Heat: Who can beat them?

[Captivus]

Like Reggie Miller said in Open Court: "Someone has to beat them".
They cant win forever, eventually they will loose...
When? Well...thats another question.

[buttsR4rebounding]

The Heat are on a roll right now. That does not mean they will be playing at this level at playoff time. As Reggie Miller pointed out on several occassions last night the Thunder's mentality of one-on-one play plays right into the Heat's strength. The fact that the Thunder did not make the extra pass to the wide open shooter played right into the Heat's hands. Don't get me wrong. They are the favorite; however, the Spurs style of play is what can beat them as evidenced by a very close game in Miami without 4 starters...

[Ace]

Spurs and Clippers have a shot but that shot is winning not more than two games against the Heat. Miami has shown they can be that same great defensive team that won the championship last year and now are showing they can be a great offensive team as well. They iso far less and are playing off each other much better. Lebron is just insane right now and nobody is going to stop that. He wants to win.

Miami coasted last night and destroyed OKC

[Mal]

I hope that Stern have enough of Durant - LeBron after last yers and he`d give Spurs oportunity to play against LeBron

[Ace]

The Spurs can beat them. The Spurs will have homecourt in the Finals against the Heat and they don't lose in the Finals. I hate the Spurs but they dominate the out of teams in the Finals. True, this Heat team will probably be their toughest test in the Finals but Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Bonner, and Pop have beaten Lebron in the Finals before so it can happen again. If all the guys are healthy and playing great, the Heat will lose.

Such an idiotic take. This Heat is far better that Cavs team and this Lebron is far better than 2007 Lebron. Lebron now has a jumper and is mentally tougher. He's confident, he knows he's the best player in the world and nobody can stop him. Making it look so easy.

[Raven]

miami actually showed plenty of wholes in their game, they are the worst rebounding team in the league so they signed chris andersen (awesome player btw), how to force him out? hack-a-anderson him.. they also showed a huge fall in their defense mosty because of old 3point shooters like allen and lewis, also the memphis has shown his game is not on the level of the last playoffs (which is normal, but still a question mark). They are obviously the favourites but to say they have already won is foolish and looserish imho..

[Fireball]

Miami coasted last night and destroyed OKC

They destroyed OKC, but definitely not by coasting ... they played focussed and wanted to win the game

[Seventyniner]

Like Reggie Miller said in Open Court: "Someone has to beat them".
They cant win forever, eventually they will loose...
When? Well...thats another question.

Same could be said about the Bulls in the 90s. It took Jordan leaving the league for them to lose.

[Venti Quattro]

No one

[td4mvp2k]

Since Heat are in no danger being screwed by refs, I can see Spurs having best shot at them. No one is gonna stop LeBron, but Pop can easily outcoach Spo.

They did have a shot at a win in Miami this season with no starters.

[td4mvp2k]

Such an idiotic take. This Heat is far better that Cavs team and this Lebron is far better than 2007 Lebron. Lebron now has a jumper and is mentally tougher. He's confident, he knows he's the best player in the world and nobody can stop him. Making it look so easy.

Not idiotic if the Spurs DID win 4 str8 on the MVP!

[stretch]

I hate the Spurs but they dominate the out of teams in the Finals.

Um, they didn't dominate the Nets or Pistons. Nets kept pretty much every game close and won a couple (which I don't get how they did that to this day, it should have been a sweep or 5 game max, with general domination by the Spurs), while the Pistons probably would have won had Rasheed not been stupid and doubled off of a red-hot Robert Horry in game 5.

[stretch]

Miami is the certainly the strong favorite but in their dominating streak they have not had to play close games where Wade or Allen or LeBron got to close it out and they are still not a strong team inside. However if Wade gets it going in the playoffs along with this or a higher level of LeBron they could roll through the East and it would take a veteran team, ala the Spurs, with a core of le proven veterans benefitting from sublimely hot shooting from the outside, Duncan and Parker (who would have to prove still he can not be stopped by a great team by targeted defense on him in a close series) both having fabulous series, decreasing turnovers as much as possible, Manu being fully healthy and hot from the field, and Pop pulling an absolute rabbit out of his hat defensively at key times perhaps letting one Miami scorer go off, ala Stoudemire and concentrating on shutting down everything else. Still easier said than done, especially if the Heat also get Bosh and a few others playing well, in case against anyone it may not be close, and a team like the Spurs has to get through a number of strong teams in the West to get there first. Miami this year with James at this level will roll over Clippers or Thunder; as teams without proven championship mettle will fold under King James brilliance unless somehow the Thunder add something missing that perhaps they lost with trading Harden.

every post of yours is a disastrous headache to read

[stretch]

Spurs and Clippers have a shot but that shot is winning not more than two games against the Heat. Miami has shown they can be that same great defensive team that won the championship last year and now are showing they can be a great offensive team as well. They iso far less and are playing off each other much better. Lebron is just insane right now and nobody is going to stop that. He wants to win.

Miami coasted last night and destroyed OKC

Yeah Miami's offense has looked better and better every year. A lot of that is chemistry, some is Lebron taking the reigns from Wade, and some is Lebron's consistent improvement of his game every year.

He looks like he is barely even trying, and he just dominates everyone in his way. I especially loved how many times last night he would get the ball, face up, do jab steps until the shot clock was down to like 5, then pull a jumper right in his defenders face. He did it like 3 times in a row to end the first half. I was dying. It literally looked like he was just toying with the Thunder the entire evening and trying to do unorthodox things just for his own amusement.

And KD looks terrified of Lebron. There was a couple times where he would bring the ball up the court, Lebron would do a head fake at him and shuffle his feet quickly, and KD would get all rattled and floor it, only to run into Lebron and 3 other defenders and get trapped.

[stretch]

Since Heat are in no danger being screwed by refs, I can see Spurs having best shot at them. No one is gonna stop LeBron, but Pop can easily outcoach Spo.

You really think Spo does much coaching? It's pretty much a matter of give the ball to Lebron or Wade, and if they can't score, then it basically means someone is wide open for a dive cut or a 3. Because you cannot stop either of them without committing a double team from somewhere. And often times, they know how to find a way to beat a double team even.

Coaching really can't do a whole lot on those guys anymore, mainly because Lebron now has a consistent jumper, and a number of ways to score in the post both on and off the ball. You literally just have to hope they make a lot of mistakes, or have a bunch of bad nights of shooting.

[Clipper Nation]

As long as Chauncey stays healthy, the Clippers have a decent chance against the Heat.... CP3 and Blake can exploit their weakness at the 1 and the 4, since LeBron can't guard both of them at the same time.... when Chauncey and Jamal are shooting well, our offense is pretty tough to stop, and another advantage for us is that the Heat haven't beaten the Clippers at Staples in the LeBron era.... Miami would be the overwhelming favorites, and rightfully so, but the Clippers could at least give them a tougher series than the Thunderefs last year....

I want to like the Spurs' chances against the Heat, just because of how well they execute on both ends of the court, but I'm not sold on them in the playoffs yet.... they rely a bit too much on role players who choke, and the refs are going to them over mercilessly....

The good news is, it's pretty clear the Thunderefs don't stand a chance against Miami.... LBJ is all up in KD's head, and his greatness outshines the only strategy OKC has (rigged reffing)...

[Spurs 4 The Win]

Um, they didn't dominate the Nets or Pistons. Nets kept pretty much every game close and won a couple (which I don't get how they did that to this day, it should have been a sweep or 5 game max, with general domination by the Spurs), while the Pistons probably would have won had Rasheed not been stupid and doubled off of a red-hot Robert Horry in game 5.

cool story get

/ring envy

[Ace]

Not idiotic if the Spurs DID win 4 str8 on the MVP!

Lebron was the MVP in 2007?

Things change with time, Manu can barely stay on the court and for the last three years Duncan hasn't shown anything resembling the ability to carry his team to a championship in years. Just look at the last three years, great regular season and out of gas come playoff time.

[Ace]

Yeah Miami's offense has looked better and better every year. A lot of that is chemistry, some is Lebron taking the reigns from Wade, and some is Lebron's consistent improvement of his game every year.

He looks like he is barely even trying, and he just dominates everyone in his way. I especially loved how many times last night he would get the ball, face up, do jab steps until the shot clock was down to like 5, then pull a jumper right in his defenders face. He did it like 3 times in a row to end the first half. I was dying. It literally looked like he was just toying with the Thunder the entire evening and trying to do unorthodox things just for his own amusement.

And KD looks terrified of Lebron. There was a couple times where he would bring the ball up the court, Lebron would do a head fake at him and shuffle his feet quickly, and KD would get all rattled and floor it, only to run into Lebron and 3 other defenders and get trapped.

Yeah Lebron throughout this 7 game run has looked like he's just playing basketball with not one worry or much effort. Scoring and setting up teammates with little effort. Truly amazing.

[Ace]

cool story get

/ring envy

Kill yourself

[td4mvp2k]

Lebron was the MVP in 2007?

Things change with time, Manu can barely stay on the court and for the last three years Duncan hasn't shown anything resembling the ability to carry his team to a championship in years. Just look at the last three years, great regular season and out of gas come playoff time.

For the Cavs he was. Manu is there tho 4 the POs and have you seen TD this season? He not an AS for nuttin.

[024]

honestly, after watching the thunder get beat down by the heat twice, i think the spurs have the best chance. their system of moving the ball and pop's superior coaching makes them the only team capable of beating the heat. it'll probably only be like a 30% chance if they meet, but that'll be higher than the thunder's chances. too bad the spurs will have lots of trouble getting past the thunder and clippers first.

[Killakobe81]

Spurs and Clippers have a shot but that shot is winning not more than two games against the Heat. Miami has shown they can be that same great defensive team that won the championship last year and now are showing they can be a great offensive team as well. They iso far less and are playing off each other much better. Lebron is just insane right now and nobody is going to stop that. He wants to win.

Miami coasted last night and destroyed OKC

2 things I called right:

1. Once Lebron started winning he would be hard to stop ...
2. NO ONE was beating MIAMI this year because of Lebron ... unlike Shaq or even Dirk after winning a le James has come back hungirier and more determined ....

AS the Heat fans are saying they still are not turning it on full throttle (except Lebron) and they still are winning. I Watched that Blazers game the other night and they let those dudes hang around and then Wade turned it up in the 4th and Lebron just did his normal thing ...just at ahigher level than anyone in the game today. I know since this is a Spurs board and some of you dont like Lebron, Wad or the Heat or all 3 ... but you guys just have false hope. NO ONE is beating the HEAT Lebron wont let it happen. Next year I think they will be vulnerable ...this year? Nope.

Making 4 straight finals and winning 3 of them is a super hard feat ...next year if they stay together the CLips and OKC may have a shot but 2013 is the second YEAR of the regin of LEbron and we just have to accept it.Enjoy the regular season heck even enjoy May ...but come June Lebron will be dancing on the sidelines and nothing your teams can do about it.

[HarlemHeat37]

Spurs have the tools to exploit Miami's primary weaknesses:

- Scoring big man
- Ball movement
- Shooting the 3 at a high level
- A good system

Miami doesn't have any post defenders, they don't rebound at a high level, and their system is undisciplined and allows open looks from 3..

The problem with the Spurs is that they have to get past OKC, their best player is a PG, and they rely on role players like Danny Green and Gary Neal, tbh..not to mention potential injuries to Duncan and Ginobili..

[Pelicans78]

Spurs have the tools to exploit Miami's primary weaknesses:

- Scoring big man
- Ball movement
- Shooting the 3 at a high level
- A good system

Miami doesn't have any post defenders, they don't rebound at a high level, and their system is undisciplined and allows open looks from 3..

The problem with the Spurs is that they have to get past OKC, their best player is a PG, and they rely on role players like Danny Green and Gary Neal, tbh..not to mention potential injuries to Duncan and Ginobili..

I think Spurs have a good chance to beat OKC if Duncan and Manu are healthy. Big if, but I think the gap closed considerably after the Harden trade. Now OKC is relying on Westbrook as their number two. I do worry about Duncan's scoring against Perkins and Ibaka and Manu's health. But this Spurs team is good enough to beat a weaker OKC team IMO.