After Monday nights games, the Eastern Conference playoff race is locked up after the Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks, coupled by a loss from the Boston Celtics to the Washington Wizards which secured the Heat the No.2 spot in the East. The Knicks clinched the 6th spot and will face a Celtics squad who seems to be limping its way into the playoffs, while the Sixers will face a red hot Miami squad at the 7th spot.
The 2nd seed was basically locked up after Sunday’s matchup between the two eastern powers, when the Miami Heat finally achieved their first victory of the season against the Celtics. It couldn’t have come at a better time with the Playoffs less than a week away. More importantly, the victory ensured the Heat home court advantage in the second round, should these two face each other again.
Sunday’s game might have given us a glimpse into the future, as it showed us what this Miami Heat team playing its best all-around ball is capable of. With the exception of the first few minutes of the 1st quarter, when Boston jumped out to a nine point lead, the Heat controlled nearly the entire game after that. The Heat’s identity seemed to finally have come out, completely dominating the game with stifling defense and explosive offense. The Celtics on the other hand, seemed to be a step behind, in some cases two or three steps back. The stats that really caught my attention were the rebounding and second chance opportunities. The Celtics were outrebounded 42 to 16, while 15 of those came on the offensive end, which led to Miami getting 18 second chance points. The Heat were scoring at will in the paint, scoring a total of scoring 44 points in the interior. Miami’s bench also played a key role and outscored Boston’s bench by 20 points. The Heat had a total of 11 players on the scoreboard, and played with the playoff intensity necessary at this time of the year.
It has become obvious that the absence of Kendrick Perkins in the middle for Boston has become a significant flaw, as they have suffered without his toughness and defensive tenacity which was once the trademark of this team. The Celtics have gone 10-9 in their last 19 games, which is somewhat reminiscent of what they did last season when they staggered into the playoffs and fell one game short of winning yet another title. The difference this season appears to be that their age and injuries seem to be taking their toll, and the Eastern conference has strengthened considerably with the emergence of the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. With that being said, I still don’t count the Celtics out completely. They still have four of their five starters from their championship team, including their Big 3 in Allen, Pierce and Garnett posting some of the best numbers of their careers since their prime. Let’s not forget that they’re still the defending Eastern Conference champs, and have amassed 55 victories with a 3rd place finish in the East.
With the Sixers now set to face the Heat, I have a feeling this series won’t be as easy as people tend to believe. Although the Sixers have yet to win a game this season against Miami, they have a much improved defense under Doug Collins, and their offense is capable of putting up points, led by Andre Iguodala and a rejuvenated Elton Brand. I think the key to this series if Philadelphia wants to have a shot is to exploit Miami’s lack of size by attacking the paint. Elton Brand is a matchup problem no matter who he is facing, whether that’s Bosh or whoever Miami decides to put at center. Also to the Sixers advantage is Miami’s lack of depth at the bench. I believe the point guard position led by Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams will have to play a vital role for the Sixers. Both players are streak shooters and very quick. If they can exploit this matchup and maybe steal one in Miami, you never know what could happen.
Personally, I just don’t see the Sixers taking down the Heat in a best of seven, especially while controlling home court advantage. The trio of Lebron, Wade and Bosh will prove to be too much for their undersized guards to handle, and I believe the series will end in six at most.
The Celtics and Knicks first round matchup has the makings of an upset written all over it. The Knicks are riding a seven game win streak with two games left on schedule, while the Boston Celtics have been struggling over the last month or so, basically playing .500 ball since the All-Star break. The Knicks can put up points quickly, and are riding the momentum into the playoffs. The matchup at the center is definitely one that the Knicks have to take advantage of if they want to take control of this series. No one for the Celtics can shut down STAT one on one; if they can control the paint and force Boston to double team Amare, the Knicks perimeter shooting led by Carmelo Anthony could be a major factor in this series. With that being said though, the lack of defense for NY is what I believe will ultimately be their downfall in the 1st round. Boston still has championship quality players on their team, and as they showed last year, the intensity in the playoffs may be too much for this young Knicks team to handle against the defending Eastern Conference champs.
Catch me on my next post when I will break down the rest of the playoff matchups, and also the race for 2nd place in the West!
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