Tag Archives: Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are NBA champs, and the world didn’t self-destruct… Whoa.

Posted by gruesomegreg on

I’ll admit that I didn’t watch Game 5 (after all, I had other plans on Thursday night), but I wasn’t shocked to see that the Heat closed out Oklahoma City in five.  Though the first four games of the series were close, competitive contests, the young Thunder team was outdone by their lack of experience on the biggest stage.  Miami’s “Next Big Three,” no longer the young punks they appeared to be when they were first assembled, turned out to be the most seasoned team, rising to the occasion to win their first title as a trio.  Of course, I had them losing to the Spurs, a more senior squad, in six, but the old guys ran out of gas against OKC–while to their credit, the Heat were able to outlast a veteran Celtics outfit in seven.

While Dwayne Wade had been there before, this was the first NBA title for both Lebron James and Chris Bosh.  I guess we can now discard the “Lebron has never won a ring” argument when discussing the all-time greats.  That said, while he was named Finals MVP, James didn’t ascend to the highest peak until he had two more superstar players alongside him.  No offense to Scottie Pippen, but he couldn’t take over a game the way Wade can, and neither Horace Grant nor Dennis Rodman compare favourably to Chris Bosh–except maybe on the defensive end. *snicker*  For what it’s worth, my money’s still on MJ.

Speaking of Bosh, he recently gave credit to the Raptors for helping him “build character”–but then again, he had also said that he never learned to play defense until he came to Miami.  I think the jury’s still out on that one, but I can think of a couple Raptor fans who were cheering against the Heat the entire postseason.  And when I say that, I mean that I can only think of a couple people who’ll admit to being Raptors fans–but they’ve both got the hate on for Bosh.  Here’s hoping the Raps can make a splash in the off-season, and/or that the Great Lithuanian Hope can lift them into playoff contention next year–but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Meanwhile, I’m probably the only person who sees it as a bad omen that both Darryl Sutter and Chris Bosh won titles in the same year.  In any case, I’m done with winter sports for another season.  Right now, I’m more than ready for some football–of the CFL variety, natch–and if the Jays can scrape a few wins together, hey, I certainly wouldn’t mind.  Which reminds me, I still hafta buy my ticket for Ricky Romero Bobblehead Day…

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Might as well weigh in on the NBA playoffs while I’m at it…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

What with the lockout pushing things back a bit, the NBA playoffs are a full round behind the NHL this year, as their conference finals get underway this evening.  I’d say I’ve been watching about as much basketball as hockey this postseason (which is to say a couple periods/quarters here and there without following either religiously), but whereas I’m not overly interested in an LA-NJ final, these last two rounds of the NBA playoffs should be pretty exciting.

In the West, we’ve got the two top teams who’ve advanced with ease, San Antonio and Oklahoma City only losing one game between them over the first two rounds.  Safe to say they’ll both be adding a couple more to the loss column in this one.  Unlike the Stanley Cup final, I expect this series to be a high-scoring affair, since the two teams finished second and third in points per game this season, both averaging over 103.  The young, run-and-gun Thunder led by the likes of Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Kevin Durant suit up three of the top 20 scorers in the league, while the Spurs offer up a more balanced attack with veterans Tony Parker and Tim Duncan leading the way.  This may be the Thunder’s first conference final, but it won’t be their last, if they can keep this team intact.  That said, I say experience rules the day, with the most consistently strong team of the past 10-15 years teaching their younger opponents a thing or two.  Spurs 4, Thunder 3.

The Eastern Final showcases another case of youth versus experience as the Miami Heat do battle with the Boston Celtics.  Boston, led by the veteran Big Three of Pierce, Garnett and Allen have little time to rest their creaky knees and ankles before they meet Miami’s Next Big Three–James, Wade and (provided that he’s healthy) Bosh.  Miami met little resistance in getting past the Knicks and Pacers, while Boston was pushed to the brink by the scrappy Sixers in a series that just ended last night.  The short layoff certainly doesn’t do the Celtics any favours–nor does their star players being tested every possession on the defensive end.  They might dig out a game or two, but I don’t think Boston can beat the Heat over a seven-game series.  Heat 4, Celtics 1.

Now, is this the year Lebron finally gets his ring?  That depends; is this the year he finally shows up in the fourth quarter?  Though he’s one of the best basketball players of the 21st century, James has become known for not exactly stepping up when the game’s on the line, which goes a long way to explaining why his teams have never gone all the way.  Considering his two missed free throws cost the Heat Game 2 against Indiana, I’m not convinced this is the year he breaks on through to the other side.  Spurs in 6–and should the Thunder win the West, this result doesn’t change.