It’s becoming painfully obvious that the Miami Heat will be moving on in the playoffs, probably sweeping the Knicks in Game 4 on Sunday. Even if New York manages to rise to the occasion they’ll have to go back to Miami and try and beat the Heat in American Airlines Arena and that won’t happen.
So now we have to look ahead to see just who the Miami Heat may have to face in the next round and that’s not a clear picture just yet. The series between the Indiana Pacers and the Orlando Magic isn’t as unevenly matched. Currently the Pacers are leading 2-1 and the series is scheduled to resume in Orlando on Saturday. So far each team has won on the others home court, making for an unpredictable finish. Two games in Orlando and two games in Indiana mean there is no clear favorite at this point but if I had to pick one team I’d say the Pacers are going to take this. They’ve been playing well to finish the season and I don’t think Orlando can keep hanging on.
So that means we’ll be looking at the Pacers visiting Miami in the near future if I’m correct and I am almost always wrong. But Heat vs Pacers or Heat vs Magic, the onus is still on Miami to take this thing all the way.
The Miami Heat have now taken a two-game lead over the New York Knicks in this early playoff series and they’ve looked pretty good doing it. Yes, it’s only the 1st Round but you gotta win these to move on. While I’m very optimistic, I have to believe that the upcoming games in New York will tell us a lot. If the Miami Heat have struggled this season it’s been on the road against good teams. Not an unusual thing but if Miami has it’s sights set on being an NBA Champion then it’s going to take strong performances on the home court of a strong opponent.
Back to back wins in American Airlines Arena have the Heat on the down slope of this series. And it doesn’t hurt that the Knicks will be playing (probably) without Stoudemire, who pretty much gave his team the kiss of death when he got into a fight with a glass fire extinguisher case. Now’s the time for the Miami Heat to just get it over with and win this thing.
The next matchup is in New York on Thursday night. 2-0 is a good start and puts you halfway home. The reward for winning is additional rest and it’s needed. The Knicks are reeling right now and the knockout punches could easily come on the road, a confidence booster for this Miami Heat squad who are 28-5 in American Airlines Arena but 46-20 away from their home court. A good road record but one that indicates the Heat don’t travel as well as they could. They can shut me up Thursday and completely shut me up on Sunday by shutting down the Knicks in four straight.
by EricDrouant on April 24, 2012 updated April 28, 2012
As I write this the Miami Heat are preparing to take on the Boston Celtics in Boston. Miami made a great run at the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference but I don’t see that happening. Right now it appears that the only thing on the mind of Miami Heat management is taking the opportunity to get some key players time to rest and recover from a long season, gathering strength for the NBA Playoffs around the corner.
The Heat will play in Boston but I seriously doubt either team will worry much about winning. Miami has ceded the top spot to the Chicago Bulls while the Celtics, almost 10 games behind the frontrunners, will concentrate on resting their own stars, a real concern as Boston’s roster has some mileage on it.
Looking ahead we can see some interesting matchups coming. In the Southeast the Hawks and magic are both in the post-season and could surprise. Likewise the Knicks and 76ers in the Atlantic. From the Central, besides Chicago, the Indiana Pacers are considered a sleeper, but with 42 wins under their belt anyone who takes them lightly could be making a big mistake.
The Miami Heat should be welcoming their first opponent of the playoffs to American Airlines Arena on or about the 28th of April. From there on out it’s going to be gut check time for this and every other franchise. this is for all the marbles.
by EricDrouant on April 20, 2012 updated April 20, 2012
The Miami Heat went one better than the Chicago Bulls last night in American Airlines Arena, taking advantage of the absence of Derrick Rose to capture an 83-72 win. The victory brings them to within about one game of Chicago in the race for the #1 seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, a seeding that I feel is essential given the struggles on the road this season.
LeBron James led the Miami Heat with 27 points and 11 rebounds while Dwyane Wade came back to contribute 18. Make no mistake, the Bulls and Heat know who their competition is. It’s each other and the tone of the game reflected that as the fouls, including techs and flagrants, were flying. You can fully expect that this rivalry is only going to grow more intense as the postseason progresses and the meeting of these two teams, possibly in the Finals, seems almost assured.
In the meantime enjoy your Heat tickets as the regular season draws to a close. At #1 or #2, the Miami Heat will be a force to contend with.
by EricDrouant on April 19, 2012 updated April 19, 2012
The Miami Heat have a big game coming tonight against the Chicago Bulls, one that could play a large role in the seeding for the Eastern Conference. Miami has won the Southeast Division and trails the Bulls by two games for the top seed. It’s not too hard to imagine the top ranked and injury laden Bulls dropping a pair of games to put the Heat in the lead.
But unless you’ve been living under a rock, you also realize that the NBA season is drawing to a close. the Miami Heat have a mere two games remaining in American Airlines Arena after tonight and the last chance you’ll get to enjoy the Heat in action in the regular season is with Rockets vs Heat tickets for Sunday April 22nd.
After that it will be time to load up on Miami Heat Playoff tickets. This post-season is going to be closely watched as the Miami Heat get a chance to make the whole season pay off and wash away the bad taste of last season’s loss in the NBA Finals. Snagging the #1 seed in the conference against the Houston Rockets would be a good way to launch things off.