Alright, time to make my first official play of the new season before the line moves more.
Mia/Bos U 193 1/2 - 2 Units
A few things going on here:
- Tuesday will be the first real time for the Superfriends to share the court, and there will certainly be a few growing pains. These 3 guys are incredibly talented, but to execute at a high level against a defense as good as Boston's you need more than just natural talent, you need basketball chemistry. This will come quickly, but I expect some rough edges on Tuesday.
- The injuries Miami has faced throughout the preseason have really impacted the team's progress on the offensive end. Spoelstra will be forced to call in more sets from the sideline than he would like which will cause a more stilted offensive flow. No doubt Miami will look to push the ball when they can, but in a halfcourt set I expect both of these teams to take 20 seconds off the clock routinely. Miami will also be too unselfish at times in their first few games which will lead to sloppy offense.
- Boston is a year older and is without Kendrick Perkins for a while. I don't think anyone truly understands how much of an asset he is. The Celtics will look to post up Shaq to exploit the mismatch they will have, but that ultimately grinds the offense to a halt and keeps other players from getting into the flow of the offense (just look at any Cavs quarter last year when they made a conscious effort to feed him).
- Paul Pierce is aging quickly and the primary use of his energy Tuesday night will be trying to stop Lebron, not scoring.
- While I expect the Heat to look rough on offense, their defense should be impressive. This team has the two best wing defenders in the league and a defensive-minded coach running the show. Allowing Boston to get more than 90-95 points would be unacceptable.
- Finally, this game will have the excitement level of the NBA Finals surrounding it. Players will come out overly pumped, which leads to tight shooting.
I won't normally give such lengthy writeups, but for now it helps pass the time until the season begins!
Take the Under here and let's start the season off on a positive note.