Which team would give the heat a bigger challenge?

[spursfan1000]

76ers or celtics?

[KD4MVP]

Celtics without a doubt especially with Bosh out.

I thought they had a decent shot to beat them, but that before Bradley went out.

[Reck]

Sixers will get blown out every game. Not even up for debate.

[mavs>spurs]

i know the easy answer would be the celtics due to their experience but i'm not so sure, i think they are more TOSB than anyone realizes. Philadelphia may actually have the more athletic wing defenders to guard the 2 fags, giving them an advantage. Think about it, if Boston were so much better and able to play miami tougher, then why is this series going the distance?

[Venti Quattro]

Chi...oh wait they're out of the discussion. :lol :lol :lol

[Reck]

i know the easy answer would be the celtics due to their experience but i'm not so sure, i think they are more TOSB than anyone realizes. Philadelphia may actually have the more athletic wing defenders to guard the 2 fags, giving them an advantage. Think about it, if Boston were so much better and able to play miami tougher, then why is this series going the distance?

Boston has always given Miami grievance.

Its like how the Mavs come to play against the Spurs. Its never easy.

[KD4MVP]

i know the easy answer would be the celtics due to their experience but i'm not so sure, i think they are more TOSB than anyone realizes. Philadelphia may actually have the more athletic wing defenders to guard the 2 fags, giving them an advantage. Think about it, if Boston were so much better and able to play miami tougher, then why is this series going the distance?

Matchups, matchups, matchups.

Like how OKC matches up well with LAL, we don't matchup well with Memphis. LAL/SA, among others.

Philly matches up well with Boston.

The last 2 games when the starters played, Boston gave them trouble.

And they have experience in big games, something Philly doesn't. I don't see either beating Miami, but Boston has a better chance, albeit a very slim one.

[mavs>spurs]

Boston is sooooooooo old though guys. That's my biggest concern. You've got essentially the fastest/most explosive wing players in the game going up against some old geriatrics. When a team is as old as the celtics are, I'm not sure you can compare the past or regular season to now. On a team where all the stars are 35-37 years old, even a few months time can make a huge difference in terms of decline.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Like how OKC matches up well with LAL, we don't matchup well with Memphis. LAL/SA, among others.

huh?

[baseline bum]

Boston may be ridiculously TOSB and injured, but Philly is just a garbage team that has played like shit after the first month of the season. Brand is 2X TOSB vs Garnett tbh.

[baseline bum]

Either way Miami probably wins in 5 though.

[Kidd K]

Neither one will give them much trouble. The only other legit team in the east was the Bulls. The east has been wide open for Miami and Chicago for the last two years. No one else is even capable of winning against elite teams.

I'd almost rather the 76ers play the Heat because they're a lot different from the Spurs, so the Heat might get shell shocked in the first two games with massive differences in offenses. They really haven't faced a good offensive team yet in the playoffs, so I almost don't want them to play the Celtics since they run more of a ball movement type offense with a lot of assists like we do. But on the other side of things, I think the Celtics are more likely to grind on the Heat than the 76ers, so they might get more banged up against them instead.

To answer the question though, I'd say the Celtics.

[HarlemHeat37]

Sixers match up terribly with the Heat, they admittedly tanked during the regular season to avoid Miami, which Evan Turner even implied, tbh..they wanted Chicago instead..

Celtics match up decently with Miami..the Heat killed them in last year's playoffs(killing the predictions of 75% of SpursTalk's posters), but Boston has found ways to exploit certain Miami weaknesses, unlike the Sixers..

[Venti Quattro]

Both of them are going to be flattened by Miami anyway, so why are we debating a pointless topic?

[Axe Murderer]

neither team would take the Heat past 5. The Celtics would consistently hang around in games so I guess you pick them.

Philly would probably get blown out almost every game, but might be able to steal a game at home if they got hot

[tesseractive]

Boston may be ridiculously TOSB and injured, but Philly is just a garbage team that has played like shit after the first month of the season. Brand is 2X TOSB vs Garnett tbh.

For a garbage team with no expectations whatsoever, they have fought like crazy. They've gotten lucky with injuries, but even accounting for that, this is a team that everyone thought would fold, and here they are fighting a game 7.

Win or lose tonight, I'm impressed.

[spursfan1000]

Both of them are going to be flattened by Miami anyway, so why are we debating a pointless topic?

Don't reply simple as that.

[baseline bum]

For a garbage team with no expectations whatsoever, they have fought like crazy. They've gotten lucky with injuries, but even accounting for that, this is a team that everyone thought would fold, and here they are fighting a game 7.

Win or lose tonight, I'm impressed.

They beat a team missing its top 2 players and with its #3 playing with a broken wrist in the first and in the second they're losing to a 50% Pierce and a 50% Allen. They're only this far because their competition has been truly awful. Indiana and maybe even Atlanta would have mopped the floor with them.

[KD4MVP]

Even though both teams look awful, still Boston.

Philly gets swept by Miami.

[mavs>spurs]

Even though both teams look awful, still Boston.

Philly gets swept by Miami.

are there 3 of you, or did you triple post? :lol

[xellos88330]

I would say the Celtics. The loss of Bradley really hurts though. The Celtics have pretty good players themselves. I can't count them out completely against the Heat. The Pacers were having trouble with LeBron posting up Barbosa constantly in their small ball set, and Barbosa isn't as strong/tall as Pierce. The Heat can't post Lebron with Pierce on him. LeBron will be forced to be strictly a driver/shooter. Wade I think might run amuck. Rondo will destroy Chalmers, KG should have a good series. Ultimately, I kinda like the Celtics against the Heat. The Celts play solid team defense and aren't afraid to play to their strengths. That is something the Pacers seemed to lack. All that size in the middle and couldn't even use it.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

The idea seems to be that a young Heat team, having won in 6, will dispatch a weary, older Celtics team that went seven games and doesn't have home-field advantage.

Boston to Miami is also a long flight.

[mavsfan1000]

It doesn't matter. Neither have a chance.

[LnGrrrR]

If we can take the Heat to 6 games, I'll consider it a moral victory. Without Bradley to check Wade/Lebron at times, Pierce will be too busy using energy on D to really focus on offense. The only way I see the C's winning is if Rondo plays amazingly AND KG is able to score 15+ every night. Tall orders.

[Reck]

Both of them are going to be flattened by Miami anyway, so why are we debating a pointless topic?

Wow really?

I would not go as far as saying they will get flattened.

Heat will win in 5, 6 tops against the Celtics but they're not just gonna steamroll them either.

Miami will still be without Bosh so these games will be closer than you think.

My thinking is, if the Heat couldn't blow out the Pacers, they are certainly not going to blow the Celtics out of the water either.

In the end though, I agree with you. No point in debating this.

[DeadlyDynasty]

If we can take the Heat to 6 games, I'll consider it a moral victory. Without Bradley to check Wade/Lebron at times, Pierce will be too busy using energy on D to really focus on offense. The only way I see the C's winning is if Rondo plays amazingly AND KG is able to score 15+ every night. Tall orders.

KG will easily score 15+ ppg, especially with an absent (or severely limited) Bosh not making him work on the defensive end. KG should put up great numbers this series.

The problem is that Allen looks pretty bad right now and PP always gets locked down by LBJ. Rondo is not the major mismatch that all the analysts think he is against Miami. Chalmers actually holds his own against him. Even w/o Bosh, this is a 5 game series MAX, with a good chance of sweep.

[mavsfan1000]

KG will easily score 15+ ppg, especially with an absent (or severely limited) Bosh not making him work on the defensive end. KG should put up great numbers this series.

The problem is that Allen looks pretty bad right now and PP always gets locked down by LBJ. Rondo is not the major mismatch that all the analysts think he is against Miami. Chalmers actually holds his own against him. Even w/o Bosh, this is a 5 game series MAX, with a good chance of sweep.
Haslem is a good defender.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Haslem is a good defender.

But he won't make KG work on the other end. The Heat have nobody to make KG play both ways if Bosh is out, thus conserving the majority of his energy on offense. Look for him to be aggressive and get Haslem, Anthony, whomever in foul trouble early and often.

[mavsfan1000]

But he won't make KG work on the other end. The Heat have nobody to make KG play both ways if Bosh is out, thus conserving the majority of his energy on offense. Look for him to be aggressive and get Haslem, Anthony, whomever in foul trouble early and often.
Haslem can conserve his energy strictly for defense knowing he doesn't have to be relied on offensively. It goes both ways. He did a good job on Dirk in the finals. He is an annoying pest.

[KD4MVP]

I would of given Boston a legit shot if Bradley was healthy, he's one of the better on the ball defenders in the league. And Allen doesn't look close to the same, they have no one to control Wade.

If they can keep Wade/James at around 50-55 PPG combined, they are in good shape, if they combine for 65-70+ combined, they are screwed.

As for KG, he should have his way with whoever they put on him, he owned Bosh when he did play them, now without him, he should have a monster series.

And if i'm Doc, i throw a zone at them, and make them jump-shooters, pack the paint, make the Miller, Battier, Haslem, Chalmers, etc beat me somewhat.

All that said, Miami in 5 or 6, but i think Boston can win this series though especially with Bosh out.

All about matchups.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Haslem can conserve his energy strictly for defense knowing he doesn't have to be relied on offensively. It goes both ways. He did a good job on Dirk in the finals. He is an annoying pest.

No, it doesn't go both ways because you're assuming Haslem is even close to KG in terms of productivity (on either side of the ball). He's not.

[Latarian Milton]

philly's size would cause some troubles with us imho, we're still getting through it but shit ain't gonna be easy. celts have tons of playoff experience and KG is playing like 10yrs younger, but the low-post D would be the last thing concerning me if we play the celtics since they don't have much talent there either

[mavsfan1000]

No, it doesn't go both ways because you're assuming Haslem is even close to KG in terms of productivity (on either side of the ball). He's not.
His athleticism was never in question. There are a lot of athletes in the nba. Haslem just never developed the skill needed to be a scorer. But that doesn't mean he isn't annoying to play against. I guess Bruce Bowen against Kobe couldn't be effective given your stupid theory that the best defense is offense.

[Josepatches_]

Either way Miami probably wins in 5 though.

This