#focus#mustwin#playoffs#drama? : 2013 NBA playoffs

they can't make the finals w/o westbrook imo

im w chuck that the thunder didnt stand much of a chance anyway due to matchups, got to be able to hurt the heat w bruising interior play
― lag∞n, Friday, April 26, 2013 1:09 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark

this is a misnomer that has never been true
― J0rdan S., Friday, April 26, 2013 1:19 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yes, you'd be crazy to attack the Heat's biggest weaknesses-- interior defense & defensive rebounding. Teams should probably just see who Bron is guarding and immediately iso.

the only team to beat the heat in a 7 game series were the mavs and they had zero inside scoring

the heat are super aggressive on defense, you need to have guys who can move the ball around the perimeter quickly and drain open threes

the idea that you can beat them by punishing them down low is something held over from the theoretical make up of the big 3 but has never proven to be true, the heat protect the rim quite well

westbrook bummerzzzzz

if/when the heat win it anyway i kind of hope that wade has to miss the finals just so bron gets all the credit (and so i don't have to watch him arguing with refs half the time)

I don't think it's crazy to spread more shots around to the other more efficient shooters on OKC to absorb the scoring loss. One reason OKC says it values Russ' offensive aggressiveness is that it leads to better looks for Durant. But, one reason Durant is his generation's big scoring savant is that he can get his shots off whenever the fuck he wants. He shoots around 43% taking the worst shot you can in the NBA: the mid-range jumper. 43% is also basically Westbrook's overall shooting percentage.

Kind of an obvious to say that OKC is better with Westbrook than without; but, I really don't think OKC will be that bad w/o him in the lineup.

memphis gameops guys using a loop from the the relatively-unheard and mostly forgotten dfa remix of "paper planes" which i recognize it because when DJing i too have used the exact bit as a filler loop.

― Clay, Thursday, April 25, 2013 10:51 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

i love that remix, wasn't it on the slumdog millionaire soundtrack too? the dinky electric piano solo at the end cracks me up

memphis let the background/arena music play for like 5 minutes during a really long series of possessions late in the game. it was like street ball.

the only team to beat the heat in a 7 game series were the mavs and they had zero inside scoring
― J0rdan S., Friday, April 26, 2013 1:43 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Well, since that's from almost two seasons ago, you might also want to tack on that LeBron is a head-case who has no post-up game and will never get a ring, or that you're expecting big things from Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Stackhouse, Jamaal Magloire, Pittman, or are worried about Bibby at point. Very different team now.

haha i remember when that offseason where there was a LOT of dexter pittman talk around here

the heat are super aggressive on defense, you need to have guys who can move the ball around the perimeter quickly and drain open threes
― J0rdan S., Friday, April 26, 2013 1:44 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This I kinda agree with, but rather than quick perimeter movement (btw Wade/Bron is a pretty great perimeter D duo whom you probably don't want to skip passes around), I'd say it's more inside/outside passing. Pass to big on the block -> force help -> swing until you've got the open shot.

I mean, Pacers beat them twice this year, and that was their blueprint. The idea of not beginning a set by sending it inside to West/Hibbert seems like a losing strategy.

teams can beat them in the regular season by bullying them in the post because the heat will choose not to battle like that in the regular season

here're the teams that have beaten the heat this seeason:

nyc
mem
lac
was
nyc
gsw
det
mil
chi
ind
por
uta
bos
ind
chi
nyc

Case in point: Chicago, another team that beat the Heat twice this year, and another team with a Passing Big Man. Pounding the ball inside won't work if the guy inside with the ball can't pass well, which is why so many teams who do try to pound inside against the Heat get embarrassed.

But if you have a big man who knows how/when/where to dish once the help comes, then you've got a decent chance against the Heat. The only problem is that there are few teams that have A) the passing big + B) competent scorers around them.

new york leads w/ 3, pacers and bulls with 2

i mean the math doesn't even make sense. if the basis of your offense is to pound the ball in the post for two point baskets you're going to lose to a team that shoots a ton of three pointers, and shoots them well.

im w chuck that the thunder didnt stand much of a chance anyway due to matchups, got to be able to hurt the heat w bruising interior play

― lag∞n, Friday, April 26, 2013 1:09 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark

this is a misnomer that has never been true

― J0rdan S., Friday, April 26, 2013 1:19 PM (49 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

hah its not any sort of nomer

pacers and bulls with 2

― 乒乓, Friday, April 26, 2013 2:07 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

counterpoint: heat have gone 8-3 vs these two teams in the playoffs

calling it a misnomer is a misnomer

basically the knicks could very easily lose to the pacers but have a better chance than any team in the nba to beat the heat

the heat are super aggressive on defense, you need to have guys who can move the ball around the perimeter quickly and drain open threes

― J0rdan S., Friday, April 26, 2013 1:44 PM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is true of every team, and is a strategy that works much better if you have interior scoring against everyone, and especially the heat

it's a weird list of bad/average teams, it's almost like the heat lose whenever they decide to check out mentally but turn it up against rivals + good teams

if chandlers neck gets unstuck + kmart keeps it up

the heat sort of lazed their way through the first half of the season and havent really lost to anyone since

they could actually be on the verge of a classic season like maybe people are talking about but you do have to count the whole season and their first half was nothing to write home abt

the only team to beat the heat in a 7 game series were the mavs and they had zero inside scoring

― J0rdan S., Friday, April 26, 2013 1:43 PM (31 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

dirk was in the high post a ton in that series fwiw, lot of inside out play

actually sort of feel like peak dirk was the perfect (only?) heat slayer because he's one guy that they actually couldn't guard

durant and melo and whoever are all really good scorers but if they stick lebron on them and lebron really tries to D up it becomes an issue

but dirk is too big for lebron and bosh couldn't guard him

yup

zbo + marc on a slightly better team could give the heat bigtime problems imho

how does chandler factor in, being another link between that mavs team + knicks who have done well

it occurs to me that melo's game is kind of... very similar to dirk's nowadays. lots of jumpers, 3's, w/ more of a game around the basket

zbo + marc on a slightly better team could give the heat bigtime problems imho

― lag∞n, Friday, April 26, 2013 2:18 PM (26 seconds ago) Bookmark

yeah i mean that's obv a really good foundation for a team to beat the heat but ultimately they just don't have enough shooting

they'd need a few fluke games where they shot like 40% from three

the knicks have totally copied the mavs' blueprint, i think they'll take 2 from the heat in the east finals

yah, jr is kinda that JET guy off the bench

i seem to have watched the knicks play more than any other team play this year, could have chosen a worse team to watch i guess

ultimately like i said the problem is that when lebron D's up on melo he literally can barely hit rim with his jumpers

also their shooters aren't quite as good as the mavs' especially because they can't really play novak against the heat

chandler is a tough guard for the heat i think but his repertoire being limited to pick n roll dives (which is is amazing at) minimizes the totally # of plays he can realistically be involved in

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine 4m
Hiring of Tim Leiweke to run Raps & Leafs gives Toronto's basketball team major player with LA ties who can make pitch Phil will listen to

11 rihn]gs to canada???

(as team pres)

chandler's d was pretty huge in the 11 finals iirc but if he's not 100% healthy it sort of gets mitigated

also the heat's evolved offense prob minimizes the impact one rim protector can have

Not having a healthy Chandler at the rim makes it tough to take the Knicks seriously. Happy to see Martin looking good for now; hope it keeps up.

btw literally anyone can make the finals in the west now which is kinda fun (except the lakers)

(and the warriors sans lee {rip :(})

i guess we won't really know the blueprint of a team that can beat this current heat team until we see a team actually do it for a 7 game series

im thinking it will be the spurs out of the west which will be super interesting vs heat- probably timmy's last real shot, maybe manu's too, the lebron redemption tour continues as he gets a crack at the team that slapped him around on his first trip to the finals

i guess we won't really know the blueprint of a team that can beat this current heat team until we see a team actually do it for a 7 game series

― 乒乓, Friday, April 26, 2013 2:33 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

dallas beat them iirc

you don't rc, don't you remember dirk had a cold and they lost in six games?

that was 2 season ago xp