We are now one game (per series) away from a potential Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tying his career high in the postseason, LeBron James scored nearly half of the Heat's points in tonight's win in Brooklyn as the Heat took a 3-1 series lead.
James scored 49 points on 16-of-24 shooting including three-of-six from behind the arc and he added six boards, three steals and two assists.
In this series, James is shooting nearly 60 percent (59.7) from the field and is averaging 30.25 points per game. In addition, he's averaging 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game in the series.
The Heat will have an opportunity to close the series on Wednesday in Miami. (The Pacers host the Wizards in Game 5 of their series on Tuesday.)
Showing posts with label Brooklyn Nets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brooklyn Nets. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
Consensus NBA Power Rankings, Week 21
At the end of the 2013 (calendar) year, the Eastern Conference Finals seemed destined to be a rematch of last year's matchup between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers.
Two and a half months later, the Heat (5/6) and Pacers (13/10) are clearly the favorites to represent the conference in the NBA Finals (based on odds from Sportsbook.com).
Two teams have the potential to make it more interesting than it appeared in December.
The Bulls and Joakim Noah, Mr. Triple-Double lately, have a ton of heart and could play spoiler in the second round of the playoffs. Based on standings through Sunday's games, the Bulls would be the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
While the Bulls have the fourth-best odds (25/1) to win the Eastern Conference, the team with the third-lowest odds (20/1) currently occupies the No. 6 seed, the Brooklyn Nets.
They have certainly come a long way since this moment:
Even though they are 3.5 games behind the Raptors, the Nets have been extremely good since the calendar turned to 2014. After a 10-21 start in 2013, the Nets have won 23 of 33 games since the start of 2014 without Jason Kidd spilling any more drinks on the court.
Here is this week's roundtable question for our experts: Fill in the blank: The Brooklyn Nets have a ____ percent chance of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
Kevin Hanson: 15 percent
First off, I expect a Pacers-versus-Heat matchup just like the majority of the planet, but the Nets (and Bulls) have made it more interesting with a month to go in the regular season. Although they have turned their season around without him, the loss of Brook Lopez for the season hurts. Granted, Deron Williams is one of the better point guards in the league and Shaun Livingston has been an excellent story this season. But it's hard to get excited about guys like Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett helping this team make a deep playoff run. In fact, I think the Bulls have a greater chance of getting to the Conference Finals than the Nets.
John Trifone: 10 percent
The Nets have a 10-percent chance of reaching the Conference Finals. They are looking like they will be either the fifth or sixth seed in the East, so where they ultimately finish could play a role in their chances. If they finish as the fifth seed, they'll play at Chicago, which could be a one-and-done for them. I don't like their chances of winning two series if the first one starts in Chicago. If they finish sixth, I think they will get by Toronto, but I still only give them a puncher's chance of knocking off one of the two Titans in the East. They certainly are playing much better in the second half of the season, but there is still a pretty big gap between the top two and the rest of the East.
Sean Beazley: 0.00001 percent
Brooklyn's roster is filled with NBA veterans, but it's a three-team race in the East with the Pacers, Heat, and Bulls as the elite teams. I think the Nets will struggle to make it out of the 1st round.
Dan Yanotchko: 0 percent
The Brooklyn Nets have a zero-percent chance of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals this year. This year, it will be Miami vs. Indiana for the third straight time, as there is no one even close to those two teams in the East. The Nets started horribly this year, and have managed to right the ship at 33-31, so they are two games over .500. The problem is that the Nets are challenged offensively, as they only average 97.4 points per game, and they are ranked 29th overall in rebounds per game. The Nets will just be a warm-up for either Miami or Indiana depending on their seed.
Moving up only slightly from last week (16th), the Nets are currently the 14th team in our Week 21 NBA consensus power rankings.
- See our full 2013-14 NBA Power Rankings
Follow our updates: Twitter - Facebook - Google+
Two and a half months later, the Heat (5/6) and Pacers (13/10) are clearly the favorites to represent the conference in the NBA Finals (based on odds from Sportsbook.com).
Two teams have the potential to make it more interesting than it appeared in December.
The Bulls and Joakim Noah, Mr. Triple-Double lately, have a ton of heart and could play spoiler in the second round of the playoffs. Based on standings through Sunday's games, the Bulls would be the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
While the Bulls have the fourth-best odds (25/1) to win the Eastern Conference, the team with the third-lowest odds (20/1) currently occupies the No. 6 seed, the Brooklyn Nets.
They have certainly come a long way since this moment:
Even though they are 3.5 games behind the Raptors, the Nets have been extremely good since the calendar turned to 2014. After a 10-21 start in 2013, the Nets have won 23 of 33 games since the start of 2014 without Jason Kidd spilling any more drinks on the court.
Here is this week's roundtable question for our experts: Fill in the blank: The Brooklyn Nets have a ____ percent chance of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
Kevin Hanson: 15 percent
First off, I expect a Pacers-versus-Heat matchup just like the majority of the planet, but the Nets (and Bulls) have made it more interesting with a month to go in the regular season. Although they have turned their season around without him, the loss of Brook Lopez for the season hurts. Granted, Deron Williams is one of the better point guards in the league and Shaun Livingston has been an excellent story this season. But it's hard to get excited about guys like Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett helping this team make a deep playoff run. In fact, I think the Bulls have a greater chance of getting to the Conference Finals than the Nets.
John Trifone: 10 percent
The Nets have a 10-percent chance of reaching the Conference Finals. They are looking like they will be either the fifth or sixth seed in the East, so where they ultimately finish could play a role in their chances. If they finish as the fifth seed, they'll play at Chicago, which could be a one-and-done for them. I don't like their chances of winning two series if the first one starts in Chicago. If they finish sixth, I think they will get by Toronto, but I still only give them a puncher's chance of knocking off one of the two Titans in the East. They certainly are playing much better in the second half of the season, but there is still a pretty big gap between the top two and the rest of the East.
Sean Beazley: 0.00001 percent
Brooklyn's roster is filled with NBA veterans, but it's a three-team race in the East with the Pacers, Heat, and Bulls as the elite teams. I think the Nets will struggle to make it out of the 1st round.
Dan Yanotchko: 0 percent
The Brooklyn Nets have a zero-percent chance of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals this year. This year, it will be Miami vs. Indiana for the third straight time, as there is no one even close to those two teams in the East. The Nets started horribly this year, and have managed to right the ship at 33-31, so they are two games over .500. The problem is that the Nets are challenged offensively, as they only average 97.4 points per game, and they are ranked 29th overall in rebounds per game. The Nets will just be a warm-up for either Miami or Indiana depending on their seed.
Moving up only slightly from last week (16th), the Nets are currently the 14th team in our Week 21 NBA consensus power rankings.
- See our full 2013-14 NBA Power Rankings
Follow our updates: Twitter - Facebook - Google+
Monday, December 16, 2013
2013-14 NBA Power Rankings, Week 8
The Eastern Conference — and even more specifically the Atlantic Division — has been incredibly weak with the exception of the top two teams.
It's too bad we couldn't move some Western Conference teams east or fast forward to a likely Pacers-versus-Heat Eastern Conference Championship.
The good news about the Pacers and Heat is they are clearly the two best teams in the entire assocation with the league's best player (LeBron James) and one of the league's most underrated superstars (Paul George).
Roundtable question: Will any team(s) in the Atlantic Division finish the season with a winning record?
John Trifone (follow on Twitter):
As pathetic as the Eastern conference as a whole has been, and specifically the Atlantic Division, I do think at least one team, and probably two teams, will finish over .500.
The Nets have a good team on paper, and have showed some signs of putting something together. The Knicks also are not as bad as they've played. Prior to moving Rudy Gay and now possibly unloading Kyle Lowry, I thought that Toronto had a chance to be decent as well, although I would now take them out of the mix.
And finally, Boston has been substantially better than predicted. Brad Stevens may just be a great coach, but I think between the Celts, Knicks, and Nets, at least one of them will end the year with a winning record.
Sean Beazley (follow on Twitter):
Yes, I believe Brooklyn will make a run and finish above .500 and win the Atlantic division this year. I think the Eastern Conference playoffs will have at least three teams in it that are under .500 in the playoffs. NBA action; it's Fantastic!
Dan Yanotchko (follow on Twitter):
I would have to say that this year's Atlantic Division of the NBA has to be the worst possible division in the history of sports. Right now, we are past the quarter point of the season, and not one team is over .500. The Celtics lead the way with a lofty 11-14 record, good enough to be three games clear of the .500 mark.
This division will have a .500 finisher though, and the only team that will finish over 41 wins, will be the Brooklyn Nets. Although the Nets have one of the worst coaches in the league, they have way too much talent, and of course, they play in the Atlantic division of the Eastern conference, so they can stockpile wins. The Nets will eventually get to, and finish over, the .500 mark.
Kevin Hanson (follow on Twitter):
For a couple of reasons, I'd like to see all five of the teams in the division lose all of their games. As a Sixers fan, I'm rooting for more ping pong balls leading to a (very) high lottery pick. For the rest of the division, I root for them to lose, as always.
That said, I think we see the Nets finishing above .500.
Over the long haul of the NBA season, there will be plenty of games against the other teams in the division. The trio of Deron Williams, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will eventually get healthy and gel and finish with around 45 wins on the season. Adding Pierce and KG, however, I'm sure that the organization and its fan base was hoping for more than a 45-37 regular-season record.
- See full power rankings here
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It's too bad we couldn't move some Western Conference teams east or fast forward to a likely Pacers-versus-Heat Eastern Conference Championship.
The good news about the Pacers and Heat is they are clearly the two best teams in the entire assocation with the league's best player (LeBron James) and one of the league's most underrated superstars (Paul George).
Roundtable question: Will any team(s) in the Atlantic Division finish the season with a winning record?
John Trifone (follow on Twitter):
As pathetic as the Eastern conference as a whole has been, and specifically the Atlantic Division, I do think at least one team, and probably two teams, will finish over .500.
The Nets have a good team on paper, and have showed some signs of putting something together. The Knicks also are not as bad as they've played. Prior to moving Rudy Gay and now possibly unloading Kyle Lowry, I thought that Toronto had a chance to be decent as well, although I would now take them out of the mix.
And finally, Boston has been substantially better than predicted. Brad Stevens may just be a great coach, but I think between the Celts, Knicks, and Nets, at least one of them will end the year with a winning record.
Sean Beazley (follow on Twitter):
Yes, I believe Brooklyn will make a run and finish above .500 and win the Atlantic division this year. I think the Eastern Conference playoffs will have at least three teams in it that are under .500 in the playoffs. NBA action; it's Fantastic!
Dan Yanotchko (follow on Twitter):
I would have to say that this year's Atlantic Division of the NBA has to be the worst possible division in the history of sports. Right now, we are past the quarter point of the season, and not one team is over .500. The Celtics lead the way with a lofty 11-14 record, good enough to be three games clear of the .500 mark.
This division will have a .500 finisher though, and the only team that will finish over 41 wins, will be the Brooklyn Nets. Although the Nets have one of the worst coaches in the league, they have way too much talent, and of course, they play in the Atlantic division of the Eastern conference, so they can stockpile wins. The Nets will eventually get to, and finish over, the .500 mark.
Kevin Hanson (follow on Twitter):
For a couple of reasons, I'd like to see all five of the teams in the division lose all of their games. As a Sixers fan, I'm rooting for more ping pong balls leading to a (very) high lottery pick. For the rest of the division, I root for them to lose, as always.
That said, I think we see the Nets finishing above .500.
Over the long haul of the NBA season, there will be plenty of games against the other teams in the division. The trio of Deron Williams, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will eventually get healthy and gel and finish with around 45 wins on the season. Adding Pierce and KG, however, I'm sure that the organization and its fan base was hoping for more than a 45-37 regular-season record.
- See full power rankings here
Follow HitTheBoards.com: Twitter | Facebook | Google+
Monday, December 2, 2013
2013-14 NBA Power Rankings, Week 6
Going into the season, it seemed that the teams in the Central Division would pose the biggest threat to LeBron James' and the Heat's hopes of three-peating.
With one of the league's most underrated superstars in Paul George, the Pacers are off to a league-best 17-1 start this season. Before losing the Central Division's other superstar, Derrick Rose, for the season, the Bulls were expected to be a legitimate contender to get to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Now the Eastern Conference is clearly the Heat, Pacers and everybody else. In fact, the Heat (14-3) and Pacers (16-1) are the only teams in the Eastern Conference with a winning record through Sunday's games.
Things are especially bad in the Atlantic Division as the Raptors (6-10, .375) have a half-game lead over the Celtics (7-12, .368) in the division.
Fueled by the great start of rookie Michael Carter-Williams, the Sixers were a surprise 3-0 to begin the season, but they have since lost 12 of their past 15 games. That said, they are middle of the pack in the division.
The biggest surprises are the Nets (5-12) and Knicks (3-13).
With a Coke-spilling first-year head coach in Jason Kidd and veteran additions like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, it's understandable if it takes longer for them to gel. In addition, Deron Williams has played in only nine games this season and now the Nets will be without Pierce (hand) for a few weeks.
The Knicks have lost nine consecutive games, which includes a franchise-worst seven straight games at home. Interestingly enough, it will be the Nets that host Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks on Thursday for a chance to extend their losing streak to 10 games. Glass-half-full view: One of these two teams has to win the game.
The Nets and Knicks are the 23rd-ranked and 27th-ranked teams, respectively, in our updated power rankings.
- See full power rankings here
Follow HitTheBoards.com: Twitter | Facebook | Google+
With one of the league's most underrated superstars in Paul George, the Pacers are off to a league-best 17-1 start this season. Before losing the Central Division's other superstar, Derrick Rose, for the season, the Bulls were expected to be a legitimate contender to get to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Now the Eastern Conference is clearly the Heat, Pacers and everybody else. In fact, the Heat (14-3) and Pacers (16-1) are the only teams in the Eastern Conference with a winning record through Sunday's games.
Things are especially bad in the Atlantic Division as the Raptors (6-10, .375) have a half-game lead over the Celtics (7-12, .368) in the division.
Fueled by the great start of rookie Michael Carter-Williams, the Sixers were a surprise 3-0 to begin the season, but they have since lost 12 of their past 15 games. That said, they are middle of the pack in the division.
The biggest surprises are the Nets (5-12) and Knicks (3-13).
With a Coke-spilling first-year head coach in Jason Kidd and veteran additions like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, it's understandable if it takes longer for them to gel. In addition, Deron Williams has played in only nine games this season and now the Nets will be without Pierce (hand) for a few weeks.
The Knicks have lost nine consecutive games, which includes a franchise-worst seven straight games at home. Interestingly enough, it will be the Nets that host Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks on Thursday for a chance to extend their losing streak to 10 games. Glass-half-full view: One of these two teams has to win the game.
The Nets and Knicks are the 23rd-ranked and 27th-ranked teams, respectively, in our updated power rankings.
- See full power rankings here
Follow HitTheBoards.com: Twitter | Facebook | Google+
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