2014 Playoffs: (1) Indiana vs. (2) Miami

[Andrew]

Heat in 5. Pacers will have a big win early, but will never recover from a Heat blowout.

So far so good on that prediction. It certainly seems very feasible; it wouldn't be the first time we've seen the Heat drop Game 1 and then win four straight.

Chris Bosh has really fallen in love with the three pointer. Over a third of his shots are coming from behind the arc so far in the Playoffs, though he is connecting on 42.5% of them and was shooting 48.6% from downtown before missing all five in Game 1. I guess it's tough to argue against while he's knocking them down, but a few more performances like Game 1 could be costly. At the very least, it puts Miami at a disadvantage on the offensive glass.

[shadowgrin]

There's something about the Heat that makes the Pacers remember how to play basketball.

Heat actually shot well inside the three-point line (0.513), don't know if it's the Pacers defense that made the Heat miss those 3s (0.261) or Heat just having a bad 3pt shooting night or lack of Mike Miller.

Dat rebounding difference.

[Alpha_]

[Kevin]

[ Image ]

Psh.

[Alpha_]

HAHAHA!

[shadowgrin]

Southeast division champions.

[benji]

Heat are done, you can just tell, LeBron is ready to bail out like he did on the Cavs. He's too afraid of the Pacers who are completely unstoppable at this point.

Honestly wouldn't be surprised if this is a sweep with increasing blowouts in each game as Hibbert starts trying. The Pacers really pulled some expert mind games on Miami this season, just don't see how LeBron and Spoelstra can recover from being so shook.

If the Heat lose this year you really have to start thinking about putting an asterisk on the last two titles. Two rings in three trips isn't how a winner does it. You get three rings in three trips. Like Jordan, Duncan, Kobe, Parker, Manu, etc.

Two rings shouldn't let you in the hall of fame. Even Wade is shaky since he's failed on his second try just like LeBron failed on his first two tries. Plus Miami's gotten lucky and never had to beat a defending champion. If that 2012 title came over Kobe, maybe that'd be impressive. But James Harden? lol

[Mandich]

You get three rings in three trips. Like Kobe

Although I agree with Lebron being a quiter among other bad things, I find it hilarious of how you mention Kobe in the 3/3 category without mentioning Shaq.

It's funny how you put Kobe in the basketball god rankings when he broke the three-peat dynasty. After he was chosen as the franchise player he wanted a trade in 2007 (and yet everyone seems to forget that he wanted to quit), and prior to Gasol coming to LA, he didn't do anything in the playoffs(at least Cleveland LeBron brough CLE to the finals). He is a selfish egocentric approval seeking player (one of the reasons why he took the absurd contract) and it's extremely hypocritical that you bash LeBron while blindly idolizing kobe.

[Jackal]

[NovU]

Hey, don't call my friend benji and sauru idiots.

[Andrew]

Simmons on the Road: It’s All on LeBron

3. Coming off three straight years in the Finals, Miami is more vulnerable than ever.

That’s the real reason Indiana has a chance here — Miami whiffed on free agency with last offseason’s Oden-Beasley signings, leaving the Heat with an older, creakier version of last year’s championship team, which came within one rebound of losing in Game 6. You can’t look at a single Heat player and say, “That guy is better now than he was a year ago,” with the possible exception of Chris Andersen. Battier and Haslem look washed-up. Bosh morphed into a 3-point specialist who never posts up anymore. Ray Allen will give you two good games per series and that’s it. The Mario Chalmers–Norris Cole point guard combo is more unreliable than ever. Dwyane Wade isn’t a top-20 player anymore; if there was a startling revelation from Game 1, it’s that Lance Stephenson spent four quarters thinking to himself, I’m better than this guy … and he might not have been wrong.

So it’s LeBron and LeBron and LeBron and also LeBron, and more than ever, LeBron. There’s a decent chance that the Pacers regained their mojo — much like a TV show that gets derailed by a stupid subplot for a few months, then the writers fix things and you’re suddenly saying, “Wow, that was easy, this show is really good again! We’re back!” Or maybe they’re just comfortable playing against Miami thanks to all the reps over these past two seasons — eight regular-season games, eight playoff games — and a matchup that’s strangely favorable for them.

The thing is, if LeBron does have some monster games, and the Pacers' inconsistency resurfaces, the Heat are still very capable of winning the series. Perhaps some of those problems might cause them to fall to whichever team comes out of the West, but it'd be enough to get them by the Pacers.

[NovU]

Yeah, I've said pretty much the same thing throughout the season. It's more LeBron than ever. Beasley was not the player I wanted though benji raved about his signing, psh. Oden was a back up plan but the Heat should have picked up another big before the deadline. Oh, I also hated how Arison fucked up by amnestying Mike Miller who was our best bet off the bench. The Heat never recovered. Then Bosh entirely forgot how to rebound. Wade took a backseat with disappearing knees.

People underestimated the Pacers coming into this series but they struggled in 1st and 2nd rounds of playoffs consistently in the past. This year was no different. But they always shined against the Heat. This season, their chance is just as good as previous couple years if not better.

The Heat are done if they lose the next game.

[benji]

Beasley was not the player I wanted though benji raved about his signing, psh.

As I've explained to you before, describing something as "low risk, high reward" is not "raving" about or even supporting something.

[NovU]

There was no reward to come. You knew that.

[benji]

I guarantee he'd give them more than Rashard Lewis and honestly Haslem too at this point.

Probably would rebound more than Bosh even.

He can't guard David West worse than James Jones would either.

Remember the ability to create shots has value, Beasley can even if they're not great shots. (And most of them actually were this season!) Battier, Jones, Lewis, etc. can't and won't. He's a potentially much better stretch four option because LeBron doesn't have to create the shot for him. I'm not saying play him 35 minutes, but what I said way back when he signed. Around ten minutes is all you need out of him, fifteen is gravy. If he can hit 39% on threes too, he can be as bad as Jones against West on defense then for all I care.

[NovU]

He can't do that with DNPs.

You don't need a shot creator for the Heat team. You already have LBJ, and Wade. Rest of usage are better used in ball movement, not with inefficient chucker Beasley. The players you mentioned are all better spot up shooters. He's a stretch 4 as much as he is stretch 2.

[benji]

Yeah, I've said pretty much the same thing throughout the season.

You don't need a shot creator for the Heat team.

Make up your mind.

LeBron alone isn't enough if everything falls to garbage around him. The more active and dangerous Wade and Bosh creating shots as well is what created the ball movement. You can't guard two players who are high usage AND guard spread three point shooting. A high usage player operating out of Bosh's range opposite LeBron is ideal, but he's not doing it, Beasley is the only player they have who can. A shot creator you have to GUARD directly, spot-up shooters on the weak side you can zone against. Thus why Wade continues to be valuable when he's on despite no three point shot.

[Andrew]

Signings like Beasley and Oden are fine in that they couldn't really do any damage to the team. You have to fill out your roster somehow, so you give small, one year deals to players who might be able to contribute some productive minutes here or there. At the very least, they're there as an extra body in practice, a stopgap when there's foul trouble, and someone to play out the game in a blowout. Anything positive they can give you on top of that is something you'll gladly take, but you're unlikely to count on it. The "low risk" is more important than the "high reward" when it comes to those signings, because you're generally accepting that the high reward is a best case scenario and highly unlikely.

[NovU]

Yeah, I've said pretty much the same thing throughout the season.

You don't need a shot creator for the Heat team.

Make up your mind.

LeBron alone isn't enough if everything falls to garbage around him. The more active and dangerous Wade and Bosh creating shots as well is what created the ball movement. You can't guard two players who are high usage AND guard spread three point shooting. A high usage player operating out of Bosh's range opposite LeBron is ideal, but he's not doing it, Beasley is the only player they have who can. A shot creator you have to GUARD directly, spot-up shooters on the weak side you can zone against. Thus why Wade continues to be valuable when he's on despite no three point shot.

If it's Beasley that's going to create shots for your team, your team probably sucks a lot. Look at his past couple seasons when he was given freedom. Yup. Keep him on a short leash, he still fucked up. He wasn't no "low risk, high reward" player. He was simply a stupid signing that wasn't going to improve the team.

[benji]

If it's Beasley that's going to create shots for your team, your team probably sucks a lot.

Well, then this year's Miami team and the ones in 2010 and 2009 sucked a lot then.

He wasn't no "low risk, high reward" player.

I agree.

[NovU]

Well, then this year's Miami team and the ones in 2010 and 2009 sucked a lot then.

This year, how many DNPs did he have? Yep. The team never figured out to contend at the level they wanted to with Beasley. No reason to risk and play him key minutes now. 2010 Heat was a prototypical first round loser. Didn't suck a lot coz of Wade with knees but sucked a little, you get the point.

[Andrew]

Paul George is playing like someone who wants to let the Heat win four straight. Still, close game after two, great play by Stephenson to end the half.

[Kevin]

That Stephenson tip tho

[Alpha_]

Some weird calls there...

[Andrew]

Pacers let this one slip through their fingers. The door was wide open, LeBron took over, the Heat will have gotten the job done barring a miracle.