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I predicted the Heat in 6. They “can’t stop, addicted to the shindig.”
The Miami Heat have continued to shock everyone. I’m not nearly as surprised, seeing as though they were the #1 seed in the East layup last year that were a Jimmy Butler three-pointer away from the NBA Finals. I’ve remained on the bandwagon all year long, even sitting through the rocky play-in tournament when it looked like they were about to get bounced by Chicago.
I was laughed at when I said I got Miami knocking out Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round (naysayers will say that Giannis missed a few games in the series, he didn’t miss the ones that really counted though). Even heard some New York Knicks supports in round two. The same people who picked Cleveland to beat them in the first round. It’s crazy how blinded y’all are by stats and narratives), and people really thought the 3-0 Celtics comeback was happening (Boston did scare me for a quick second, but they shouldn’t have been down 0-3 in the first place). Talent and statistics aren’t everything.
I will always be all about the eye test. Grit, toughness, perseverance, relentlessness, having that “It” factor, whatever you want to call it- that’s what Miami has. Jimmy has been my favorite player ever since the 2020 playoffs (actually it was the whole Minnesota T-Wolves “I’ll beat y’all soft asses with the third-stringers” story that has become iconic, but you catch my drift). Leading a tough-nosed, mostly undrafted lineup of players to three Eastern Conference finals in four years says a lot about the culture there and how numbers have diluted our current definition of an MVP or superstar in meaningless regular season games.
By the way, the article thus far has NOT been one big shot at Jokic. I’m not Kendrick Perkins. I love Nikola Jokic, he’s one of the most unique, badass players in the league. He and Jamal Murray are a scary tandem and they deserve the praise they’ve gotten. They’re also below average on defense. Duncan Robinson made Murray look foolish in Game 2. I also think Erik Spoelstra will continue to show he’s the best coach in the world.
I’m aware that the series is at 2-1 Denver I am aware that the Joker and Muray each just got a triple-double in Game 3. I can’t wait for the competition that we have in store, but my faith remains with the Heat. I will bite my words if I’m wrong, but deep down you know this team is legendary.
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