Hoops - NBA/Basketball Talk

[DarthFed]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

A sensible post aside from the laugh out loud ridiculous statement that "JR Smith is the most explosive scorer in the NBA." We are talking about a 42% shooter who shoots an average of nearly 16 shots to get 18 points. This is not efficient and it sure as hell is not explosive scoring. The Heat and other teams are happy to see him shoot instead of Melo.

As for the rest, we will wait and see. The Knicks do not have the firepower needed to take out Lebron unless he reverts back to the 2011 finals which seems doubtful. You will need an amazing defense or have a situation like Durant and Westbrook going ballistic for most of the series. Melo is not Durant and the Knicks do not have a 2nd superstar or anything close to it. Anyways there is a lot of bball before a Knicks-Heat series.

 

[Billie]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

I am with you Darth, I am not sold on the Knicks yet.

Are the Nuggets going to lose after having such a big lead earlier?

 

[calitennis127]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

A sensible post aside from the laugh out loud ridiculous statement that "JR Smith is the most explosive scorer in the NBA." We are talking about a 42% shooter who shoots an average of nearly 16 shots to get 18 points.

So it's all just a matter of comprehensive stats? Never mind that JR has one of the best +/- figures in the NBA in the last 5-7 years. And never mind that he has a reputation for taking over games with awe-inspiring displays of shooting and scoring firepower.

There is also an aesthetic element to this. JR makes his shots abruptly and dynamically, and also with powerful physical presence, and for this reason his makes carry far more weight with opponents than, say, a little wimp like Kevin Martin hitting his ugly jump shot from 16 feet.

This is not efficient and it sure as hell is not explosive scoring.

Ask Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook if they saw some explosive scoring when JR lit them up for 33 points in just two quarters when OKC visited the Garden this year.

The Heat and other teams are happy to see him shoot instead of Melo.

Lol....no they are not.

No one ever mentions this, but Melo has a losing record in New York without JR. His stint in New York was an ugly disaster until Woodson was hired after D'Antoni's firing, because Woodson's major change in replacing D'Antoni was playing JR 30+ minutes.

As for the rest, we will wait and see. The Knicks do not have the firepower needed to take out Lebron unless he reverts back to the 2011 finals which seems doubtful.

Totally disagree. To beat New York this year, LeBron will have to play well above his normal level. He will have to be more of the Game 4 Indiana LeBron or the Game 6 Boston LeBron most of the time. He is capable of that, but it won't be easy for him. However, it will make for a great series.

You will need an amazing defense or have a situation like Durant and Westbrook going ballistic for most of the series.

Huh???? First of all, how will you need "an amazing defense"? The Heat are offensively inept outside of the Big 3, two of whom play the same position in a slow-down half-court offense. The Heat are not an offensive juggernaut. It's amazing how people say this when twice they needed LeBron to be Hercules to save their neck last year in the playoffs (Game 4 against Indiana, Game 6 against Boston).

LOL....in Game 4 at Indiana, they were losing by almost 10 at halftime and then LeBron and Wade proceeded to score 38 STRAIGHT POINTS. Does that sound like a team effort?

The Heat are an offensive joke most of the time. You don't need to be "amazing" on defense to put yourself in a position to win.

Melo is not Durant and the Knicks do not have a 2nd superstar or anything close to it.

Nice little dig at my dawg JR Smith. Talent-wise, JR Smith is entirely in the class of any superstar in the NBA. The guy has a 40+-inch vertical, and can hit threes smoother than anyone out to 35 feet. He is also a great passer and this year - when finally given the opportunity - has demonstrated the scoring versatility in the mid-range and on the drive that he is capable of.

When he dropped 36 on OKC with Melo out, it was clear that JR Smith was the MOST TALENTED individual on the court - not Durant and certainly not Westbrook.

The fact is, JR has not been embraced for attitude reasons. George Karl was a scumbag and a hypocrite in how he handled JR and he suppressed him for years in Denver. JR's reputation would be much better by now if he hadn't played under Karl all those years. I followed the situation closely, and what Karl did to him was idiotic and low. There is no way I am letting JR critics like you off the hook by just letting you repeat moronic George Karl-isms about JR Smith.

With what JR did this year, Karl was proven wrong. Dead wrong. Period. There is no debating that.

Anyways there is a lot of bball before a Knicks-Heat series.

Sure there is. But you can book that series. It is happening. Indiana is offensively inept and New York will steamroll them in a playoff series.

But I have to say, I haven't been as excited for a playoff series as I am for the Knicks facing the Heat. It will be box office and the games will be thrilling. You have many of my favorite players out there, all of whom have strong personalities: JR, Kenyon Martin, LeBron, Wade, and Birdman, as well as Melo, Chandler, and possibly Amare.

That series will be awesome. I cannot wait.

It will be a show.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

A sensible post aside from the laugh out loud ridiculous statement that "JR Smith is the most explosive scorer in the NBA." We are talking about a 42% shooter who shoots an average of nearly 16 shots to get 18 points.

So it's all just a matter of comprehensive stats? Never mind that JR has one of the best +/- figures in the NBA in the last 5-7 years. And never mind that he has a reputation for taking over games with awe-inspiring displays of shooting and scoring firepower.

There is also an aesthetic element to this. JR makes his shots abruptly and dynamically, and also with powerful physical presence, and for this reason his makes carry far more weight with opponents than, say, a little wimp like Kevin Martin hitting his ugly jump shot from 16 feet.

This is not efficient and it sure as hell is not explosive scoring.

Ask Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook if they saw some explosive scoring when JR lit them up for 33 points in just two quarters when OKC visited the Garden this year.

The Heat and other teams are happy to see him shoot instead of Melo.

Lol....no they are not.

No one ever mentions this, but Melo has a losing record in New York without JR. His stint in New York was an ugly disaster until Woodson was hired after D'Antoni's firing, because Woodson's major change in replacing D'Antoni was playing JR 30+ minutes.

As for the rest, we will wait and see. The Knicks do not have the firepower needed to take out Lebron unless he reverts back to the 2011 finals which seems doubtful.

Totally disagree. To beat New York this year, LeBron will have to play well above his normal level. He will have to be more of the Game 4 Indiana LeBron or the Game 6 Boston LeBron most of the time. He is capable of that, but it won't be easy for him. However, it will make for a great series.

You will need an amazing defense or have a situation like Durant and Westbrook going ballistic for most of the series.

Huh???? First of all, how will you need "an amazing defense"? The Heat are offensively inept outside of the Big 3, two of whom play the same position in a slow-down half-court offense. The Heat are not an offensive juggernaut. It's amazing how people say this when twice they needed LeBron to be Hercules to save their neck last year in the playoffs (Game 4 against Indiana, Game 6 against Boston).

LOL....in Game 4 at Indiana, they were losing by almost 10 at halftime and then LeBron and Wade proceeded to score 38 STRAIGHT POINTS. Does that sound like a team effort?

The Heat are an offensive joke most of the time. You don't need to be "amazing" on defense to put yourself in a position to win.

Melo is not Durant and the Knicks do not have a 2nd superstar or anything close to it.

Nice little dig at my dawg JR Smith. Talent-wise, JR Smith is entirely in the class of any superstar in the NBA. The guy has a 40+-inch vertical, and can hit threes smoother than anyone out to 35 feet. He is also a great passer and this year - when finally given the opportunity - has demonstrated the scoring versatility in the mid-range and on the drive that he is capable of.

When he dropped 36 on OKC with Melo out, it was clear that JR Smith was the MOST TALENTED individual on the court - not Durant and certainly not Westbrook.

The fact is, JR has not been embraced for attitude reasons. George Karl was a scumbag and a hypocrite in how he handled JR and he suppressed him for years in Denver. JR's reputation would be much better by now if he hadn't played under Karl all those years. I followed the situation closely, and what Karl did to him was idiotic and low. There is no way I am letting JR critics like you off the hook by just letting you repeat moronic George Karl-isms about JR Smith.

With what JR did this year, Karl was proven wrong. Dead wrong. Period. There is no debating that.

Anyways there is a lot of bball before a Knicks-Heat series.

Sure there is. But you can book that series. It is happening. Indiana is offensively inept and New York will steamroll them in a playoff series.

But I have to say, I haven't been as excited for a playoff series as I am for the Knicks facing the Heat. It will be box office and the games will be thrilling. You have many of my favorite players out there, all of whom have strong personalities: JR, Kenyon Martin, LeBron, Wade, and Birdman, as well as Melo, Chandler, and possibly Amare.

That series will be awesome. I cannot wait.

It will be a show.

So basketball talent has been completely limited to a vertical and speed...good to know. JR Nalbandian is nothing, just an above average player. The Knicks chances rely on Anthony playing out of his mind and Lebron playing well below normal. If Lebron is Lebron the series won't go more than 6.

For someone who seems to watch so much basketball you haven't come to the realization that you don't need more than 2 or 3 good scorers. For the 1st 3-peat the Bulls had Jordan, Pippen, a decent scorer in Horace Grant and then a bunch of interchangeable players who were in the NBA for the sole purpose of making wide open 3's created by their teammates.

It is a HUGE advantage having the best player in the league, especially come playoff time. They don't often need their team to play great, they just need them to be decent enough. That's what happened last year and chances are that's what will happen this year. And to be clear the Heat have BY FAR the best player in the league. It is a large drop from Lebron to Durant right now, that's how good he is. This was similar with MJ all those years where you get the sense it is going to be really damn tough for a team to win a best of 7 vs. them. Now Lebron ain't Jordan so there is hope for the other teams but I certainly would not bet against the Heat this year.

For the Heat their offense isn't always great but with their defense they don't need to score 100+ every night to win. But if they are in a close game they have a couple players who can take over the game by themselves.

 

[kskate2]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

Well Cali, Knicks have to get out of the 1st round before they can even think about Indy or Heat. Lost a close out game at home. C's scored from all over the court while Melo and JR couldn't find the bottom of the ocean.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

This 1st round suddenly got interesting. You still have to favor OKC and New York but anything can happen especially when momentum has been seized by the teams that had been down 3-0. Denver and Golden State should be interesting as well.

The only series I can't get excited about is Indy-Atlanta. It is shaping up to be one of those "fake-competitive" 7 game series where every game was won by the home team by 15+ points.

 

[the AntiPusher]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

Da Bulls(Yes, Darth Fed, I have to switch back to my 2nd team since Kobe's injury doomed the Lakers season(including Jim Buss and Mike no Defense antoni).. What guts and effort by Noah, Superman Nate Robinson, Boozer and coach Tib. The Nets were soft and the Bulls knew it. However, we have no chance against LBJ and DWade unless Drose is going to bring a young MJ and Scottie P. I have Memphis coming out of the western conference finals. I still dont like the fact that they gave up Rudy Gay because I think they coulda acquire T Prince without making that trade.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

Now that the 1st round is done, anyone have predictions for round 2?

Miami over Chicago in 5. Chicago's health and the fact they just went 7 against Brooklyn does not play in their favor. The Heat have had a long break so it's possible they come into game 1 a little rusty and that figures to be Chicago's best chance to make some noise this series.

New York over Indiana in 7. This should be an interesting one. Indy has great defense and the Knicks are explosive. Both just went 6 games but Knicks have HCA and the best player in the series (Melo).

Memphis in 6 over OKC. Westbrook being out is obviously a big deal and is the only reason I'd pick Memphis here, otherwise it'd be OKC in 5 or 6. Memphis now has the better all around team and it really will be Durant vs. the world in this series. The only other relief for OKC is if they can get good looks for Kevin Martin. OKC has homecourt and by far the best player in the series and that gives them hope.

Spurs in 6 over Golden State. Rest is the Spurs best friend and they are still too tough in the playoffs defensively to allow Curry to beat them practically singlehandedly. Duncan is playing amazing and I think Golden State's best chance is for Bogut to have a big series and at least cancel him out. Bogut is a beast when healthy but that is always the question with him. Playoff experience, HCA and an all around better team should win out over Golden State's athleticism and Curry.

 

[the AntiPusher]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

Now that the 1st round is done, anyone have predictions for round 2?

Miami over Chicago in 5. Chicago's health and the fact they just went 7 against Brooklyn does not play in their favor. The Heat have had a long break so it's possible they come into game 1 a little rusty and that figures to be Chicago's best chance to make some noise this series.

New York over Indiana in 7. This should be an interesting one. Indy has great defense and the Knicks are explosive. Both just went 6 games but Knicks have HCA and the best player in the series (Melo).

Memphis in 6 over OKC. Westbrook being out is obviously a big deal and is the only reason I'd pick Memphis here, otherwise it'd be OKC in 5 or 6. Memphis now has the better all around team and it really will be Durant vs. the world in this series. The only other relief for OKC is if they can get good looks for Kevin Martin. OKC has homecourt and by far the best player in the series and that gives them hope.

Spurs in 6 over Golden State. Rest is the Spurs best friend and they are still too tough in the playoffs defensively to allow Curry to beat them practically singlehandedly. Duncan is playing amazing and I think Golden State's best chance is for Bogut to have a big series and at least cancel him out. Bogut is a beast when healthy but that is always the question with him. Playoff experience, HCA and an all around better team should win out over Golden State's athleticism and Curry.

I agree with all of your predictions but the Spurs over the Warriors and I dont like the Indy match up for the Knicks.. The Knicks are primarly 2003-2010 Nuggets(Melo, KMart and JR Smith) of the East. I am gonna stick with the youngings(Step Curry and company). I think Mark Jackson should be a the top of the coach of the year. Besides, if the Warriors advance, the more opportunity that they will show Step Curry's mom Sonya:heart:

 

[Billie]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

I think it will play out like you stated Darth, though I've always been wrong about the Spurs. One year I think they won't do much, then they play great and vice versa. I am disappointed with Clippers but the Grizzlies were really great. Bulls displayed great resiliance and heart, and the biggest favourites are still the Heat, to me.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

I think it will play out like you stated Darth, though I've always been wrong about the Spurs. One year I think they won't do much, then they play great and vice versa. I am disappointed with Clippers but the Grizzlies were really great. Bulls displayed great resiliance and heart, and the biggest favourites are still the Heat, to me.

I hear you about the Spurs. It is tough to get a read on them. 2 years ago they were the top seed, dominant all year but you could tell they were worn down near the end and the Grizzlies dominated them in the 1st round.

I actually thought something similar was going to happen this year. They had the best record most of the year but stunk down the stretch despite the importance of those games and lost the #1 seed to OKC. Meanwhile the Lakers were on a roll even without Kobe. One of my dumb predictions of last round is that the Lakers would have a good chance vs. San Antonio in large part due to SA's age and LA's growing momentum.

 

[Billie]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

I think it will play out like you stated Darth, though I've always been wrong about the Spurs. One year I think they won't do much, then they play great and vice versa. I am disappointed with Clippers but the Grizzlies were really great. Bulls displayed great resiliance and heart, and the biggest favourites are still the Heat, to me.

I hear you about the Spurs. It is tough to get a read on them. 2 years ago they were the top seed, dominant all year but you could tell they were worn down near the end and the Grizzlies dominated them in the 1st round.

I actually thought something similar was going to happen this year. They had the best record most of the year but stunk down the stretch despite the importance of those games and lost the #1 seed to OKC. Meanwhile the Lakers were on a roll even without Kobe. One of my dumb predictions of last round is that the Lakers would have a good chance vs. San Antonio in large part due to SA's age and LA's growing momentum.

yeah sometimes the results can be misleading. I can't tell about Spurs, and me not watching as many games as I needed to to make more informed comments have a lot to do with it as well. I knew that once Kobe went down, the Lakers were doomed.

 

[the AntiPusher]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

I think it will play out like you stated Darth, though I've always been wrong about the Spurs. One year I think they won't do much, then they play great and vice versa. I am disappointed with Clippers but the Grizzlies were really great. Bulls displayed great resiliance and heart, and the biggest favourites are still the Heat, to me.

I hear you about the Spurs. It is tough to get a read on them. 2 years ago they were the top seed, dominant all year but you could tell they were worn down near the end and the Grizzlies dominated them in the 1st round.

I actually thought something similar was going to happen this year. They had the best record most of the year but stunk down the stretch despite the importance of those games and lost the #1 seed to OKC. Meanwhile the Lakers were on a roll even without Kobe. One of my dumb predictions of last round is that the Lakers would have a good chance vs. San Antonio in large part due to SA's age and LA's growing momentum.

"Meanwhile the Lakers were on a roll even without Kobe. One of my dumb predictions of last round is that the Lakers would have a good chance vs. San Antonio in large part due to SA's age and LA's growing momentum."

No Darth Fed it was a dumb prediction..the lakers was a walking MASH unit doing that series(Kobe acourse was out, also Blake, Nash, Metta, Meeks plus the combination of Dwight becoming the TinMan again and horrific coaching by D Antoni. No it wasnt dumb but just a total season from Hades for the Lakers.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

Indiana is playing tough...

 

[the AntiPusher]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

How bout so Luv for da Bulls and our man lil big man Nate Robinson, that guy is a beast warrior.. The Nets step on his head, LBJ crushed his face into the court floor, nate leaves for 20 mins, get 6 stitches in his upper lip and comes back drop 13 pts in the 3rd qtr and 27 to lead the Bulls to victory over the Heat. Ladies and Gents, that is all :heart:

 

[DarthFed]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

See what I mean Cali A team with pretty much no above average scorers just beat the Heat on the road. Elite defense or major firepower is needed to beat a team with by far the best player in the world. New York, if they get by Indy, will be a lesser contest because they don't have a good defense and just not enough firepower.

Now if Deng comes back it gets real interesting, could easily go 6 or 7. My thought was that the Heat would overwhelm the badly underhanded Bulls the first 2 games and then finish it off in 5. It goes at least 6 now.

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How bout so Luv for da Bulls and our man lil big man Nate Robinson, that guy is a beast warrior.. The Nets step on his head, LBJ crushed his face into the court floor, nate leaves for 20 mins, get 6 stitches in his upper lip and comes back drop 13 pts in the 3rd qtr and 27 to lead the Bulls to victory over the Heat. Ladies and Gents, that is all :heart:

The Bulls are a tough team and you have to admire the way they've played the last 2 games. But I've been bred since a young age to hate all things Chicago when it comes to sports. I'd like to see the Heat fall this year but not to Chicago.

 

[the AntiPusher]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

See what I mean Cali A team with pretty much no above average scorers just beat the Heat on the road. Elite defense or major firepower is needed to beat a team with by far the best player in the world. New York, if they get by Indy, will be a lesser contest because they don't have a good defense and just not enough firepower.

Now if Deng comes back it gets real interesting, could easily go 6 or 7. My thought was that the Heat would overwhelm the badly underhanded Bulls the first 2 games and then finish it off in 5. It goes at least 6 now.

---

How bout so Luv for da Bulls and our man lil big man Nate Robinson, that guy is a beast warrior.. The Nets step on his head, LBJ crushed his face into the court floor, nate leaves for 20 mins, get 6 stitches in his upper lip and comes back drop 13 pts in the 3rd qtr and 27 to lead the Bulls to victory over the Heat. Ladies and Gents, that is all :heart:

The Bulls are a tough team and you have to admire the way they've played the last 2 games. But I've been bred since a young age to hate all things Chicago when it comes to sports. I'd like to see the Heat fall this year but not to Chicago.

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Darth Fed, Let it go.. I told you that Chicago considers Milwaukee a north western suburb.. we all are one dude.. we are like cousins:s

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The Warriors can just flat out shoot the pill.. Stephen Curry has unlimited range.. what at shooter.. maybe a better jump shot than Ray Ray Allen

 

[DarthFed]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

See what I mean Cali A team with pretty much no above average scorers just beat the Heat on the road. Elite defense or major firepower is needed to beat a team with by far the best player in the world. New York, if they get by Indy, will be a lesser contest because they don't have a good defense and just not enough firepower.

Now if Deng comes back it gets real interesting, could easily go 6 or 7. My thought was that the Heat would overwhelm the badly underhanded Bulls the first 2 games and then finish it off in 5. It goes at least 6 now.

---

How bout so Luv for da Bulls and our man lil big man Nate Robinson, that guy is a beast warrior.. The Nets step on his head, LBJ crushed his face into the court floor, nate leaves for 20 mins, get 6 stitches in his upper lip and comes back drop 13 pts in the 3rd qtr and 27 to lead the Bulls to victory over the Heat. Ladies and Gents, that is all :heart:

The Bulls are a tough team and you have to admire the way they've played the last 2 games. But I've been bred since a young age to hate all things Chicago when it comes to sports. I'd like to see the Heat fall this year but not to Chicago.

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Darth Fed, Let it go.. I told you that Chicago considers Milwaukee a north western suburb.. we all are one dude.. we are like cousins:s

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The Warriors can just flat out shoot the pill.. Stephen Curry has unlimited range.. what at shooter.. maybe a better jump shot than Ray Ray Allen

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Well at least it isn't the Bears doing anything Don't have to worry about them if they run into GB.

 

[calitennis127]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

See what I mean Cali A team with pretty much no above average scorers just beat the Heat on the road.

Nate Robinson is an above average scorer. LOL....how many guys in the NBA have his offensive skill level? Not many. He can get his shot any way he wants. Bellinelli is also a decent shooter and scorer. The rest of the Bulls players - yes, they stink.

But the reason they won is that Miami is a horrible, poorly constructed team that is painful to watch. They have two superstars playing the same position in a stagnant halfcourt game with the biggest wimp in the history of NBA power forwards in Bosh, in addition to personality-less duds like Chalmers and Battier.

What's funny about the Heat is how imbalanced they are and how reliant they are on LeBron and Wade to be amazing. They are not a team in any functional sense. It is two superstars and then a bunch of freeloaders. The only complementary player they have that I like is Birdman, who is a new addition to this disgraceful team.

Elite defense or major firepower is needed to beat a team with by far the best player in the world.

The Knicks have both. How many teams have the physicality of Kenyon Martin and Tyson Chandler in the paint? Plus, the Knicks have no issues scoring the ball.

As for the Bulls, if they do beat the Heat (something I kind of want so that everyone can see how bad that roster is after LeBron and Wade), it will be much more a reflection on Miami's deficiencies than Chicago's strengths.

New York, if they get by Indy, will be a lesser contest because they don't have a good defense and just not enough firepower.

LOL....what are you talking about?

Even though I generally can't stand his offensive game, Shumpert is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the NBA, as are Chandler and Martin. Felton, Kidd, JR, and Prigioni are all solid. The only defensive liability they have is Melo, who can be at least somewhat respectable on defense at times.

And not enough firepower? LOL....is that why New York beat Miami 3 out of 4 times, with their only loss being a tight one at MSG (granted LeBron and Wade sat out the last one)?

New York would have no issues shooting and scoring with Miami. JR would have a great series and with him in the mix they have more than enough firepower to deal with an offensively challenged, boring team like Miami - not that that is much of a compliment, but it is true. The Knicks are not so bad that they can't hang with a team that gives significant playing time to Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: 2013 NBA Playoffs

See what I mean Cali A team with pretty much no above average scorers just beat the Heat on the road.

Nate Robinson is an above average scorer. LOL....how many guys in the NBA have his offensive skill level? Not many. He can get his shot any way he wants. Bellinelli is also a decent shooter and scorer. The rest of the Bulls players - yes, they stink.

But the reason they won is that Miami is a horrible, poorly constructed team that is painful to watch. They have two superstars playing the same position in a stagnant halfcourt game with the biggest wimp in the history of NBA power forwards in Bosh, in addition to personality-less duds like Chalmers and Battier.

What's funny about the Heat is how imbalanced they are and how reliant they are on LeBron and Wade to be amazing. They are not a team in any functional sense. It is two superstars and then a bunch of freeloaders. The only complementary player they have that I like is Birdman, who is a new addition to this disgraceful team.

Elite defense or major firepower is needed to beat a team with by far the best player in the world.

The Knicks have both. How many teams have the physicality of Kenyon Martin and Tyson Chandler in the paint? Plus, the Knicks have no issues scoring the ball.

As for the Bulls, if they do beat the Heat (something I kind of want so that everyone can see how bad that roster is after LeBron and Wade), it will be much more a reflection on Miami's deficiencies than Chicago's strengths.

New York, if they get by Indy, will be a lesser contest because they don't have a good defense and just not enough firepower.

LOL....what are you talking about?

Even though I generally can't stand his offensive game, Shumpert is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the NBA, as are Chandler and Martin. Felton, Kidd, JR, and Prigioni are all solid. The only defensive liability they have is Melo, who can be at least somewhat respectable on defense at times.

And not enough firepower? LOL....is that why New York beat Miami 3 out of 4 times, with their only loss being a tight one at MSG (granted LeBron and Wade sat out the last one)?

New York would have no issues shooting and scoring with Miami. JR would have a great series and with him in the mix they have more than enough firepower to deal with an offensively challenged, boring team like Miami - not that that is much of a compliment, but it is true. The Knicks are not so bad that they can't hang with a team that gives significant playing time to Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier.

Robinson, Boozer and Noah are really the only ones you can argue are above average scorers but they are far from major offensive threats. The Knicks are a good defensive team but they are a long ways off from the Bulls and Pacers in that regard.

The regular season only means so much when talking about the playoffs. I remember back in 07 everyone made a huge deal about how the Cavs beat the Spurs twice in the regular season. Surely that meant they would have a great chance in the finals...then 4 blowouts later you saw how much that meant. All chips down in the playoffs, 7 game series...Knicks aren't winning or pushing it past 6. Now a team that can force Lebron into a few poor games like last night (poor for his standards) has a legit chance. New York won't be that team.