By now you know that, after supposedly tanking the end of the regular season to draw Toronto, the Brooklyn Nets broke Raptors fans hearts in seven games for a chance to face another opponent they really wanted, the Miami Heat.
The Nets were a perfect 4-0 against Miami this season, and were constructed (at great expense) with the express purpose of toppling the two-time defending champs. However, with the veteran bodies of Brooklyn having just been put through a seven-game wringer and the Heat enjoying more than a week of rest after sweeping the Charlotte Bobcats, one has to wonder whether the Nets have enough left in the tank.
No. 2 Miami Heat vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets
109.8 (T-4) OffRtg 108.3 (6)
99.6 (3) DefRtg 104.5 (6)
47.7% (2) FG% 46.1% (4)
43.2% (1) 3P% 30.3% (15)
Leaders
LeBron James, 30.0 (1) PPG Joe Johnson, 21.6 (12)
James, 8.0 (T-23) RPG Kevin Garnett, 5.4 (T-44)
James, 6.0 (T-7) APG Deron Williams, 5.6 (10)
James, 32.65 (1) PER Andray Blatche, 21.80 (15)
Note: First-round playoff rankings in brackets
What the Heat have to do to win
If Miami plays the way it did against the Bobcats, then a fourth-consecutive trip to the conference finals will be all but guaranteed. The Heat have an on-off switch that was mostly kept off during the regular season. Now, with a championship three-peat on the line, they’re locked in and playing their best basketball of the season, with the ball flying around the perimeter to open three-point shooters and LeBron James showing that he probably could’ve won another MVP, decisively, had he really gunned for it.
What the Nets have to do to win:
With all the new pieces that were brought in last off-season, the Nets went through a lot of growing pains and only really came into their own in the second half of the season and against Toronto in Round 1. In the final three games of their series with the Raptors, the Nets’ offence suddenly took on a life of its own, with incredibly crisp ball movement and superb spacing. The Heat’s defence is among the quickest and most athletic in the league, but even they will be hard pressed to shut down the Nets given the way Brooklyn spreads the floor.
Brooklyn is also a much deeper team than Miami, giving the Nets a big advantage when both sides’ second units get into the game.
Marquee matchup: LeBron James vs. Paul Pierce
No team can really handle James at power forward. His remarkable versatility allows the Heat to play small and cause matchup problems all over the floor for their opponents.
The Nets have tried to emulate that style of lineup by slotting Pierce at the four, and it’s largely worked. The crafty veteran has abused power forwards out on the perimeter and is just strong enough to avoid handing out buckets on the other end when forced to defend in the low block.
With both teams running traditional threes at the four, the advantage either side gains is somewhat nullified, and even though James is far-and-away the better player, Pierce has always revelled in his opportunities to go head-to-head against James, having some of his best performances over the years with the four-time MVP guarding him.
Prediction
You can throw that regular season record out the window because, while the Heat were competing in those games, they weren’t locked in like they are now. While it’s true that the Nets’ offence is firing on all cylinders, that doesn’t change the fact the James and the Heat are also rolling right now and completely shredded a Bobcats’ defence that was much better than the Raptors’ and the Nets’ this season. Heat in 6.
Second-round playoff previews: Pacers (1) vs. Wizards (5) | Heat (2) vs. Nets (6) | Spurs (1) vs. Trail Blazers (5) | Thunder (2) vs. Clippers (3) |