2014 NBA Brooklyn Nets vs Miami Heat Series Odds, Picks and Predictions

2014 NBA Brooklyn Nets vs Miami Heat Series Odds, Picks and Predictions: The second-seeded Miami Heat and sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets took completely opposite paths to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals. While the two-time defending champs have been sitting at home after sweeping the Charlotte Bobcats, the Nets rallied from a 3-2 deficit to defeat the Toronto Raptors 104-103 in a Game 7 thriller. Now, LeBron James is face to face with two of his oldest and fiercest rivals in Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, and you can bet that there is no love lost between the two sides. The series begins Tuesday in South Beach with Brooklyn holding a 4-0 edge over the Heat in previous meetings this season.

Brooklyn was pushed to the limit by Toronto in the first round, but while the Nets were inconsistent, they were able to gut out a victory in large part because of solid play from the frontcourt tandem of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Johnson averaged 21.9 points per game in the first round, and Williams averaged 16.9 points and 5.6 assists. Meanwhile, Pierce chipped in with clutch shots and plays in big moments, including a game-winning block on Kyle Lowry as time expired in Brooklyn’s Game 7 win.

Miami was able to sleepwalk through its first-round series against Charlotte. James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were able to use a few stretches of focused play to control an undermanned Bobcats team that ended up at an even bigger disadvantage when center Al Jefferson suffered an ankle injury. James in particular had a strong series, averaging 30.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists and leading all players in scoring in all four games.

The Nets Win If:

For the Nets to knock off the two-time defending champs, they have to neutralize Miami’s athleticism by making sure the series is played mainly in a half-court setting. It starts with Williams and Johnson taking care of the ball and playing well on the offensive end in order to ensure that the Nets get quality shots and limit Miami’s chances to run in transition. Defensively, Brooklyn has to protect the paint at all cost in order to take away driving lines and force James and Wade to become jump-shooters. Overall, the Nets want to slow the pace of things as much as possible and make this a low-scoring, ugly series. If Brooklyn can make sure this series comes down to which side can consistently execute in the half court, the Nets are going to be in great shape.

The Heat Win If:

If the Heat are going to win the series, they have to find a way to speed up the pace of the games to test the athleticism and endurance of the older Nets. Miami is at its worst when games are played mainly in a half-court setting, and that also happens to be when Brooklyn is at its best. The Heat need to spread out Brooklyn’s defense to open up driving lanes for James and Wade to get to the rim. When the Nets to get their defense set, Miami needs its perimeter shooters to knock down open looks to keep Brooklyn from simply sagging back and clogging the lane. Defensively, the Heat need to use their defense to generate turnovers or bad shots to create quick scoring chances in transition. In general, the Heat need to establish an up-tempo feel to this series and force Brooklyn to try to match their athleticism and offensive firepower.

Bottom Line:

While popular opinion seems to be that Brooklyn’s regular seasons dominance of Miami doesn’t matter now that the playoffs have arrived, I don’t fully understand that line of thinking. The fact is that the Nets are simply a tough matchup for Miami. The Heat don’t have a player to make Williams work on defense, and with Wade always less than 100 percent, Johnson’s deficiencies will be masked to a degree. Perhaps more importantly, Pierce and Garnett would rather retire than lose to James. Brooklyn is going to clog the lane on defense, slow the pace and force James and company to shoot jump shots to beat them. The Heat haven’t proven that they can do that yet this year, and just because the playoffs have started, it doesn’t mean Brooklyn’s strategy is going to be any less effective or that Miami’s weaknesses or going to suddenly disappear. I think the Heat’s dynasty comes to an abrupt end at the hands of the Nets.

Prediction: Brooklyn Nets Win in 6 Games

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