With the Nuggets ousted in round one, we now turn our attention to the rest of the NBA Playoffs. And with the local team out, we pose the question… Is there any team that can beat the Miami Heat?
Two words.. Doubt it. Take a look at the possible competition. In the East, going into the playoffs, the Knicks looked like the likely opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Knicks have had serious issues in the postseason thus far. They struggled to shoot the ball well in their first-round series with the Celtics and almost lost a 26-point lead in Game 6, to which they would then face the pressure of a game seven with the against the very prideful Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Regardless of how much better the Knicks are than the Celtics, anything could’ve happened in that game seven.
But the Knicks got past the Celtics despite their poor shooting, and are now struggling to match-up with the Pacers. That entire Knicks team led by Melo lives and dies by the three, and behind the poor-shooting of Carmelo, the Knicks will have issues getting past the Indiana defense that gave them big issues in game one. Mind you it’s just one game in a best-of-7 series, the Knicks lost their home-court advantage and will have to start shooting the ball much better to advance and face the likely opponent Miami Heat.
But let’s say the Pacers find a way to beat out the Knicks, and then they likely match up with the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana has size down low that would likely give Miami some problems, but the Pacers struggle to score, and with that fast-paced dynamic Heat offense, I can’t imagine a scenario where Indiana can find the offense to beat Miami 4 times in a series.
So that’s the East. Miami is currently facing the Bulls in the semis, but with or without Derrick Rose, the Bulls shouldn’t be able to force any more than 6 games with that severely beat up line-up. As for the West, that’s where you find the teams that can give Miami their biggest test. I have the Spurs and Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals, and I have Memphis and Miami matching up in the Finals.
As for leaving the Thunder out of the picture, I don’t think Kevin Durant can be that guy for an entire series for the Thunder without the consistent help from the likes of Kevin Martin and the rest of that Oklahoma City bench, and against an old-school type offense and defense in Memphis, I can’t see the Thunder advancing. As for San Antonio, even though the Spurs have to get past the Warriors before they match up with Memphis/OKC, the Spurs wouldn’t be able to go punch for punch with the Heat, even though they’d be a smart pick to upset the Heat in the Finals with Coach Pop the best candidate to find the formula to defeating Miami.
So with Memphis and San Antone in my Western Conference Finals, the Grizz would have the best chance in the Finals against the Heat. Memphis plays the type of basketball that can throw Miami’s offense out of wack. With Marc Gasol and Z-Bo working down low on both sides of the court, they can force the Heat to shoot from the perimeter, and unless Miami can knock down their shots, they might struggle with the Grizzlies.
With that said, I still can’t imagine the Heat getting beat. The Grizzlies would likely have the best chance of giving Miami a run for their money, but my money is on any squad that has the now 4-time MVP Lebron James. I know that’s insanely cliche to say, but Lebron is down right unstoppable. And in their third year together, this big three is clicking on all cylinders. With the addition of Chris “Birdman” Andersen, they don’t struggle as much defensively and they can now somewhat rebound the ball, which has been their biggest vulnerability. These NBA Playoffs will continue to be exciting to watch, but the Heat will win their third championship in franchise history, which would be their second straight.
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Anthony Rodriguez
Anthony is the Founder, Administrator, Editor and Publisher of Lightning Rod Sports. Originally from California, Anthony has been raised in the Rocky Mountains and Denver area for most of his life. Anthony works with the Emmy-winning student-run T.V. newscast at MSU Denver, The Met Report, as the Assistant General Manager, formerly the Sports Producer, as well as Lead Anchor and Production Assistant. He is currently the Play-by-Play Announcer, Color Commentator, and Production Assistant for the Metro State Broadcast Network, and calls games for Metro State soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and softball as a “Voice of the Roadrunners.” In addition to that work with the Metro State Broadcast Network, Anthony also hosts the monthly 30-minute magazine show called "The Roadrunner Review" which airs on Altitude Sports and Entertainment. He hosts the bi-weekly "KMet Sports Show" on KMET Radio at MyMetMedia.com/KMETSportsShow. He is also the Founder, Administrator, Editor, and Columnist for his own Denver Sports website, LightningRodSports.com. Anthony is also part of the Social Media team at Examiner.com, and has worked with the Altitude Radio Network for the Avalanche and Nuggets. Anthony is a former Producer for Mile High Sports Radio, as well as a former Sports-Talk show host on the LightningRod Radio Network.
