SCOUTS FAVOR BUCKS, SIXERS OVER HEAT, CELTICS IN EAST
… With the Heat, their view is actually a compliment, in that the scouts believe coach Erik Spoelstra has maximized his roster’s capabilities to put Miami at the top of the standings. Playing hard on a consistent basis, particularly on defense, has allowed the Heat to win and win often — in the regular season.
"They play a different brand of basketball than just about everybody else," one Eastern Conference scout said. "They’re crafty, and they don’t back down."
But when it comes to the playoffs, every team plays hard. Every team executes its game plan. As a result, the advantage shifts to those teams with players who have the skill and physical superiority…
In other words, team engines in the playoffs run on star power.
"Successful playoff basketball demands offensively creative players who can create for themselves and for others," one Western Conference scout said. …
And that’s where the Heat and Celtics fall short. The Heat attempted to shore up that flaw last summer by signing point guard Kyle Lowry away from the Toronto Raptors but…Unless he finds the form he had in helping the Raptors to the 2019 championship, the Heat are left with swingman Jimmy Butler as their best go-to threat with a game on the line.
How well that has worked is reflected by the Heat’s record in games decided by three or fewer points: 3-6. That’s the second-worst record in that category of any team currently eligible for the playoffs, including those in the play-in slots.
I would add the mildest caveat: Tyler Herro. He is showing that he may have the star power to be the go-to guy in crunch time, but as sixth man, he has not been given it.
What distinguishes the Celtics from the Heat is that in them, scouts have seen glimpses of the necessary star power to make a deep playoff run — just not consistently.
In other words, they haven’t seen even a glimpse of the necessary star power in us.
For now, the favorites among the scouts to come out of the East are the defending champion Bucks, followed closely by the 76ers.
I take no, absolutely zero, satisfaction in this for all its consistency with my own oft-stated opinion. It will be a bitter, humiliating blow to me if we get eliminated in the first round. If we get to the conference finals, I will be satisfied. Anything short of that, and the more short the more disenchanting, will be hard to take.
