Looks like we're looking at Bosh back in Game 5. Is a diminished Bosh better than a healthy Turiaf or Haslem? Will there be issues with chemistry and flow? Or will the fact they can no longer double team Wade and pull a big guy out the paint all worth it? Oh and go OKC! Hoe-lee-shit now we have a series.
Yes. Yes. Yes. It cant hurt. I thought maybe theyd hold him til game 6 in Boston, but better he works some of the rust off at home. It's the reverse of the 1st game. Ginobli played as well as he can play, but SA just didnt have enough offense. When you hit some of the shots that Harden and Westbrook and Durant were hitting, with guys in their faces, there isnt much you can do but score on the other end and hope they miss. Thats how the Heat came back in Game 4. The Celtics were hitting everything in the first half and then cooled off enough for the Heat to creep back in.
I'm not sure how true that is. Bosh, while tall, isn't typically an "inside" player. His work on the offensive boards is fairly pedestrian for his height, and he actually attempted fewer field goals from close in and shot more jumpers than Wade. Bosh's offense it at it's best when he can hang out in the 12 foot range, as he can hit that jumper, drive, or set picks. The biggest advantage of having him on the court is that they now have a big who can match up defensively with Garnett (can handle him inside while still being able to drift out to 20 feet). This frees up LeBron to defend on the perimeter and help more. His length might also be useful in getting hands in Rondo's face on drives.
Bosh's specialty is the outside shot. So now, Garnett has to come out of the paint to defend Bosh straight up or on the pick-and-pop. Garnett plays inside more, but he is definitely not a post-up presence.
Yeah, I'd agree, although it's largely by choice in Garnett's case. He can post up quite ably if it is called for, but it's not one of his relative strengths and he mostly uses it to free up the court. But with Bosh not on the court, MIA was sometimes forced put LBJ on him. KG could then minimize LBJ's defensive impact and attempt to tire him by forcing him to bang in the paint.
You're disagreeing with me but actually agreeing with me. I was saying since Bosh shoots and doesn't post up, he'll move out of the paint to take those jumpers, pulling out Garnett from the paint, which will give backdoor cuts to LBJ and Wade. Without Bosh, they've been able to double team Wade.
Miami covered Garnett with James because of the athleticism gap between Garnett and any Heat big man outside of Joel & Bosh. Garnett does what Bosh does, pull the other big outside the lane. But Bosh is a better shooter/driver and Garnett is a better in the lane player.
So LeBron James has been reading The Mockingjay during warm-ups, The third book of the Hunger Games series. That is fucking hilarious. Because the main complaint about that book is that every single time a important point came up, every time it became time for the hero of the story to do something big, she gets knocked unconscious and wakes up in her room. LeBron makes it too easy for the haters.
Jesus fucking Christ I am tired of seeing the refs. Too much referees, not enough basketball. I would LOVE to see a graph of number of offensive fouls in the past ten years.
Wow. The Celtics took their talents to South Beach. Now they're going back to Boston? Oh man. I promise you we will see the Hand of Stern and a game 7. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would have to break their spines for any other option.
I don't know. I'm not the sort, but if I DID wear foil hats....Might Stern want a Celtics victory now? Unless the Heat absolutely demolish the Celtics in both games, with the contentious refereeing, wouldn't Miami-by-a-nose look terrible for him? There is a sizeable group who think this series should already be over. It's not like he couldn't muster the NBA hype machine behind KD & Co., and the-Celtics-won't-die isn't the worst storyline. A geriatric SA v Boston finals might be a tougher sell, though.
The way I see it, almost no matter how it plays out, Stern can market it: KD and Westbrook vs. Miami is obviously the #1 choice. San Antonio vs. Boston ("Old vs. Older!") is #2. Boston vs. OKC is good, "Old School vs. New School". The only loser is Miami vs. San Antonio, that's not too interesting...
I got nothing. If you get beat with Pietrus making 3s, there isnt much you can do. The only thing that stood out to me was Spoelstra getting outcoached.
To be fair, Pietrus probably wouldn't have needed to hit those threes if he hadn't fucked up so much in the first half. Boston flat out-played them. If it weren't for the huge number of good looks that just didn't fall, that game might have been a blowout.
Re: Re: The Association 2012 Oh I can guarantee that the horrible officiating will be even worse and more slanted to benefit Miami, no way Stern let's Boston win.
OK, but the legitimacy of the league is more important financially than the legitimacy of LeBron James. There is a limit to how many eyebrows Stern can raise before he is actively hurting the league. LeBron is the best player in the NBA, and has been the best player in the playoffs. No one is "writing him off" at 27 years old. The Heat's situation is actually more sustainable than the Thunder, actually, as they will have difficulty retaining Harden. Presumably all the Heat's key players will be there for a while, with the possibility of improving at the margins of the roster.
The Heat need to get rid of Riley's "vet at any cost" philosophy and find some young guys that can play off the bench. Then again, they may have that, but they won't know because they let Miller & Battier suck up and down the court.
I love Mike Miller...hes white, he went to Florida...whats not to like? But hes not been the same on both ends of the court. he can hit the wide open jumper, but he isnt even hitting that as well as James Jones. Battier has been a disappointment. He tries hard and flashes at times, but he gets exposed too. Carmelo used him like a tampon. If Riley was coach when Wade was drafted, Wade would not be the player he is today. SVG didnt follow Riley's rules like Spoelstra does and he actually played Wade and let him develop.