Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat: Who Has The Advantage?
LeBron James Dwyane Wade Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com
Now that the Los Angeles Lakers have completed their trade for Dwight Howard, they appear to be the favorites in the Western Conference. The Miami Heat are the favorites out in the Eastern Conference, so let’s breakdown each of the starters to see who has the edge.
Statistics listed are career numbers per-36 minutes.
Point Guard: Steve Nash vs. Mario Chalmers
| Player | G | FG% | 3P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Chalmers | 289 | .419 | .359 | .781 | 0.4 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 11.1 |
| Steve Nash | 1152 | .491 | .428 | .904 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 9.9 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 16.6 |
This one is a no-brainer. The acquisition of Steve Nash makes the Lakers a much more dynamic offensive club. He doesn’t help on the defensive end but they have enough help in the paint to make up for it. Nash is a better shooter, passer and playmaker than Chalmers. Pretty easy choice here.
Point Guard Advantage: Los Angeles Lakers
Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant vs. Dwyane Wade
| Player | G | FG% | 3P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe Bryant | 1161 | .453 | .337 | .838 | 1.2 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 25.0 |
| Dwyane Wade | 596 | .486 | .291 | .770 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 6.0 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 24.3 |
A much closer race here with two tremendous scorers bringing their own styles to each team. Bryant is much better in the post and is a better overall player than Wade. However, Wade is better getting to the lane and is a better finisher at this point in his career. Wade is younger and more athletic but Bryant is one of the best ever.
Shooting Guard Advantage: Los Angeles Lakers
Small Forward: Metta World Peace vs. LeBron James
| Player | G | FG% | 3P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 689 | .483 | .331 | .746 | 1.1 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 24.9 |
| Metta World Peace | 827 | .418 | .342 | .715 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 5.1 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 15.2 |
Do I really have to explain this one? James is the best player in the NBA today and while Peace was a premiere defender and a solid scorer in his prime, that was a long time ago. James dominates here on both the offensive and defensive ends. He’s the league MVP, Finals MVP and the favorite to repeat.
Small Forward Advantage: Miami Heat
Power Forward: Pau Gasol vs. Chris Bosh
| Player | G | FG% | 3P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Bosh | 643 | .492 | .289 | .799 | 2.4 | 6.5 | 8.9 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 19.4 |
| Pau Gasol | 796 | .520 | .232 | .752 | 2.8 | 6.4 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 18.6 |
This is the most interesting and closest matchup. Bosh is four years younger but has played just two fewer seasons in the NBA. Their statistics are very similar and any differences could be attributed to differences in their respective offenses. With that said, Gasol is the better passer and gets a slight edge in rebounding. Bosh is the better defender and is a better shooter. An extremely close call.
Power Forward Advantage: Miami Heat
Center: Dwight Howard vs. Joel Anthony
| Player | G | FG% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Anthony | 308 | .509 | .668 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 6.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 4.3 | 5.2 |
| Dwight Howard | 621 | .577 | .588 | 3.6 | 9.3 | 12.9 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 18.3 |
Yeah. The most dominant defender and rebounder in the league is going to take this one. There’s not much reason to go further than that.
Center Advantage: Los Angeles Lakers
The Miami Heat bench is MUCH deeper than the Los Angeles Lakers bench this year but as usual, it comes down to LeBron James. He’s good enough and is playing at such a level that he will not allow his team to lose and he can make up for a lot of his team’s deficiencies.
Your winner: Miami Heat
Michael Dunlap
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