Celtics fall to Grizzlies, Miami is our real competition

[Rush]

Interestingly, I've been listening to sports radio, reading around the internet and much of the sports world still seems stuck on the idea that the Celtics are going to knock off the Heat, beat the Bulls, and challenge the Lakers...

Go to Source For Full Article: Bulls Confidential...

By: Doug Thonus

 

[Anytime23]

Didn't read the article, I'm just gonna say I don't agree with the headline. I honestly don't see any reason to agree with that. Celtics 2-0 vs Miami, 2-1 vs Chicago. Miami 0-3 against Chicago, 0-2 against the Bulls. Miami has less size and depth and don't have the same chemistry and continuity that the celtics have.

 

[pinkizdead]

I'm betting on miami to face the bulls in the ECF.

 

[Anytime23]

I meant to say 0-3 vs bulls, 0-2 vs Celtics.

 

[houheffna]

Boston doesn't look good in the games I have seen them in, with the exception of the New York game where they did away with the Knicks when they wanted to. Miami is the scary team. 2 of the top 5 players in the league on that team and Bosh playing better since adjustments have been made. I would much rather play Boston than Miami...

 

[Adog06]

I dont think it matters. Either way we beat these teams in a 7 game series.

 

[Glide2keva]

Bring either team. I don't care. Bulls can beat Boston and lebron will figure out a way to choke like he always does.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

The Celtics have already won as many games this season as they had all of last season. And people wrote them off last year, too. Granted- they had Kendrick Perkins back then. But Kevin Garnett was in a Tim Duncan state injury-wise with his right knee. We have seen a re-vitalized KG this year who is making a solid case as once again being the best PF in the NBA in a league stacked with great PFs.

The Miami Heat are a team that really have proven to not be able to close out teams in close games. And they have proven to be essentially a glorified version of the Atlanta Hawks in their halfcourt offense.

Wait until the playoffs begin... they will be forced to slow down the tempo when they realize that every possession is important in close games. And they are no more than a jump-shooting team in that situation.

Doug is definitely going to eat his words come playoff time.

 

[Glide2keva]

Rondo is playing like crap lately, still acting scared to score or shoot. Perkins not being there will hurt them and Shaq is not going to make a difference. They JO, but he hasn't been good in going on 5 years now.

The Bulls are locking teams down and running up the score like Joe Pa and the Nittany Lions.

Wade is the only player I'm concerned about on Miami. He's proven he can win and has led a team to a title. He shows up in big games and wants the pressure. lebron shy's away from pressure and is too passive in the clutch. Bosh? How many big games has he been in out there in T. Dot? 0

THe Bulls have to force the ball into lebron's hands in close games if they want to win. They should never let Wade touch the ball late in games.

 

[houheffna]

The Celtics have already won as many games this season as they had all of last season. And people wrote them off last year, too. Granted- they had Kendrick Perkins back then. But Kevin Garnett was in a Tim Duncan state injury-wise with his right knee. We have seen a re-vitalized KG this year who is making a solid case as once again being the best PF in the NBA in a league stacked with great PFs.

The Miami Heat are a team that really have proven to not be able to close out teams in close games. And they have proven to be essentially a glorified version of the Atlanta Hawks in their halfcourt offense.

Wait until the playoffs begin... they will be forced to slow down the tempo when they realize that every possession is important in close games. And they are no more than a jump-shooting team in that situation.

Doug is definitely going to eat his words come playoff time.

Wade won a championship with that style, so I wouldn't underestimate what the Heat can do in the playoffs...

 

[Glide2keva]

Wade won a championship with that style, so I wouldn't underestimate what the Heat can do in the playoffs...

Wade didn't have lebron on that team. He had a just out of his prime, but still effective Shaq, GP and Zo.

This team has lebron, Bosh and scrubs.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

Wade won a championship with that style, so I wouldn't underestimate what the Heat can do in the playoffs...

Things were different in 2005-06. Wade and the Heat played one of the slower tempos in the NBA because they had the likes of Gary Payton, Shaquille O'Neal, James Posey, Alonzo Mourning, and Udonis Haslem. Their team was stacked to the core. And they had the ultimate superstar motivator in the form of Pat Riley.

 

[houheffna]

Things were different in 2005-06. Wade and the Heat played one of the slower tempos in the NBA because they had the likes of Gary Payton, Shaquille O'Neal, James Posey, Alonzo Mourning, and Udonis Haslem. Their team was stacked to the core. And they had the ultimate superstar motivator in the form of Pat Riley.

Mouning was past his prime, came out of retirement. Payton was old...Posey and Haslem should never have their names included in the term "stacked team". Dwayne Wade isolations won them the title. That was the adjustment that was made in that Finals. They beat a better team that year because Wade was effective in isolation and Dallas could not adjust.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

Mouning was past his prime, came out of retirement. Payton was old...Posey and Haslem should never have their names included in the term "stacked team". Dwayne Wade isolations won them the title. That was the adjustment that was made in that Finals. They beat a better team that year because Wade was effective in isolation and Dallas could not adjust.

Wow...

Jason Williams, Gary Payton
Dwyane Wade
James Posey
Udonis Haslem (8 and 9 guy), Antoine Walker
Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning (led the NBA in blocks and had about 5.0 per 48 mins)


Yeah. How the hell could that team compare with this year's team? No way.

Give me a break. You never take little things into consideration like Wade is a rhythym scorer, and the higher number of shots he gets, the more accurate he is going to be from the field in general. With Bosh and James, Wade's shots go down and it renders him less effective- in fact- all THREE of them less effective.

 

[pinkizdead]

The heat are an elite team on offense. They're a good team on defense too. I think they need a little more defensively, but their offense is really good. If the heat play this well with wade/lebron/bosh taking out of rythym shots, they should be happy.

If they get a post defender in the form of a center, they'll be an elite team. They have really good defenders at sg and sf. They have a functional defender at pf and pg(chalmers), they ought to be set this off season. Even if they get a guy like dalembert, they're still going to be a good team on the defensive end.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

The heat are an elite team on offense. They're a good team on defense too. I think they need a little more defensively, but their offense is really good. If the heat play this well with wade/lebron/bosh taking out of rythym shots, they should be happy.

If they get a post defender in the form of a center, they'll be an elite team. They have really good defenders at sg and sf. They have a functional defender at pf and pg(chalmers), they ought to be set this off season. Even if they get a guy like dalembert, they're still going to be a good team on the defensive end.

The only way that I see the Heat becoming a great offensive team (which seems to be contrary to what you believe them to be), they desperately need to gain balance to their attack. They need that low-post scorer and spot-up shooter to complement the "Big 3" and to gain a balanced attack.

They also need a steady diet of the basic elements of basketball: who the hell is their first option? Their second option? Third? They simply don't know what to do down-the-stretch of close games yet. They need to gain that familiarity. Otherwise, they will never be an elite team.

Right now, the Heat are a quite ordinary rebounding team, a very good overall offensive team, and a consistently very good defensive team. That isn't going to change until at least next season.

 

[houheffna]

Wow...

Jason Williams, Gary Payton
Dwyane Wade
James Posey
Udonis Haslem (8 and 9 guy), Antoine Walker
Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning (led the NBA in blocks and had about 5.0 per 48 mins)


Yeah. How the hell could that team compare with this year's team? No way.

Give me a break. You never take little things into consideration like Wade is a rhythym scorer, and the higher number of shots he gets, the more accurate he is going to be from the field in general. With Bosh and James, Wade's shots go down and it renders him less effective- in fact- all THREE of them less effective.

Dismiss this Heat team if you want to. You can name all of the scrubs you want to name from that 2006 team. The Mavs had a better team and the Heat beat them because they couldn't counter Wade isolating on the wing....

 

[pinkizdead]

PINKIZDEAD RULES! GET used to that signature rami!

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

Dismiss this Heat team if you want to. You can name all of the scrubs you want to name from that 2006 team. The Mavs had a better team and the Heat beat them because they couldn't counter Wade isolating on the wing....

You are once again ignoring key points I've made in my previous post about Wade not being that type of scorer anymore. Come on.

Shaq back in 2006 was so much better than Bosh right now, it should make your head spin. James Posey was younger and had some explosiveness back then and wasn't out of shape like he was now. Shaq said it himself- 'if we don't have Posey, we don't win that title.' And he was a rugged and tough defender. Antoine Walker was always overrated. But he was a formidable bench player to spark them. Udonis Haslem is still on the Heat, and is their best rebounder. But he will be marginalized here in 2011 due to Bosh's presense. Jason Williams and even an old Gary Payton were not scrubs. Alonzo Mourning was still a force to be reckoned with... without him, they don't win that '06 title.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

PINKIZDEAD RULES! GET used to that signature rami!

No way man. I doubt you are going to win this bet. Doug is getting all down on Boston because they lose to a very good Grizzlies team, who's record is like 40-32? Even without Rudy ***, they have Shane Battier now to replace him. It's not as though Boston lost to somebody shitty... They still have tons of upside over Miami.