East Conference Playoffs Thread

[Q-is-here]

Jimmy Butler. That is all

Impressive win for Miami. What Butler is doing is pretty amazing. He's starting creep up there in age too.

[Coolbreeze44]

Jimmy Butler. That is all

Impressive win for Miami. What Butler is doing is pretty amazing. He's starting creep up there in age too.

I can't stand the guy but I have to give him his props. He's been great all postseason. He's bringing the goods every night (except for the game he inexplicably sat out).

Believe it or not, you can get the Heat +9.5 right now for game two.

[Monster]

Jimmy Butler. That is all

Jimmy is very good but what stands out to me is the 3 undrafted players for the Heat who played a combined 100 minutes in Game 1 and scored a combined 45 points on 16-27 shooting.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Miami lost its first play-in game. They were down with just over 2 minutes left in the play-in game before going on a 13 - 1 run to close the game.

They've now gained homecourt advantage vs. a team they match up very well against in the ECF.

I don't know how it keeps happening... but damn... the "Heat culture" sorta seems real doesn't it?

[Q-is-here]

Miami lost its first play-in game. They were down with just over 2 minutes left in the play-in game before going on a 13 - 1 run to close the game.

They've now gained homecourt advantage vs. a team they match up very well against in the ECF.

I don't know how it keeps happening... but damn... the "Heat culture" sorta seems real doesn't it?

Yeah, it's pretty incredible. We talk a lot about the fact you need more than one star on your roster to go deep in the playoffs, but the Heat really only have Jimmy (I realize that Bam is really good, but he seems like the 3rd best player on a more typical contending team). The rest of the roster just plays "winning basketball", which comes down to hustle, decision making, digging in, etc....all the intangibles. Go look at their individual playoff stats. No one other than Jimmy is playing out of their mind from a box score perspective.

Now cut and paste that exact same roster and put it in Minnesota, but Pat Riley, Udonis Haslem, and Eric Spoelstra and his staff all have to stay behind. No way in hell do they get out of the first round.

[Lipoli390]

Miami lost its first play-in game. They were down with just over 2 minutes left in the play-in game before going on a 13 - 1 run to close the game.

They've now gained homecourt advantage vs. a team they match up very well against in the ECF.

I don't know how it keeps happening... but damn... the "Heat culture" sorta seems real doesn't it?

Yeah, it's pretty incredible. We talk a lot about the fact you need more than one star on your roster to go deep in the playoffs, but the Heat really only have Jimmy (I realize that Bam is really good, but he seems like the 3rd best player on a more typical contending team). The rest of the roster just plays "winning basketball", which comes down to hustle, decision making, digging in, etc....all the intangibles. Go look at their individual playoff stats. No one other than Jimmy is playing out of their mind from a box score perspective.

Now cut and paste that exact same roster and put it in Minnesota, but Pat Riley, Udonis Haslem, and Eric Spoelstra and his staff all have to stay behind. No way in hell do they get out of the first round.

Yes, the Heat are an exception to the rule. They have one superstar in Butler, and as you noted, a player in Bam who would be the #3 on more typical championship contender. The Heat’s defense reminds me of the 40 minutes of hell defense we used to see from the Arkansas Razorbacks under head coach Nolan Richardson. It really flushed the Celtics last night. Have to credit Pat Riley. He and his front office staff have a special gift for spotting under-the-radar players who have a unique measure of mental toughness. They also have the best head coach in the Country. I’ll add that the Celtics head coach seems in way over his head.

I’d like to believe the Wolves could do what the Heat are doing this season. But it’s unreasonable to expect any organization, especially the Wolves organization, to replicate that model. The Wolves’ chances of becoming a contender rest on (2) Edwards becoming a clear superstar/#1 player like Butler, Tatum, Jokic, and Anthony Davis; (2) KAT staying healthy and being our #2; and (3) Jaden developing into a bona fide #3 or 2a. Then it’s up to management to surround those three with tough-minded, productive rotation players who complement and maximize the productivity of our top three guys. Note that two of the three things we need will require patience. It’s not reasonable to expect Edwards at age 21 or even Jaden at age 22 to be what we need them to be to be a championship contender. I think they’re both two years away from getting to that level. Meanwhile, it’s up to TC to find and add a quality young PG to succeed Conley and add a couple quality role players, including a three-point marksman off the bench.

[Q-is-here]

Miami lost its first play-in game. They were down with just over 2 minutes left in the play-in game before going on a 13 - 1 run to close the game.

They've now gained homecourt advantage vs. a team they match up very well against in the ECF.

I don't know how it keeps happening... but damn... the "Heat culture" sorta seems real doesn't it?

Yeah, it's pretty incredible. We talk a lot about the fact you need more than one star on your roster to go deep in the playoffs, but the Heat really only have Jimmy (I realize that Bam is really good, but he seems like the 3rd best player on a more typical contending team). The rest of the roster just plays "winning basketball", which comes down to hustle, decision making, digging in, etc....all the intangibles. Go look at their individual playoff stats. No one other than Jimmy is playing out of their mind from a box score perspective.

Now cut and paste that exact same roster and put it in Minnesota, but Pat Riley, Udonis Haslem, and Eric Spoelstra and his staff all have to stay behind. No way in hell do they get out of the first round.

Yes, the Heat are an exception to the rule. They have one superstar in Butler, and as you noted, a player in Bam who would be the #3 on more typical championship contender. The Heat’s defense reminds me of the 40 minutes of hell defense we used to see from the Arkansas Razorbacks under head coach Nolan Richardson. It really flushed the Celtics last night. Have to credit Pat Riley. He and his front office staff have a special gift for spotting under-the-radar players who have a unique measure of mental toughness. They also have the best head coach in the Country. I’ll add that the Celtics head coach seems in way over his head.

I’d like to believe the Wolves could do what the Heat are doing this season. But it’s unreasonable to expect any organization, especially the Wolves organization, to replicate that model. The Wolves’ chances of becoming a contender rest on (2) Edwards becoming a clear superstar/#1 player like Butler, Tatum, Jokic, and Anthony Davis; (2) KAT staying healthy and being our #2; and (3) Jaden developing into a bona fide #3 or 2a. Then it’s up to management to surround those three with tough-minded, productive rotation players who complement and maximize the productivity of our top three guys. Note that two of the three things we need will require patience. It’s not reasonable to expect Edwards at age 21 or even Jaden at age 22 to be what we need them to be to be a championship contender. I think they’re both two years away from getting to that level. Meanwhile, it’s up to TC to find and add a quality young PG to succeed Conley and add a couple quality role players, including a three-point marksman off the bench.

Yeah, Connelly has his work cut out for him to upgrade the backup guard positions. I know we have NAW, but we need more than that and even he isn't a sure thing. We just have to get better guard play from our bench next season.

[KiwiMatt]

Miami again. They go up 2 - 0 ON THE ROAD as the 8th seed!

I know someone who could help the Celtics woeful interior defence …….. Rudy Gobert.

[Q-is-here]

Miami again. They go up 2 - 0 ON THE ROAD as the 8th seed!

I know someone who could help the Celtics woeful interior defence …….. Rudy Gobert.

Hell of a game. Hard not to admire the grit and tenacity of the Heat. I'd give the game ball to Grant Williams if I were coach Spo. He started running his mouth to the wrong guy at the wrong time.

[kekgeek]

Jimmy Butler. I love that dude, yes he is an asshole but he was right and was our asshole