period of time.

Bottom line, I can't stand Miami and I truly don't believe they've had to face any legit prim time players / teams in their title runs.

They could barely beat a well past their prime San Antonio team last year. If Duncan and Ginobli had legs that were 3-4 years younger SA would have beaten them 4-1 or 4-2, there would have been no need for them to leave Ray Allen wide open down 3 with 5 seconds to go in order to lose.

I know SA has a great record this year - but they're on old legs...makes a bigger difference down the stretch of playoff games than it does during the regular season. 

[Celtics4ever]

That Chicago team was Jordan and not much more.

Jordan got some star calls but they call a foul if a guy is close to LeBron.   The league is so fake at times.

[Eddie20]

Bahaha well in 2008 we beat a mediocre Hawks team, a one-man show Cavs team and an old Pistons team before steamrolling the Bynum-less Lakers team. It wasn't our team's fault that the competition wasn't as good, same way that it's not the Heat's fault they're beating inferior teams. You play and try to win, no matter which team you're going against.

We were underdogs in every series except the 1st rd against the Hawks. Revisionist history to say otherwise.

[csfansince60s]

Especially in the Finals....we were HUGE underdogs to the Fakers.

The Vegas line was 9-11 Fakers.

If you bet the Fakers, you had to put up 11 to win 5 (and any multiple thereof).

If you bet the Cs,  betting 5 got you 9. Staggering.

Last major bet I made....except for all those TPs I lost!!

[chambers]

They're only as good as they need to be. They've been in cruise mode all year and are still taking it easy. Wade is pretty hurt and Bosh is in cruise mode. Lebrun purposely gave up chasing the MVP crown in order to preserve himself for this playoffs- mainly because of Wades injury issues. They also don't have Mike Miller to throw daggers like last season which will be tough vs the Pacers in the ECF.
I think one thing that isn't mentioned often is how much Mario Chalmers has improved since their first run vs the Mavs. He's an incredibly smart player and does so much dirty work as the bell boy for the 3 stars. I've always hated him with a passion but he really has stepped up his own game as the team has needed him.

Their biggest problem this season will be a brutal defensive series vs the Pacers and whoever they play from the west. They'll be preying for OKC as their opponent because they'll run them off the floor and everyone in basketball knows that Spoelstra will easily out coach Scott Brooks (my pet dog could out coach Brooks actually).

They'd prefer OKC, then the Clippers, then the Spurs.
The Clippers will struggle guarding Lebron with Barnes and Dudley but they'll be able to guard everyone else, although Wade should have an easy time vs Reddick and Granger.
They certainly don't want the Spurs because Popovic is just so darn good at creating problems for Wade and Lebrons penetration that they'll be living and dying by the elbow jumpshot and Lebron will be chasing Tony Parker around for 30 minutes a game.

[317]

Yeah Miami has had crazy easy roads. Not their fault but the closest fair compatison has probably been pacers or OKC which i dont think are teams we will ever really remember in any way, at least not yet.

actually it 100% is there fault. they colluded to take the best player from 3 different East teams, including the best player in the game, a still top 10 Wade and a top 25 player in Bosh.

they chose to take less money to play together and dilute the talent level in the rest of the East. not only did they combine to make a super team but they crippled Toronto and Cleavland in the process. and lets not forget that well Toronto knew they were going to lose Bosh Cleavland thought they could bring Lebron back. Lebron and Wade let multiple(Chicago, Knicks and im blanking on the others) teams clear salary thinking they had a real chance to sign them.

the max salary needs to go up. its x % of the cap (i forget what number) it needs to either be 10% higher of the cap or the same % but of the tax apron.

[loco_91]

I know this won't be a popular view, but I'm starting to get behind LeBron. I hated him as much as the next guy after The Decision, but let's be honest, he doesn't just talk the talk. Still rooting for PP and KG to take him down a notch, of course, but you gotta give it to him, the way he has carried this team despite Wade being a shadow of his former self, it's just impressive. He makes a case for Greatest-of-All-Time-Besides-Jordan, and I also appreciate how he endorsed Durant for MVP and said that he wouldn't play next year if Sterling is still an owner.

I'm hoping to see a rematch of last year's Finals Game 7, and I'm hoping for Duncan to get revenge, but I won't be mad if LeBron three-peats, either.

[MISSERY]

i believed that ak47 can somehow contain lebron with his long arms and height
contain lebron nets win

why put ak47 on battier?

imagined this one, lebron 20+ points
wade 20+
allen 15+
chalmer 15+
battier 10below

pierce 20+
johnson 20+
williams 20+
kg 15 +
blatche 15+

they can win as i see it
it will just matter on turnovers

[fitzhickey]

Hang on, the Celtics' teams of the 80's had absolute wars coming out of the eastern conference. That was the problem, the Lakers typically had a cake walk out west while the Celtics were in all out bar brawls in the east.

And as for our 2008 win over the Lakers, I have not seen any team the Heat have faced that woudl be as tough as a Kobe Bryant lead Lakers team  that also featured, at the time, arguably the best big man in basketball, in Pau Gasol. That Laker team would have easily beaten this current Heat team.

Kobe Bryant was in his prime, is no slouch and is not a choker.

I wouldn't say Pau was a best big man in bball in 08, but in 2010 he can be arguably the best and 2nd half of 09.

I remember KG was more dominant than Pau pre 09 injury. And in 09 and 2010, I felt Pau was more important to the Lakers. I honestly felt that in 2010, Pau was the reason the Lakers beat us and not Kobe. Tony Allen did a great job that year limiting Kobe's shots, but Pau abused KG

Thanks for re-opening that wound.    (You're right about Pau, though).

sorry, it hurts too . But I agree with a prime KG/Ray/Pierce > the Heat...but if we are talking about scenarios, I can also say the prime of our 2011 team would've easily also beaten Jordan's 72-10 record :-p

You cannot tell me the prime lineup of

Rondo/Ray/Pierce/KG/Shaq (ESPECIALLY SHAQ IN HIS PRIME)

and a bench of

Nate/Daniels/Tony Allen/BigBaby/J. O'neal/and Perk

cannot challenge Jordan's team

Jermaine O'Neal off the bench in his prime would be ridiculous

[Celtics4ever]

i believed that ak47 can somehow contain lebron with his long arms and height
contain lebron nets win

No can guard LeBron the way it is being called.  I think he would still be a great player without the calls but when you get fouls for being in the area of a man that is wrong.   It is nigh unwatchable to me.

[Rhyso]

Yeah Miami has had crazy easy roads. Not their fault but the closest fair compatison has probably been pacers or OKC which i dont think are teams we will ever really remember in any way, at least not yet.

actually it 100% is there fault. they colluded to take the best player from 3 different East teams, including the best player in the game, a still top 10 Wade and a top 25 player in Bosh.

they chose to take less money to play together and dilute the talent level in the rest of the East. not only did they combine to make a super team but they crippled Toronto and Cleavland in the process. and lets not forget that well Toronto knew they were going to lose Bosh Cleavland thought they could bring Lebron back. Lebron and Wade let multiple(Chicago, Knicks and im blanking on the others) teams clear salary thinking they had a real chance to sign them.

the max salary needs to go up. its x % of the cap (i forget what number) it needs to either be 10% higher of the cap or the same % but of the tax apron.

Great post, 100% agree that this is a huge factor as to why the East is so weak (Apart from Dwight Howard leaving the Magic). When we TRADED for KG and Ray, they both came from the West and we had to drop all our assets to get them, where as that Miami team in 2010 finished 5th(?) and gave up hardly anything to get those players. I actually remember when the news broke of LeBron and Bosh in Miami, I thought I would never watch the NBA again because they will just 3 peat, yet i still watched and they will most likely end up 3-peating....

Also the new CBA was brought in the year after Miami signed Bosh and LeBron, and I'm guessing the new cap restrictions stopped other teams from doing what they just did and left them with an advantage...

[MISSERY]

i believed that ak47 can somehow contain lebron with his long arms and height
contain lebron nets win

No can guard LeBron the way it is being called.  I think he would still be a great player without the calls but when you get fouls for being in the area of a man that is wrong.   It is nigh unwatchable to me.

the good thing is pierce is guarded by battier so might score more points, also putting in mirza creates space inside

[MISSERY]

rondo made a difference forcing it to game 7 the past years celtics vs heat
without rondo we lose to the knicks 1st round

john wall made an impact and one of the key in beating pacers today
man if williams goes back to the old utah jazz player nets can win even without lopez

pietrus bass green bradley = defense + coach the only difference

[SHAQATTACK]

Wade is a part time player and Bosh gave up being an all-star when he came to MIA. The current heat team is only a little better then Lebron's Cavs teams. I thought they were just waiting it out until the play-offs, but this Heat team just isn't what it used to be. Lebron has been carrying the team on his back.

This is pretty much how I see the Heat too.   

LBJ. Is really carrying the team.  He is like 30% of the offense or more every night, he can't have an off night , or the Heat aren't likely to beat a playoff level team in a series. 

Putting LBJ on Portland would be another four rings for him .