Why The Nets Will Beat The Heat....
VS 
Starting Lineups:
Miami
PG - Damon Jones - Slight Edge
SG - Dwyane Wade
SF - Eddie Jones
PF - Udonis Haslem - Even
C - Shaquille O'Neal - Edge
New Jersey
PG - Jacque Vaughn
SG - Jason Kidd - Edge
SF - Vince Carter - Edge
PF - Jason Collins - Even
C - Nenad Kristic
Now imagine this scenario:
Miami
PG - Damon Jones
SG - Dwyane Wade
SF - Eddie Jones
PF - Udonis Haslem - Even
C - Shaquille O'Neal - Edge
New Jersey
PG - Jason Kidd - Edge
SG - Vince Carter - Edge
SF - Richard Jefferson - Edge
PF - Jason Collins - Even
C - Nenad Kristic
While the Heat are widely considered the "Beast Of The East", I bet you they're praying the Nets win tonight and the Sixers lose, so that the Sixers fall to 8th in the East. Everyone is overlooking the Nets, but they're one of the hottest teams going into the playoffs and the Heat have been struggling of late. Watch out for New Jersey....
posted by Matt Dabney @ 4/20/2005 07:22:00 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Richard Jefferson hasn't played for three months. If he does return, then he's at best even with Eddie Jones, and probably worse. In Jefferson's absence, then Scalabrine steps in, enormous mismatch.
Haslem is better than Collins.
Wade is Even with Carter over the last month or so, and Wade is better over the entire season.
Kidd is obviously better than Damon Jones, but Jones is no slouch.
Shaq counts for at least 2 gies in the playoffs because they will dump to him all night.
The Nets could win, but they'd have to get lucky. They are playing well and the Heat have fallen off over the last couple weeks, but they have nothing to play for, while the Nets are fighting for their lives.
Of course, the Nets have to make the playoffs first.
OK. You got me. I embellished things a little.
Udonis Haslem has the edge over Jason Collins.
With Shaq not 100%, and the Nets playing extremely well of late, don't count the Nets out.
Dwayne Wade is amazing. But there is no way you can argue that he is "far better than Vince Carter."
I truely believe that if the Nets play with the hustle and determination that they've played with the past couple of weeks, they can beat the Heat.
Unfortunately, I don't think the league wants to see it's biggest marquee player (Shaq) knocked out in the first round, so if I were forced to bet on the series, I'd bet the Heat win.
Daff, I know you love the Nets, and as a Knicks fan who lived and died with every year lost to Jordan, Hakeem, Reggie et al, I know how it's easy to blindly follow a team.
But the Nets literally have no chance against the Heat. I'd be surprised if they win a game. I think the Nets should be pleased if they play a couple of close games.
I can argue that Dwayne Wade is "far better" than Vince Carter. I'll give Vince Carter his props, he has been playing amazingly since he came to the Nets. But I don't think he's close to the level of Dwayne Wade. Wade is one of the most athletic, game-changing players in the league. Carter is an exceptional scorer, a better Antoine Walker, or, better comparison, a sort-of Dominique Wilkins. Dwayne Wade could guard Carter straight-up and contain him, whereas Vince Carter would probably get scorched off the dribble every other play by Wade, and need help, setting up Damon and Eddie Jones for a flurry of 3s. However, the Heat should (and probably will) play Wade on Kidd, and Wade will do as good of a job as any on Kidd. Eddie Jones, no defensive slouch, will play Carter well.
Daff, are you implying by the last paragraph of your previous comment that if the Nets were playing even with the Heat, the referees would fix the game so Shaq could remain in the playoffs longer?
From #1 - #5, the Heat are one of the best teams in the league. If not the best, they're close. The best starting fives in the league, by a mile, are the Heat, the Pistons and the Suns. The Spurs are probably the best team overall, factoring in their bench and the intangibles.
I'm amazed at how little respect the Pistons get though. I always think the Spurs will win, but I wouldn't be really surprised if Detroit repeats. Billups and Hamilton are perenially underrated. And Detroit's the only team that can, for the most part, guard Shaq man-to-man. (I'm sure they'd send down help for Ben Wallace, but it's not as dire as the help Krstic or Eddy Curry or Brendan Haywood would need.)
A Pistons-Spurs final, while not high-scoring and fan-friendly, would be some phenomenal basketball.
Anyway, after looking back at this whole post, I realize that I'm setting myself up to look ridiculous, especially if the series goes seven or if the Nets win.
But hey, you gotta put your nuts on the line somewhere.
Daff, sorry to join the Joe / Jerry chorus of doubting Thomases, but I think the Nets should be optimistic about next year, and hope Krstic puts in 30 pounds of muscle in the off-season.
well, at least the nets won one game. oh, wait, sorry. they got swept!
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