Eastern Conference Finals: Can the Heat come back?

The Celtics picked up a huge win in Miami in game five as the Celtics are in pole position to book a ticket to the NBA Finals in front of their own fans in Boston. However, the Heat are not out of this series and they still have a chance to win game six and force a game seven in Miami. The Heat have the weapons to force a game seven so why will this happen?
Why Miami forces a Game Seven
1. Chris Bosh is regaining his health
Chris Bosh was fairly effective in his surprisngly limited 14 minutes of floor time as he had 9 points and 7 rebounds. Miami will finally have someone that can defend Kevin Garnett in Chris Bosh, and his extra rest in game five could allow him to be very energized in game six which could revitalize the hopes of the Heat. Bosh's return gives them the dominate big man that they have been looking for as it allows them to use Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem in true coming off the bench roles. The return of Bosh can really give the Heat a realistic shot of winning this series.

2. The Heat have Dwyane Wade and LeBron James
This may seem like stating the obvious but any team that has Dwyane Wade and LeBron James has a realistic shot to win a vital game six. James is always going to give a team a high energy performance and tons of points as the MVP will look to have a big game six. James will have a big game but the Heat also have one of the clutchest players in the NBA, Dwyane Wade. Wade is a clutch shooter and performer and these are the moments when you expect someone like Wade to step up. Wade could very well have a 35-40 point performance in game six as Wade will show up and be huge at the end of tomorrow's game. With Wade and James, the Heat can definitely stay alive in this year's playoffs.

3. The Heat have a clutch starting point guard in Mario Chalmers.
Mario Chalmers has always found a way to show up in the big games as he knows how to make tons of big shots. During the Pacers series, Chalmers was big in the key games as he was able to get 10 to 15 points which helped put Miami over the edge and into the next round. Chalmers is known for making big shots from beyond the arc and is a guy that the Heat have to look to get the ball to in late game situations due to his clutch shooting ability. Chalmers might not be a player that gets a lot of headlines but he is a player that will help the Heat force a game seven.

Who made the bigger mistake: Rajon Rondo or Amar'e Stoudemire

Over the last two day of this year's NBA playoffs, the Celtics and the Knicks have lost a key player due to that person's stupidity, and lack of self-control and self-discipline. Both Celtics star point guard Rajon Rondo and Knicks star power forward Amar'e Stoudemire have made stupid decisions that will cause them to miss their next game. So, who decision was worse and more idiotic?


Amar'e completely lost it on a fire extinguisher.

After the game two loss against Miami, Amar'e Stoudemire was very frustrated as the Knicks were down 2 to 0 in the series as they headed back for Madison Square Garden. Then, while headed for the locker room in Miami, Stoudemire decided to punch a fire extinguisher which was in a glass-enclosed case. Stoudemire shattered the case and cut open his hand which caused him to have to go to the hospital to get stiches put in his hand. Stoudemire will most likely miss a critical game three as a loss will open the door for the Heat to have to only win one of the remaining four games to advance. Stoudemire will definitely be affected by the injury throughout the rest of the series as worries of getting it cut up again could cause him to play a tad conservative. Stoudemire is also a big loss to the Knicks' lineup as Jared Jeffries is definitely nowhere near as good as Amar'e. Amar'e lost all self-control and it has made him look like a big idiot, but is it worse than what Rajon Rondo did?

Rondo's mistake could destroy Boston' finals chances

Rajon Rondo has been the key player for running the Celtics' offense but he made the stupid mistake of arguing with the ref and then losing self-control. Rondo decided to push the referee which caused him an immediate ejection and more importantly, a suspension for game two against the Hawks in Atlanta. The Celtics and Hawks have been known for being in close playoff series when they meet as the Celtics can not afford to give Atlanta any sort of advantage for a game. Avery Bradley will have to take Rajon Rondo's spot as Bradley is nowhere near as good as Rondo so the loss will be felt. Rondo has made the biggest mistake of his career as Celtic players and fans could be the casualty of this loss. But is Rondo's mistake worse than what Amar'e did or is Stoudemire the biggest idiot from the first three days of the NBA Playoffs.

Rondo and Stoudemire have both made huge mistakes that could make it a lot easier for the Hawks and the Heat to advance to the next round of this year's playoffs as Rondo and Stoudemire are definitely both idiots. The more selfish player in this case is Rondo as Stoudemire might be able to play in game three and Rondo could cost his team playoff advancement by not being able to help his team. However, Amar'e is the biggest idiot as who would really think that it would be okay to punch a glass case and then not be injured by it. Rondo and Amar'e have both made mistakes that could definitely cost their teams in this year's playoffs.

NBA Playoff Preview

Be Ready for a Durant-LeBron showdown in the Finals

The NBA playoffs are under and already we have a big storyline with the Bulls losing Derrick Rose in game one against the 76ers. These playoffs should be exciting so what will happen.

Round One Predictions

Iguodala is ready to knock out the top seeded Bulls

Eastern Conference
8 Philadelphia 76ers over 1 Chicago Bulls in 6
2 Miami Heat over 7 New York Knicks in 5
3 Indiana Pacers over 6 Orlando Magic in 6
4 Boston Celtics over 5 Atlanta Hawks in 6
The Bulls are taking on a deep 76er team that will be difficult now that the Bulls are without star point guard Derrick Rose. Andre Iguodala will help get the 76ers to the next round while the Heat should be able to walk by the Knicks. The Magic are a ressilliant bunch but the Pacers are built to get past the first round of the playoffs and with a healthy center in Roy Hibbert and abunch a good, young players; stamina will allow the Pacers to move on. The Celtics and Hawks have had some great playoff series and there is no reason to expect less but the Celtics are playing well and a Al Horford-less Hawks just are not good enough to get by Boston.

Jefferson will win this matchup against Duncan

Western Conference
8 Utah Jazz over 1 San Antonio Spurs in 6
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 7 Dallas Mavericks in 5
3 Los Angeles Lakers over 6 Denver Nuggets in 7
5 Los Angeles Clippers over 4 Memphis Grizzlies in 6
How about both number one seeds going in the first round. Some would say that the Spurs won't make another early exit but the Jazz have the one thing that allowed Memphis to pull the upset last year, size and tons of it. The Jazz have tons of dominate big man with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, and Enes Kanter. The Jazz will dominate the boards and whenever you do that, you will win games and win the series. The Mavs just are not as good as last year and the Thunder will be able to cruise to the next round. The Nuggets will be a real challenge for the Lakers due to Denver's depth and Ty Lawson but the Lakers are too experienced to not get by the first round. The Clippers are a perfect matchup for Memphis and Chris Paul will help lead the Clippers to the Western Conference semis.

Conference Semifinals

KG will help eliminate Philly

Eastern Conference
4 Boston Celtics over 8 Philadelphia 76ers in 6
2 Miami Heat over 3 Indiana Pacers in 5
The Celtics are a good team and a legitimate contender but they will be challenged by the youth and depth of the 76ers. Veterans like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen know how to make big shots and in this northeast showdown, that will be the difference as the Celtics will be headed for the Eastern Conference Final. The Pacers are a good team but the Heat are a truely elite team with of course the big three but also they have a better gropu of players surrounding James,Wade, and Bosh than last year. The Heat have the ability to get that NBA Championship and they will take another step to get closer to the NBA Finals.

Durant will get past Kobe in the semis.

Western Conference
5 Los Angeles Clippers over 8 Utah Jazz in 5
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 3 Los Angeles Lakers in 5
The Clippers-Jazz series should be great as both these teams have tons of talent but the one difference is at point guard with the Clips having Chris Paul and the Jazz having Devin Harris. Paul is a way better player than Harris and that will make this series not as close as it seems as Chris Paul will take one LA team to the Western Conference finals. The other LA team, the Lakers, will be headed for the exit doors when they play the Thunder as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will be a ble to dominate while Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins will be good enough to slow down Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum as OKC will head for the Western Conference final.

LeBron and Miami will defeat Pierce and Boston

Conference Finals
2 Miami Heat over 4 Boston Celtics in 6
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 5 Los Angeles Clippers in 6
The Heat and the Celtics will provide a great matchup in the Eastern Conference finals as it will be the original big three against the South Beach big three. The Celtics have the advantage at the point but the Heat have the better players at every other position as the Heat know they are so close to the Finals. This will be the Heat's year to win the Eastern Conference and return to the NBA Finals with the goal of winning a championship. Thunder vs Clippers will be a great showdown as these two are becoming two of the Western Conference powerhouses. Both teams are loaded with stars like Durant, Russell Westbrook, CP3, and Blake Griffin. The Thunder have a great scorer off the bench in sixth man of the year award favorite James Harden. Harden will be huge in this series and help send the Thunder to a final against Miami.

NBA Finals
2 Miami Heat over 2 Oklahoma City Thunder in 7
This has been my pick for the NBA season all year and I'm not going to change it now as these two teams are definitely the best in the NBA this year. The big matchup in this year's finals will be between the two big stars, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Durant and LeBron are the two best players in basketball and this will be the ultimate matchup on the biggest stage before they pair up in London for the Olympics. Dwayne Wade will be matchuped on Russell Westbrook as the Heat ahave the one lineup that lines up well with OKC. Bosh will be able to have more success down low than anyone else as Ibaka and Perkins will be worn down froma tough playoffs. The Heat have some playmakers off the bench that can make an impact as Udonis Haslem will provide some offensive rebounds while Joel Anthony will play strong defense. James Harden will makes some shots but at the end of the day, LeBron will outplay Durant and bring a NBA Championship to Miami.

LeBron will defeat Durant and win the title for the Heat.