What We Learned From Week 1 of the NFL Season

After a great start to the NFL Season it's time to take a look at a few things we learned from this past weekend:

1. RGIII is LEGIT

One of the worst things about living in Maryland during the football season was having to see the Redskins play every Sunday. During the past two years I've seen some ugly football, including the benching of Donovan McNabb for Rex Grossman. Yes, you read correctly. Rex Grossman. It looks like there is finally something to be excited about if you're a Redskins fan, and although I'm not a fan, I look forward to watching Robert Griffin III play for years to come. Now, please bear with me for a moment. I understand that his historic performance came against a short-handed Saints defense that isn't even very good when at full strength. However, the reason I'm sold on RGIII is not because of his extraordinary stat line, but because of the confidence and poise I saw from him on each and every snap. There were plenty of times that he found himself under pressure, and rather than just tucking the ball and running for a few yards, he kept his eyes down the field looking for a receiver to get open. This proves that his college dominance wasn't simply because of his insane athletic ability, and that his skill set does indeed transfer to the NFL. I have been high on this guy for a while now and it's not because of his otherworldly athleticism, nor his cannon arm, but rather because he is an extremely smart man. Just look at his academic record in college and it is quite apparent that he is not only smart, but an extremely hard worker, both on and off the field. When you couple that with the pure athletic talent that RGIII possesses, you get a star in the making. Will he put up numbers like this every week? No, and anyone who thinks so is most likely just an overly optimistic Skins fan. There are sure to be plenty of bumps along the way, but it won't be too long until we are talking about Robert Grifffin III as a top Quarterback in the NFL.

2. Adrian Peterson is a Freak of Nature

A torn ACL is one of the most devastating injuries a running back can experience. Most never get back to full strength. Or at least that's what history has told us. Apparently no one told that to Adrian Peterson. Less than 9 months ago AP tore his ACL in a game against the Redskins. You wouldn't know that by watching him play on Sunday. He carried the ball 17 times for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. More important than his stats was the strength his knee exhibited while making his usual strong cut backs and leaps. This performance defies everything we knew about ACL tears. Normally it takes about a full year to recover enough to play the running back position due to the abnormal beating they receive. Needless to say, Peterson is ahead of schedule. To put it in context, Jamaal Charles (Kansas City running back) suffered the same injury over three months before Peterson did, yet they are both at the same point in the recovery process. My hypothesis is that he is an alien sent here to dominate the NFL. Or he's just a fast healer. But either way, he is a freak of nature and looks to be back to his old self, which is something football fans should be thrilled about.

3. Starting Rookie Quarterbacks Isn't Always the Right Move

There used to be a time when the general practice in the NFL was to draft QBs and then let them learn for a few years before throwing them into the starting lineup. That is no longer the case, thanks in large part to the rookie success of players such as Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Joe Flacco, and Andy Dalton. This year saw a record five rookies starting at quarterback in Week 1: Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill (above), Russell Wilson, and Brandon Weeden. Between the five of them, they threw a total of 11 interceptions, and that includes the zero interceptions that RGIII threw. Now I'm not going to jump all over Luck. He was the first overall pick for a reason and I still believe he'll be a good quarterback. However three interceptions is not a good start even though he was going up against a very tough Bears defense. I also won't jump ship on the biggest surprise of the preseason, Russell Wilson. He wasn't outstanding, but he didn't play very poorly either, finishing with only one interception and almost getting the win. Tannehill and Weeden are a completely different story. They threw 3 and 4 interceptions respectively and looked completely overwhelmed in their NFL debuts. I have been scratching my head ever since the Dolphins decided to take the former wide receiver with the 8th overall pick to be their QB of the future. He is very athletic for a quarterback, and has good arm strength, but obviously struggles with accuracy and decision making. Weeden is another player that just honestly wasn't ready to start. While I understand the Browns are desperate, it would have been smarter to stick with Colt McCoy just a little longer while Weeden became more comfortable with the offense. The moral of this story? While there are certainly some QBs that are ready to start as rookies (RGIII for example), there are plenty that would really benefit from time to learn as a backup for a veteran QB.

4. Andy Reid Should Be Relieved of His Duties

Let me preface this by saying that this isn't some diatribe by an angry Eagles fan. For the record, I am a Steelers fan and Dolphins fan. But living outside of Philly for most of my life I have spent a lot of time watching the Eagles play and have been continuously frustrated with Andy Reid's single minded approach to the game of football. His philosophy is pass, pass, pass, and then pass some more, despite being blessed with some great running backs over the years (Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy). While I acknowledge that he has certainly had a fair amount of success in his career, making it to multiple NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl, he has always come up short due to his refusal to adjust his philosophy and this past weekend was the perfect example of that. Last season the Browns had the 2nd ranked pass defense in the league to go along with the 30th ranked rushing defense. If I were to tell this to a 10 year old, and then ask what you should do against the Browns, he would say run the football. It's pretty much common sense, especially when you add to the equation the fact that the Eagles have a top five running back on their team in LeSean McCoy. So what does Andy Reid do? He has Mike Vick throw the football 56 times....56! Compared to only 20 rushes for McCoy. The result? Vick threw four interceptions and the Eagles barely squeaked away with a one point win over the Cleveland Browns. Yes, a popular pick to win the Super Bowl almost lost to the Cleveland Browns. It is very true that a lot of the blame goes to Vick as well, but as a coach it is your job to put your players in the best position to win. Vick is at his best when he can do play action and bootlegs, which won't work if you never run the football. It is also worth noting that on those 20 carries, McCoy got 110 yards...yeah I don't get it either. I understand that this is a pass happy league now, but Reid's refusal to adjust his game plan for specific opponents has always been his downfall, and if the Eagles really want to win a Super Bowl, Reid needs to go.

Under Pressure

First off, does anybody else start thinking of the beat from Under Pressure by Queen when they read the title of this article?...No?...Just me?....Awkward…

Anyway, on to the actual point of this article. As you all know a blockbuster trade recently occurred in the NBA. The focal point of this trade was sending Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers and Andrew Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers. These two big men are considered by most to be the number one and two centers in the league, respectively. When such high profile players are involved in a trade, the following question often arises: Who is under the most pressure to perform for their new team?

If you were to ask Shaquille O’Neal, he would say Dwight. But I am here to tell you that the great Shaqtus is wrong. However, I do understand where he is coming from. There is always added pressure when you are part of the Lakers organization because, for them, every season is essentially championship or bust. When you add that to the soap opera Dwight caused in Orlando, he is most certainly under a lot of pressure. I mean, the man was so indecisive that it felt like he was taking advice from a magic 8 ball.

That being said, for the first time in his entire career Howard is not going to be the first option on offense. Hell, he’s not even gonna be the second option. I could even make the argument that he’d be the fourth option (behind Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash). Regardless, the whole point is that he will no longer be forced to try to be an offensive force when it matters the most, for that role is reserved for the Black Mamba. This will allow him to save most of his energy and effort for what he does best, defense, while the majority of his points come from offensive put-backs and alley-oops.

Then, on the other hand, there’s Andrew Bynum.  For the first time in years he was able to shake the injury bug and stay relatively healthy for an entire season. The result? 18.7 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 1.9 bgp, and his first All-Star appearance. It was most certainly an impressive season.  Unfortunately for Bynum, injuries aren’t the only problems that have plagued him throughout his career. Immaturity has been an ongoing issue and this season was no exception. Bynum was benched multiple times for lack of effort and poor decision making, including shooting an infamously ill-advised three point shot for which he was not the least bit remorseful.

Essentially, in only his first year of legitimate production Bynum developed a diva attitude worse than Miss Piggy (yes, that’s a Muppets reference – Terp Pride). Keep in mind, Bynum was really only the third option on offense which is not exactly a pressure filled position. Well it is now time for him to put his money where his mouth is. He is going to the focal point of the 76ers offense, which of course means he’ll be the focus of opposing defenses. It’s time to put up or shut up for Bynum, because if he doesn’t rise to this occasion people all over the NBA will start to wonder if he’s worth all the trouble.

On a side note, I will say that I do believe Sixers fans have good reason to be excited about this season. I’m not personally a big fan of Bynum because I believe you should never have to add “when he tries” while referring to how good a player is; however, there is no denying his talent on the court (when he tries). Since this is a contract year for Bynum, he is most certainly going to be looking for a max contract when the season is over. So although it may be for the “wrong” reasons, I believe we are going to see an Andrew Bynum that tries a lot harder than he has in the past. I would also like to point out that while Kobe Bryant sat out seven games in a row in April, Bynum flourished as the first option on offense, putting up 23 ppg and 14 rpg. While I acknowledge it’ll be very different having to carry a team for an entire season, I think he’ll step up to the plate.

NBA Draft Recap

Best Pick (Besides Anthony Davis): Wizards 3rd overall pick, Bradley Beal

Bradley Beal is the real deal. I firmly believe that this young kid (and I can say that because I'm older than him, which is weird) will be an All-Star for years and years in the NBA. Beal is a great shooter with plenty of other assets on both the offensive and defensive end. The biggest of those assets is his phenomenal rebounding ability for his 6'3" frame, averaging 6.7 rpg in his first and only year in college. He already posses NBA range but can also attack the hoop and finish strong against bigger defenders. Beal also comes up big in the most important games, averaging 15.75 ppg and 8.25 rpg, while shooting over 60% from the field during the NCAA Tournament. My favorite thing about this pick, however, is the fact that the Wizards just got someone with a great work ethic that will grow into a leader along side point guard John Wall. For too long Washington has been plagued by immaturity and off the court issues, but drafting such a high character guy with this much talent was the perfect move to turn things around.

Worst Pick: Cavaliers 4th overall pick, Dion Waiters

This isn't so much a reflection on Dion Waiters, but more so the point in which he was taken in the draft. Most people projected Waiters to be a mid-first round pick, making it two years in a row that the Cavs made a reach for a player at the 4th spot in the draft (Tristan Thompson last year). At this point in the draft Cleveland should have drafted Harrison Barnes, who has a more versatile game and would be a better piece to fit with Kyrie Irving to build around. Someone who was only a sixth-man in college that was relied on for instant offense just isn't worth the 4th pick. If Cleveland had their heart set on this guy then they should have traded back at least a few spots and gotten something else out of the deal.

Steal of the 1st round: Phoenix Suns 13th overall pick, Kendall Mashall

Let me preface this by saying that I am a student at the University of Maryland, so I hate UNC with a passion. With that in mind, you know I mean business when I'm giving a Tarheel love. That being said, this is quite possibly my favorite pick of the entire draft. I never understood why Marshall wasn't projected as a higher pick. Yes, he didn't score much in college, but it was more a result of his situation as opposed to a lack of ability. He played with three other first round picks this year (Barnes, Henson, Zeller), so he just had to focus on running the offense and making those guys look even better, which he did masterfully. This type of innate play-making ability is rare to find, especially at this young of an age. He will need to improve his jump shot for sure but shooting is a much more coach-able trait than play-making. This young man will be one of the best distributors in the NBA within the next few years.

Steal of the 2nd Round: Cleveland 34th overall pick (traded to Dallas): Jae Crowder

The Big East Player of the Year was my favorite player in all of college basketball last year. He played with such passion and intensity you just knew he's make it to the NBA and be successful. Most players drafted in the second round either never actually play in the NBA or last a very short time. That will not be the case with Crowder. He'll never be an All-Star, but he will be one of those glue guys on a team that does a little bit of everything that helps the team win. He will be able to contribute to a team much like Kawhi Leonard did for the Spurs this past season.

Biggest Question Mark: Jared Sullinger

Had this young man come out a year ago after his freshman season he undoubtedly would have been a top 5 pick. But one year later, he ends up the 21st pick by the Celtics. This extreme drop was not due to decreased production, but because of conflicting reports about a back condition that could be career threatening. If he can manage his back problems and avoid them hampering his career, then the Celtics just got the biggest steal in the draft. There is a lot yet to be determined but Boston fans are hoping he can have a long successful career as they attempt to rebuild their team.

Biggest Winner on Draft Day: New Orleans Hornets

This is probably obvious seeing as Anthony Davis is the highest rated prospect in years. But in my eyes what makes them the biggest winners, was their second pick at 10th overall, Austin Rivers. I believe Rivers can help this team immediately off the bench, assuming they retain Eric Gordon. Rivers is an instinctive scorer who has the ability to create for others, although he doesn't always make the smartest decisions. He most certainly has some maturing to do, but he has the raw attributes to become an All-Star one day. Being the son of Boston coach Doc Rivers, Austin has a very strong work ethic and will continue to work to become great. If that happens, the Hornets just became a perennial contender in one draft.

What the Hell Are the Sixers Doing?

Let me start with a shout out to my boy Owen Hamill, for he is the reason I am including this section. The Sixers just continue to baffle me on draft nights. This is nothing against Moe Harkless, because he is a talented scorer and rebounder. The problem I have with this pick is that they continue to fill up their roster with small forwards that have very similar skill-sets. Iguodala, Evan Turner, Thadeus Young, and now Harkless all play a similar brand of basketball, which simply doesn't fill a need. With an aging Elton Brand and an inconsistent Spencer Hawes, I would have liked to see the Sixers go for a big man like Tyler Zeller. That being said I'm not going to jump all over them just yet. The front office may have a master plan that involves trading a player or two in order to fill an actual need. But until then, I'm left here scratching my head.

You Already Know What This Article Is About

"It's about damn time." That says it all. These were some of the first words uttered from LeBron after officially being crowned King James. Just take a moment to look at the picture above. This is a picture of pure relief. The Heat have finally broken through and won a Championship in the second year of the Big Three era, giving LeBron his first Championship after nine years in the league. The part that amazes me the most is how James, and the rest of the Heat, did this while being the most scrutinized player/team of all time. And yes I meant to say of ALL TIME. LeBron James was on the cover of SLAM magazine at the age of 16, along with the caption "The Chosen One"...16 years old. From that moment on, it was either greatness or bust for LeBron. Micheal Jordan, the greatest NBA player of all time, came into the league with almost no pressure. The great MJ was cut from his high school basketball team, not celebrated as a prodigy.

When LeBron made it to his first NBA Finals back in 2007 against the Spurs (with a team that had no right making it past the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals), the man was Twenty-three years old. Twenty-three! Yet to this day he still was being chastised for how he played in that series. For his entire career if it didn't result in a ring then it was simply failure. Now I'm not sitting here saying LeBron hasn't deserved any criticism or that he hasn't made any mistakes. He has on both counts. But I'd much prefer it if athletes biggest mistakes were televising free agency decisions and being a little arrogant, as opposed to many the alternatives: dog fighting, DUI manslaughter, rape, etc.

Once LeBron took his talents to South Beach, his teammates also became subjected to all the hate as the Miami Heat were held up to a standard never before seen in sports. The most perfect example I can think of is two images from the past two finals that were essentially the same, but resulted in extremely different reactions. After losing to the Dallas Mavericks last year, while walking back to the locker room, Chris Bosh became overwhelmed by the disappointment and broke down in tears. As a Miami fan I liked that because it showed how much he cared, and more importantly, how motivated he would be to never let that happen again. However, for this show of emotion, he was absolutely torched. People in the media were calling him Bosh Spice (a not so clever comparison to Posh Spice, a member of the Spice Girls). I personally received many texts and comments from people about how one of my favorite players was "such a girl" or a "pansy".

But none of that bothered me, quite frankly. People have their opinion and that's fine. What truly frustrates me is when people are inconsistent with their criticism. And that is where the second image comes in. Last night, while walking to the locker room after the game, Kevin Durant hugged his parents and just started crying. And today? Nothing. No one is hating on Durant. No one is calling him a girl. No one is disrespecting him. This perfectly portrays the pressure and the added difficulty of being a member of the Miami Heat over the last two seasons.

Now, I'd like to point out that this isn't me trying to complain about how the Heat have been treated. I hate teams for various reasons and have no problems with others doing the same thing. Plus I'm a Steelers fan at the University of Maryland, so I'm no stranger to having my favorite team hated on. I simply want to point out what the Heat have overcome to become Champions so all of us fans can truly appreciate the greatness that we saw this season.

But I digress.

Now onto the main purpose of the article I intended to write, which is a to provide a review of the Finals and give my opinion on why it turned out the way it did. And for those of you still reading (thank you), I will keep it brief.

The biggest weakness going into this series for the Heat was their lack of a supporting cast surrounding the Big Three. Seemingly out of nowhere, this was no longer the case. Shane Battier scored 17 points in each of the first two games of the series. Then Mario Chalmers decided to have one of the best games of his career in the critical Game 4 victory, scoring 25 points. To finish off the Thunder, Mike Miller went off for 23 points in Game 5, hitting 7 of 8 three-pointers. This all happened while OKC seemed to be missing a member of their "Big Three", as Harden scored under 13 points per game on less than 38% shooting.

I'm not going to sit here and blame the 22 year old Harden though. In fact, I won't blame a single member of the Thunder. The Heat were just a better, more desperate, and more experienced team that could not be stopped. Over the past two years I have watched at least a hundred Heat games, and never had I seen them play the way the did in Games 2-5. Everyone was moving without the ball. There were almost no isolation plays. LeBron was posting up or attacking the basket, settling for far fewer jumpers. Bosh was constantly fighting for offensive rebounds. Wade lived off backdoor cuts and constant motion as opposed to the isolation heavy offense that he's used to. With the way the Heat played there was not a team in the NBA that could have hoped to stop them.

The one thing I will be critical of the Thunder for is their defense on LeBron James. They continued to put smaller guys like Sefolosha and Harden on LeBron, and he just continued to overpower them and take them to the hoop. The only type of defense that has historically given James trouble is length, which is exactly what Kevin Durant has. I understand that you want to stay out of foul trouble, but Durant should have manned up on James to try to throw off his rhythm. That being said, I don't believe it would have really changed the outcome of the series. LeBron and the Heat were going to find a way to win no matter what, and they did just that.

I look forward to what I believe will become one of the most historic rivalries of all time between the Thunder and the Heat in the upcoming years.

Let us finish with a moment of silence mourning the fact that this will be my final article about the Miami Heat for a while.....and now you can celebrate.

NBA Finals Prediction

I am going to get this out of the way for those of you who are simply reading this to find out my prediction: Miami Heat in 7 games. Now let the angry comments explaining why I am a biased fool commence. But for those of you patient enough to stay with me for a few minutes just hear me out. From the start of this abbreviated NBA season I have predicted a Finals match-up between the Miami Heat and OKC Thunder; however, I never imagined that OKC would make this decision so difficult. I have gone back and forth so many times that I wouldn't be surprised if later in this article I decide to go with the Thunder in 6 games, so be sure to pay close attention should you decide to continue reading.


This is such a difficult match-up to call that I even had trouble deciding how to go about writing this article. At first I thought I could do a position by position match-up analysis, discussing which team holds the advantage at each position. After playing that scenario through my head I realized that it would be a completely moot point. When analyzing on-the-court talent it is a complete wash between these two teams. OKC is certainly the more complete team, but the Heat have arguably 3 of the top 4 players in the series. With that in mind I am going to use this article to discuss the one thing that the Heat have that the Thunder lack: a true chip on their shoulder.


Let's just be honest for a moment. The Heat have absolutely everything to lose, where as the Thunder have nothing to lose. OKC has essentially been deemed the "golden child" of the NBA. They are a team that was built "the right way", and has possibly the most likable and humble of all superstars in the NBA, Kevin Durant. This is in no way a bad thing, however, historically it is the teams that have a chip on their shoulder that generally win championships. Last year, the Mavericks were essentially ruled out in the first round against Portland, and Dirk Nowitzki was labeled as soft and horrible in the clutch. After being disrespected time and time again, Dirk and his teammates shed their labels and went on to win the Championship.


The Lakers won the two prior Championships behind the leadership of Kobe Bryant, who as we all know, plays with a chip on his shoulder even if it's something he needs to fabricate himself. I could go on and on, but my point is, the Thunder just don't really have anything to be angry about. They're one of the most popular teams in the league and have not yet had to experience the feeling of making it to the Finals and then losing. This is not the case for the Miami Heat.


After the infamous "Decision" by LeBron James, in which he took his talents to South Beach, the Heat have become the most hated team in the NBA, lead by the most hated and scrutinized superstar, LeBron James. In all honesty, the intense hatred that is directed at LeBron (which I am reminded of all the time due to the fact that I'm a Heat fan and my friends all know that) makes me sometimes think that he's been caught stealing purses from old ladies. I wouldn't be surprised if a national poll revealed that LeBron is more hated than O.J. Simpson. To compound his problems, the Heat made it to the Finals where he seemingly froze, resulting in a devastating loss. If he fails to win a ring once again, he will face yet another year of critics discussing his shortcomings on what seems like a daily basis, and he knows it.


LeBron isn't the only member of the Heat with something to prove. That loss in the finals affected everyone on that team. The normally cordial and friendly Dwyane Wade came at this NBA season with a vengeance, sporting a mean scowl and the attitude to match it. Essentially, losing is not an option for this team. Their window for success is closing, where as the Thunder know they have plenty of chances to win Championships for years to come. Out of that desperation, I believe the Heat will pull together to overcome their demons and become NBA Champions.


And just as an add-on so I can feel like I did some form of basketball analysis, the Thunder are primarily a jump shooting team, making about 50% of those jump shots in their wins against the Spurs. The Heat are very good at closing out, making jump shots more difficult, leading me to believe the Thunder won't be able to score enough to win four games.

Eastern Conference Finals Preview

The Eastern Conference Finals features the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, two teams that were pushed to the brink in their respective semi-final series. After losing Chris Bosh to injury in game one against the Pacers, the Heat lost two games in a row and found themselves down 1-2. With their backs against the wall Dwyane Wade and Lebron James took over the series to win three straight games, defeating the Pacers in six games. The Celtics, on the other hand, were pushed to seven games against the eighth seeded 76ers. It wasn't until some unusually impressive shooting by Rajon Rondo in the waning minutes of game seven that the Celtics clinched a win. With those series finished, it is time to take a look at the upcoming match-up:

Celtics X-Factor: Ray Allen

To say that Ray Allen has been struggling during this post-season is a gross understatement. You know the man is in a slump (40.8FG%, 26.9 3P%) when he gets visibly excited about making a three-pointer at a relatively unimportant juncture in the game, keeping in mind he has made more threes than anyone in NBA history. Father Time has finally caught up to Allen at the worst possible time for the Celtics, as they try to make one last push for a championship before the members of the Big 3 probably go their separate ways. His ankles have been an issue and he has played through the pain admirably, but given his less than proficient defense, if he is not knocking down the three then he becomes a liability on the court. Without his normal three point shooting then I don't believe the Celtics have a chance in this series. However, if Allen can get it going from beyond the arc things will go much smoother for Boston offensively.

Heat X-Factor: Udonis Haslem

In all honesty the biggest X-Factor for Miami is when and if Chris Bosh will be able to play. But since that would be pure speculation on my part, I will focus on Udonis Haslem, who has had a mostly disappointing season to this point. He has stepped up his game in the playoffs, however, increasing his field goal percentage by 4%.Until Bosh is able to come back Haslem's ability to knock down the mid-range jumper will be a key for Miami's success. As Wade and James cut and slash to the basket opposing teams crowd the paint, often leaving Haslem wide open. If he does not consistently hit that shot it will make it supremely difficult for Wade and James to finish at the rim. When this happens the Heat often become very stagnant on offense, relying on too much isolation and long jumpers. So the way Haslem plays and makes shots will heavily determine the outcome of this series.

Key Match-up: Kevin Garnett vs. Joel Anthony

Let me start out by saying we all know who is going to win this match-up. Kevin Garnett will get his points and rebounds, and will outplay Joel Anthony in pretty much every statistical category. However, the defensive performance of Anthony will be a key factor in determining who moves on to the NBA Finals. With Allen struggling, Garnett's offensive production has been even more important during this postseason. There is almost a direct link between his efficiency and whether or not the Celtics win. In their eight wins during the playoffs Garnett is averaging 21.3 ppg while shooting 53.5% from the field. In their five losses, he scores only 16 ppg on 45.3% shooting from the field. Anthony will be given the task of trying to slow him down and if he is successful Miami will be in a good position to win. But if not, the Celtics could be moving on to the Finals.

Prediction: Miami Heat in 5 games
The Boston Celtics were pushed to seven games by the younger, more athletic 76ers. The Miami Heat are essentially a better version of the 76ers, seeing as they to love to run in transition, but have two elite scorers in the half-court set. Although I believe the games will be very competitive, I only see the Celtics stealing one game at home in this series. Without Avery Bradley in the line-up it will be primarily up to Ray Allen to guard Dwyane Wade. While Bradley would not have been able to completely stop Wade, he is an elite defender and could have made things much more difficult for Miami's star shooting guard. At the age of 36 Allen's defense is far from elite, which leads me to believe that Wade will continue his prolific scoring to help lead the Heat to victory. It is also worth noting that the primary weakness of Miami is size down low and rebounding, which the Pacers took advantage of in their two wins during the last series. However, Boston lacks the size to exploit this weakness and will therefore be sent home short of reaching their goal of an NBA championship.

Bosh's Injury Will Cause Problems in Miami

As a fan of the Miami Heat my heart absolutely sank when I saw Chris Bosh doubled over in pain on the court yesterday during game one of their series against the Pacers. At this point we do not know the extent of the injury, but he has an abdominal strain that could very well keep him on the bench the remainder of the playoffs. The cause of my sadness is not what you would think, however. The root of my discontent comes from what I perceive as the only two possible outcomes that I see, if Bosh does in fact miss the rest of the postseason.

The first, and honestly preferable outcome, is that the Heat go on to win the Championship. In order for this to happen LeBron and Wade will have to step up their games, or as I like to say, go into beast mode. Obviously it will take more than two guys to win a championship though. The man that will need to step in for Bosh to make an impact is Udonis Haslem, who, up to this point, has had a rather sub par season, shooting only 42% from the field. Now as a Heat fan, this is the ultimate goal, and I would love nothing more than for them to win a Championship. However, it will unfortunately be bitter sweet. If they do go on to win it all without Bosh we will all be subjected to even more talk that completely belittles his role on the team. Many people already claim that Bosh is overrated and that the Heat only have a "Big 2". This is far from the truth and anyone who watches the Heat regularly know this, but thanks to mass media the casual NBA fan thinks Bosh is an expendable member of the team. A Bosh-less Championship would only strengthen the resolve of these people and all of us will have to spend the off-season hearing how Bosh is all hype and should just be traded away.

The second outcome is obviously that the Heat once again fail to win a Championship, which would give Heat "haters" a field day. LeBron James has been nothing short of spectacular this season but given the pressure, that he frankly put on himself ("Not one, not two, not three...), the only thing that matters is whether or not he wins a championship. This criticism is fair, because if you're going to talk that big then you need to back it up. However, I am quite honestly sick of hearing about it on a daily basis on ESPN. I understand that injuries are a part of the game that every team has to deal with, but losing Bosh really is a huge blow. More important than his 18 points and 8 rebounds per game, is the fact that on any given night when James or Wade is struggling, he has the ability to step up and be the guy, as he demonstrated throughout this season. The biggest problem I will have if this happens is that even if LeBron plays out of his mind we will still only hear about how he cannot win big games. He could average a triple-double for the finals, finish every game strong, yet he will still be blamed if the Heat come up short.

As I've already stated, I clearly want the Heat to bring home the Championship this year. I would also like to add that I hope Bosh's injury isn't serious and that he does come back and play an integral role on a Championship team. However, if that does not happen, then one way or another we can expect another off-season of controversy in South Beach.