NBA Playoffs 2012: Miami Heat's Problems Won't Surface Until NBA Finals
When the Miami Heat get together Saturday night to watch Game 7 between the Celtics and 76ers, they can rest easy knowing that their next real test lies in the NBA Finals.
Sure, the Heat are weary of Boston's veteran presence in late-game situations. They know that their Big Three can still get it done, and they have a run-and-gun point guard in Rajon Rondo who racks up more stats than Wilt Chamberlain.
But whether Rondo is stellar or not, LeBron James and company know that their team is only getting better while the Celtics slowly become an older, more groggy team. This is evident in the struggles Doc Rivers' team has had in closing out the overmatched Philadelphia 76ers, who just squeaked into the playoffs.
Losing Avery Bradley for the Celtics may or may not doom them in Saturday night's Game 7, but his absence will definitely impact an Eastern Conference finals matchup with Miami. Bradley has turned into much more than a role player for the C's this season, who have outscored opponents by 53 points this postseason when Bradley is on the floor with Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass.
The Sixers have so much balance on offense that it negates Bradley's value as a lock-down defender, but that will change if the Celtics advance and need to shut down Dwyane Wade.
Wade has been off and on this postseason, but after the way he closed out Indiana in Games 5 and 6, it's safe to say that he'll be firing on all cylinders come Game 1 of the ECFs. Bradley would be an ideal fit defensively on Wade.
Kevin Garnett has been on point in these playoffs, but the Heat take pride in their post defense with Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony and Ronnie Turiaf, who are all self-proclaimed defensive stoppers.
The Heat are just too powerful right now with James and Wade. The loss of Chris Bosh was supposed to doom this team, but instead it has just opened up the floor for two of the world's best to operate.
Philadelphia poses much different issues for the Heat, but it's no secret that a Sixers-Heat matchup would be more favorable for Miami. The eighth-seeded Sixers in the East Finals? My guess is the Heat will take it.
The Sixers get their scoring from a hefty slew of players, similar to the Pacers. We saw how that worked out, as it confused the Heat only long enough to get Wade playing at his usually-high level. Philly is solid across the board, but they'll be no match for a Heat team that is itching to run past one of these tired teams.
The winner of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder may be favorites to win it all, but the Heat will have something to say about who wins this year's championship once they cruise to the NBA Finals for the second-straight year.
