3) Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets
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Miami Record: 48-34 (Home 28-13; Road 20-21)
Charlotte Record: 48-34 (Home 30-11; Road 18-23)
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Season series: Split 2-2.
The Miami Heat had to wait until the last day of the season to earn the third seed but they would surely not be too pleased to face the Bobcats. It has not come to many people’s notice that the Bobcats ended the season on a 21-8 run post the All-Star break, the best record in the East.
Kemba Walker finally seems to have come of age and Al Jefferson is a gritty low post menace that Hassan Whiteside should be extremely wary off.
The Heat, on the other hand, will bank on their seasoned stars in Wade, Stoudemire, Johnson and Bosh (if he features). The Bobcats are relatively inexperienced in the postseason and the Heat will be banking on its proven big-match players to power them through.
MVP of the series:
I am going to go on a limb here and predict that Wade will dig deep and give a vintage performance that will shape the Heat’s playoff run and give him and his team necessary momentum. Wade has struggled against the Bobcats as he has averaged a mere 16 points in the four games this season, but in the playoffs expect Wade to take a greater share of the offensive burden.
Yes, he is not the player he used to be and the days of Wade may well be behind him but if anything we have learnt about Wade in all these years is that he plays with the heart of a Champion. Expect him to have a 25 ppg series.
Key matchups
While both teams boast of some of the best guards in the game in Walker, Dragic and Wade, the real battle will happen between the bigs. The Walker-Jefferson pick-and-roll is crucial for the Bobcats and despite Whiteside’s gargantuan shot-blocking ability, his pick-and-roll defence has enough frailties to be exploited and expect the veteran savvy of Jefferson to give him nightmares down low.
Jefferson in his two games against the Heat averaged 19.5 points to go along with 7.5 assists. The Bobcats feed off Jefferson’s decision-making and they surround him with shooters of the pedigree of Batum, Lin and William.
Jefferson can be expected to make the most of any lapses in the defensive rotations. On the other end, the Bobcats will have their hands full keeping the Dragic-Whiteside pick-and-roll in control.
X-Factor:
Joe Johnson might have been relegated to a reduced role on offence with the Heat, but he is a proven big-match scorer and a clutch shot-taker and shot-maker. Since joining the Heat, he has averaged 13.5 points per game on 42% shooting from beyond the arc and 51% shooting from the field.
As the season has progressed he seems to be getting back to his normal rhythm and it just seems the right time for him to peak.
Prediction:
Heat in seven.
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