Welcome to the second season everybody!
After 6 months and 82 games, the dust has settled and our Play In/Playoff bracket is set.
The quality of basketball might be pretty gross depending on the matchup, but the pressure is still real.
I’m sure both fanbases believe this was a bit of a down year.
The beauty of this matchup is none of that matters.
That’s going to be the biggest factor for both sides tomorrow night.
In 4 games against MIA this year, Young is averaging just 19.8/3.3/9.8 on 35/20% shooting.
Essentially, he’s been in jail in every single matchup.
He has proven he can show up in these games.
For the Heat over this same timeframe, it’s 9th, 24th, 19th.
I find that pretty interesting considering defense is what the Heat are supposed to hang their hat on.
The question will be, which version of these teams show up?
If the plan is to get into a track meet, I’m not sure that favors the Heat.
Their shooting is a little too streaky for that.
In terms of their styles, the Heat are pretty elite when it comes to stopping P&R.
Surprisingly the Hawks have struggled in P&R, ranking in only the 55th percentile offensively this season.
That’s a pretty big dropoff from their 75th percentile ranking last year.
Neither team can really shoot.
We’re about to see if that actually matters.
It’s hard to be pumped at the moment as a Wolves fan, and who could blame them?
Who is guarding LeBron/AD?
None of that matters.
It also should be mentioned that no team in the NBA gets to the line more than the Lakers.
It’s extremely suspect, but suprises nobody.
This matters of course because the Timberwolves are 29th in the NBA in opponents FTA.
They foul the shit out of everyone they play.
So just think about how this will most likely play out.
On paper, they have tons of talent.
Despite that talent, the Bulls finished the year with the 24th ranked offense.
That’s a shame too because defensively the Bulls were a top 5 team on the year.
When it comes to TOR, they rely heavily on turning over their opponent.
No team in the league is better at causing turnovers and then turning those mistakes into points.
They take care of the ball at a high level.
In terms of halfcourt offense, the Raptors rank 14th in the league.
Decent, but not great.
They are big, physical, and long as hell.
If they can find ways to make the Bulls turn it over, they have a shot.
The Bulls are 30th in 3PA, which isn’t exactly new.
It’s not part of their offense.
Instead, DeRozan just kills you with the midrange.
They also have maybe the most successful Play In guy in the league in Pat Bev.
I also don’t think you might rule out all the drama with Nick Nurse.
The quit factor might be pretty high if the Bulls somehow get off to an early lead.
We see that all the time.
They weren’t supposed to be this good and yet here they are.
These are valuable reps that can only help the development of this young roster.
Whenever you get into one of these win or go home games, literally anything can happen.
Brandon Ingram is also on a tear, but he’s a much streakier shooter.
It’s just hard to know what version of the Pelicans we’re going to get.
They were so good to start the year and then went into a coma for like two months.
I know that sounds crazy, but they just never truly went away.
When everyone thought they’d drop, they kept on winning.
I think that matters in a game like this.
It’s not a series, you just have to be better on one night.
Of course they do!
With just one more sleep until the fun starts, I cannot wait.
My guess is we see LAL/MIA/CHI/NO move on, but I’d love to be wrong.
