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Miami Heat: 3 Takeaways From Win Over Cleveland

By David Ramil

Mar 16, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) shake hands before the start of the game at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) shake hands before the start of the game at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 16, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is founded by Miami Heat forward Luol Deng (9) as he makes a move to the basket during the first quarter at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is founded by Miami Heat forward Luol Deng (9) as he makes a move to the basket during the first quarter at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

First things first, Cleveland is definitely the better team.

However you want to loo at it – in terms of overall record, talent, production, depth – the Cavaliers have more to offer than the Miami Heat. Monday’s loss was the second game of a back-to-back set when James was hurt and might have missed the Heat game altogether, as several pre-game reports indicated he might.

It’s not a stretch to imagine that he might not have been 100 percent, especially based on the first three quarters of play.

Factor in a tough shooting night for Irving and the absence of Love and, well, a blowout was certainly a possible outcome.

Given all that, there’s no reason to think that the Heat couldn’t challenge Cleveland in a seven-game playoff series. The Cavaliers are currently second overall in the Eastern Conference and Miami is clinging to the eighth spot and it’s playoff life.

The Cavs won’t overtake Atlanta for the top seed but it’s possible that Miami could find a way to hold off Boston, Charlotte and Brooklyn (currently the ninth, tenth and eleventh seed in the East) while overtaking Indiana (losers of two straight games) for the seventh-seed.

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    • Miami has an advantage in Wade/Whiteside over Smith/Mozgov and the point guard battle (where Irving is unproven in the postseason) might be more even than you might think. LeBron James can’t be stopped by any one defender (other than his own occasionally frail psyche) but Deng has always been a challenge for the four-time MVP.

    The benches are pretty even, given Miami’s overall veteran leadership, experience, and coaching acumen.

    The one matchup in Cleveland’s favor is at power forward, where Love and Udonis Haslem would face off. Can Haslem channel a 2006 NBA Finals-type performance, where he harassed Dirk Nowitzki into a shell of his usual self? There’s no denying the will would be there but his body, perpetually aching, might not be up to the challenge.

    Still, you can’t count the old warrior out completely, and my money would be on him summoning just enough to make Love question whether or not re-signing with Cleveland is such a good idea.

    If the two teams did meet in the playoffs, Miami would probably not win the series. But it would be an epic battle and a lot closer than you might think. That was something else you can take from Monday’s lopsided victory.

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