Poe

Yea, in your opinion. The poll is for other people's opinions.

At this point, the second round at most. They don't have the size to match up with Boston, and they still don't match the Heat's talent. Minus the trades, they may have been a first round exit. However, there is no way the Magic are done making deals, so it's too early to be firm on a prediction until the deadline. Edit: It's interesting that First Round and Championship aren't poll options.

Shot clock was on, actually. A decimal of a second within game clock, though.

Sort of reminds me of the time Sheed said "ball don't lie!".

Not quite, but that's mainly because of Haslem and Miller's injuries, and Wade was hobbled early this year.

I think teams like the Spurs and the Rockets have proven that talent is always out there if you look in the right places. Just because a team isn't going to get a player that is ranked at a certain level doesn't mean there is no hope in getting a good player. I think I remember Landry Fields not being on anybody's list.

Bench players can get a higher +/- because they are matched up against a weaker bench. Brown may have a better +/- than Kobe because he is usually matched up against a weaker opponent than Kobe. Perhaps he could be matched up against George Hill or Gary Neal with a unit including Matt Bonner, Chris Quinn, and Tiago Splitter while Kobe is matched up against Manu Ginobili with a unit including Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson, and Tim Duncan. If the +/- happened to be better while Brown is on the floor, does that mean Brown is better than Kobe, or does that mean the Lakers have a better bench than the Spurs? And also, the Heat often times play better with a star or two on the bench because at that point in the game, they are playing the opposing team's second unit.

The said quote was said at a different time, therefore making today's win much less relevant to it, if at all. And even if it was said today, the win doesn't change the quote. And even if it could, this isn't the first time the Mavericks swept the best team in the league in the regular season.

I expect a line up of.. Nelson / Duhon / Williams Arenas / Redick J Rich / Q Rich / Clark Turkoglu / Anderson / Allen Howard / Bass / Orton I really like the move to get Arenas, who will be a clear upgrade over Carter, and will give Howard the best player he has ever played with. Fantastic move to get him. I also like the move to replace Lewis with another three point shooter that can play either forward position, though ideally they should have gotten someone better defensively. J Rich brings in another efficient overall scorer, but once again, ideally they should get someone better defensively. They also lost a valuable bench replacement for Howard in Gortat, so the Magic will likely have to rely on Bass to play much more minutes at center. As far as overall improvement goes, the Magic definitely improved offensively. The management may have accomplished the best mix of shooters, slashers, and ball handlers in franchise history as far as I know. Defensively is clearly a question mark with having Arenas, J Rich, and Turkoglu starting together. Overall, it's a risky move, but it's worth doing since originally they had almost no chance at the Finals, or even being a team that would get past the second round. Offensively they have shooters, ball handler, slashers, a big interior presence, and most of all, three 20 ppg caliber scorers now. If they can pull it together defensively, they just might have a decent shot at the finals. At least, these are my initial thoughts.

The Wizards have the athleticism to match up with the Heat... probably the reason why it was so close. They really should have won, but they made some rookie-like mistakes towards the end that often comes with these young teams. Nick Young is a special player IMO. Not only is he very athletic and long, but he understands how to move without the ball, and create his own shot offensively with ease. I think Nick would strive in a more structured system though, but either way, he could be a future all star if adds other elements to his game, like any sense of court vision or rebounding. Good coaching would go a long way for him.

Chicago appears to have a favorable schedule, so maybe them.

The Heat's SRS has stayed relatively the same whether they played good teams or bad teams. It only changed when Haslem got injured and it took a dip, but it's rising back up. It hasn't really made a difference at what point in the season it is, unless a team happens to be hot early like the Hornets, which still means they were playing the best basketball in the league at that very point.

I think it was because the cop was a part of the "next generation".

In the longterm, I see Terrence starting at the 2 with K-Mart playing a Manu type role off the bench. Both Brooks and Scola can score 20 points per game as starters much like Parker and Duncan. The reason I say Terrence should start is because he provides more ball handling for a starting line up that lacks ball handlers. When Yao comes back, there will be enough scoring in the first unit where they don't need Martin to score as efficiently each possession. It's much better to use Martin to provide a scoring spark off the bench, and greatly increase the offensive production of the second unit. I'm not bringing this up as a knock against Martin. He's the 19th most efficient scorer in NBA history last time I checked. Bringing him off the bench may also make him the best 6th man in NBA history. The main reason he needs to come off the bench is because while he's a terrific scorer, he is lacking in all other elements in basketball, much like Crawford and Mayo. He has difficulty matching up due to his frail 180 lbs, he doesn't rebound well even for his position, nor is he a ball handler or a playmaker. Starting Terrence would advance much needed elements in the starting line up, plus it would make the second unit a whole lot better than it already is. Plus, it would benefit Martin individually because he takes an extraordinary amount of contact each game. When taking just 14 shots per game, he goes to the free throw line nearly 9 times. Because of this, it's best to keep his minutes in check to not wear him out over the course of the season.

Fantastic trade for the Rockets. I've been saying for some time that the Rockets need to trade for a ball handling wing player to start at the 2. I wonder how long until Kevin Martin starts coming off the bench.

Here's a more complete list, with each listed team being the highest ranked in the SRS that year. Year: Team --- SRS --- Playoff Success 49-50: Minneapolis Lakers --- 8.25 --- Champions 50-51: Minneapolis Lakers --- 4.79 --- Lost Division Finals 51-52: Minneapolis Lakers --- 5.28 --- Champions 52-53: Minneapolis Lakers --- 5.53 --- Champions 53-54: Syracuse Nationals --- 4.26 --- Lost NBA Finals 54-55: Fort Wayne Pistons --- 2.01 --- Lost NBA Finals 55-56: Philadelphia Warriors --- 3.82 --- Champions 56-57: Boston Celtics --- 4.79 --- Champions 57-58: Boston Celtics --- 5.03 --- Lost NBA Finals 58-59: Boston Celtics --- 5.84 --- Champions 59-60: Boston Celtics --- 7.62 --- Champions 60-61: Boston Celtics --- 4.93 --- Champions 61-62: Boston Celtics --- 8.25 --- Champions 62-63: Boston Celtics --- 6.38 --- Champions 63-64: Boston Celtics --- 6.93 --- Champions 64-65: Boston Celtics --- 7.47 --- Champions 65-66: Boston Celtics --- 4.34 --- Champions 66-67: Philadelphia 76ers --- 8.50 --- Champions 67-68: Philadelphia 76ers --- 7.96 --- Lost Division Finals 68-69: New York Knicks --- 5.48 --- Lost Division Finals 69-70: New York Knicks --- 8.42 --- Champions 70-71: Milwaukee Bucks --- 11.91 --- Champions 71-72: Los Angeles Lakers --- 11.65 --- Champions 72-73: Los Angeles Lakers --- 8.18 --- Lost NBA Finals 73-74: Milwaukee Bucks --- 7.61 --- Lost NBA Finals 74-75: Washington Bullets --- 6.54 --- Lost NBA Finals 75-76: Golden State Warriors --- 6.23 --- Lost Conference Finals 76-77: Portland Trail Blazers --- 5.39 --- Champions 77-78: Portland Trail Blazers --- 5.92 --- Lost Semifinals 78-79: San Antonio Spurs --- 4.97 --- Lost Conference Finals 79-80: Boston Celtics --- 7.37 --- Lost Conference Finals 80-81: Philadelphia 76ers --- 7.76 --- Lost Conference Finals 81-82: Boston Celtics --- 6.35 --- Lost Conference Finals 82-83: Philadelphia 76ers --- 7.53 --- Champions 83-84: Boston Celtics --- 6.42 --- Champions 84-85: Milwaukee Bucks --- 6.70 --- Lost Conference Finals 85-86: Boston Celtics --- 9.06 --- Champions 86-87: Los Angeles Lakers --- 8.32 --- Champions 87-88: Boston Celtics --- 6.15 --- Lost Conference Finals 88-89: Cleveland Cavaliers --- 7.95 --- Lost First Round 89-90: Phoenix Suns --- 7.09 --- Lost Conference Finals 90-91: Chicago Bulls --- 8.57 --- Champions 91-92: Chicago Bulls --- 10.07 --- Champions 92-93: Seattle Supersonics --- 6.66 --- Lost Conference Finals 93-94: Seattle Supersonics --- 8.68 --- Lost First Round 94-95: Seattle Supersonics --- 7.91 --- Lost First Round 95-96: Chicago Bulls --- 11.80 --- Champions 96-97: Chicago Bulls --- 10.70 --- Champions 97-98: Chicago Bulls --- 7.24 --- Champions 98-99: San Antonio Spurs --- 7.12 --- Champions 99-00: Los Angeles Lakers --- 8.41 --- Champions 00-01: San Antonio Spurs --- 7.92 --- Lost Conference Finals 01-02: Sacramento Kings ---7.61 --- Lost Conference Finals 02-03: Dallas Mavericks --- 7.91 --- Lost Conference Finals 03-04: San Antonio Spurs --- 7.51 --- Lost Conference Semifinals 04-05: San Antonio Spurs --- 7.85 --- Champions 05-06: San Antonio Spurs --- 6.69 ---Lost Conference Semifinals 06-07: San Antonio Spurs --- 8.35 --- Champions 07-08: Boston Celtics --- 9.31 --- Champions 08-09: Cleveland Cavaliers --- 8.68 --- Lost Conference Finals 09-10: Orlando Magic, 7.12 --- Lost Conference Finals In 61 years... • 32 teams (52%) with the highest rating in the SRS have won the championship. • 40 teams (66%) that have won the championship had at least the 2nd highest rating. • 46 teams (75%) that won had at least the 3rd highest rating. • 54 teams (89%) that won had at least the 4th highest rating. • 59 teams (97%) that won had at least the 6th highest rating. Out of the teams with the highest rank in the SRS… • 32 teams (52%) won the championship • 6 teams (10%) made the NBA Finals and lost. • 17 teams (28%) made the Conference Finals and lost • 2 teams (3%) lost in the second round. • 4 teams (7%) lost in the first round. And examining the tendency for a #1 team to win a championship with a higher rating in the SRS... • 31/59 teams (53%) with the #1 rating that year being 6.00 or higher won the championship. • 21/36 teams (58%) with the #1 rating of 7.00 or higher rating won. • 15/18 teams (83%) with the #1 rating of 8.00 or higher won. • 7/7 teams (100%) with the #1 rating of 9.00 or higher won. So what do we get out of this? • It is pretty much guaranteed that a top 6 rated team in the SRS will win the championship. • Three out of four championship teams have the third highest rating. • Two out of three championship teams have the 2nd highest. • And half the championship teams have the highest. • The highest ranked team in the SRS has an 80% chance of at least making the conference finals. • For some reason, the highest ranked team has a much higher tendency to lose in the conference finals than the NBA finals. • The higher the #1 overall team's rating in the SRS, the more likely they are to win the championship. • Every team in NBA history with both the highest rating in the league and at least a 9.00 SRS have won the championship. Of course, you can't count on the SRS to be 100% accurate, which is why only half of the top rated teams in history win the championship. SRS does not take into account injuries, midseason trades, or unfavorable playoff matchups, though neither does the regular season record. What I can tell for the SRS is that it appears to be a more accurate representation of how well a team performed during the regular season than the record itself. (Btw, that research took a pretty long time. There are no actual lists I know of, so I had to look up each individual year and write it down.)

I can provide whatever stat I want, thank you. And I also mentioned how the Heat don't have Miller or Haslem. The Lakers were 5th last year because of injuries, and the Celtics were lower because they were adjusting to a different gameplan. Throughout history, the highest SRS team wins the championship about 60% of the time IIRC. So the stat doesn't appear to be worthless to me.

I actually don't care about what Cuban said in that quote. It was just convenient that I found it on realgm when you replied to me, and that it was entirely related. It doesn't prove anything for or against the Heat as far as their level of play. It just showed that an owner of a team you does, in fact, believe the Heat to be the best. At least until he says so otherwise. If I needed to find ways to prove the Heat are playing the best basketball, maybe I can refer to their nine game winning streak with victory margins of 10 points or more, or the Heat being #1 in SRS (http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2011.html ). Perhaps I can remind you that the Heat have possibly the best overall player in the league (though I believe CP3 is), the best second-best-player-on-the-team in the league, and the best third-best-player-on-the-team in league. They also have some of the best shooters in Mike Miller, James Jones, and Eddie House, and they also have the best bench rebounder in Udonis Haslem. They also have complimentary role players in Arroyo, Chalmers, Big Z, and Dampier. They aren't great, but they are good enough to each provide a positive element. The only areas the Heat are truly missing is a solid starting center, and youth to provide stability for the future. At least the two young players (Chalmers and Pittman) are playing the Heat's two weakest positions, and in a perfect world, will both develop into reliable starters. The Heat have made up for a lack of a starting center by having an almost unnecessary amount of depth at center with Z, Dampier, Anthony, Magloire, and Pittman, and even Bosh, Haslem, and Howard can fill in minutes at the position. So that should help solve any possible match up issues there. My only fear this season is the adjustment period the Heat would go through if Haslem were to come back during or just before the playoffs. The Heat's chances of winning would dip for a short period, especially with Bosh having to make a particularly large adjustment by having to play minutes at center. But as of right now, the Heat are the best, even without Haslem and Miller. Not by far though. Not yet, anyway.

I don't believe you.

Obviously not.

I don't listen to Cuban more than anyone else, but he's the Mavs owner and said he thinks the Heat are the best, therefore proving you wrong that none of the elite teams think the Heat are better than them.

But you must always be open to being incorrect. They weren't the best team when they got beat by the Celtics their first game, but seeing how close they were despite the Celtics doing almost everything right and the Heat team looking like a bunch of guys that just met at the playground, I knew how good the Heat were going to become. During the Heat's first 10-15 games, despite all of their problems and coming up on the losing end of some close games against good teams, they were already the second best team in the league to the Hornets. At about that time, Haslem got that serious injury, and the Heat had to go through an adjustment period since they lost not only their best rebounder, but the best "dirty-worker" player of the team, and the best player that isn't among the "Big Three". During that time, the Heat lost a few more games and were then the third or fourth best team in the league behind I believe if I remember correctly, the Hornets (who were still hot), Spurs, and Celtics, and maybe the Lakers. The Heat had their players-only meeting and since then the big three have discovered their roles well enough to make up for Haslem's grit. Arroyo is getting better and better each game, Jones has been very solid from the beginning, Chalmers seems to be just beginning to pick up back where he left off in his rookie year, and while the Heat don't quiet have the ideal center yet, they have 5 different guys to choose from to give you different looks throughout the game. Now, at this very point in the season, the Heat are the best in the league, and the Heat aren't even at their own best yet.

Let me ask you something (separate from the argument). Would you rather be wrong, yet everyone agrees with you? Or be right, but everyone disagrees with you?

Minutes are minutes. Whether you are taking shots or not, you are still out there defending, rebounding, screening, running back on defense, running to the open spots on offense, taking bumps under the basket, and whatever else comes with playing basketball that doesn't involve shooting the ball. Either way, you could be right about the Gasol and Kobe injuries versus court play, and I'm willing to admit that. There are also other possibilities. Again, I want to wait at least 10 more games to re-evaluate. And if you are correct and Kobe is just as good as he was the previous two seasons, then the Lakers are the best out West, making the Jazz likely to be the second best, at least by the playoffs. I didn't say it did. I told you why I said that. AGAIN with the "what everyone thinks".

The first nine replies were made in September.