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We often romanticize the past. The classic New York vs. Miami series don’t need to be embellished, they were the real, grind it out, fist in the face deal. As the favorites, it was always Miami with the pressure on them. On the surface, this year’s seeding looked to bring back a classic playoff rivalry. Judging from game 1 this was wishful thinking. Let’s look at the five keys to the series and how they factored into the Heat’s lopsided game 1 win.
LEBRON vs. CARMELO
LeBron James dominated game 1 in every fashion while Anthony struggled to find his shot. James took control early and then escalated his game even higher after “the incident”, more on this later. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh were afterthoughts in this game, and not needed. This was the LeBron show! On the flip side, when Anthony isn’t hot, it is apparent there are NO other play makers on this Knicks squad.
ADVANTAGE: Miami Heat
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It’s almost here! Even after a shortened season it seems like a long time to get to the playoffs. In the East there are a couple of favorites expected to meet in the finals while in the Wild Wild West it’s anyone’s bet. Let’s throw all of our cards on the table and make some predictions.
1. The Philadelphia 76ers steal two games from Chicago. This is not astonishing, but these games will show the holes in a Bulls team that will not be 100% healthy heading into the post season.
2. The San Antonio Spurs will beat the Utah Jazz or Phoenix Suns in four games, maybe five, probably four.
3. The Los Angeles Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder would be the most excitingly anticipated first round match-up to end with the Thunder sweeping in four games.
4. No Dwight Howard, no problem. Well, for the Indiana Pacers that is. Indiana takes out the Orlando Magic in five.
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