On Thursday, Miami took down the 2 time defending champs snapping the Lakers' 8 game winning streak and their own 5 game losing streak. A seismic shift like this sometimes leads to aftershocks. In their first game since that big win, El Heat is currently leading Memphis 55-37 at the half with all 3 $100,000,000 men tied for the team lead with 14 points each.
This is an indication that the team might be over their previous dynamics problem. It makes perfect sense to give Bosh an equally prominent role in the offense to match his equal paycheck. That was supposed to be the plan all along, right?
Miami is in the middle of facing a gauntlet of some of the toughest teams in the league (Lakers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Thunder, Hawks, Nuggets; 213-113 combined record). If they can ride the rebound effect of beating the Lakers and can win these six (the Spurs and thunder are obviously the biggest threat of these) they will face a soft 9 game stretch (Pistons, 76ers, Rockets, Cavs, Wizards, Timberwolves, Nets, Bucks, and Bobcats; 233-375 combined)
I'm going to say that they'll probably win 12 of these 15, but it is not beyond the possibility that they might run off as many as 15 straight wins. That's my prediction.
Showing posts with label Miami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miami. Show all posts
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Revenge Game
The Miami Heat killed the Cleveland Cavaliers. They killed their hopes that they might still be competitive without LeBron James. They killed their spirit and have since lost 30 of their past 31 games. Imagine that. One of the most hyped up regular season games in a long time ended with the (previously) struggling Heat crushing the Cavs 118-90 behind 38 points from LeBron including a back breaking 24 in the third quarter.
This was a major turning point in the seasons of both teams. The Heat finally clicked as a team that night and won 19 of 20 games while the Cavs have lost 29 of their past 30 games. Ouch.
So what's the point? The point is that obviously the Heat are going to win again. Probably. But Cleveland will most likely cover the 17.5 point spread. They just got their big 3 back together and are starting to win again after hitting a rough patch. However, they're probably looking at the Cavs as a fluff game and might be looking ahead at their tough run against Orlando, Charlotte, and the Blake Griffins in a three game in four night set next week.
This is the only chance that Cleveland has to salvage the season. Well, their pride anyway. This game is wayyy more important to Cleveland, so look for them to come out early with a lot of energy and possibly an early lead and try to get revenge. Look for them to fight the entire game and keep it close in the end. Cleveland has a semi-secret threat in rookie Manny Harris who had a breakout game in a rare start last game. He led the team with 20 points against Orlando on 7-12 shooting.
This was a major turning point in the seasons of both teams. The Heat finally clicked as a team that night and won 19 of 20 games while the Cavs have lost 29 of their past 30 games. Ouch.
So what's the point? The point is that obviously the Heat are going to win again. Probably. But Cleveland will most likely cover the 17.5 point spread. They just got their big 3 back together and are starting to win again after hitting a rough patch. However, they're probably looking at the Cavs as a fluff game and might be looking ahead at their tough run against Orlando, Charlotte, and the Blake Griffins in a three game in four night set next week.
This is the only chance that Cleveland has to salvage the season. Well, their pride anyway. This game is wayyy more important to Cleveland, so look for them to come out early with a lot of energy and possibly an early lead and try to get revenge. Look for them to fight the entire game and keep it close in the end. Cleveland has a semi-secret threat in rookie Manny Harris who had a breakout game in a rare start last game. He led the team with 20 points against Orlando on 7-12 shooting.
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