The Heat are built for the bubble & it spells doom for the Celtics
Last night, the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics to take an early 2-0 series lead. The game was close but the fourth quarter is where we saw the Heat start to take over the game and make a Celtics series comeback feel impossible.
As I watched the first two games of the series, I wondered once again how the Heat went from a #5 seed to looking like the best team in the NBA. As the playoffs have progressed, we have seen that Pat Riley built a team for the bubble. A team that looks ready to win the NBA Finals.
The first thing that anyone can notice is the motor that the Heat are built on. While they don't have the star power, they have a team built on the mentality that there is no exhaustion and that you must always bring the top effort. We have seen Jimmy Butler and the stars on the Heat take over fourth quarters simply with the energy that they possess while the other team is burnt out. Bam Adebayo is built as an ideal big man for today's game, with a motor that can keep grinding out minutes and points.
The next thing that we have seen with the Heat in the bubble is the ability to have multiple two-way players throughout their roster. In a league that is obsessed with the three-ball, we have seen the Heat build a roster that has all their players beating their opponents both offensively and defensively. The Heat brand of basketball allows them to beat a team like the Celtics that have scorers but not the best defenders. The highlight of the two-way basketball was when Bam Adebayo blocked Jayson Taytom to seal Game One, a symbol of the series.
It's too early to say that the Heat or going to win the series. Likewise, it's hard to say that they will be able to beat Lebron and the Lakers or the Nuggets if they indeed reach the Finals. However, we have to keep an eye out for the rise in the Miami Heat. This is a team that would not surprise me if they won the NBA Finals and it shouldn't surprise the public either.
