As the Eastern Conference Finals hits its fourth game tonight, the Celtics and Heat are continuing to make adjustments and counter reactions to one another's personnel and strategic decisions. Here are a few notes detailing just how important the game is, and how each team will try to grab momentum heading into Tuesday night's Game 5.
The Heat will get underway in the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday against the Celtics after Boston knocked off the Sixers in Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals on Saturday evening. The series marks a rematch of sorts as the two teams faced each other in the playoffs last season when they met during the Conference Semifinals with the Heat winning the series 4-1. Let's check in with the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman for the latest news out of South Beach.
- Winderman is unsure of Chris Bosh's status for the Eastern Conference Finals and thinks the Heat aren't expecting anything out of the former Georgia Tech big man against the Celtics. Without Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have stepped up their play to the next level and have seen improved efforts from the role players around them. While the Heat should be OK against the Celtics without Bosh, there's little chance that the squad could take down the Thunder or the Spurs without him in the NBA Finals.
- Don't count on the Heat acquiring Lamar Odom during the offseason, writes Winderman, as the former Lakers Sixth Man of the Year probably won't come cheap even after a disastrous season in Dallas. Odom would have to be bought out by the Mavs and then willing to take a heavy discount to take his talents to South Beach. Look for the former Rhode Island star to return to the Lakers or sign with the Knicks as he needs to find an environment that he is familiar with so he can revive his career.
- Winderman says it doesn't make any sense to compare James and Wade in terms of who is the better leader or who is the best player on the team. As we've seen over the course of the past week, the success of the Heat is predicated on both players working in unison at a high level. Simply put, it doesn't matter who the face is of the franchise is if the team is winning games.
The Heat fell to the Pacers at home Tuesday evening by the score of 78-75 with Chris Bosh sidelined due to an abdominal muscle strain. The series, now even at one game a piece, heads to Indianapolis where the Pacers went 23-10 during the regular season and are currently 2-1 during the playoffs. Bosh, 28, had been especially strong for the Heat during the first round of the playoffs where he averaged 14.7 PPG and 6.8 RPG in just over 30 minutes per contest.
Game 2 of the series between the Heat and the Pacers saw Miami's two superstars live up to their billing with a combined 52 points and 15 rebounds in the losing effort. The Heat bench failed to shoulder any of the load as five players, including Mike Miller and Shane Battier, gave the team a total of 15 points. Ronny Turiaf, inserted into the starting lineup in the wake of Bosh's injury, struggled to provide quality minutes during his brief time on the court in which he committed more fouls (four) than points scored (three).
What do you think? Can LeBron James and Dwyane Wade elevate their level of play and get increased production from the bench to overcome the absence of Bosh to beat the Pacers?
Let's check out some odds and ends from around the Association as we prepare for a pair of second-round playoff games in Boston and Oklahoma City….
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com reports that the following players have been named to the U.S. select team, which will scrimmage against the Olympic roster this July: Klay Thompson, Jeremy Lin, Paul George, Gordon Hayward, Kawhi Leonard, DeJuan Blair, Ryan Anderson, Taj Gibson and Derrick Favors. We'd previously heard that Kyrie Irving, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and DeMar DeRozan would be part of the squad.
- With the Clippers and Spurs preparing to face off in round two, Caron Butler tells reporters, including Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, that he very nearly signed with the Spurs in December (Twitter link).
- The Heat announced today that Chris Bosh has a strained abdominal muscle and will be out indefinitely (Twitter link). Bosh's comments to the media today indicated that he's not expecting to return during the Pacers series (Twitter link).
- Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler would like to become a bigger offensive threat for the Knicks next season, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
Earlier this evening, an ESPN report (via the Associated Press) indicated that Stan Van Gundy is prepared to handle the rest of the season and playoffs without Dwight Howard. To make matter worse, forward Glen Davis hyper-extended his right knee today during the first quarter against the Cavaliers and did not return for the rest of the game. Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweeted that Davis is unsure about when he'll be able to play again this year, which currently leaves Daniel Orton as the only true big man on the Magic roster. It should be noted that if the Magic decide to find replacements for their big man rotation through free agency, the only playoff-eligible players at this point are those who have not already played in an NBA game this year. You can find tonight's other significant stories here:
- Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes that the determining factor in Anthony Randolph's future with the Timberwolves will significantly hinge on his ability to remain consistent as the team finishes out the year. Randolph is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and even with his brilliant performance over the last three games, coach Rick Adelman feels that the jury is still out on whether he can be counted on for a full season.
- Ken Berger of CBS Sports writes that a Sacramento group including mayor Kevin Johnson is hinting at proposing new ownership for the Kings. The Maloof brothers had recently pulled out of a deal to finance a new arena with the city, much to the chagrin of the city members who are working hard to keep the team in Sacramento.
- Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott will proceed with caution with regards to the health of Kyrie Irving, says Tom Reed of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Irving is recovering from a sprained right shoulder, and Scott would rather have him focused on being ready for off-season workouts than returning for the team's final weeks.
- Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated examines the role of Chris Bosh as the key to Miami's playoff success.
- Raymond Felton has likely seen his last minutes of the season with the Trail Blazers, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Interim GM Chad Buchanan said that he and Felton agreed that this would be an opportune time to properly evaluate their other young guards, namely Nolan Smith and Jonny Flynn. Haynes also wrote another article in which he asked Kings GM Geoff Petrie about being linked to the Blazers vacant GM position, to which Petrie replied: “That's something I can't really comment on. I have a job.”
- Ten things you need to know about Derrick Favors, according to Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post spoke with coach George Karl to reflect on how he has handled coaching while prioritizing his life during this season.
The Heat head to Boston on Sunday afternoon to take on the Celtics in what could potentially be a playoff preview. Today's game marks the first of three between the two squads during the month of April after the Heat knocked off the Celtics at the beginning of the season. Let's check in with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman for the latest on the Heat.
- Winderman says that the Heat have made the right decision by sticking with backup point guard Norris Cole during his rough patches rather than turning to an unknown entity like Terrel Harris. Cole, a rookie out of Cleveland State, has struggled to run Erik Spoelstra's offense this season while still managing to score 7.1 PPG in just under 20 minutes per contest.
- While the Heat lack a true center, Winderman contends the easiest path to a championship is taken by accumulating the best players possible rather than considering their respective positions. As such, trading a player like Chris Bosh for a mid-level center would not be the best move the Heat could make to move them closer to achieving their goal of a winning a ring.
- There's been a great deal of talk recently from upcoming free agents expressing interest in joining the Heat. From Steve Nash to Jason Terry, the desire to come to South Beach is there, but Winderman questions whether it's really just talk once it comes down to actually signing a contract for less than market value.