The Heat, now with the #2 seed, really do have the easiest path to the finals ever.

[Connor B]

Round 1: Wizards. Give me a break.
Round 2: Raptors. Give me a break.
Round 3: Nets/Indiana. Only legit series, and if its the latter of those, gives me a break.


I respected the Heat's previous paths through Boston, but this is just absurdly easy. Pray the Nets play them in the ECF or it will be one of the biggest jokes of a run ever.

[navy]

The Wizards have blown out the Heat twice this season, plus the Bobcats are in seventh . Bulls > Nets as well. Did I forget to mention having an easier path to the finals has never had an outcome on the finals.

[All Net]

Maybe bit they have to start on the road in back to back series.. That's not great. Not when they needed two game 7's at home to win the title last year.

[The-Legend-24]

3peat baby! :hammertime:

[Uncle Drew]

The Raptors still have a game left @New York, so the Bulls could still very well walk away with the 3th seed. Which would mean they play Miami in the ECSF.

[Number24]

3peat baby! :hammertime:
With the way the heat have playing as of late? :sleeping :sleeping :sleeping

[LEFT4DEAD]

I really dont believe that they are threepeating. It will be tough to beat the Pacers without HC, let alone Spurs or OKC.

[icewill36]

easy ? with the way miami is playing ? the only playoff team playing worse than miami right now is indiana...

d-wade cant stay healthy and is probably out of shape at this point. chalmers and cole have been terrible all year, ray allen and battier are old.

lebron is going to REALLY have to carry this team for them to have any success in the playoffs this year. i think they will struggle in the 2nd round.

[plowking]

Charlotte is a 42 win team... That is a decent opponent for a first round matchup.
Raptors are a 55 win team, after they traded Rudy Gay. That is a hard 2nd round match up.
Then you have either Chicago/Brooklyn/Indiana, who all pose a threat to Miami.

How exactly is this easy?

[Milbuck]

The Heat are going to get destroyed if they face the Spurs again, easy road to the finals or not. OKC would probably take them out as well.

Lebron is a monster, but the rest of that roster has just been slow and exhausted for a long time now, and it only gets worse in the playoffs. The Spurs are a machine, and KD/Westbrook are on a mission.

[sportjames23]

Round 1: Wizards. Give me a break.
Round 2: Raptors. Give me a break.
Round 3: Nets/Indiana. Only legit series, and if its the latter of those, gives me a break.


I respected the Heat's previous paths through Boston, but this is just absurdly easy. Pray the Nets play them in the ECF or it will be one of the biggest jokes of a run ever.


I actually don't think it'll be that easy for the Heat. Not saying the Wiz or Raps will beat them, but I don't think either will be a pushover series for them. Especially with the way Miami's been playing of late.

[Frozen1]

Why do you think they started playing bad?

The second seed was all calculated.

[Jetballer24]

Watch the Bulls move up to the 3 seed and the Nets fall down to the six seed which are both still in play.

[navy]

Why do you think they started playing bad?

The second seed was all calculated.
Makes no sense. None of the matchups are locked.

The whole idea of avoiding people is silly. If you have to avoid a team, you arent good enough to win.

[Doranku]

Charlotte is a 42 win team... That is a decent opponent for a first round matchup.
Raptors are a 55 win team, after they traded Rudy Gay. That is a hard 2nd round match up.
Then you have either Chicago/Brooklyn/Indiana, who all pose a threat to Miami.

How exactly is this easy?
:oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: Today's Eastern Conference, ladies and gentlemen. Where a .500 team is a "decent 7 seed".

[BigTicket]

There have been much, much easier paths to the finals than this.

The easiest ever was probably the 58 Hawks. All they had to do to reach the finals was beat the 33-39 Pistons in a 5 game series.

[sportjames23]

There have been much, much easier paths to the finals than this.

The easiest ever was probably the 59 Celtics.


Hell, to be honest, Russell's Celtics had it easy practically every year. Most of the time, they only had to play 2 rounds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Playoffs#History

[BoutPractice]

Let's not assume the paths are going to be a certain way.

The Bobcats are no joke: they're a top 5 defense in the league and have been hot lately. They could then face Chicago in the second round, top 2 defense in the league, also hot lately, who play with toughness, grit, and confidence. Then you have Indiana, another top 2 defense in the league, who only a few months ago were deemed the favourites against Miami. The threat hasn't disappeared just because of their recent slump. With the right combination of factors, it could actually be a very difficult path - assuming they make it out of the East at all.

[niko]

Charlotte is a 42 win team... That is a decent opponent for a first round matchup.
Raptors are a 55 win team, after they traded Rudy Gay. That is a hard 2nd round match up.
Then you have either Chicago/Brooklyn/Indiana, who all pose a threat to Miami.

How exactly is this easy?
Charlotte, Toronto first two rounds are not hard matchups. Let's not be ridiculous.

Im not sure the point of the thread though, you can only play who you can play.

[mistergreens]

Charlotte is a 42 win team... That is a decent opponent for a first round matchup.
Raptors are a 55 win team, after they traded Rudy Gay. That is a hard 2nd round match up.
Then you have either Chicago/Brooklyn/Indiana, who all pose a threat to Miami.

How exactly is this easy?

Toronto only has 48 wins, but your point is still valid.

[rknine15]

Round 1: Wizards. Give me a break.
Round 2: Raptors. Give me a break.
Round 3: Nets/Indiana. Only legit series, and if its the latter of those, gives me a break.


I respected the Heat's previous paths through Boston, but this is just absurdly easy. Pray the Nets play them in the ECF or it will be one of the biggest jokes of a run ever.
blew the heat twice this season :oldlol:

[AnaheimLakers24]

excuses rolling in from the ***** already :lol

[ralph_i_el]

Toronto only has 48 wins, but your point is still valid.
he's talking about their pace AFTER getting rid of gay. As in, after they got rid of gay they were on a 55 win pace

[jzek]

Spo should win coach of the year for this brilliance.

[plowking]

he's talking about their pace AFTER getting rid of gay. As in, after they got rid of gay they were on a 55 win pace

Exactly. That is as good as any team anyone will play out West in the 2nd round.


:oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: Today's Eastern Conference, ladies and gentlemen. Where a .500 team is a "decent 7 seed".

How is that not a decent matchup/record for a 7 seed? They are above .500... They're probably going to finish with a 43-39 record... That is no worse than the 7 seed last year in the West. :oldlol:

Care to take back that statement now? Or do you want to continue to look silly?

The year the Heat won their first title, the records of the two conferences from top to bottom were almost identical. So you can cut the "Heat have it easy" crap.

Looks so desperate from the haters. Find some better material.

[ABfor3]

TBH the only way I see Miami 3peating is from help of the refs..OKC and Spurs are just much better at this point

[pegasus]

I'm not saying that the Bobcats, Wizards, and Raptors suck, but for Miami to play two of those and only one of the Bulls & Pacers & Nets is the definition of an easy path to the finals. They may make it, they may not, but that won't change the fact that this is as easy as it gets.

[tmacattack33]

:roll:

Pre-emptive excuses.

U haters are mad, and scared.

Maybe you shoulda just used your brains instead of believing in the ESPN hype that Lebron, Wade, and Bosh are villains. :oldlol:

[MavsPoke]

Round 1: Wizards. Give me a break.
Round 2: Raptors. Give me a break.
Round 3: Nets/Indiana. LOL

Yes OP. Nike built Lebron's team for him in the crappy East for a reason.

The entire East playoffs is an easy path to the Finals. (although somehow the Heat find a way to make a 7 game series against a crappy opponent, even though they are pretty much guaranteed a number 1 seed before the season even starts)

Then you face a beat up and tired Western Conference team in the Finals who has just been through hell against very good, very dangerous teams from tip-off of game 1 until the last buzzer sounds on game 7.

Nike and the league knew what they were doing when they set Lebron up to be the league's next SuperStar.

Frankly, whoever wins the Western Conference this year IS the NBA champ. The East doesn't really matter.

[A Roc 23]

To be fair, I believe the Raptors have the best record in the East since January, best 4th quarter team in the NBA, on pace for a 55 win season since the Gay trade, least blowouts loses in the NBA, etc...

The problem is the Raptors just don't match up to the Heat right now. Amir has in a slump so their only post threat is Jonas. T-Ross, while being a great defender, hasn't had much luck with covering Lebron.

While the Raptors are a good team, they are still a relatively easy match up for the Heat.

[TheMan]

The ringless 89-90 MJ Bulls would've breezed through this crap EC, easily.

[jlip]

Please go look at some of the Showtime Lakers' Finals runs. More than once they were playing a .500 or worse team in the conference finals.

[BlackVVaves]

To be fair, I believe the Raptors have the best record in the East since January, best 4th quarter team in the NBA, on pace for a 55 win season since the Gay trade, least blowouts loses in the NBA, etc...

The problem is the Raptors just don't match up to the Heat right now. Amir has in a slump so their only post threat is Jonas. T-Ross, while being a great defender, hasn't had much luck with covering Lebron.

While the Raptors are a good team, they are still a relatively easy match up for the Heat.

Haven't seen you around these parts for a while A Roc :cheers:

[Frozen1]

Haters will see when Heat flip the switch.

They did it in 2011 and 2012. 2013 was the year they were playing great in regular season but had a bad playoffs.

[kamil]

Charlotte is a 42 win team... That is a decent opponent for a first round matchup.
Raptors are a 55 win team, after they traded Rudy Gay. That is a hard 2nd round match up.
Then you have either Chicago/Brooklyn/Indiana, who all pose a threat to Miami.

How exactly is this easy?

Are you an idiot?

[BlackVVaves]

Aside from Lowry, the Raps just don't match up well with Miami. Like, at all. And their inexperience will rear it's head more than a couple times in a series.

[plowking]

Are you an idiot?

Are you? What are you expecting, 60 win team in the first round?

[Mass Debator]

Makes no sense. None of the matchups are locked.

The whole idea of avoiding people is silly. If you have to avoid a team, you arent good enough to win.
Actually on their way to a three-peat, I would rather face the weakest teams possible to conserve energy. The Heat know they could beat any team in a 7 game series, but do they really want to go 6 or 7 games in the first two rounds? Less games = more chances of avoiding injuries too.

I agree with you if it was their first or second championship, but dang they've played a lot of intense playoff ball in the past 3 years. They deserve to take it easy a bit to refocus. No matter what opponents they face, I still believe the first two rounds will end up being harder mental obstacle than the last two.

[Solefade]

Spurs playing Lakers, GSW, then Memphis last year was probably way easier

[BBallZen83]

Heat will probably go the way Wade goes. Lebron will always put up his numbers. The problem is the rest of the roster has been playing to crappy to cover up for Wade.

Also we have no damn point guard. Chalmers and Cole have been embarrassing. We need a damn point guard who can take the ball up the floor and not get a damn turnover. We need Lebron to play point forward less, and do work in the post. It'll conserve his energy, and get him better looks.

[Legends66NBA7]

Raptors are a 55 win team, after they traded Rudy Gay. That is a hard 2nd round match up.

What their pace of wins is irrelevant when it comes to the playoffs. Playoffs are all about matchups and post Rudy Gay the Raptors are 0-2 against the Heat in the regular season.

They might be a tough team, but Miami is the one team in the East that can expose them in a matchup.

Experience won't be on their side either as they will be the least experienced amongst any team making the playoffs.

[IncarceratedBob]

There isnt a team in the NBA who would be favored against MIA in a 7 game series, they're clearly the best team in the league so of course they're gonna have the easiest road

[sbw19]

It's easier in the sense that they get to avoid playing both the Nets and Pacers, and it's certainly much easier than playing playoff-bound western conference teams, but it won't be a cakewalk if Wade isn't in good shape.

[scott0326]

They aren't playing Wizards in 1st round..

[russwest0]

The ringless 89-90 MJ Bulls would've breezed through this crap EC, easily.

true shit.

[DaSeba5]

Dang the playoffs haven't even started and the haters are already making excuses. :roll:

[red1]

Dang the playoffs haven't even started and the haters are already making excuses. :roll:
this shit is a mess :roll:

[SwayDizzle]

Has the league ever been this sh*t?

[IncarceratedBob]

Has the league ever been this sh*t?
2000
2001
2002
2009
2010

[red1]

Has the league ever been this sh*t?
Yes. Back when this guy was the face of the league.

http://www.ejfi.org/Courts/Courts-26.gif

[Bandito]

Spurs playing Lakers, GSW, then Memphis last year was probably way easier
:biggums:

[rufuspaul]

I had a nightmare last night where the Bobcats got swept by the Heat and every game ended with a Chris Bosh buzzer beating 3 pointer.


:facepalm

[jlip]

Please go look at some of the Showtime Lakers' Finals runs. More than once they were playing a .500 or worse team in the conference finals.

'84 Lakers' road to Finals
1st Round- 38-44 Kings
2nd Round- 43-39 Mavs
Conf. Finals- 41-41 Suns

'87 Lakers' road to the Finals
1st Round- 37-45 Nuggets
2nd Round- 42-40 Warriors
Conf. Finals- 39-43 Sonics

[TMT]

Miami would be absolutely fvcked if they had the Spurs road to the Finals:

1st round - Memphis
2nd round - Houston
3rd round - OKC

Eastern Conference is such a joke. :rant

[Heavincent]

Lebron dick riders are such ****ing morons. When you compare them to the Thunder and Spurs, yes, the Heat absolutely do have an easy road. It's just a fact.

[Bandito]

http://www.lebronsellout.com/wp-content/gallery/labron-photos/lebron-james.png

[JT123]

'84 Lakers' road to Finals
1st Round- 38-44 Kings
2nd Round- 43-39 Mavs
Conf. Finals- 41-41 Suns

'87 Lakers' road to the Finals
1st Round- 37-45 Nuggets
2nd Round- 42-40 Warriors
Conf. Finals- 39-43 Sonics
Asterisk rings for Magic and company. :roll: :roll:

[JT123]

Lebron dick riders are such ****ing morons. When you compare them to the Thunder and Spurs, yes, the Heat absolutely do have an easy road. It's just a fact.
:cry:

[JT123]

Miami would be absolutely fvcked if they had the Spurs road to the Finals:

1st round - Memphis
2nd round - Houston
3rd round - OKC

Eastern Conference is such a joke. :rant
I wonder if you were this bitter about the Heat before last year? :lol
Don't worry, your Spurs won't even make it past Houston.

[Heavincent]

'84 Lakers' road to Finals
1st Round- 38-44 Kings
2nd Round- 43-39 Mavs
Conf. Finals- 41-41 Suns

'87 Lakers' road to the Finals
1st Round- 37-45 Nuggets
2nd Round- 42-40 Warriors
Conf. Finals- 39-43 Sonics

Damn, Kobe really is better than Magic. Won just as many rings while facing far superior competition in his conference.

[Bandito]

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m37qljIg9b1ru8lf3o1_1280.jpg

[TMT]

I wonder if you were this bitter about the Heat before last year? :lol
Don't worry, your Spurs won't even make it past Houston.

I actually disliked them majorly for killing any chance the league had at future parity in 2010. Last year was just icing on the hate cake, tbh.

But seriously, how can you avoid a point like this?

Bobcats - Raptors - Nets/Pacers
vs
Grizzlies - Rockets - OKC
Mavericks - Clippers - Spurs/Rockets

The path through the East is a complete joke and everyone knows it.

[Rose'sACL]

I actually disliked them majorly for killing any chance the league had at future parity in 2010. Last year was just icing on the hate cake, tbh.

But seriously, how can you avoid a point like this?

Bobcats - Raptors - Nets/Pacers
vs
Grizzlies - Rockets - OKC
Mavericks - Clippers - Spurs/Rockets

The path through the East is a complete joke and everyone knows it.
if anything,they gave east a legit chance at a title. GMs in east are so bad that teams have to do this to give east any chance at a title. i hate watching boring finals where west completely dominates. boston and miami changed this and we have had great finals with them.

[Heavincent]

If Memphis wins tomorrow, the Spurs would mostly likely have to beat 3 50+ win teams to get to the Finals :eek:

That's the reward they get for winning 62 games.

[TMT]

if anything,they gave east a legit chance at a title. GMs in east are so bad that teams have to do this to give east any chance at a title. i hate watching boring finals where west completely dominates. boston and miami changed this and we have had great finals with them.

This might be the absolute worst argument in the history of ISH. :facepalm

[TMT]

If Memphis wins tomorrow, the Spurs would mostly likely have to beat 3 50+ win teams to get to the Finals :eek:

That's the reward they get for winning 62 games.

and the Suns who are going to be sitting on their couches this summer would be opening a playoff series at home with a comfortable 4 seed in the East. :oldlol:

[DMAVS41]

If Memphis wins tomorrow, the Spurs would mostly likely have to beat 3 50+ win teams to get to the Finals :eek:

That's the reward they get for winning 62 games.

yea...this is getting stupid.

too many franchises and individual legacies are impacted by playing in one of the conferences.

the Suns, in all honesty, would be the 2nd best team in the East right now. Same with the Grizzlies...and probably same with the Mavs.

I can just hear the people 20 years from now hating on Dragic for missing the playoffs...etc. :facepalm

[aboss4real24]

The heat Will Lose in the 2nd round

And lebron will leave

[aboss4real24]

yea...this is getting stupid.

too many franchises and individual legacies are impacted by playing in one of the conferences.

the Suns, in all honesty, would be the 2nd best team in the East right now. Same with the Grizzlies...and probably same with the Mavs.

I can just hear the people 20 years from now hating on Dragic for missing the playoffs...etc. :facepalm


Wiz Bulls Pacers >Suns

[Rose'sACL]

This might be the absolute worst argument in the history of ISH. :facepalm
why not? parity means more teams having a chance at title. it doesn't mean more teams having a chance at being eastern conference champs and losing badly in finals.
they haven't been healthy enough to cause any parity issue. Heat wouldn't make the playoffs even in weak east with wade having such big injury issues if bosh and lebron weren't there. if they somehow did then wade would probably retire after this season because he would have to play pretty much all the games. Celtics and lakers have been fcking with parity since forever and no one was as mad as you.
Also, i support top 16 teams should make the playoffs so don't get confused here.

[Heavincent]

I actually made an error in my previous post. If Memphis beats Dallas, that means the Spurs would play the 49 win Mavs in the first round. That's still no cakewalk. Mavs offense is elite in every facet. I still think the Spurs win in 6, but if Dirk and company get insanely hot (which is a very real possibility), then the Spurs will find themselves in some serious trouble.

The west was always great, but I can't remember the last time it was this stacked.

[DMAVS41]

Wiz Bulls Pacers >Suns


No....maybe in a playoff series, sadly we won't know about the suns...but definitely not over the course of the season. Suns win 53 games at minimum in the East this year.

[JT123]

I actually disliked them majorly for killing any chance the league had at future parity in 2010. Last year was just icing on the hate cake, tbh.

But seriously, how can you avoid a point like this?

Bobcats - Raptors - Nets/Pacers
vs
Grizzlies - Rockets - OKC
Mavericks - Clippers - Spurs/Rockets

The path through the East is a complete joke and everyone knows it.
If that is the case then why do you keep picking against the Heat in the playoffs every year? :wtf: I saw from an old thread that was bumped where you picked OKC in 2012, and I know you picked your Spurs last year. I've also seen you say the Heat won't win this year. If the Heat are sooo stacked and ruined parity as you are claiming, why are you ALWAYS betting against them? Sounds like someone is full of BS to me. :coleman:

[All Net]

and the Suns who are going to be sitting on their couches this summer would be opening a playoff series at home with a comfortable 4 seed in the East. :oldlol:
And that's with a West coast schedule

[Heavincent]

yea...this is getting stupid.

too many franchises and individual legacies are impacted by playing in one of the conferences.

the Suns, in all honesty, would be the 2nd best team in the East right now. Same with the Grizzlies...and probably same with the Mavs.

I can just hear the people 20 years from now hating on Dragic for missing the playoffs...etc. :facepalm

This is why western teams shouldn't get shit for being first round fodder. For example, if CP3 loses to GS in the first round (I don't think it happens, but I honestly wouldn't be shocked if it did), people will give him hell for it and call him a choker, first rounder loser, etc. I don't really think that's fair. Even without Bogut, GS is pretty ****ing good. I think that series will be a dogfight. Of course, it all depends on how CP3 performs, but getting outplayed by Steph Curry wouldn't be anything to be ashamed of.

Point is, being first round fodder in the west means you're still a damn good team.

[INDI]

It's easier in the sense that they get to avoid playing both the Nets and Pacers, and it's certainly much easier than playing playoff-bound western conference teams, but it won't be a cakewalk if Wade isn't in good shape.


The nets can still fall to 6th and see them in the second round.

If the nets lose to the knicks tonight then everything will be riding on what happens wednesday.

The nets lose weds to the cavs and the wiz win against celts then the nets drop to 6

[Mr. Jabbar]

its not the heats fault the east sucks, oh wait! it is!

[Droid101]

Raptors hate on this site is out of control.

[Dro]

its not the heats fault the east sucks, oh wait! it is!
:lol

[TMT]

If that is the case then why do you keep picking against the Heat in the playoffs every year? :wtf: I saw from an old thread that was bumped where you picked OKC in 2012, and I know you picked your Spurs last year. I've also seen you say the Heat won't win this year. If the Heat are sooo stacked and ruined parity as you are claiming, why are you ALWAYS betting against them? Sounds like someone is full of BS to me. :coleman:

...because I want them to lose, maybe? :facepalm

They should win every year. That's the point.

[JT123]

its not the heats fault the east sucks, oh wait! it is!
Actually it's Boston's fault. Lebron, Wade, and Bosh were fine playing by the rules of one star per team, then Boston's big 3 came together ganged up on Bron and Wade, not allowing any team in the East a fair chance. Bron and Wade really didn't want to team up, but Boston forced their hand.

[mistergreens]

Miami would be absolutely f'ed if they had the Spurs road to the Finals:

1st round - Memphis
2nd round - Houston
3rd round - OKC

Eastern Conference is such a joke. :rant

Miami has lost ONE playoff series in three years. While they have struggled this year, to act like they would be swept in a first round WC series is silly.

[TMT]

Actually it's Boston's fault. Lebron, Wade, and Bosh were fine playing by the rules of one star per team, then Boston's big 3 came together ganged up on Bron and Wade, not allowing any team in the East a fair chance. Bron and Wade really didn't want to team up, but Boston forced their hand.

Except all of them had been in the league for years with next to zero team success, and came together near the end of their careers. Stop trying to compare apples and oranges.

[TMT]

Miami has lost ONE playoff series in three years. While they have struggled this year, to act like they would be swept in a first round WC series is silly.

Who the hell said they would get swept in the first round in the West? :wtf:

It's about the wear and tear that the entirety of a playoff run puts on a team.

[kamil]

Miami has lost ONE playoff series in three years. While they have struggled this year, to act like they would be swept in a first round WC series is silly.

You make it sound like a team can lose more than one series in a year. Wouldn't it have made more sense to say their last playoff series loss was three years ago?

[sbw19]

The nets can still fall to 6th and see them in the second round.

I could see Brooklyn taking the chance and losing their final 2 if they feel they would match up better against Miami than Indy. Personally, I'd love to see them play the Heat, but that's probably not going to happen.

[red1]

its not the heats fault the east sucks, oh wait! it is!
http://media.nj.com/nets_impact/photo/9009758-large.jpg

[Rose'sACL]

Who the hell said they would get swept in the first round in the West? :wtf:

It's about the wear and tear that the entirety of a playoff run puts on a team.
other than memphis, no lower seed will give heat any problem. bulls and pacers did more damage to heat than any western team outside of memphis could have from last year.
If heat were swapped with OKC last year then they would have played rockets who would have been swept in 4 like bucks so i have no idea why you are so mad. they got the worst matchups possible in pacers and spurs. OKC making the finals would have been easier for them.

[SwayDizzle]

2000
2001
2002
2009
2010
I see what you did there :pimp:

[oh the horror]

Who the hell said they would get swept in the first round in the West? :wtf:

It's about the wear and tear that the entirety of a playoff run puts on a team.



Bingo. And IMO there's no way they'd be able to do it in the west.



Hell, last year they managed to get through the east with an injured bosh and wade in and out. Come on now.

[JT123]

...because I want them to lose, maybe? :facepalm

They should win every year. That's the point.
So you are saying you pick a playoff series based on who you want to win, not on who you think is the better team? :facepalm
You are so full of shit. :lol Please explain why Miami SHOULD win this year? Wade is aging and injured, Bron has apparently been replaced as the best player in the game, and the Heat get the same production out of Bosh that the Thunder get from Ibaka. Not to mention Miami has the oldest bench in the league. You are obviously only saying Miami SHOULD win in order to justify your irrational hatred of Lebron. Everyone can see right through you man. :sleeping

[aj1987]

Hell, last year they managed to get through the east with an injured bosh and wade in and out. Come on now.
Wade missed one game. That was against the Bobcats after Miami was up 3-0. The only injury that Bosh had was a rolled ankle. He was a straight up bitch. Not injured.

[Rose'sACL]

Wade missed one game. That was against the Bobcats after Miami was up 3-0. The only injury that Bosh had was a rolled ankle. He was a straight up bitch. Not injured.
you are mistaking last year with this year's 1st round. lol

[ArbitraryWater]

http://hoops-nation.com/community/topic/100250-the-heat-now-with-the-2-seed-really-do-have-the-easiest-path-to-the-finals-ever/

There's 2 of you :(

[JT123]

Except all of them had been in the league for years with next to zero team success, and came together near the end of their careers. Stop trying to compare apples and oranges.
They came together 7 years ago! :facepalm
How were they "near the end of their careers," if they are all still playing, and planning to come back next year as well? :hammerhead:

[aj1987]

you are mistaking last year with this year's 1st round. lol
Shit! My bad! Bucks.

[TMT]

other than memphis, no lower seed will give heat any problem. bulls and pacers did more damage to heat than any western team outside of memphis could have from last year.
If heat were swapped with OKC last year then they would have played rockets who would have been swept in 4 like bucks so i have no idea why you are so mad. they got the worst matchups possible in pacers and spurs. OKC making the finals would have been easier for them.

1-1 against OKC
1-1 against Spurs
1-1 against Rockets
1-1 against Grizzlies
1-1 against Warriors

Let's not act like the sample size of games is actually big enough to support that the Bulls and Pacers did the most damage against the Heat.

Bottom line, which you continue to avoid is that the Heat would have a much harder time if they had a top 2 seed in the West over the entirety of a playoff run. Why is that so hard to accept?

[TMT]

So you are saying you pick a playoff series based on who you want to win, not on who you think is the better team? :facepalm
You are so full of shit. :lol Please explain why Miami SHOULD win this year? Wade is aging and injured, Bron has apparently been replaced as the best player in the game, and the Heat get the same production out of Bosh that the Thunder get from Ibaka. Not to mention Miami has the oldest bench in the league. You are obviously only saying Miami SHOULD win in order to justify your irrational hatred of Lebron. Everyone can see right through you man. :sleeping

Not really. I have Thunder over Spurs in the ECF, but I do admit when it comes to Miami I've hoped they would lose more than any other team in the league. I hate how they came together, and as a Spurs fan who's team completely built itself from the ground up the right way it shouldn't be hard to understand why. If it makes you feel any better I was rooting against the Celtics every year, even when they were facing the Lakers in the Finals. Same premise.

They've won it all with an injured Bosh and Wade before, why is it an excuse now? All you guys are always saying, "Lebron is coasting, the Heat will turn it up in the playoffs". Are you completely going back on that now? Now the Heat have no chance? :oldlol: stfu.

[JT123]

1-1 against OKC
1-1 against Spurs
1-1 against Rockets
1-1 against Grizzlies
1-1 against Warriors

Let's not act like the sample size of games is actually big enough to support that the Bulls and Pacers did the most damage against the Heat.

Bottom line, which you continue to avoid is that the Heat would have a much harder time if they had a top 2 seed in the West over the entirety of a playoff run. Why is that so hard to accept?
Why is it so hard for you to accept that the better team always wins in a 7 game series. I didn't see the Lakers losing to the Sixers and Nets due to facing tougher opposition in earlier rounds. :confusedshrug:

[TMT]

They came together 7 years ago! :facepalm
How were they "near the end of their careers," if they are all still playing, and planning to come back next year as well? :hammerhead:

KG was 12 years in when he joined Boston,
Ray was 11 years in when he joined Boston.
Pierce was in the league a decade when the others came to join him.

None of them were as high profile as Lebron or Wade. Give me a damn break.

[Rose'sACL]

1-1 against OKC
1-1 against Spurs
1-1 against Rockets
1-1 against Grizzlies
1-1 against Warriors

Let's not act like the sample size of games is actually big enough to support that the Bulls and Pacers did the most damage against the Heat.

Bottom line, which you continue to avoid is that the Heat would have a much harder time if they had a top 2 seed in the West over the entirety of a playoff run. Why is that so hard to accept?

In 2012, boston and indiana were tougher matchups for heat than thunder. East has had more playoff type defenses for some time now. they just lack offensive power and that is why a 49 win team like dallas would get swept by the heat while no team in the east with close to 45 wins is getting swept by heat. Heat has always had more number of worse matchups in the east.

[TMT]

Why is it so hard for you to accept that the better team always wins in a 7 game series. I didn't see the Lakers losing to the Sixers and Nets due to facing tougher opposition in earlier rounds. :confusedshrug:

That's true, the best team will most likely always win a best of 7.

However, you are completely overlooking the fact that if during the course of your playoff run you are playing tougher opponents and more games, then the ultimate goal becomes so much harder. You act like it's completely the same if the Heat play scrub teams of elite competition. :oldlol:

[Rose'sACL]

KG was 12 years in when he joined Boston,
Ray was 11 years in when he joined Boston.
Pierce was in the league a decade when the others came to join him.

None of them were as high profile as Lebron or Wade. Give me a damn break.
so what you are saying is that unless you end up playing for a great organization like spurs or a big market team, you should just keep playing in a shithole while those big market teams keep making it impossible for you to get out of the east let alone win the finals?

[TMT]

In 2012, boston and indiana were tougher matchups for heat than thunder. East has had more playoff type defenses for some time now. they just lack offensive power and that is why a 49 win team like dallas would get swept by the heat while no team in the east with close to 45 wins is getting swept by heat. Heat has always had more number of worse matchups in the east.

Past three seasons against the West in the Finals, Heat's record: 8-8.
Stop acting like each conference has their own identity for Christ's sake. They are all professional teams obviously but the better ones just happen to be in the conference opposite of Miami. Accept it, move on.

[TMT]

so what you are saying is that unless you end up playing for a great organization like spurs or a big market team, you should just keep playing in a shithole while those big market teams keep making it impossible for you to get out of the east let alone win the finals?

You are an awful debater.

My point was that the Miami collusion makes the Boston collusion look minor because of the extremely high profile talent that Miami put together.

[Rose'sACL]

That's true, the best team will most likely always win a best of 7.

However, you are completely overlooking the fact that if during the course of your playoff run you are playing tougher opponents and more games, then the ultimate goal becomes so much harder. You act like it's completely the same if the Heat play scrub teams of elite competition. :oldlol:
spurs got the best matchups they could have asked for last year. Are you telling me that it is not true that heat were more banged up when they reached the finals ? i made the prediction that spurs would win in 5. you can look at old threads. i might have been too optimistic given that i like spurs the most but i still felt they they should win in 6. i am not biased so i don't come up with excuses like you. spurs are the only bad matchup in west for heat. other teams might take heat to 6 games but they would not rough them up. Even memphis these days is not doing that.

[navy]

Past three seasons against the West in the Finals, Heat's record: 8-8.

:oldlol: Nothing worse then false statistics.

So blinded by your hate you cant even count right. Typical Spurs. Best record in the NBA and not even the favorite to come out their conference. Fans dont even trust them.

[JT123]

Not really. I have Thunder over Spurs in the ECF, but I do admit when it comes to Miami I've hoped they would lose more than any other team in the league. I hate how they came together, and as a Spurs fan who's team completely built itself from the ground up the right way it shouldn't be hard to understand why. If it makes you feel any better I was rooting against the Celtics every year, even when they were facing the Lakers in the Finals. Same premise.

They've won it all with an injured Bosh and Wade before, why is it an excuse now? All you guys are always saying, "Lebron is coasting, the Heat will turn it up in the playoffs". Are you completely going back on that now? Now the Heat have no chance? :oldlol: stfu.
Maybe cause the role players are all a year older and significantly worse than they were a year ago. We can all see your agenda though. Hype up the Heat as being a super stacked squad so if they win you can give Lebron minimal credit, and if they lose you can give Lebron all the blame and label him the ultimate choker. :lol

[Rose'sACL]

You are an awful debater.

My point was that the Miami collusion makes the Boston collusion look minor because of the extremely high profile talent that Miami put together.
you are an awful debater:
my point is that you are making it sound like lebron and bosh should have kept playing for shitty franchises where no good free agent wants to go just so guys like you who would leave your job in an instant can be happy. look at pierce and garnett. they won 1 title. they got injured as time went on otherwise they would have won more which proves that they should have come together sooner. Not every player is lucky to be drafted by a good team with a good front office.
Boston collusion and losing in 2009 and 2010 because of injuries actually proves my point that players who have given 4-5 years to a shitty franchise should leave that team to go to a better place because everyone knows that even the most so called unbiased nba fan would not have you in his top 10 list even if you had all time great stats without multiple rings.

[JT123]

you are an awful debater:
my point is that you are making it sound like lebron and bosh should have kept playing for shitty franchises where no good free agent wants to go just so guys like you who would leave your job in an instant can be happy. look at pierce and garnett. they won 1 title. they got injured as time went on otherwise they would have won more which proves that they should have come together sooner. Not every player is lucky to be drafted by a good team with a good front office.
Boston collusion and losing in 2009 and 2010 because of injuries actually proves my point that players who have given 4-5 years to a shitty franchise should leave that team to go to a better place because everyone knows that even the most so called unbiased nba fan would not have you in his top 10 list even if you had all time great stats without multiple rings.
This. All that talk about Lebron winning one ring in Cleveland would mean more than winning multiple rings in Miami is empty rhetoric. At the end of the day rings are all that matter. No one ever says "Yeah Magic won 5 rings, but his teams were stacked so they mean less than Hakeem's 2 rings." :oldlol:

[Rose'sACL]

This. All that talk about Lebron winning one ring in Cleveland would mean more than winning multiple rings in Miami is empty rhetoric. At the end of the day rings are all that matter. No one ever says "Yeah Magic won 5 rings, but his teams were stacked so they mean less than Hakeem's 2 rings." :oldlol:
it is not just the fans but past players who think like this. Why would a player keep hearing "no rings" jokes all his life from his NBA friends even if he gave it his all for a shitty franchise? Most past players don't even have players without multiple rings in their top 10 list.

[FLDFSU]

Spurs playing Lakers, GSW, then Memphis last year was probably way easier

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[PsychoBe]

it is not just the fans but past players who think like this. Why would a player keep hearing "no rings" jokes all his life from his NBA friends even if he gave it his all for a shitty franchise? Most past players don't even have players without multiple rings in their top 10 list.

it's the nature of how he did it but if you want to ignore that then that's cool. depends on if they want to keep the narrative alive or not. he still choked twice in the finals before winning twice and that doesn't go away.

[FLDFSU]

If that is the case then why do you keep picking against the Heat in the playoffs every year? :wtf: I saw from an old thread that was bumped where you picked OKC in 2012, and I know you picked your Spurs last year. I've also seen you say the Heat won't win this year. If the Heat are sooo stacked and ruined parity as you are claiming, why are you ALWAYS betting against them? Sounds like someone is full of BS to me. :coleman:


:roll:

"The most stacked team in NBA history" on Monday; "If the Heat and Memphis were to meet in the Finals, I would pick Memphis in 6 games top. Memphis is just too much to handle for Miami over the course of 7 game series" on Wednesday.

--ISH

[FLDFSU]

its not the heats fault the east sucks, oh wait! it is!

Nope. Blame Boston.

[FLDFSU]

Except all of them had been in the league for years with next to zero team success, and came together near the end of their careers. Stop trying to compare apples and oranges.

So you think it is fair for 3 HOF, 1 HOF coach, and 1 All-star point guard to gang up on Bosh, Howard, Lebron, and Wade and prevent them from getting to the finals?

Every member of the Boston starting line...IS STILL NBA starters with the exception of Ray Allen, who is the first player off the Heat bench and is in the line up in crunch time...

How is that fair to Miami and the rest of the Eastern Conference?

[Solefade]

TMT spouting about how going through the west puts more wear and tear on teams but his goddamn spurs swept 2 out of 3 opponents before the finals, played a total of 14 games while Heat played a total of 16 games against a brusing pacers AND bulls squad last year..da fuq is this niqqa talking about


Spurs played against LAL/GSW (no defense at all) then swept Memphis who has absolute 0 offense, they struggled to score 80 pts :roll:

Heat played shitty bucks, really good defensive team in CHI who beat the Nets...then played a bruising Pacers squad. :confusedshrug:

tell me without any retarded logic who had the harder path?

[Lebron23]

TMT spouting about how going through the west puts more wear and tear on teams but his goddamn spurs swept 2 out of 3 opponents before the finals, played a total of 14 games while Heat played a total of 16 games against a brusing pacers AND bulls squad last year..da fuq is this niqqa talking about


True

[Solefade]

inb4 TMT says..."SPURS ARE JUST THAT GOOD"

[Lebron23]

inb4 TMT says..."SPURS ARE JUST THAT GOOD"


I think OKC would beat them in the playoffs.

[dude77]

every single person mad about miami 'colluding' would be fkn thrilled if they 'colluded' to go to their team :oldlol: .. deal with it fggts .. miami was just the lucky one

[aj1987]

TMT, the butthurt Spurs "fan", getting murked as usual.

[moe94]

every single person mad about miami 'colluding' would be fkn thrilled if they 'colluded' to go to their team :oldlol: .. deal with it fggts .. miami was just the lucky one

Don't you love the hilarity of it all? Salty bitches everywhere.

[plowking]

I actually made an error in my previous post. If Memphis beats Dallas, that means the Spurs would play the 49 win Mavs in the first round. That's still no cakewalk. Mavs offense is elite in every facet. I still think the Spurs win in 6, but if Dirk and company get insanely hot (which is a very real possibility), then the Spurs will find themselves in some serious trouble.

The west was always great, but I can't remember the last time it was this stacked.

So essentially, the Heat and the Spurs would both play two 50 win teams on the way to the finals if both get there... And you're making a huge uproar over this? :oldlol:

[plowking]

Who the hell said they would get swept in the first round in the West? :wtf:

It's about the wear and tear that the entirety of a playoff run puts on a team.

Wear and tear? Oh, you mean like playing the two most physical defenses in the league like Chicago and the Pacers? Yeah, we did that last year.

[MMM]

Numba 1 seed in the east has an easier path

below .500 Atl who've been actually pretty bad in the 2nd half.

Toronto is a better opponent than Chicago/BK or at least same quality

[Legends66NBA7]

Toronto is a better opponent than Chicago/BK or at least same quality

I think Toronto is better than both those teams and I like their chances against Indiana too. However, they wouldn't have a good matchup against Miami. Fortunately, no media hype for that supposed matchup trying to prop up Toronto.

[plowking]

Numba 1 seed in the east has an easier path

below .500 Atl who've been actually pretty bad in the 2nd half.

Toronto is a better opponent than Chicago/BK or at least same quality

Toronto are on the level of Houston and Portland if we're basing off record. Since Rudy Gay got traded, they have actually been better than both those teams.
You can simply look at their record and say they're a 49 win team, but in reality, they are a 55 win type team.

[kentatm]

Charlotte is a 42 win team... That is a decent opponent for a first round matchup.
Raptors are a 55 win team, after they traded Rudy Gay. That is a hard 2nd round match up.
Then you have either Chicago/Brooklyn/Indiana, who all pose a threat to Miami.

How exactly is this easy?


:roll: :roll: :roll:

[plowking]

I think Toronto is better than both those teams and I like their chances against Indiana too. However, they wouldn't have a good matchup against Miami. Fortunately, no media hype for that supposed matchup trying to prop up Toronto.

As to answer to your post previously in this thread. Yes, the Heat match up well against the Raptors, but that doesn't mean it is an easy road.
People are using team records in here to stipulate what makes a tough opponent. After the first round, Heat's path is no easier than any in the West.

[kentatm]

As to answer to your post previously in this thread. Yes, the Heat match up well against the Raptors, but that doesn't mean it is an easy road.
People are using team records in here to stipulate what makes a tough opponent. After the first round, Heat's path is no easier than any in the West.


:roll: :roll: :roll:

[plowking]

:roll: :roll: :roll:

Put the Heat in the West for a second... They more than likely finish with the 2nd or 3rd seed, even 4th...

If they're second, they more than likely sweep the Mavs.
Third? They take the Warriors out in 5.
4th... Beat Portland in 5.

What is the problem?

Once they get to the 2nd round, they're facing an even competition anyway. Then throw in the fact the Bulls and the Pacers are the most rough, physical teams in the league... Who has it easier?

[Legends66NBA7]

As to answer to your post previously in this thread. Yes, the Heat match up well against the Raptors, but that doesn't mean it is an easy road.
People are using team records in here to stipulate what makes a tough opponent. After the first round, Heat's path is no easier than any in the West.

I agree. By no means is any road in the playoffs easy. I never understand people trying to put down 1 team and it's success, whether it would be Miami, San Antonio, LA Lakers, etc...

In terms of the conferences, the West is tougher top to bottom, but trying to 3 peat and make 4 finals in a row is an even tougher task. This is the weakest team in the big 3 era and they might be the most vulnerable from the past teams due to fatigue, injuries, etc... it's going come down to how badly they want to be the champions again. Will Wade's body hold up ? How about Bosh ? How many role players step up their game ? LeBron should be fine.

IMO, I still see Miami as the favourites coming out of the East.

[Legends66NBA7]

Toronto are on the level of Houston and Portland if we're basing off record. Since Rudy Gay got traded, they have actually been better than both those teams.
You can simply look at their record and say they're a 49 win team, but in reality, they are a 55 win type team.

I believe Indiana and Toronto are the only Eastern Conference teams to sweep the season series between 6 different Western Conference opponents.

Also, Toronto does have the best 4th quarter differential in the league. That's going to be key coming down the stretch in close games.