The Heat are locked up with the Pacers in what is sure to be a tight Eastern Conference Finals. It’s only the third conference rematch in the last 20 years and it beholds two major stars facing off — Paul George vs. LeBron James. Miami is also trying to become the 5th team in history to win three championships in a row.
As stars age while the new generation matures, it’s only getting tougher for Miami to win as their championship window seems to be closing. At the end of the day the Heat are still the favorites to advance this year, but here is…
Why the Miami Heat won’t win the 2014 NBA Finals
Rebounds per game for the No. 2 seed in the East, good for 30th in basketball — yup, dead last. Hard to win games when you can’t grab boards.
Wade missed significant time for the third straight year with knee issues, only scoring 19 ppg, his lowest total since his rookie season. The Pacers won’t hold back.
The Heat couldn’t defend the most basic basketball play in Game 1 – FiveThirtyEight
Sunday’s game against the Pacers marked just the third time all season the Heat failed to lead at any point during the game. The last time? Against the Spurs March 6.
Alright, I’ll stop. Who are we kidding? The Heat are still the Heat…
Why we’re wrong
They have the best player on the planet. He’s going for his third title in a row and he’s still hungry.
As cheesy as it may be…
The Heat have won the last five times they have trailed in a series. It’s almost as if they’re playing cat and mouse with the Pacers — and they’re a raging lion.
Did I mention they have the best player on the planet? Sure, Kevin Durant won the MVP, but LeBron is the most dominating player on the floor in any game he plays. He’s averaged nearly 27 PPG, 7 APG, 7 RPG for his career, and he’s still in his prime. To put that into perspective, Michael Jordan averaged 30/6/5 for his career.
LeBron could do this at any time:
And let’s also not forget they have Mr. Clutch, Ray Allen, who is arguably still the best clutch 3-point shooter in the NBA — a key role player the Heat will need to defeat the Spurs again in the Finals.
The NBA is a predictable league with no parity whatsoever. I predict Heat over Spurs in 7 games.
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Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports. @JHelmuth – “Like” on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
