therealbig3 wrote:So halfway through the season, looking around the East, I think our biggest competition is Philly, Miami, and Toronto.
I am honestly not scared of the Bucks and Celtics, I think we pose a lot more problems for them than they do for us, and it's them that would need to adjust to us, not the other way around. Like, I think we would play guys like Theis, Thompson, and Lopez off the court and force them to play more small ball, and we'll be way better at that than they are.
But Toronto and Miami are tough, defensive-minded teams that can match up well with us and have excellent head coaches that learn how to exploit a team's weakness over the course of a 7 game series. Even though they'd be underdogs, they're the type of scrappy team that just has killers up and down the lineup and won't back down against anyone. Miami especially has two legit superstar talents in Butler and Bam. And I can't think of a better defensive player than Bam, other than maybe Davis, when it comes to trying to defend our lineup.
And Philly has a ton of shooting and a ton of size, and Embiid is the worst matchup for us in the league, on paper at least. Would love to avoid Toronto and Miami altogether tbh, because upset potential is there imo. Less so with Toronto, but Miami is a scary dark horse. I don't think their bubble performance was a fluke, I think they're exactly the type of team that saves their best for the playoffs and all of a sudden you see a bunch of really good players that don't back down against anyone up and down their lineup, led by Butler and Bam, and you're like, how did this team only win 45 games lol (or the 72 game equivalent)?
There is no team id rather play then Philly. to me they are a layup. They simply are not going to win as constructed and in the NBA in general you have a lowered ceiling with so much scoring volume from your big. Just too many 38/12/5 games from embiid where the team loses. Its too easy to let him go off but stop everyone else. and then he exerts all that offensive energy and can be a 38 mpg rim protector. Then throw in how awful a fit simmons is with him, and their general losing stench with tanking culture.
I'd play them over altanta, knicks, wizards, etc for sure... I mean, their record vs. teams over .500 is bad. and the over .500 teams that have beaten are like the pacers of the world for the most part.
Celtics if they add a big/depth or miami if they add Lowry (and even make the playoffs) scare me. Bucks scare no one. Raps woudnt beat us but they would drag out a series for sure.