Why A Boston/Miami Series Will Be Fun To Watch

By Jordan Wagner

Yes, Boston and Miami are two of the big dogs in the East, so any matchup between them is bound to be exciting. However, this year’s playoff potential between the Celtics and Heat might be the best we’ve seen yet for a couple of reasons.

The first being that this could be the last chance for the Boston Celtics to make a title run with the Big 3 (or, as some say, Big 4 with Rondo.) There’s already been talk about trading any of the aging stars this season, and while the Big 3 are together for now, the future is uncertain. Especially considering, even if a trade didn’t happen, that Paul Peirce had been contemplating retirement earlier in the season. Just how much of a factor will a last ditch effort with the familiar players be should Boston and Miami meet?

Then look at the Heat. After closing out the series with New York, 4-1, they have momentum going forward. Of course, they had that same momentum last year as well, which resulted in a loss in the finals to Dallas. What makes this year different? For one thing, humility. After losing to the Mavericks last year, the Heat revised their “not one…not two…not three…” championship plan to “let’s at least get one, first.” And the pressure is on. LeBron James is surely one of, if not the, best player in the NBA right now. He’s 27 years old and in his prime. But what happens if he doesn’t win it this year? He’s played 8 full seasons in the NBA and has yet to make that ring appear on his finger. If his 9^th comes and goes without a championship victory, will he start to panic? What more can he do if a team with Wade and Bosh can’t win him the final prize? We can’t know yet, but one thing is clear: LeBron doesn’t even want it to get to that point.

So you have two teams that have more pressure on them than anyone else in the East (Chicago’s not going to win it without Rose, period.) It will be exciting to watch them go at it. LeBron James vs. Paul Pierce. Dwayne Wade vs. Ray Allen. Chris Bosh vs. Kevin Garnett. One has time working against them. The other, the media. Who really wants it more? It will be a tough fight down to the wire, but my ultimate guess is the Heat. The Celtics would have to travel to Miami first and be able to squeeze at least one win out there to compete in the series. Easier said than done against a Heat team that has scored in triple digits every time they’ve been home in this playoff series so far.

They both need to get pass this next round, though. Neither the Pacers nor the Sixers are talked about as potential threats in the East, but sports are sports and should anything happen to Miami or Boston before the Eastern Finals, the other team will surely be celebrating. (Or can you imagine them both being knocked out? Wow, what a weird year for the NBA that would be.) However, taking the more likely path, an eventual Heat/Celtics matchup this year is sure to be one for the ages. 

Who Can Beat the Heat?

By Jordan Wagner

Ladies and Gentlemen: it’s round two for the Miami Heat to start that “Not one…not two…not three…” championship run. Before they can win the championship, they have to win the East. I cannot think of an easier scenario than this year for the Heat to lock up a trip to the ship.

Let’s start with the Knicks. Miami whopmed on New York 100 to 67 the first game of the series. Now that the Heat have the 2-0 lead, I’m not thinking a comeback is likely for a Knicks team that allowed a 32-4 run against them over the second and third quarter in game one. Let’s just call the Knicks a science experiment gone wrong and focus on the next round.

Should Miami move on, they will either play the Orlando Magic or Indiana Pacers. Therefore, they will either play a Dwight Howard-less Orlando team, or the Pacers, who lost to the depleted Orlando team the first game of the series. Don’t get me wrong, folks. I am a Magic fan through and through and want nothing less than for my team to win the NBA championship this year. However, we all must live on earth, and it doesn’t look like we would have a chance of beating the Heat this year (even the fact that we got a game on Indiana was utterly surprising to me.) What about the Pacers beating the Heat? Answer that question with the following headline: "Indiana upsets Miami to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals!" Yeah, it’s just not believable.

The real battle would have ensued in the Eastern Conference Finals had Chicago been able to keep Derrick Rose healthy. With him out of the picture, it’s going to be a struggle for the Bulls to even get past the winner of the Boston/Atlanta series. Now granted, Chicago has one of the top defenses in the NBA, so a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals is not out of reach. If one looks at the regular season, he would see that Chicago beat Miami twice without Derrick Rose. So why would it be the case that the Bulls won’t be able to handle the Heat again this year?

Simple: the playoffs are when it matters the most.

The Bulls do not have their MVP, who can create his own shots when the game is on the line. They have managed well up to this point with solid defense, good coaching and key efforts by players like Deng, Boozer and even Watson. But playing a Miami team that is only one series away from a berth to the championship will be more than difficult without the All-Star point guard. No, Ladies and Gentlemen, if I were a betting man my money, much to my dismay as a Magic and Bulls fan, would be on Miami to win the East.

Who they would play in the championship is certainly a different story. The obvious Thunder/Heat matchup would excite a lot of fans, pitting arguably the two best players in the league right now up against each other. Of course, there is always that pesky Lakers team that could slip their way into the Finals again. And who knows, maybe this will be an upset year and the Clippers will climb to the top. The West has yet to be won, but one thing is looking certain: if the Heat want a chance to try their luck again at a title and to begin that “not one…not two…not three…” run, this is the year to strike. The East is weak.