Should the league just give up now? No one can beat the Heat.

[QUOTE=Clifton]Hardly. The 00s Lakers had 2 top 5 players; the 90s Bulls had two top 5 players; the 80s Lakers had two top 5 players (plus a number one pick and HOFer tacked on to that) and the 80s Celtics had three top "something" players (top ten? fifteen? I'm not sure how Parish and McHale ranked at that point).

The Heat meanwhile have the best player, another player toward the bottom of the top 8, and another player toward the bottom of the top 20. They have no center and no point guard. Ray Allen has been about as good and no better than any other starter-ish 2 guard would have been and Rashard Lewis doesn't play. Shane Battier and Joel are offensive nonfactors (in fact liabilities except for Battier's wide open 3s, which he manages to make fewer than 40% of) and they're one of the worst rebounding and interior defensive teams in the league.

Their two best players are the same player and neither of them are very effective outside of fifteen feet. Their third best player is 7 feet tall and is not very effective *inside* of fifteen feet.

I used to think the Heat were too stacked, that the Lakers were, that the 08 Celtics were... but they're really not. That just play great team basketball and have great roleplayers and a couple great stars. How can we ask that our top teams be made any differently? We've proven time and time again you can't just stack a ton of great players and win a title (remember Hakeem + Chuck + Pip? How about Howard + Bryant + Gasol + Nash?). You have to have a team, and your top players are only one part of that dynamic. (And, as the 04 Pistons proved, a totally unnecessary one.)[/QUOTE]

Relative to league average, LeBron might have the best offensive supporting cast in history.

Top 2 SG/Top 6-7 player in Wade.
Top 5 PF/Top 15 player in Bosh.

And a ridiculous amount of excellent shooters to space the floor for him:
Ray Allen (4.0 3PA/42%)
Chalmers (3.4 3PA/40%)
Battier (4.5 3PA/41%)
Lewis (2.1 3PA/42%)
Miller (3.8 3PA/39%)

Absolutely insane. If you were going to create the perfect offensive supporting cast for a perimeter superstar, this would be it.

They're easily one of the most talented team ever.

They have two superstars who are both already top five at their position of all-time along with another franchisee caliber player/borderline HOFer.

Wade is a top 25 - 30 guy of all-time. And they have a perennial elite PF who is top five at his position standing within the league.

[QUOTE=Ne 1]Well if you don't think leading your team with a lineup of Smush Parker, Luke Walton, Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown to the playoffs with 45 wins (0-2 in the games without him) in the most stacked conference in NBA history while putting up 36/5/5/2 on 56 TS% 45 FG% isn't deserving of MVP then I don't know what to tell you.[/QUOTE]


7th seed.

*subject to health and match up

If the finals came down to either the Grizzlies, Spurs, or maybe the Lakers vs the Heat, I'd be somewhat worried for Miami. Those are the only teams I can see taking 3 of 7 and 4 if they have their best game of the entire year. I don't see anyone of those going past the Thunder though.......well, possibly the Spurs...they will miss Harden vs Ginobili.

I can't see OKC or the Clips beating the Heat yet. Maybe next year.

[QUOTE=Clifton]Hardly. The 00s Lakers had 2 top 5 players; the 90s Bulls had two top 5 players; the 80s Lakers had two top 5 players (plus a number one pick and HOFer tacked on to that) and the 80s Celtics had three top "something" players (top ten? fifteen? I'm not sure how Parish and McHale ranked at that point).

The Heat meanwhile have the best player, another player toward the bottom of the top 8, and another player toward the bottom of the top 20. They have no center and no point guard. Ray Allen has been about as good and no better than any other starter-ish 2 guard would have been and Rashard Lewis doesn't play. Shane Battier and Joel are offensive nonfactors (in fact liabilities except for Battier's wide open 3s, which he manages to make fewer than 40% of) and they're one of the worst rebounding and interior defensive teams in the league.

Their two best players are the same player and neither of them are very effective outside of fifteen feet. Their third best player is 7 feet tall and is not very effective *inside* of fifteen feet.

I used to think the Heat were too stacked, that the Lakers were, that the 08 Celtics were... but they're really not. That just play great team basketball and have great roleplayers and a couple great stars. How can we ask that our top teams be made any differently? We've proven time and time again you can't just stack a ton of great players and win a title (remember Hakeem + Chuck + Pip? How about Howard + Bryant + Gasol + Nash?). You have to have a team, and your top players are only one part of that dynamic. (And, as the 04 Pistons proved, a totally unnecessary one.)[/QUOTE]

How they were assembled matters. This team was not built through the draft or trades or even the normal process of free agency.

This was a case where the top three players in a free agent bonanza year were guilty of collusion. And for two of them, it was tantamount to if, in the 80s, two out of three among Jordan/Johnson/Bird had decided to team up, because the Heat inarguably had two of the best three players in the world when they formed.

[QUOTE=Clifton]I too am struck by how *beatable* the Heat actually are.

They're like the Spurs. The Spurs have the best record in the L come playoff time every year it seems. Yet nobody actually favors them over the Thunder. The Heat are beating up on today's weak league by getting a lot of fastbreaks and [B]Lebron never has to take any shots outside of the paint[/B] and it all looks so easy... but guess what... a 7 game series with the Pacers is not going to be that easy. This is not a team that has consistently responded well to challenges. They did often enough last year to get the title, beating an old and battered Celtics team barely in 7 games, and an inexperienced Thunder team whose core was all under 24. (And that series could have gone a lot differently too if not for a fairly egregious no-call.) The Heat can lose to anyone good.

I think they'll just pull out another title, but it won't be a breeze. No way.[/QUOTE]

:wtf:

In 2011, everything went wrong for Miami and everything fell into place for Dallas. Dallas was just ON FIRE, and everyone on the team was hitting shots. Barea, Stevenson, Peja. Everybody. Not something you saw in the regular season. Not to mention Chandler becoming a defensive force and Dirk having one of the greatest series of his life.

With Miami, everything kind of went wrong. That meltdown in game 2 was just brutal. It made me angry, and then upset too. 15 points up and you lose?! Then you had LeBron CHOKE. Completely shy away. Wade was excellent, and they were a couple of plays from going up 3-1 in game 4. If LeBron played a little better, Miami would be going for a three-peat right now and Wade would be with 3 Championships and 2 FMVP's.

[QUOTE=jrong]How they were assembled matters. This team was not built through the draft or trades or even the normal process of free agency.

This was a case where the top three players in a free agent bonanza year were guilty of collusion. And for two of them, it was tantamount to if, in the 80s, two out of three among Jordan/Johnson/Bird had decided to team up, because the Heat inarguably had two of the best three players in the world when they formed.[/QUOTE]
It would basically be like Jordan teaming up with one of Bird/Magic and McHale.

Relative to his competition, Wade was as good as either Magic or Bird (don't interpret this the wrong way anyone... all it means is that he was a consensus top 2-3 player in 2010).

And Bosh has become hilariously underrated now. Dude was in discussion for best PF in 2010 (certainly no worse than top 3, with only Gasol and Dirk being on his level).

[QUOTE=SilkkTheShocker]7th seed.[/QUOTE]

Would have been a top 3 seed in the Leastern Conference.

[QUOTE=jrong]How they were assembled matters. This team was not built through the draft or trades or even the normal process of free agency.

This was a case where the top three players in a free agent bonanza year were guilty of collusion. And for two of them, it was tantamount to if, in the 80s, two out of three among Jordan/Johnson/Bird had decided to team up, because the Heat inarguably had two of the best three players in the world when they formed.[/QUOTE]

This. The difference is that the dynasty Celtics, Lakers and Bulls great teams (as well as every other great teams) were all built through the draft and-or luring in veteran players through free agency.

What we have with the Heat is 3 superstar players who are all in their prime that colluded to come together on the same team.

Heat too stacked?

Look at OKC last Year. Durant top 2 player. Westbrook top 10 player and probably 3-4 best pg in the league. Harden last year was best 6th man in the league although this year we see what kind of potential he actually has. This year Harden is easily top 10 player and don't tell me he improved soooo much from last year. Lets go on, Ibaka best shotblocker in the league and this year he improved his jumper a LOT. So he doesn't give you just defense but also offense.

Yet Miami is too stacked and Lebron is the one who has too much help? :lol

[QUOTE=Ne 1]
What we have with the Heat is 3 superstar players who are all in their prime that colluded to come together on the same team.[/QUOTE]


And every single superstar of the 3 you mentioned gave 7 years to a franchise he was drafted by. And only Miami from 05 and on was able to put contender pieces around Wade. From 08 and on even Wade was in the same situation as Lebron and Bosh were throughout their entire careers, teams they were drafted by couldn't make a true contender for several years. It's not like Lebron or Bosh left their teams after 2 or 3 years when things weren't going their way. They both gave 7 years to their franchises.

And people saying that stacked Lakers teams, Celtics,..were made through drafts. Why do you think it is so important how the team was made? Is NBA some kind of moral, honest business? No.... At the end of the day what matters, when saying one team is too stacked, is what can those 15 players do on the court. And certainly not how the team was assembled.

[QUOTE=red1]u hurt?[/QUOTE]

:lol

[QUOTE=lebeast666]passing your boy on the all time this year. 4 MVPs 2 FMVPs 2 rings[/QUOTE]


/End Thread.

Pacers, Knicks and Boston on East alone

[QUOTE=Doctor Rivers]Another win[/QUOTE]


Another day at the office.

Rants about Miami::::::::::::

Miami is not a soft team whereas their closest competitor the Thunder are. When I mean soft I mean that their style of play is soft. Kevin Martin is a shooter. Durant cant post up Lebron. Westbrook is legit but he wont be able to get to the rim and draw fouls on Miami's defense. Miami has a hard style of playing. They cut and slash like crazy with crazy athleticism from Wade and Lebron. they both get to the free throw line often. 3 point shooters that don't shoot too much but just enough to be effective.

The next closest team imo are the clippers. But I don't think they have the athleticism to contend with Wade and James. And again, the Heat are just a tougher team.

[QUOTE=Doctor Rivers][URL="http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/8979684/nba-miami-heat-10-game-win-streak-keyed-dwyane-wade"]http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/8979684/nba-miami-heat-10-game-win-streak-keyed-dwyane-wade[/URL]



:confusedshrug: :confusedshrug:[/QUOTE]

This isn't how basketball works. It may seem like a pain in the ass, but they're going to need to play some playoff games and win the finals before they get their rings.

[QUOTE]Originally Posted by Doctor Rivers

[url]http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miam...ed-dwyane-wade[/url]


[/QUOTE]

Doug Collins says that if a team in the East had two bigs they can pound them inside a little bit. A team that fits that description is Chicago with Noah and Boozer and Taj Gibson. If only DRose can comeback.

[QUOTE=Borderlands]Doug Collins says that if a team in the East had two bigs they can pound them inside a little bit. A team that fits that description is Chicago with Noah and Boozer and Taj Gibson. If only DRose can comeback.[/QUOTE]
Heat in 5.

I doubt Chicago will beat Miami since we'll never know what kind of player Rose will be post-injury.

Reggie Rose did come up with a good point I guess when he said that Chicago didn't make any moves to contend for a championship.

We'll see. Knicks have a great front court and Iman Shumpert who might be guarding Wade shall they meet in the playoffs.

Pacers in the East can win one maybe 2.. Knicks might get one In the West depends who they Play but knowone is winning more than 2 games because Miami is hands down the best team in the league.

[B]Heat are just out making statements. Prepare your asshole rest of the NBA. Either lube up and bend over or get the **** outa the way[/B]

Summary of this thread: Kobe > LeBron

agreed.

MIA is [B]poor[/B] at rebounding.

I wanna see MIA vs SAS match up in NBA Finals with Parker's healthy ankle.

[B]Spurs are gonna surprise lot of people[/B]. MIA is cake walking right now.

I remember [B]1992 Bulls cake walking through NBA season with 67-15 record[/B] & suddenly NYK showed up. If it wasnt for MJ's steller performance. [B]1992 NYK almost upsetted them[/B].

I think [B]MIA coming into NBA finals will NOT be BATTLE TESTED[/B] in Eastern Conf. the way NYK & IND falling apart like a deck of cards.

[B]SAS on the other hand will be BATTLE TESTED[/B] by OKC & MEM or DEN whoever!

If SAS push MIA to 7th game, LOOK OUT.

Everyone is sleeping on Popovic, duncan & parker

MIA is in for a surprise.

[QUOTE=gengiskhan]MIA is [B]poor[/B] at rebounding.

I wanna see MIA vs SAS match up in NBA Finals with Parker's healthy ankle.

[B]Spurs are gonna surprise lot of people[/B]. MIA is cake walking right now.

I remember [B]1992 Bulls cake walking through NBA season with 67-15 record[/B] & suddenly NYK showed up. If it wasnt for MJ's steller performance. [B]1992 NYK almost upsetted them[/B].

I think [B]MIA coming into NBA finals will NOT be BATTLE TESTED[/B] in Eastern Conf. the way NYK & IND falling apart like a deck of cards.

[B]SAS on the other hand will be BATTLE TESTED[/B] by OKC & MEM or DEN whoever!

If SAS push MIA to 7th game, LOOK OUT.

Everyone is sleeping on Popovic, duncan & parker

MIA is in for a surprise.[/QUOTE]

:lol

They have their own MJ in LeBron