Miami at LA Lakers

[YugoRocketsFan]

LOL @ the responses, just admit Miami are good and don't get your panties in a bunch, beating the Lakers by 16 to a very anticipated game on their home court just shows how good Miami are. I've gotten the vibe that the Laker fans thought they had the game in the bag, but nope.

[AboveLegit]

Let's all remind ourselves that we're in December, 30 games into the season..

[fish7718]

Lakers got their asses kicked what a game for Miami, still don't see how they are the favorites right now when Dallas and Boston are both 2-0 against them but that's Sacha logic for you. Great win for Miami, now the talk of them being able to boston should begin, not the talk of them being able to win 3 championships, but we all know what people will do

[fish7718]

http://analogkid.us/yabbfiles/Attachments/Sour_Grapes.jpg

Really doesn't apply because he's had LeBron but nice try, you could have posted that for Knicks fans but you wasted it!

[Lemon]

I was more pissed about the Xmas game last game than I am now. Good game by Miami, but Lakers didn't show up.

[Nitro]

The Heat are 1st in the league in opponents PPG, 1st in opponent's FG% and 3PT%, 1st in average score differential, 1st in block differential, 5th in rebound differential, 5th in FG%, 4th in 3PT%, and 3rd in turnovers.

 

Yet the Heat have 4 more losses than the Celtics, and have been beaten TWICE by the Celtics. They have been beaten TWICE by the Mavs, including once a few nights ago. Those are the two teams, besides the Spurs, who have played the best basketball in the league so far this season. The Celtics have championship experience, a lot more depth than the Heat, a better halfcourt offense, and IMO a better defense. You can't convince me that the Heat will be able to beat them in a 7-game series RIGHT NOW. Maybe a few months from now, but right now the answer is no.

 

And the Heat have won 14 of their last 15 games, 12 of them being double digit victories. Average victory margin in that span has been about +14 ppg forcing opponents to score an average of about 86 ppg. This isn't a mere run either, and the Heat are still getting better.

 

The Celtics have won 14 of their last 15 as well, with 8 double digit victories. That is without Perkins, Jermaine O'Neal, Rondo (arguably their best player) for a few games, and Shaq for a few games (who some analysts have said should be an all-star).

 

The Heat are the best defensive team in the league already, and will maybe become the best defensive team of all time as far as I know. Add that with possibly the best trio of all time... let's just say "Finals Lock" is putting it lightly. A healthy Heat is a championship lock, and I've felt this way since the first game this season.

 

The Heat are NOT the best defensive team in the league. Unlike the Celtics, the Heat have GLARING defensive weaknesses. The Celtics do not. Most of the time, the Heat are able to counter this by lockin up the other positions on the floor by supreme help defense and talent. Against a team like Boston, this will be a lot harder because they have GREAT team passing, a PG who will get into the paint at will, and players who are able to move off-ball. The teams that the Heat have had trouble defending are teams that have PG's who can penetrate, and supporting players who move well off-ball and pass well such as Boston and Utah. Boston shot 46% and 54% against the Heat in their two meetings. Utah shot 48% and 51% in their two meetings. Wade and James, as great as they are defensively, get burned by players who can create offense by moving off-ball. Ray Allen absolutely smoked Wade their last few meetings because Allen has such a quick shot release that Wade can't recover as well as he does against most players when he gambles. Also, if the Heat are playing teams with big men that move well off-ball, then Z has fits, and Joel is too small to alter shots if they get the ball near the rim.

 

And Erik Spoelstra is a better coach than Doc Rivers.

 

No. Doc is a supreme motivator, has years of experience on Spoelstra, is a better X's and O's guy on offense, and unike Spo he makes adjustments on the fly. Spo's rotations and sets are robotic, and in close games he gets exposed...that has been seen multiple times this season. He also tends to favor certain players to the point where it KILLS the team...aka Joel starting for the first 10 games, Arroyo playing 20+ minutes, playing Bosh at Center in order to keep Haslem on the floor, etc...

[Flash]

We have to beat Boston before we can say we're better than them. I'd say right now we're the third or fourth best team in the league but we need to see how we look against San Antonio and Boston the next 2 times.

[Multi-Billionaire]

Instead of worrying about each other, I think the Heat should worry about Celtics and Lakers should worry about the Spurs/ Mavs first.

 

The way they've played so far (Heat lacking size against Celtics, Lakers have not looked dominant)... they may not even make the NBA Finals.

[Poe]

Yet the Heat have 4 more losses than the Celtics, and have been beaten TWICE by the Celtics. They have been beaten TWICE by the Mavs, including once a few nights ago. Those are the two teams, besides the Spurs, who have played the best basketball in the league so far this season.

 

If it's about who has the most wins, then I guess we can assume the team with the most regular season victories will win the championship each year... right? Or maybe you mean which teams win the regular season series will win each round?

 

I'm looking at how teams play as a whole. I barely pay attention to overall wins and losses anymore. The Heat lost some close games to some good teams, but crushed some bad ones.

 

 

The Heat are NOT the best defensive team in the league.

 

By the numbers, the facts, they are the best defensive team.

 

 

Unlike the Celtics, the Heat have GLARING defensive weaknesses. The Celtics do not. Most of the time, the Heat are able to counter this by lockin up the other positions on the floor by supreme help defense and talent. Against a team like Boston, this will be a lot harder because they have GREAT team passing, a PG who will get into the paint at will, and players who are able to move off-ball. The teams that the Heat have had trouble defending are teams that have PG's who can penetrate, and supporting players who move well off-ball and pass well such as Boston and Utah. Boston shot 46% and 54% against the Heat in their two meetings. Utah shot 48% and 51% in their two meetings. Wade and James, as great as they are defensively, get burned by players who can create offense by moving off-ball. Ray Allen absolutely smoked Wade their last few meetings because Allen has such a quick shot release that Wade can't recover as well as he does against most players when he gambles. Also, if the Heat are playing teams with big men that move well off-ball, then Z has fits, and Joel is too small to alter shots if they get the ball near the rim.

 

The two times the Celtics played the Heat were in the first 9 games. The Heat weren't put together as well defensively then.

 

And yea yea, I know, the Celtics are pretty damn good and the Heat have a couple weak points. But the Heat have three 10s and two 3s while the Celtics have five 7s. 36 > 35.

 

You can over-analyze the last sentence if you want, but I think I got the main idea across.

 

 

No. Doc is a supreme motivator, has years of experience on Spoelstra, is a better X's and O's guy on offense, and unike Spo he makes adjustments on the fly. Spo's rotations and sets are robotic, and in close games he gets exposed...that has been seen multiple times this season. He also tends to favor certain players to the point where it KILLS the team...aka Joel starting for the first 10 games, Arroyo playing 20+ minutes, playing Bosh at Center in order to keep Haslem on the floor, etc...

 

Since neither of us have any real facts to prove who's better, then call it a matter of opinion, and my opinion is Spo > Doc.

 

What I'm looking at isn't about what team he has beat, what playoff series he's won, who out-coached who, or what he's pulled off out of nowhere. Spoelstra has shown a fast growing knowledge of the game, but what's more important is that his imagination is better than what most people may see on the surface, and definitely far better than Doc's, at least that's what I believe. Spo continues to grow and impress me the more I watch the Heat the past two and a half years. He sees things other people don't. I think there is a reason Riley stepped down for him and said that Spoelstra will become one of the elite coaches of our time. I merely trusted Riley's word for it before, but now I understand why.

Edited December 26, 2010 by Poe

[The Regime]

I don't know how many of you guys actually caught this.."Imma [expletive]ing champ"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbP2aDxhXVg

 

LOL

[Clutch]

I don't know how many of you guys actually caught this.."Imma [expletive]ing champ"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbP2aDxhXVg

 

LOL

 

 

i LOVE seeing that stuff in sports!!

[ChosenOne]

I don't know how many of you guys actually caught this.."Imma [expletive]ing champ"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbP2aDxhXVg

 

LOL

 

hahaha, good find!

[Lkr]

I wish we still had Ariza. He is much better on offense than Artest is, and much more consistent. I think we should try starting Barnes.

[Lkr]

I don't know how many of you guys actually caught this.."Imma [expletive]ing champ"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbP2aDxhXVg

 

LOL

that is AMAZING

[Real Deal]

Why was anyone surprised at this loss? We were blown out by the damn Jenning-less Bucks the previous game, in our house.

 

There were only three Lakers that wanted to win this game badly, and that was Kobe, Fisher and Phil. I have no idea what happened with Lamar, who acted like he wanted to drop 40 points to start the game, then decided he was going to dribble the ball for a bit and pass it back to his teammates.

 

Over at TLN, I stated (before the game) that Kobe should defend LeBron, Artest on Wade. I had a gut feeling the production from both Wade and Kobe wouldn't really mean much, otherwise, and that LBJ would eat Artest alive AGAIN. Wade wouldn't want a physical battle with Ron, and Artest has lost enough weight to keep up with him a little, while Bron would try and take Kobe in the post, which would be a mistake (like it was in 2008-09, when Bryant was defending him).

 

What I didn't expect, however, is Gasol getting absolutely raped by Bosh and Big Z.

 

Good to see Kobe (and Phil, sort of) call out the team after the game. Bryant made it known that the regular season games mean more to opponents than they do the Lakers, and it needs to change. Dude was not happy.

[YugoRocketsFan]

I wish we still had Ariza. He is much better on offense than Artest is, and much more consistent. I think we should try starting Barnes.

 

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/trevor_ariza/

 

Be careful what you wish for (keep in mind he's playing with CP3)

Edited December 26, 2010 by His Yugoness

[The Regime]

I personally don't give a [expletive], I would trade Artest for Ariza in a heartbeat.

[Dash]

Bosh needs more love, ever since he struggled the first couple of games he's been getting 20/10 on a daily basis and is by far the most consistent player on the team. Not to mention the great defense on Gasol in some stretches. Strange that he's gone so unnoticed.

[Dash]

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=300414010

 

:wub:

[magicbalala245]

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/trevor_ariza/

 

Be careful what you wish for (keep in mind he's playing with CP3)

 

Keep in mind that when Ariza played for LA he put up similar numbers. He always got wide open three's and knocked them on consistent basis cause of the Double teams Gasol & Kobe commanded in the post.

[Lkr]

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/trevor_ariza/

 

Be careful what you wish for (keep in mind he's playing with CP3)

Those are better stats than Artest

[Nitro]

If it's about who has the most wins, then I guess we can assume the team with the most regular season victories will win the championship each year... right? Or maybe you mean which teams win the regular season series will win each round?

 

All we have to go by with the Heat is the regular season. The Celtics are proven champs, and very possibly could have won last season has Perkins not gone down to injury. Since the Big 3 was formed they've only lost one series with all 3 playing, and that was to the champs in an epic 7-game series. Now the Celtics are even better, healthier and deeper. They've beaten the Heat twice in two tries. What have the Heat PROVEN to say they can beat them in a 7-game series?

 

I'm looking at how teams play as a whole. I barely pay attention to overall wins and losses anymore. The Heat lost some close games to some good teams, but crushed some bad ones.

 

Who cares if they've crushed bad teams? The Heat will not be judged by what they do against bad teams. It's how they play against good teams, and they've shown nothing this season to tell me they play well enough in those games to currently beat the Celtics in a 7-game series.

 

By the numbers, the facts, they are the best defensive team.

 

Last season the Magic were statistically a better defensive team than the Celtics. When they matched up in the post-season, the Magic's defensive weaknesses were exposed (specifically Pierce tearing Carter up), while the Celtics simply locked the Magic down.

 

Also, statistically, according to Drtg (an encompassing defensive stat), the Celtics are currently best in the league. Basically, when you are comparing the two best defensive teams in the league, regular season stats from a 30 game sample don't mean much. At that point, you have to compare them head-to-head, and the difference is the Celtics don't have glaring defensive weaknesses like the Heat do.

 

The two times the Celtics played the Heat were in the first 9 games. The Heat weren't put together as well defensively then.

 

And yea yea, I know, the Celtics are pretty damn good and the Heat have a couple weak points. But the Heat have three 10s and two 3s while the Celtics have five 7s. 36 > 35.

 

You can over-analyze the last sentence if you want, but I think I got the main idea across.

 

No, you didn't. It doesn't work like that. Now that KG is healthy, and considering he rapes Bosh in head-to-head matchups, I'd have to give the Celtics the edge there. Rondo is absolutely lightyears ahead of Arroyo or Chalmers, and on your stupid scale he is much closder to a 9 than a 7. Shaq and Perkins are better players than any of the Heat's Centers, and if JO gets healthy he is comparable as well.

 

The Heat and Celtics are clearly superior at two seperate positions, and comparable in one (PF spot, both the starters and back-ups). The difference is the gap between James/Wade and Pierce/Allen is a lot closer than the gap between Rondo/Shaq and Arroyo/Z. The Celtics are deeper. They have invaluable championship experience. They have no glaring weaknesses. They are the better team, currently.

 

Since neither of us have any real facts to prove who's better, then call it a matter of opinion, and my opinion is Spo > Doc.

 

What I'm looking at isn't about what team he has beat, what playoff series he's won, who out-coached who, or what he's pulled off out of nowhere. Spoelstra has shown a fast growing knowledge of the game, but what's more important is that his imagination is better than what most people may see on the surface, and definitely far better than Doc's, at least that's what I believe. Spo continues to grow and impress me the more I watch the Heat the past two and a half years. He sees things other people don't. I think there is a reason Riley stepped down for him and said that Spoelstra will become one of the elite coaches of our time. I merely trusted Riley's word for it before, but now I understand why.

 

Huh? Where do you get this stuff? I gave you SPECIFIC examples and reasons that show why he is not a better coach than Doc. There is not a single area of the game where Spo is currently a better coach.

[Check my Stats]

Bosh needs more love, ever since he struggled the first couple of games he's been getting 20/10 on a daily basis and is by far the most consistent player on the team. Not to mention the great defense on Gasol in some stretches. Strange that he's gone so unnoticed.

 

+1. Lol at everyone quickly forgetting he was a top 3 PF before he came to Miami. Seems like his rebounding numbers are continuing to rise too

[Jenneral]

Can't believe a regular season gameday thread got 200 replies. :o