Is this year's Timberwolves team the most average team ever? If they split their last two games (ending 41-41), then by my count they will have been within a game of .500 for 60 of their 82 games. Their high-mark of the season was 3 games over .500, and their low mark was 4 games under; similarly, they never had a winning streak longer than 3 games or a losing streak longer than 4.
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I think the Heat are done. They couldn't consistently beat their lowly EC counterpart and they look tired. Their signature fast breaks aren't there and their defense isn't suffocating and generating turnovers anymore.
If they get upset in the 2nd round by the Bulls, I will not be suprised. My pick is the Thunder to win it all this year. KD is not to be denied.
Last edited by darklord700; 04-14-2014 at 04:17 PM.
I think the Heat are done. They couldn't consistently beat their lowly EC counterpart and they look tire. Their signature fast breaks aren't there and their defense isn't suffocating and generating turnovers anymore.
If they get upset in the 2nd round by the Bulls, I will not be suprised. My pick is the Thunder to win it all this year. KD is not to be denied.
At risk of being called a Heat fan again I am not so sure they are that big a risk of a 2nd round upset.
They have taken this regular season off and once the play-offs start it is much easier for them to manage Wade.
I think the Pacers are in bigger trouble since they seem to lack something when not playing the Heat.
The finals are a different story, three trips in a row takes a toll and Miami would be in tough against OKC.
Miami does have the best player in the world and OKC has nobody to guard him but LeBron being focus on offense and having to shut down KD is asking a lot.
They have taken this regular season off and once the play-offs start it is much easier for them to manage Wade.
This regular season I'd seen a lot of LBJ going back to his Cleveland days. If he wasn't creating on offense, nobody was. Battier and Ray Allen had both regressed. Even if we assume Wade is healtheir this year than last due to the maintenance program, he himself can't hide Battier and Allen's scoring decline.
Minus Mike Miller, I don't see this year's Heat team being better than last year's. And last year they still needed Ray Allen's miracle shot to win in all.
They should still be favored to come out of the East. If they can keep their Easter Conference series short, maybe they'll be fresh enough to make a run against OKC. But I doubt it though.
Last edited by darklord700; 04-14-2014 at 04:48 PM.
The Heat play in the East, and thus get somewhere between 25-40 nights off a year. They mostly choose to not try, and how can you blame them? No doubt the Heat would not make it out of the West this year, which is absolutely brutal. But that's why the Big 3 also won't be leaving Miami ultimately, and if any do it will be to Chicago or New York so they can avoid the big boy conference. Life's a lot easier when you can take upwards of half the season off.
I'm sticking with what I had at the start of the year. Brooklyn over Miami in the ECF. Brooklyn plays a bigger version of the Miami small ball, has better guard play, a deeper bench and more motivated players. LeBron is going to have to take it to his Cleveland level where he was carrying them. Anything less than LeBron carrying the Heat will not be good enough.
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Road teams won 3 out of 4 today. The worse lost was by Indy as their defense made Teague look like Isiah Thomas from 25 years ago. If not for two last minute inconsequential made 3s, the Pacer would have lose this by 14 points.
Last edited by darklord700; 04-20-2014 at 12:52 AM.
It does seem like Harden was conserving his energy on the defensive end from these clips.
I think his defensive awareness is terrible. It's one thing to conserve energy but another to just let go his man and stand there watching the ball or just reach in as the forward blows by him.
He's half dumb and half lazy in those clips, and that's why that team will never win. You have a selfish guy like harden who can't lock into his man and still contribute on the offensive end.
Aldridge with a 46/18 game. 3rd player since '85-'86 to do that in the playoffs.
In an era of many horrible decisions, drafting Andrea Bargnini over Aldridge might stand as Bryan Colangelo's single worst decision. Jesus where could the Raptors be right now with Aldridge?
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"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
