Playoff Thoughts

Can the Heat Match the ’93 Bulls?

April 21, 2014 by Ed Weiland Leave a Comment

The ’91 Bulls were a team that needed to win a championship. They were coming off consecutive Eastern Conference finals losses to the champion Pistons the previous 2 seasons. In Michael Jordan they had the league’s best scorer. While Jordan wasn’t the reigning MVP, going into the season he was considered at least the equal of the reigning MVP, Magic Johnson. What Johnson and Larry Bird had that Jordan didn’t was championships. At the time there were whispers that the Bulls couldn’t win a title … [Read more...] about Can the Heat Match the ’93 Bulls?

2013-14 Playoff Preview

April 18, 2014 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

As usual, we reach the end of another interesting season with the same reaction: thank god it is finally over, now let's get to main event already! At the outset, the 2013-14 season finds us, for the first time in awhile without a clear cut favorite. Conceivably, there are six teams with a credible shot of winning the title. Unlike the previous three seasons, LeBron James' presence does not make his team a prohibitive favorite. So, that's a fun change. Let's jump in and look at the … [Read more...] about 2013-14 Playoff Preview

Would Hibbert Have Mattered?

May 23, 2013 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

In one of the more amazing games of the playoffs, the Pacers almost knocked off the Heat at home. Up by one point, with 2.2 seconds left, the Pacers were faced with how to best defend the Heat. As we all know now, the Pacers chose to sit Roy Hibbert and play Sam Young, a perimeter defender, instead of their big shot blocker. Would Hibbert have made a difference? Maybe…Let’s take a look at the final play and see what we can gleam: -The Heat had Shane Battier inbound the ball near half … [Read more...] about Would Hibbert Have Mattered?

2012-13 Playoff Preview

April 20, 2013 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

This season flew by like a flash and we are once again faced with the playoff season. As usual, we’ll go through the match ups and make are somewhat fearless but equivocating predictions. Before we really dig in, we should acknowledge the non-shocking revelation that we are headed to a rematch of last year’s Finals. Miami and OKC are the leaders in SRS rating and OKC actually rates a good deal higher than the Heat (9.15 to 7.03). In the East, Miami does not look like it will be tested much, … [Read more...] about 2012-13 Playoff Preview

First Round Fall Out (Western Conference)

May 29, 2012 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. Denver Nuggets: When you look back at the past decade of Denver Nuggets history, yet another first round loss might seem like stagnation. The Nuggets have made the playoffs each of the last nine seasons but made it past the first round only once (2008-09 when they lost to the Lakers in the Conference Finals). But there is progress. Really! Trading Carmelo Anthony and Nene has gotten Dener some nice young players (Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Javale McGee and some other parts) … [Read more...] about First Round Fall Out (Western Conference)

First Round Fall Out (Eastern Conference)

May 22, 2012 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

While the playoffs rage on, it is still a fine time to stop for a minute and consider those who have already been knocked out. So we begin our annual Fall Out series, in which we assess the departed and their future prospects. The losers have been gone for at least a week and this gives us a little more perspective and avoids quickly pronouncing failure and success. Today, we look at the Eastern Conference: 1. Chicago Bulls: Losing in the first round as one seed really hurts. In the case … [Read more...] about First Round Fall Out (Eastern Conference)