Heat are 48-4 with Birdman

[HotRocks34]

You forgot Udonis Haslem's picture. The guy is a walking turnover under the basket because all his layups get blocked or come up short.

True, true. Man, he really isn't what he used to be. Sad to see. They need a replacement for him next year. Actually, they need 2 decent bigs and I cant see anyone stopping them.

At least Haslem can still do that basic dive to the hoop down the middle, catch the pass and dunk. Anthony and Asik may have trouble completing that play.

[granger05]

Oh, and in this series it seems like the Heat noticed something in how the Pacers rotate their defense toward the rim and Anderson took full advantage of that in game 1. I expect that this is one of the adjustments Indy makes in game 2 and Anderson stops getting 7 dunks. That's not where he impacts the game typically anyway but he is a nice finisher playing with guys like LeBron and Wade who will make a lob pass or even a simple one where he just has to catch it and immediately dunk it. That was one of the things I liked in watching him with the Nugs was that he basically just dunked and blocked shots and he did both of those things as though he were trying to injure the basketball and the rim.

[Stone]

Smart move by Reilly.....got to give credit where its due.

You can see he's hungry to win a title and know he's got good chance. Those are the kind of guys you to have.

[Antrim]

Oh, and in this series it seems like the Heat noticed something in how the Pacers rotate their defense toward the rim and Anderson took full advantage of that in game 1. I expect that this is one of the adjustments Indy makes in game 2 and Anderson stops getting 7 dunks. That's not where he impacts the game typically anyway but he is a nice finisher playing with guys like LeBron and Wade who will make a lob pass or even a simple one where he just has to catch it and immediately dunk it. That was one of the things I liked in watching him with the Nugs was that he basically just dunked and blocked shots and he did both of those things as though he were trying to injure the basketball and the rim.

Huh...I think the Heat will be happy with any adjustment related to guarding Birdman and not helping against LeBron, Wade or Bosh. It's not really rocket science the Heat just figured, it's just that Birdman can actually catch and dunk the ball unlike any other center they've had in the past three years.

[mopper8]

Smart move by Reilly.....got to give credit where its due.

You can see he's hungry to win a title and know he's got good chance. Those are the kind of guys you to have.

Worth noting that Riley said Spo was texting him everyday for weeks telling him to sign Birdman.

[sisibilio]

Fair enough. But the OP seems to be hyping Birdman up too much. If the Pacers stop double teaming whoever drives into the paint Birdman would stop scoring in a heartbeat.

Almost all of Miami's points depend on a double team allowing an open layup or open 3. Their offense is so predictable but the problem is that they get away with a lot of moving screens which force defensive switches and double teams.

Yesterday the refs did a decent job of calling Haslem and Bosh for moving screens though

No, the problem is if you don't double LeBron he'll be the one scoring pretty much every time.
And a ouple of his baskets weren't that easy.


biiiiiirdman

[Chosen01]

Exactly, Anderson would not be getting all these open layups if it wasn't for LeBron or Wade driving to the rim and getting double teamed.

Anyone can make wide open layups.

That may be true, but there are guys who can't catch the ball or elevate enough to finish once they have the ball in their hands. I am thinking of these two players in particular:





Birdman is perfect for Miami. High-energy, athletic, knows how to get in position for easy hoops. And he has the right personality for the team, too.

Fair enough. But the OP seems to be hyping Birdman up too much. If the Pacers stop double teaming whoever drives into the paint Birdman would stop scoring in a heartbeat.

Almost all of Miami's points depend on a double team allowing an open layup or open 3. Their offense is so predictable but the problem is that they get away with a lot of moving screens which force defensive switches and double teams.

Yesterday the refs did a decent job of calling Haslem and Bosh for moving screens though

It's a pick your poison, either you let LeBron and Wade drive to basket with no secondary attention and allow them to have much higher opportunity to score and or draw fouls or give Birdman easy buckets.

Hibbert is always worried about trying to block whoever drives that he completely forgets about Birdman, he will FEAST this series if that trend continues.

[sisibilio]

You forgot Udonis Haslem's picture. The guy is a walking turnover under the basket because all his layups get blocked or come up short.

True, true. Man, he really isn't what he used to be. Sad to see. They need a replacement for him next year. Actually, they need 2 decent bigs and I cant see anyone stopping them.

At least Haslem can still do that basic dive to the hoop down the middle, catch the pass and dunk. Anthony and Asik may have trouble completing that play.

If he could still hit that mid range shot around 45% as he used to do it wouldn't mind that he lost a step but 39% in the last 2 seasons is not good.



Yes, he's "smiling"

[22haytham22]

He kept them in the game yesterday. Its amazing how good a big can be next to Lebron if he can just catch a pass and drunk in traffic.

Exactly, Anderson would not be getting all these open layups if it wasn't for LeBron or Wade driving to the rim and getting double teamed.

Anyone can make wide open layups. Anderson has no offensive game otherwise. His jump shot is horrendous and he has no hook shot either.

LeBron made Anderson Varejao look like a top 15 power forward. How's Varajao doing now?

He's still a beast

[abark]

He kept them in the game yesterday. Its amazing how good a big can be next to Lebron if he can just catch a pass and drunk in traffic.

Exactly, Anderson would not be getting all these open layups if it wasn't for LeBron or Wade driving to the rim and getting double teamed.

Anyone can make wide open layups. Anderson has no offensive game otherwise. His jump shot is horrendous and he has no hook shot either.

LeBron made Anderson Varejao look like a top 15 power forward. How's Varajao doing now?

Are you even aware how dominant Andy was this year? He was getting 14/14/3.5. He was a top 5 center. He might be the only player Lebrons played with that got significantly after playing with him.

[HotRocks34]

You forgot Udonis Haslem's picture. The guy is a walking turnover under the basket because all his layups get blocked or come up short.

True, true. Man, he really isn't what he used to be. Sad to see. They need a replacement for him next year. Actually, they need 2 decent bigs and I cant see anyone stopping them.

At least Haslem can still do that basic dive to the hoop down the middle, catch the pass and dunk. Anthony and Asik may have trouble completing that play.

Yes, he's "smiling"

Well, at least he has heard it said recently that OKC isn't going to amnesty him.

[NZB2323]

He kept them in the game yesterday. Its amazing how good a big can be next to Lebron if he can just catch a pass and drunk in traffic.

Exactly, Anderson would not be getting all these open layups if it wasn't for LeBron or Wade driving to the rim and getting double teamed.

Anyone can make wide open layups. Anderson has no offensive game otherwise. His jump shot is horrendous and he has no hook shot either.

LeBron made Anderson Varejao look like a top 15 power forward. How's Varajao doing now?

Averaging 14 and 14 before the injury while being one of the best defensive big men in the game. He's definitely a top 15 power forward while healthy.

[sp6r=underrated]

They have been very impressive since he joined by Miami but their record is deceptive. They have been extremely lucky in close games since he joined the club. Their point differential over this stretch is +10.98 which is nothing like the 75 win pace their record looks like.

I'm sure people are going to get outraged by calling it luck but one of the most established facts statisticians have shown in basketball and all sports is that winning close games is more luck than skill.

The Heat are playing great but their level of play is well below 48-4. You need to be winning games by an average of 15+ to be in that range.

[Kibago]

he should probably play 20 minutes a game instead of 15, but he'd decline pretty quick after that.
perfect energy big for a contending team and the Miami FO deserves props for picking him.

[BurningBridges]

He kept them in the game yesterday. Its amazing how good a big can be next to Lebron if he can just catch a pass and drunk in traffic.

Exactly, Anderson would not be getting all these open layups if it wasn't for LeBron or Wade driving to the rim and getting double teamed.

Anyone can make wide open layups. Anderson has no offensive game otherwise. His jump shot is horrendous and he has no hook shot either.

LeBron made Anderson Varejao look like a top 15 power forward. How's Varajao doing now?

Are you even aware how dominant Andy was this year? He was getting 14/14/3.5. He was a top 5 center. He might be the only player Lebrons played with that got significantly after playing with him.

Well at the age of 34, Birdman's time is running out. So is 40 year old Ray Allen's time. Looks like the Heat will need to shop for some more ring chasers after this season or reactivate their AARP membership

[BurningBridges]

He kept them in the game yesterday. Its amazing how good a big can be next to Lebron if he can just catch a pass and drunk in traffic.

Exactly, Anderson would not be getting all these open layups if it wasn't for LeBron or Wade driving to the rim and getting double teamed.

Anyone can make wide open layups. Anderson has no offensive game otherwise. His jump shot is horrendous and he has no hook shot either.

LeBron made Anderson Varejao look like a top 15 power forward. How's Varajao doing now?

He's still a beast

That may be so but Varejao >>>>>>>>> Birdman
Birdman made some nice blocks here and there but he will not score 15+ points on uncontested layups the next game

[BurningBridges]

That may be true, but there are guys who can't catch the ball or elevate enough to finish once they have the ball in their hands. I am thinking of these two players in particular:





Birdman is perfect for Miami. High-energy, athletic, knows how to get in position for easy hoops. And he has the right personality for the team, too.

Fair enough. But the OP seems to be hyping Birdman up too much. If the Pacers stop double teaming whoever drives into the paint Birdman would stop scoring in a heartbeat.

Almost all of Miami's points depend on a double team allowing an open layup or open 3. Their offense is so predictable but the problem is that they get away with a lot of moving screens which force defensive switches and double teams.

Yesterday the refs did a decent job of calling Haslem and Bosh for moving screens though

It's a pick your poison, either you let LeBron and Wade drive to basket with no secondary attention and allow them to have much higher opportunity to score and or draw fouls or give Birdman easy buckets.

Hibbert is always worried about trying to block whoever drives that he completely forgets about Birdman, he will FEAST this series if that trend continues.

Better to force Wade or LeBron into a contested layup (and not fall for their pump fakes or flops) then give Birdman a wide open layup

[BurningBridges]

He kept them in the game yesterday. Its amazing how good a big can be next to Lebron if he can just catch a pass and drunk in traffic.

Exactly, Anderson would not be getting all these open layups if it wasn't for LeBron or Wade driving to the rim and getting double teamed.

Anyone can make wide open layups. Anderson has no offensive game otherwise. His jump shot is horrendous and he has no hook shot either.

LeBron made Anderson Varejao look like a top 15 power forward. How's Varajao doing now?

Are you even aware how dominant Andy was this year? He was getting 14/14/3.5. He was a top 5 center. He might be the only player Lebrons played with that got significantly after playing with him.

Oh and how is JJ Hickson doing or better yet Big Z?

[mopper8]

They have been very impressive since he joined by Miami but their record is deceptive. They have been extremely lucky in close games since he joined the club. Their point differential over this stretch is +10.77 which is nothing like the 75 win pace their record looks like.

I'm sure people are going to get outraged by calling it luck but one of the most established facts statisticians have shown in basketball and all sports is that winning close games is more luck than skill.

The Heat are playing great but their level of play is well below 48-4. You need to be winning games by an average of 15+ to be in that range.

They are 51-5 in their last 56 (reg season and postseason). In that stretch they've played 13 games that were decided by 5 points or less, and gone 11-2 in those games. Assume the following: games with a MOV over 5 are outside of mere statistical variance (I think a defensible proposition), and games within 5 points are essentially random (I think less defensible, but still). That means at worst they've "truly" been a 46-10 team over that stretch. That's a win % better than all but 5 teams have been able to put up for an entire season in NBA history. You say they're MOV is "only" 10.77 as if there are more than 5 teams in NBA history who have done better than that for an entire season, but of course, there aren't.

Even if 11-2 is over performing in those situations, it's still not obvious that 6-7 or 7-6 should be their "true" record. They're also better than every team they've played in those situations. If their "true" record is closer to 9-4 in those situations, you're talking about only 2 extra wins over that stretch. Maybe 3. Still a ~70 win pace. Saying they haven't really been playing at a 75 win pace, it's more like a 68-71 win pace, isn't saying much at all. That still puts them in the territory of best team of all time.

[AshyLarry]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLbBnlTNZa8[/youtube]