The Miami Heat beat the Philadephia 76ers 97-89 in what really was a pretty uneventful game. Yet, if you listened to the media this evening, you would think the 76ers scared the Heat. The truth is, for one quarter, the 76ers were the better team but as we all know, there are 4 quarters to an NBA game. Just like a series is decided by winning 4 games as well.
After the first quarter, the score was 31-19, Sixers. The seventh seed came in unafraid of their opponent and shot 60.9%. There are not many teams in the NBA that could stick around with a team shooting that high; then again, there aren’t many teams that could maintain a shooting percentage that high to begin with. The Sixers were not going to be able to replicate that. Meanwhile, all the Heat did was regroup, focus, and close out the remaining three quarters by outscoring their opponent 78-58. That means the Sixers scored 35% of their total scoring output in the first quarter.
You think the Heat took notice?
Look, this is to be expected of this Heat team. They have ADD. They have a hard time staying focused on opponents that they feel are not on their level. That is no disrespect to the 76ers, who have good talent and an excellent coach in Doug Collins. Nor is it an excuse for the Heat who admittedly, did not play good defense to start the game and didn’t expect that they would be staring at an 11 point deficit after one quarter. It is interesting to note how the media spun this game though.
The Chicago Bulls were down against the eighth seed Indiana Pacers practically for the entire game. It wasn’t until the last one and a half minutes that the game was decided in the Bulls’ favor. It was due to Derrick Rose and his last minute heroics also. But why is it when a team overcomes a deficit, as opposed to overcome one and give it back a bit, that they get more praise? The Bulls had to overcome a deficit imposed on them by an eighth seed team. If this was the Heat, there would be lots of ink spilled about a sweeping panic within the locker room. For the Bulls, and Rose, it is painted as simply late game heroics.
The series with the Sixers is going to be a snore. This is the way it is supposed to be in the first round of the playoffs. The only people this series really matters to is the Sixers’ fans. They don’t have the greater vision that the Heat and its fans have. You can expect that the Heat will fall back and get lazy at times during stretches and the Sixers, who are trying to climb a massive hill just to win a game let alone upset the Heat are not going to falter with their focus. Expect a see-saw series where each game will see a Heat team dominate and get lazy and let the Sixers back in only to push the lead back up when it matters – at the end of the game. That said, there is no question that the Heat will beat the Sixers if they play their game. Sure, the Sixers can steal a game but they have to play near perfect every game just to have a chance.
This is why the Heat got their big three together. Riley knows that the playoffs is about matchups and talent. The Heat have 2 superstars and 1 star player that they can throw on the floor at any time. Name a team that can realistically match that and you have a team that is primed for a title run.
And don’t start propping up the Bulls anymore than they should be. Yes, Rose is a deserving MVP candidate. Yes, they won 60 games. But you can see that there is very little difference between them and the Pacers in terms of playoff experience. That will prove critical going forward. The Bulls will have to learn how not to lose before they learn how to win. Coach double T has done a tremendous job with them this season, too. But to face an 8th seed at home and still have to skate by in the last minute to get the win and you feel confident that this team is going to the conference finals, let alone the championship? Get back on the homer bus with Michael Wilbon and the rest of the media who clearly has a favorite in the Bulls that they just can’t help but gush over. It is reminiscent of the 2008 presidential election only this time, the result will be decided on the court.
So, the Heat win, but get nothing but criticism from the media. As we stated earlier, this will have no effect on the Heat as they have already been tempered by the fires of media scrutiny all season. Wait until the noise shifts in the other direction for the Bulls – how will they respond?
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