Raptors VS Heat (Game 5)

Toronto Leads Series 3-2

Toronto can thank DeMar DeRozan for showing up last night. The guy had 34 points on the night. While he was the main reason for Toronto's win, the Raptors could have easily lost this game.

The Heat were very stale offensively. Guy weren't getting ope shots like they did against the Hornets. I think the main reason for this is the absence of Whiteside. They opportunity to go into pick and roll is something that they aren't going to anymore. Goran Dragic just needs to go into a pick and roll with Josh McRoberts and Dwayne Wade needs to go into it with Joe Johnson. They need ball movement. If they get Whiteside back, he'll help a lot, but if they don't, they are going to really suffer if they don't go into pick and roll. Now is a time where the Heat really miss Chris Bosh as well. The Heat cannot live off of 12 assists per game. And they not only had just 12 assists, but they had 13 turnovers. When your turnovers are more than your points, that isn't going to win you many games!

Other than that, I don't know what to say. If they played like they had against the Hornets, the Heat would've won that game. And now they're going into game 6 with their backs against the wall and there is absolutely no room for error.

Raptors VS Heat (Game 4)

Series Tied 2-2

DWAAAAAAAAAYNE WAAAAAAAAAAADE! If you live near me, you probably heard this a lot last night. This was a game where my heart was pounding hard in the final minutes of regulation. Everytime Wade touched the ball, I was in suspense, wondering what he was going to do. This was an amazing game to watch and I feel bad for anyone that missed it.

I turned on the game towards the end of the first quarter and the first thing I saw was this giant center playing for the Raptors that looked like King Gryph's NBA 2K16 MyCareer player. You could just tell the affect that Valanciunas had on the team. When this Nogueira guy was in the game, you could tell he wasn't familiar with the offense and the Raptors really didn't run any sets when this guy was in. They did pick and roll with him and that was about it. However, Biyombo played great in the absence of Jonas Valanciunas. He was great defensively and crashed the boards well. The team gave him tons of touches (something that the Raptors didn't really do much with Valanciunas for some odd reason) and it proved to be beneficial. While he really didn't have any assists, he really got the ball moving as he passed the ball all the time.

The 4th quarter and overtime really came down to who could make shots. Both teams played great defense but it was the Heat that was the team that was able to make tough shots. Not to mention, the Raptors took a lot of their shots from mid-range. They didn't shoot any 3s past the last 2 minute of the 4th quarter and took few shots in the paint. The Heat got to the rim with Dwayne Wade and Joe Johnson.

Goran Dragic just seemed off last night despite scoring 15 points. Shots that the guy would usually make just weren't falling. He made some great moves towards the end of the game but just didn't look like himself. Shots just weren't falling. The Heat could really use better production from him next game.

Anyways, I love this series! 3-4 of games have gone into overtime! Hopefully the series continues to be close like this and we can have a game 7 come right down to the wire.

Raptors VS Heat (Game 3)

Raptors Lead Series 2-1

Happy Mothers Day everyone! In this post we will look at the game between the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors and how this game came out with the outcome it had.

Kyle Lowry made shots. It took him 10 games! But Kyle Lowry actually made shots. The guy shot 11-19 from the field. However, Raptors fans, do not get your hopes up, because Kyle Lowry shot 10 uncontested shots and made 8 of the. Only 3 of his shots were defended. However, this does force the Heat of making the adjustment to actually play him.

While we aren't sure if Valanciunas or Whiteside will be back in the next game or even the series. Both of these injuries are a devastating loss. Valanciunas was honestly the best player on the Raptors. His pick and roll with Lowry and DeRozan was really key in the 2 wins that the Raptors had in this series.

The Heat finally stopped turning the ball over. They only had 9 turnovers in the game. However, the Heat only had 11 assists. Do you remember when the Heat bought out Beno Udrih's contract? They probably they wish they had Udrih now. They could sure use his play making ability and defense.

Dwanye Wade really carried the Heat. He had 38 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Nobody on the Heat team had more in any of those 3 categories. It doesn't help when your team shoots 22.2% from 3. Part of this is the stagnant offense is helping guys get open at all. In fact, Miami took 55 contested shots in the game and only 22 uncontested shots. This didn't really have to do with the Raptors defense, it was more because the Heat wouldn't get into their offense.

 Obviously some changes need to be made for both teams but game 4 is a must win for the Heat. They need to win at home, if they can't this series might just be long gone for them. They need to tie it up.

Raptors VS Heat (Game 2)

Series Tied 1-1

The Heat were in a great position to win game 2. They had the lead late in the 4th quarter. The Raptors came back to send the game into overtime where the Raptors beat the Heat. How did this happen. How could a team as good as the Heat manage to lose a lead like that?

I blame this loss on Hassan Whiteside. I have made up my mind that this guy is the most overrated player in the NBA, especially as a defender. In this game, Whiteside kept trying to go for blocks towards the end of the game, but he kept forgetting to cover Valanciunas and box him out. As a result, the Raptors had 7 second chance points in the 4th quarter. Whiteside also did a horrible job guarding the pick and roll. Instead of Whiteside hedging or helping on the ball handler, he let guys like Lowry get wide open mid-range shots. He really did a poor job defensively towards the end of the game. He was never in position to make the right play.

I was also upset by the offensive decisions that the Heat made in overtime. The fact that Joe Johnson put up 4 shots and didn't make 1 of them while the rest of the team combined put up 5 in overtime really lead to the Heat's loss. Johnson was forcing up shots. What I thought was weird was the fact that Wade or Dragic didn't go into pick and roll with Whiteside. That is where the Heat excel, but for some reason, they just gave the ball to Joe Johnson to try and make a play. I didn't like that at all.

As for the Raptors, they played great defense. They contested a total of 51 shots and only 28 shots were uncontested. They also forced 21 turnovers on a Heat team that isn't prone to turn it over. This really lead to a tough game for the Heat, who somehow managed to put the game into overtime.

As you can see, the Heat still managed to almost win with the Raptors playing great defense. The Raptors just need their stars to play much more efficiently. The Raptors just need offense. If they don't get it, they are going to have a long hard road ahead against a talented Heat team.

Raptors VS Heat (Game 1)

Heat Lead Series 1-0

Kyle Lowry stunned not only the whole US, but the whole Gorgui Dieng country of Canada. He nearly lost the ball as the Raptors were down by 3. Running out of time, Lowry had to force up a halfcourt over Justice Winslow. Before that halfcourt, Lowry had shot 0-6 from 3-point range. He of course finished the night 1-7.

Despite hitting that half-court, the Raptors lost in overtime. But it wasn't OT that really lost them the game. I want to first talk about their defense. They defended Dragic horribly. He was left open all the time whether he had the ball or not. I was very disappointed with the defense that was played on Dragic. And this was a player coming off of a really good game too. The defensive effort was just very, very poor on him.

Something I noticed last night was Wade's decision making. I think that he is probably the best decision maker in the league when it comes to offense. I noticed towards the end of the game, he went into pick and roll with Whiteside all the time. He did a great job of just putting the defense on edge, and he was not only able to score and dishing it to Whiteside, but he also did a great job at kicking it out. He found Dragic in the corner for 3 and I thought for sure he was going to pass it to Whiteside. Wade even faked me out.

When you don't score in overtime til the last minute, you probably won't have the best chances to win. I was very confused with the Raptors offense in overtime. Instead of really trying to get into a pick and roll situation with Valanciunas, they were trying to force up shots. Valanciunas has just 2 shot attempts in overtime. He wasn't involved the in the offense like he should've been after regulation. I was disappoint when the didn't go to him. Hassan Whiteside to me, is an overrated defender, especially when it comes to defending his own man in the pick and roll. He does a great job with help defense but lost Valanciunas a lot in the pick and roll in the game. They really should've gone to Jonas more.

I was very disappointed with the will and want to score from Lowry. He didn't cut or make any movements to get the ball. He isn't looking to score at all and he's making it easy for the defense to guard him. One play I noticed in particular was when Lowry went to set a screen for his teammate and the defense just switched it. Instead of Lowry slipping the screen, which is what you are supposed to do when the defense switches it, Lowry just stood there setting the screen, which did absolutely nothing since the defense switched it. He didn't look to score. This is something that is taught at the high-school level. Lowry just doesn't look like himself out there, and this play was towards the end of the game as well.

I really enjoyed this game and I think everyone can agree when I say this was probably the best game of the playoffs so far and I am really hoping for more of these games. Of course, both teams have a job to do and these are the things that they should take away from this game.

Heat VS Hornets (Game 7)

Heat Win Series 4-3

The Heat are moving on. What just happened in this game that left the Hornets going home with their heads down? Let's break it down.

There are 2 people that the Hornets did a really bad job defending. Gerald Green was great in the game. When you let Green score off the bench, it's going to hurt you. The Heat's starting 5 is so talented that if you let their bench come in and do damage, they are going to beat you. Next, Goran Dragic. The guy had 25 points on the night. He was amazing with his decisions. He saw that the defense was laying off of him and he took it to the rim. His decision making and his play in the pick and roll lead this Heat team to the win. Goran Dragic played great offensively. He also defended Kemba Walker very well. Kemba ended the night with 9 points and he shot just 18.8% from the field.

I thought that the Hornets shouldn't have had Frank Kaminski out there. He was brutal. He shot 20% from the field. What made me mad was that the guy shot 15 attempts from the field. He made 3. Dragic shot 17 attempts. When you aren't hitting shots, you can't keep shooting. The team should've taken him out of the game but never did.

The Heat had GREAT interior defense. They limited the Hornets to just 22 points in the paint. Meanwhile, the Heat had 58 points in the paint. This is where the Hornets got killed. The paint is the easiest place to shoot. They let the Heat get 58 points in from close range.

Anyways, the Hornet's season is over. The Heat on the other hand, have to get back to work soon. They have a big series to play against the Raptors who have struggled of late. They need to take advantage of this team while they are down.

Heat VS Hornets (Game 6)

Series Tied 3-3

Dwayne Wade came in clutch for the Miami Heat. He wasn't the only reason why they won though. The Hornets put up a fight but didn't have much going for them.

The Hornets seemed like they were behind this whole game. They always seemed like they just couldn't catch up to the Heat in the second half. Part of this was that the Heat had 19 second chance points. When you allow a team to get multiple shots on one possession, it will be hard to take the lead. The Hornets only had 31 rebounds in the game.

I thought that they Hornets did a great job on defense. The Heat only took 24 uncontested shots! They had to take 59 contested shots! The Hornets defense was amazing. There was just one problem, the Heat were hitting shots. Dwayne Wade's last shot pretty much summed up the night. The Hornets played great defense, but the Heat somehow where able to make those shots.

I just want to points something out. Marvin Williams played horrible last night. He was 0-7 from the field and didn't register a single point. Now, you could say that Marvin Williams doesn't have to play good for the Hornets to win, but I would have to disagree. This post-season, Marvin Williams has averaged 9.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 1.3 APG while shooting 50% from the field and shooting 55.6% from 3-point land in the wins. In the losses, he has averaged 0.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 0.7 APG while shooting 04.2% from the field and 0% from 3-point land. That isn't a typo. His numbers are horrible in the losses and very decent in the wins. It's clear that he needs to make shots and rebound for the Hornets to win. He is a big key in the Hornets winning. This isn't a coincidence. He needs to produce.

This was a great game to watch. A lot is at stake for this next game. Whoever wins game 7 has a possibility of playing the Pacers in the second round which means they could make the conference finals easier. This is a big game 7 and if the Hornets are to take this, they could really use production from Marvin Williams. Marv, they need you right now.

Heat VS Hornets (Game 5)

Hornets Lead Series 3-2

Courtney Lee cam up clutch in American Airlines Center last night. The Miami crowd was in disbelief as the guy who had shot just 1-8 before the shot, won the game. Miami had another chance. Wade took the basketball inside where he was blocked by Kemba Walker. These were the highlights, however, there was much more to the game than just these plays.

Many of the Hornets players were struggling. Kemba Walker, Courtney Lee, and Frank Kaminski all struggled shooting the ball. However, Marvin Williams was a big reason why this team had the lead. He had 17 points and 8 rebounds. He is a great player for this Hornets team to have on the floor. And when he is shooting well, he is even better.

While Miami shot better from the floor, they struggled from 3. The Heat went 5-18 on 3-pointers while the Hornets went 12-24. This really put the Hornets in the position to win. The Heat just never seemed in the position to hit 3s either, they were just out of rhythm.

The Hornets have a great bench. Jeremy Lin plays such a big role for the time. The Hornets had 29 total bench points while the Heat only had 13 bench points. The Heat just need more production from their bench. I think they need to play Gerald Green a little bit more and just tell him to come out and score. The Heat had 88 points last night. They need more. And when you aren't hitting shots, you need someone to come in and starting hitting them, not Justice Winslow who is coming out and shooting 1-6. Gerald Green can score.

Anyways, the Hornets have now won 3 games in a row. They can close it out in Charlotte. The Hornets are a great home team so the Heat have to play at their best next game. They need to start hitting shots. Their defense has been great, but they need to hit more shots. That's all.

Heat VS Hornets (Game 4)

Series Tied 2-2

This was the Kemba Walker game we were waiting for. On the Heat side, nobody really took over. This wasn't the Heat's best night but they did move the ball well.

What really kept the Heat in this game was their rebounding. The team wanted to rebound. It wasn't just Hassan Whiteside either. 4 of the 5 Heat starters had 7 rebounds. The Heat had 46 boards while the Hornets had 36. What was really confusing to me is that the Hornets had more second chance points than the Heat. The Heats only had 5 second chance points while the Hornets had 10.

Two things really killed the Heat. First, they had no fast break points in the game. Second, they only had 30 points in the paint. I think that against the Hornets, you need easy points. A great way to do this is to run the court and get to the paint. Taking 26 shots around the basket doesn't give you enough easy points. You need to be taking more shots around there.

It was really the opposite for the Hornets though. They were getting good shots from the paint. Hassan Whiteside always looked late on rotations to me. He did a bad job on the inside. The Heat also fouled quite a lot due to just bad defensive positioning. The Hornets went 25-30 from the free throw line as they took advantage of this. The Heat need to be much more disciplined defensively.

The fact that the Heat shot bad didn't help them. They really need to take it inside the paint more was part of it. The Heat aren't the best outside shooters so they need to get inside more. Hassan Whiteside needs to get in more pick and roll situations with Goran Dragic. It think that the Heat need to get back to their ball movement, defense, and pick and roll more if they are going to win this series, because they haven't looked that great.

Heat VS Hornets (Game 3)

Heat Lead Series 2-1

The Heat lost their hot shooting. This is not why they lost though. They lost because totally different reasons. Let's take a look at those reasons, shall we?

While the Heat only shot 34.2% from the field, the Hornets only shot 38.9% from the field. Neither team actually shot well. However, the Hornets valued each possession. They only had 3 turnovers in the game! Only 3! On the other hand, the Heat had 14 turnovers. That is an 11 turnover difference.

That wasn't the only big difference that I noticed. I also saw that Miami had 28 points in the paint while the Hornets had 52. The Heat just weren't able to finish, and part of it was because of the interior defense that the Hornets had. It was so strong that it forced up some tough shots. While Luol Deng played great, the Hornets were fine with it as they were focused on other players. They realized Deng couldn't beat this team on his own.

Frank Kaminsky got to start in his playoff game. It was proved as a good move for the Hornets as he put up 15 points in the game. He just took it at the Heat in the post not matter who was guarding him. Another guy that played great was Jeremy Lin, who had 18 points off the bench. He was able to get into the paint and make some big plays. He had 10 points in the paint alone. Marvin Williams also had 12 points with 14 rebounds. This balanced scoring helped them win this game without a good game from Kemba.


The Hornets also hit 21 of their 22 free throws while Miami hit only 19 of their 30. The Heat left 11 points at the line. The rebounding battle was also big. While the Heat had 53 rebounds, the Hornets had 47. It wasn't really lopsided and the Heat didn't convert efficiently after they got the offensive rebounds.

Don't sleep on the Hornets, they are a great home team and this series could come down to a game 7.

Heat VS Hornets (Game 2)

Heat Lead Series 2-0

The Hornets did a much better job on offense in this game, but they are still in no position to win. Changes need to be made, and we're going to take a look at what those changes should be.

The Hornets defense is in dire need of a change. Only 1 player shot under 50% for the Heat, and that was Amar'e Stoudemire who only attempted 3 shots and made 1. Everybody else shot at least 50% from the field. That is concerning. Hassan Whiteside made all of his shots and everytime he shot it seemed like a Hornets guard was on him. The Hornets had some really poor defensive rotations. However, Miami did a great job of finding the open player and swinging the ball around the court.

Miami shot 57.9% from the field, but Charlotte did have a good offense going. Kemba Walker picked his game up since game 1 as he had 29 points in the game. However, despite Kemba's performance, many of the other players failed to produce. Marvin Williams shot 0-10 in the game. Nicolas Batum was 3-11. Jeremy Lin was only 2-7 from the field. The whole team shot just 1-16 from 3-point range. Al Jefferson had a great game though. He finished the night with 25 points as he shot 12-17 from the field. However, he played horrible defense when he was on the floor. He couldn't guard the paint against this Heat team and it was actually better to have Cody Zeller out on the floor. Al Jefferson had a defensive rating of 131.9, which is really poor.

The Hornets are also not taking advantage of their youth. They did not run the floor. They had just 1 fastbreak point which was off a Courtney Lee free throw. If you are playing against a verteran Heat team, you need to get off and running to score, which they didn't do.

One thing that kept the Hornet from being blown out was their offensive rebounding. They had 15 offensive rebounds in the game. However, they only had 11 2nd chance points. The 2nd chance points are something that they must take advantage of in this series.

The Heat are obviously the more experience team and their players are playing great defense while being very unselfish with the basketball. They are moving it along the perimeter well, but their passes were few because guy were just left open. The hustle isn't there for the Hornets and hopefully we see a better effort from them on their home court.

What Will Super Mario Bring To Memphis?

"Chalmers Wizards" by Keith Allison - originally posted to Flickr as 00060983. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.

As you have probably heard, there has been a trade in the NBA. Take a look at the players that were involved below:

Memphis Traded: Beno Udrih, Jarnell Stokes, a future second round pick
Miami Traded: Mario Chalmers, James Ennis

This is a big trade for both teams, especially for the Grizzlies, who are currently 4-6. With the Grizzlies struggling with defense and offense right now, Mario Chalmers should be able to help improve it for sure.

Mario Chalmers has such a big impact when he is on the floor. The team's defensive rating is so much better with Chalmers on the court. In fact, the Miami Heat's defensive rating was 81.7 with Chalmers on the court, and 98.1 when Chalmers isn't on the court. Big difference right.

He also will bring shooting and passing. When Mario is on the court, the Miami Heat shoot 42.9% from 3-point range, and when he is off the court, the Heat shoot only 27.8% from 3-point range. However, this isn't because of Chalmers shooting the ball well. He has only shot 15.4% from deep this season. I think the main reason why is that Chalmers knows how to move the ball. When Chalmers is on the court, the Heat average 22 APG, but when he isn't, they only average 17.8.

One of the best things that the Grizzlies are going to get from Chalmers is offense. The Memphis Grizzlies are 29th in the league in offense, which is pretty bad considering there are 30 teams. They have an offensive rating of 94.8. Chalmers will really help on the floor and here is why. Chalmers had the best offensive rating on the Heat. It was 107.8. When he wasn't on the floor, the Miami Heat had an offensive rating of 99.7. Big difference! If he brought the Miami offense up like that, he can hopefully do the same to the Grizzlies offense.

The other main players involved in the trade is Beno Udrih. Now, I honestly don't see why the Miami Heat made this trade because Mario Chalmers had such a big impact offensively and defensively on this Miami Heat team. I don't see what Beno Udrih brings to this team that Chalmers didn't. Beno Udrih is a good overall defensive player, but he hardly affects his team on the offensive end like Chalmers does. He improves the Memphis offense by only 1.5. The assisting isn't affected that much when Beno is on the floor. There is not drastic change in the 3-point% when Beno is on the floor. I don't see why you would make a trade for Beno when you are giving up someone who is worth more. Then Jarnell Stokes has done nothing in his career. Last season he averaged 3 PPG, and he has done nothing this season but grab 2 rebounds. James Ennis on the other hand has actually done somethings, such as show off his athleticism with some amazing dunks, show us he could play defense, and gave us some points off the bench last season as he averaged 5. The Heat also received a second round pick, but how often do those turnout to actually be worth something. I don't know what the Miami Heat were thinking, but the Grizzlies clearly won this trade.

You can't forget the Mario Chalmers won 2 NBA championships as a starting point guard. This man is going to be a big impact on this Grizzlies team and I expect him to solve some of their problems. 

Key Players To The Miami Heat's Success

"Dwyane Wade" by Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA - Dwyane Wade. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.

After I saw the Heat vs Wizards preseason game broadcasted on ESPN, I decided to ask Adam Spinella from www.bballbreakdown.com 5 questions on the Miami Heat and their key role players for the upcoming regular season. Here they are:

Me: To you, does Gerald Green look like he is in the running for 6th man of the year?
AS:  "No he isn't; the Heat have such a strong starting 5. They will play a lot of minutes as a unit, and they are all strong scorers. If Green logs major minutes, he won't be the primary or even secondary scoring option. His stats simply won't be in the conversation."

Honestly, I have to agree with him. If you look at last years winner, Louis Williams, and his team, you will see that besides Lowry and DeRozan, there isn't a lot of strong scorers on the team. Valanciunas only scored about 12 PPG, Ross only scored about 8 PPG, and don't even get me started with Amir Johnson. So they needed another scorer, and that just happened to be Louis Williams. Also take a look at Jamal Crawford. We all know that the Clippers in past years have had very few people to rely on. Green on the other hand, is on a very strong team. Dragic probably won't get as much scoring as he was used to with the Suns. This is a very strong team. I do expect Green to average around 9 PPG though.

Me: Do you see any improvements in Gerald Green's game?
AS: "He's become a much more consistent outside shooter over the last several seasons."

Yeah, he has. You can see the shooting improvements from his D-league days til now with the Heat. He looks like he has improved on that from even last year. He was always a good athlete, but he is sort of adding on to that. You can also see that he is willing to take the end of game shots too. You look at his mid-range game, it is amazing. The game against the Wizards was just simply an amazing shooting performance from Gerald Green.



Me: If Dwayne Wade gets injured during the season, would Gerald Green be able to start at the shooting guard position, or do you think it would have to be Mario Chalmers?
AS: "Green could start instead of Chalmers, though it hurts their depth behind Deng, the weakest member of the current starting rotation. If I were the coach, I'd start Chalmers on nights when Wade isn't in the game."

What you want is Green to fill in for Deng, because, like Adam said, he is the weakest man in the rotation. The good thing is, both Chalmers and Green have starting experience. I do think that Chalmers would be better to come in and start because the Heat have won championships with him starting. Also, Chalmers would be more likely to play more of that team player role if he was in the starting line-up and Green could just come off the bench looking to score. It really depends on the match-ups too. You probably don't want to put Chalmers on Klay Thompson or Green on Eric Bledsoe. But like Adam is saying, either one would work, but it would be smarter to probably start Chalmers so you have more depth at the wing position.

Me: If you remember McRoberts from the 2014 playoffs, what role do you think he will play with the Heat and do you think he can get back to the way he was with the Cats?  
AS: "McBob has a valuable role because he's going to be asked to facilitate for others and provide spacing. He's a very dynamic offensive presence on a team that has a lot of scorers but very few shooters. He's capable of spacing to the corners and being a spot-up option, but is a great playmaker at the top of the key. He is a fantastic backup to Bosh."

McRoberts is kind of like the forgotten child of the Miami Heat and he has such a great skill set that he brings to the floor. He has a great shot from the corner and he is indeed a great playmakers, as we saw he was with the Cats. He will definitely be used for transition and to attack the basket and space the floor. One of the big things though, is that he will be used in many defensive situations. Back in the 2014 playoffs, he was guarding LeBron James. He is very skilled and if you look at the video below, you will see that Josh McRoberts is able to run the offense and has a very great skill set.


 
Me: What is the difference with the role that Dragic will play with the Heat vs the role he played with the Suns?
AS: "Dragic will obviously be slowed down in Miami, and he'll cede the ball more frequently to Wade as the primary option. Don't expect him to score at the prolific rate he did in Phoenix, but his assist numbers should rise as he finally has a bonafide PNR man in Hassan Whiteside."

What Dragic will see is a lot of Pick and Roll with Hassan Whiteside, and pick and pop with Chris Bosh. This is something that Dragic will strive off of and expect him to really get into the paint and finish. What it will also do is create lots of spacing for guys like Bosh and Wade and they will be left

wide open on the outside. Also, Whiteside will be driving strong to the hoop and he will be able to get great rebounding position just in case Dragic were to miss the layup. Dragic obviously won't be isolated and getting the ball as much as he was in Phoenix because there are so many other options on this talented Heat team, but do expect Dragic to excel in the PNR.

Well, this Miami Heat team looks like they have a really deep bench that has many talents and Erik Spoelstra will many different line-up combinations to mess around with. The Heat even look like they have shot at the Finals so don't count them out.

Injured Teams

This year has been struck by injury for many team. Many teams were hoping for playoffs and more but then injury got in the way. Lets take a look at the worst

5.Oklahoma City Thunder: Durant and Westbrook went down. But Westbrook came back with fire in his eyes. After Ibaka went down and Durant was out for the rest of the season, it's really hard to see this team making much noise in the playoffs. But you never know with Westbrook.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves: This is a team that suffered way too many injuries this season. They were looking at the possibility of the 8th seed in the West. All of a sudden, Rubio went down on their 5th game against the Magic. Kevin Martin played against the Knicks and broke his wrist at the beginning of the game. After he broke it, he scored 37 points that night. Nikola Pekovic went down (as usual) Shabazz Muhammad went down for the season after averaging about 13 points per game. And this is just to start with.

3. Miami Heat: It's bad enough that LeBron James left their team. Now Chris Bosh is out with blood clots on his lungs. This team thought they could do some great things in the playoffs. Dwayne Wade and Shabazz Napier are out. How does this team expect to beat anyone with two of their stars out. It's going to be a bumpy ride for this Heat team. Someone needs to send them a sympathy card.

2. Los Angeles Lakers: Julius Randel goes down before the season even starts. So does Steve Nash. Kobe goes down of course. Nick Young is injured. The playoff hopes that this team had pretty much flew away. They had to start players like Wayne Ellington who was supposed to be a bench player this year. No playoff for this team. And no more Steve Nash.

1. Indiana Pacers: This team was coming back from the loss in the Eastern Conference Finals looking toward next season. Then Paul George goes down ruining all their hopes of a title run for next season. Minor injuries occurred along the way like George Hill going down. They still await the return of Paul George. We all miss him. But I'm pretty sure the Pacers miss him most.