You mean why the Heat beat the snot out of the Lakers in LA on Christmas Day? Cavs did the same thing last season. One team won a championship, the other was out in the 2nd round. You may be on to something.
you're right, it doesn't. in the playoffs, both teams will know each other's tendencies and all of that since they will focus and watch tapes all the time. but these games are important in terms of developing habits. good habits. the heat have bad habits of jacking up 3s, letting their guard down... those habits are the reason they struggle vs top teams
told you this would get close again. the heat's gameplan is apparently to give up a wide open 3 on every possession. and their O has lost all continuity. doesn't help that dampier literally can't do anything and that mike miller has just been awful.
If only it was that simple. Good teams force the Heat to do what they don't want to on offense, shoot jumpers. Get ready for a boatload of that in the 2nd round (and beyond).
orlando is a good team, they will make runs. the heat need to learn how to stop them and then make their own run but man, orlando does live and die by the 3. jesus. if they get a good playmaker, this team will be scary with dwight. completely agree. but like i said, that's why they need to build habits of posting up and cut more: be on the move. let's see if they continue to do that. if they just pick and roll and iso, it's not going to work (which is what they have been doing a ton this year)
My bad. The Lakers have played bored this year as a result of winning championships back-to-back. I'm also not sure they will completely regain their team chemistry. They have a lot to be concerned about.
gee bibby. miss both ft's and then airball a 3. i'm sure he'll be stepping up and making big shots against chicago and boston and not bricking them like every other lebron teammate of the past 3 or 4 years. wade needs to start this 4th quarter well after being completely awful in the 3rd because the magic have all the momentum. the heat are amazing in their ability to both sustain and lose momentum for such long stretches of time. all basketball games have runs, but heat runs and lulls seem to last for quarters at a time. when things are wrong they just stay wrong for so long. luckily when they snap out of it, it tends to be a pretty big snap, but this is going to be a tough 4th quarter now.
it went to bosh, but i think bibby was trying to pass that to anthony. if he was, he should be told quickly that you never ever pass to anthony any more than 2 feet from the basket, and only if he is wide open for a dunk. and even then, you think about it.
Gilbert Arenas is a nothing but a flat tire for the Magic. Big mistake trading for him. He's injured plus he just doesn't fit.
and what is up with wade's ft shooting? it's been atrocious all year. and people wonder why lebron is considered an MVP. wade just can be so inconsistent for stretches this year in games. and his ft shooting is kill the heat. and bosh, oh my goodness, dude is taking suckage to the next level. and mike miller is a bust this year offensively.
That "bored" excuse (also known as "flip the switch") is such a tired cliche, and it's not even accurate. It goes back to 2001 when the Lakers had a bad record and then blitzed through the playoffs. But that was because they were injured most of the year. The Lakers will be a threat in the playoffs as will the Heat. If two teams have the same record, and one loses close games and the other doesn't, the one that loses close games is statistically more likely to go deeper, because that means when they win they win more convincingly. And point differential is the biggest indicator of success over time. Just like anything, it isn't always accurate, but it's more accurate than magical concepts like "clutch wins".
wow, an entire 24 point comeback on jason richardson 3's and missed free throws. you'd think wade or miller would occasionally be near him on one of these trips up the court. it would be one thing if howard were just dominating but to just not care and give up 3 after 3 is just inexcusable. the current 5 on the court could not be sucking any worse. if the magic weren't just literally throwing them the ball on most of their possessions, they'd already be trailing. wade has gone from big positive to terrible so i hope lebron still has something left.
Suit yourself. To teach his own opinion. We'll see what happens. The Lakers are much more likely to reach the Finals than the Heat. They've done it 3 straight times and a 4th would surprise no one. The Heat haven't done anything.
