NBA Finals 2011, Miami Heat vs. L.A. Lakers: Who Wins the Clash of Titans?
NBA Finals 2011, Miami Heat vs. L.A. Lakers: Who Wins the Clash of Titans?
The Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers came into the 2010-2011 season with the image of being the top dogs in their respective conferences. After a long season full of surprises and disappointments, numbers and stats say that they are ranked second their conference. However, Heat vs. Lakers is still the matchup that would sell the most tickets.
This slideshow compares both teams to determine which has the best chance to win if they face each other in this year's Finals.
1. Experience
1 of 10
Experience has a huge impact during the regular season, but it takes a whole new dimension come playoff time.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers know something about winning in the Playoffs. Actually, they know a lot—Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher co-hold the record of most championship rings among active players with five, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest have been in this league for respectively 10, 11 and 11 years. The Lakers' core has been the same for at least three and half seasons, and they haven't missed a Finals since then.
Miami Heat
The Heat have not passed the first round since their only 'ship in 2005-06. LeBron James has been to the Finals once and didn't win a single game, Dwyane Wade hasn't seen second-round action in the last five years, and Chris Bosh has played only two playoff series prior to joining the Heat, losing both by the score of 4-2 and 4-1. The Heat revolves around the "Big Three," and they have only played one season together.
Edge
Lakers. This one is a no-brainer. Experience-wise, the Lakers are miles in front of Miami. The members of the "Big Three" have reasonable experience individually, but not enough as a team.
2. Physical Strength
2 of 10
Just like experience, physical strength goes to another level as postseason begins. 82 regular season and 12 to 21 playoff games have already taken their toll on each athlete's body when the Finals begin. Only the strongest can still find the energy inside of them to win four games.
Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe is 32 years old and straight out of high school, D-Fish is 36, Lamar and Artest are 31, and Pau Gasol is 30. With the exception of Andrew Bynum, all of the Lakers' key players have been around for a while. None of them have the athleticism they once had, Gasol excluded as he seems to never have been athletic...
Miami Heat
The average age of the "Big Three" is 27 years old. The Heat try to run as soon as they can, and rank sixth in regular season fast break points per game among playoff teams.
Edge
Miami. Physically, the Heat are superior—they're faster, stronger and jump higher. Over a seven-game series, strength becomes one of the most important factors. Los Angeles better hope its series is as short as possible—and that the Heat's series all go to seven games—if it has a chance to follow the up-and- down the floor rhythm imposed by the Heat.
3. Will
3 of 10
To win four consecutive seven-game series, you have to want it more than the rest of them. Eyes on the prize, anything else comes in second place.
Los Angeles Lakers
This is probably Phil Jackson's last playoff run and Kobe Bryant's last season with a chance to win a championship. In 2012-13, Bryant will be a rich man's Ray Allen or Tim Duncan, a leader past his prime. Nobody wants to win more than Bryant, and he's never wanted any other ring more than this one. Tying MJ is something Bryant has had on his mind for a while.
Miami Heat
James wants his first ring, Bosh does too, and Wade wants to re-experience to joy. They promised their fans a Larry O'Brien in their first year. However, they know that as good as they are now, brighter days are to come...
Edge
Lakers. Miami wants a trophy, but the Lakers' drive to win it all—probably for the last time of the Kobe era—is just something else.
4. Confidence
4 of 10
You have to believe in yourself and your teammates to go out there and win.
Los Angeles Lakers
Get to the Finals three consecutive times, win the last two years, finish second in the toughest conference—what more would you need, right? Well, no, that isn't enough. The Lakers managed to equal last year's record, but for the first time in the Gasol era, LA doesn't have the top seed in the West. They suffered their first four-game skid since the big man arrived and then followed it up with a five-game losing streak five months later. The Lakers' season might have been filled with ups and downs (their major streaks were W8-W5-L4-W5-W7-W4-W8-W9-L5) but it hasn't been as rocky as broadcasted by the media.
Miami Heat
The Heat finished the regular season on a 15-3 run and they improved their record by 11 games. If you have Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the same team, how could you not be confident?
Edge
Heat. The Lakers have had their weakest season since 2006-07, and the Heat have gone from middle of the pack, to good, to great. The Lakers are a great team as well but not as great as any as of their championship teams. Most importantly, the Heat are 2-0 against the Lakers.
5. Clutch
5 of 10
To be clutch is to be better at the end—not only the end of a game but also the end of the season and the playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers
Bryant is considered one of the best—if not the best—closers in NBA history. Derek Fisher is the definition of clutch, he becomes better at the end of games—this year some teams (*cough* Clippers *cough*) saw that up-close and personal—and he blooms at the end of the season. If there is one thing that hasn't often been said about the Lakers is the clutch of their team defence. All Lakers pick it up defensively at the end of close games. However, let's not forget Bryant has gone from six to zero game winners from last season to this one.
Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade delivers in the clutch, but Coach Spo doesn't have that yet and keeps drawing up plays for LeBron down the stretch. Elton Brand and Amar'e Stoudemire still laugh about those choices.
Edge
Lakers. The Heat have kept banging their heads against the wall in the fourth, and the Lakers have many options as the two playoff game winners they got last year were from neither Bryant nor Fisher but Artest and Gasol.
6. Wing-Men
6 of 10
A team always needs wing-men to hit threes and run the break. They represent scoring and passing, and are a major part on D and on offense.
Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant is just flat-out great, I could list his credentials but I would like to finish this article before the Finals. Lakers also have one of the best perimeter defenders of this era in Ron Artest.
Miami Heat
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. These sort of things are not supposed to happen. Magic and Bird weren't on the same team. Neither were MJ and Pippen. Oh wait, they were—and in my opinion, they are the only wing-men duo to compare to Wade-James (Pippen and MJ won not one, not two, not three—but six championships).
Edge
Heat. LeBron is the only forward Artest hasn't broken down yet, and the Lakers can't count on him to score big with James defending. There's no need to compare Dwyane and Kobe when the gap between Ron and LeBron is enough to say that the Heat has the best wing.
7. Bigs
7 of 10
The Finals could come down to who gets the crucial rebound, and moreover, if a team can crash the offensive glass, they're going to be tough to beat.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have the best frontcourt out there. End of story. Perfect combination of size and talent, you get the best of all worlds with the Lakers. With Lamar Odom, you have a 6'10" guy with the ability to guard a wing player, shoot the outside jumper, finish in the lane and go coast-to-coast. You've got an almost ambidextrous 7'0" face-up beast with a sweet touch from 16 feet in Pau Gasol, and a 7'1/2", 285-lb rebound gobbling monster who can bully his way down low in the post and send a few back at the opponent if forgotten about on a penetration.
Miami Heat
Chris Bosh. Voilà!! That's about all you get down low with the Heat and Bosh plays more like a mix of 4 and 3 than like a 4/5 guy. Big Z, Joel Anthony and Juwan Howard are not expected to be dominant.
Edge
Lakers. They were fourth in rebounding (first among playoff teams) during the season. The Heat were 26th (12th among playoff teams). Bosh averages 0.6 BLK/G, Joel Anthony 1.2 and Z 0.6. In comparison, Odom blocked 0.7 shots a game, 1.6 for Gasol and 2.0 for Bynum (sixth in the league, third among playoff players ).
8. Team Work
8 of 10
You can't win by yourself, and passing is the base of basketball. Ball hogs don't win and nothing's better than unselfishness.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers bigs are the most willing passers among frontcourt players—part of why they are the best in the league—but there remains a problem. Bryant is the leading passer on the team with 4.7 APG which is weak, and he was third in isos this season, burping up a lot of horrible shots.
Miami Heat
Their early selfishness, coming from the habit of each being the No. 1 team by a mile, is why the Heat looked more like the Golden State Warriors in the first two months. Nevertheless, Miami bounced back thanks to passing, among the players of the "Big Three," or out of double-teams to shooters like James Jones or Mike Miller.
Edge
Heat. James is the best passing forward in history, and Wade averages just 0.1 less APG than Bryant.
9. Bench
9 of 10
You can't expect to go all the way in the playoffs without a deep roster. Key players can bring energy off the bench, and a group of role players on the floor at once can create a spark and heat up the crowd.
Los Angeles Lakers
Back-up team: PG Steve Blake, SG Shannon Brown, SF Matt Barnes, PF Lamar Odom, C Theo Ratliff.
Miami Heat
Back-up team: PG Mario Chalmers, SG Mike Miller, SF James Jones, PF Juwan Howard, C Jamaal Magloire or Joel Anthony.
Edge
Lakers. Let's just say Blake=Chalmers, Miller=Brown, Barnes=Jones and Ratliff=Magloire. It comes down to Lamar sixth Man Of the Year Odom vs. 2.4 PPG Juwan Howard. I think I've made my point. Let's not forget, either, that having Phil Jackson at the end of that bench doesn't hurt ...
Conclusion
10 of 10
This slideshow covered the 9 most important points that teams need to excel in to win a Larry O'Brien trophy.
Verdict
Los Angeles Lakers. They won this comparison 5-4. This doesn't mean much though, as other factors like health and fan support advantage the Heat because of home court advantage. Still, we can't even be sure that both teams will make the Finals, so this is all pure speculation. Well, call it an educated guess, but I see L.A in 6 or 7.
.png?w=600 "76ers Stat When Down 0-2 👀")
