If the Knicks can get physical, D up, and have their pick and rolls down pat, I think they'll easily take Miami to the limit. And when LeBron gets pushed to the limit... we all know what happens.
The good posters are all still here, wondering why you're perspiring with sentiment. I get it, you're the Official Messenger of the Miami Heat Online Quest for Respect and need to be taken seriously, but take the jokes in stride.
that's like telling ak47 to stop flopping; it won't happen. this loss puts them in a bind when they face the celtics in the 2nd round b/c they won't have HCA. we all know those guys struggle to win in boston.
They did manage to raise their level of defense when they beat the Heat in feb (after the trade). A lot of times with guys like D'Antoni and Carmelo, they don't emphasize committing and using energy on every defensive possession in the regular season but come playoffs they can turn it up a higher percentage than a team like the Celtics or Bulls who give you the same grit and tenaciousness each night.
What in the world are you basing this on? When has a D'Antoni team ever turned it up defensively in the postseason? The Knicks suck at defense. That won't change in the playoffs. Their best chance is to hope it turns into a shootout (quite possible).
everyone can "raise" their level of defense for one game or two. in the playoffs, you have to raise it several more levels than the knicks did in february, and do it for FOUR times. that's NOT going to happen. amare/melo don't play defense for 2 straight quarters for the most part and you want them to do that for 4 whole games? it's not going to happen. the heat will beat the knicks in 5 at most. the challenge for the heat is the 2nd round when they play boston. now that team can win just purely off of its defense and enjoy to "grind out" games. they do it every quarter. this game will hurt them in the 2nd round more than anything. boston is the heat's biggest nemesis purely b/c boston is the lebron's biggest nemesis. if any team intimidates the heat, it's the celtics, w/ or w/o perkins. i don't think the heat fear the bulls though.
I'm not saying they're going to grind it out the whole time. But playoff victories come down to making key defensive stops down the stretch and with natural athletes like Carmelo and Amare, it comes down to commitment. That's the wing and PF position for the Heat right there, their only real strengths.
Don't underestimate the Knicks, I hope this turns into a shootout, and then it's anybody's game. let's see the gunning powers of Lebron Wade, vs Melo and Stat. It will be a hella fun series to watch if that happens.
Huh? This is a Houston Rockets forum fool. Besides, it would completely ironic to have a Miami Heat forum named CLUTCHfans.
And exactly when have those two guys, especially Amare, shown that type of commitment on a consistent basis? Have you watched Amare in the postseason? 3, 6, 11, 8, 4 and 4....were his rebounding numbers against LA last year. That dude doesn't defend. I saw Melo commit to defense in one series (WCF 2 seasons ago). But that's it. I don't expect him to do it now playing under Mike D.
Lebron should have had at least 15 assists tonight easily, but the players around him suck and can't hit the good looks he gets for them.
bosh has one of the best midrange jumpers in the L for a big man. he has made quite a few during tonight's game. so those were definitely great shots for him. however, after missing 2 straight, you would think he would try to drive. this loss was on him. lebron created so many easy shots for him late that he couldn't convert. one jumper was a wide open one from around 8ft.
I think Dwade should win the MVP. Today, he proved he's more valuable to the team then Lebron is. It seems when Lebron was out before, the team still win but with Wade out they always lose.
