The Clash In the East: Miami Vs. Detriot

Many people felt the chances of the Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons meeting one another in the playoffs were better than average. In Round 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals the two teams are tied 1-1. Shaq is back and ready to attack. His inside presence is a major factor in Miami's scoring. With Wade shooting touch out of synch for the earlier part of the series the other players will have provide some assistance with their offensive arsenal. Detroit's Rasheed and Ben Wallace had solid games in Game 1. That will be expected to match their intensity on the court. If Rip Hamilton and Chauncy Billups get locked in from the perimeter or outside Miami will be for a battle to the finish. Getting Shaq is early foul trouble is probably Detroit's best strategy choice. Without him active on the inside, all the pressure will shift onto the shoulders of Wade. He is known to get into a mood where he is nearly unstoppable. This is what the Pistons fear. I have a feeling this is going to be a long series with back and forth countering.

Shaq shoots over Brendan Haywood 

The Heat Are Scorching!

Winners of the their last 6 games, the Miami Heat appear to be unstoppable. With the power of Shaq inside and the all around, sensational performances Dewayne Wayne it's hard to disagree. The Wizard find themselves trailing two games to none again. Heading into Washington, they will need to capitalize on the energy of the home crowd. Larry Hughes and Gilbert Arenas will have to limit their outside shooting and concentrate more on driving to the basket. They will have to penetrate Miami's strong interior defense and draw fouls. With players like Haslem and Mourning active on the boards, Washington will be well aware of their positioning and be able to box out better. If Wade gets into a streaky groove and even starts creating shots for teammates the Wizards will falter and not be able to catch up. Coming up with a solution to stop Shaq from scoring easily inside will be crucial in attempts to force Miami to hit long range shots. This will put the pressure on the guards like Eddie Jones and Keyon Dooling. Hopefully the Wiz can avoid the sweep and put a challenge and make the series more interesting.

P.S.

Readers feel free to add your comments about the playoffs here. A basketball playoff forum can be created for everyone to list team information, statistics, opinions, favorite picks, etc.

Finding Relief For The Cubbies

Some changes must be made for the Chicago Cubs lineup and bullpen soon. I know it is early in the 2005 season, but the Cubs are already struggling to win games. If it's not the bullpen failing to hold a lead it's the offense being unable to score a sufficient amount of runs. Why must this happen almost every year? Letroy Hawkins has been shaky of late and sort of unreliable. Due to Joe Borowski's absence he has taken over the spot of closer for the Cubs. Their young relievers are still learning areas of the game and how to handle specific game situations. This is good, but that is not going to put Chicago over .500. When Mark Prior or any other starter goes the distance, pitching 7 or more innings and can't pick up the win due to poor relief work this is an embarrassment. Such unacceptable play should be corrected in as quick as possible.
Another area of weakness is the lack of overall productivity from the outfield. Jeromy Burntiz is a decent, respectable player that will get his shares of runs in a year, but there is no way he could ever replace the likes of Sammy Sosa or Moises Alou. The Cubs GM needs to think bigger and consider another quality outfielder that has more potential that is proven threat in the National League. This inevitable will give them a edge in the NL Central. The Cubs need to make a trade or two to bring some resurgence into the lineup. Don't worry about having to sign this potential player to a big fat contract until the off season. I think the Cubs GM needs to stop being cheap and pick up guys like Lance Berkman, Adam Dunn, Jose Guillen, or possibly even Austin Kearns (depending on how healthy he is during the year). If they have the opportunity to trade for one of these star outfielders by moving a starting pitcher with a few draft picks or an infielder they should jump on it. This would be the smart move instead of waiting for better offers that may never develop.