Miami Heat 1-on-1: Is the Eastern Conference really wide open?
By Ivan Mora
Ok, what Eastern Conference ball club do you see as the Heat’s biggest competition?
Mora: As much as we praise the Heat, their young core, and their bright future, they still aren’t a threat in the East. They’re in the midst of finalizing their rebuilding stage, but at the moment aren’t quite there yet. They haven’t made a mark yet. The biggest competition they have are ranked teams one through six basically. In other words, the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, and Milwaukee Bucks. Miami can slowly sneak into the playoffs as either the sixth or seventh seed, but that still marks them as a low seed with a huge uphill battle ahead of them. I guess if I had to choose one specific team it would have to be the 76ers, mainly due to Embiid’s feud with Whiteside. Miami needs to prove themselves before making a run for the Eastern crown.
Johnson: Can I pick two? Originally, the 76ers come to mind. The Whiteside-Embiid rivalry – which has died down since their joint trip to partake in the 2018 NBA Africa Game – was primed to be the revival of old-school beef between top-tier centers. Last season, the rivalry was certainly skewed in Embiid’s favor. In 5 postseason games against Miami, Embiid averaged almost 19 points and 10 rebounds, compared to Whiteside’s paltry 5.2 points and 6.0 boards. Even without Whiteside playing his best, the Heat-Sixers matchups were a wild bunch all season long, birthing some new conflicts in the process: Winslow versus Embiid’s face mask, James Johnson shoving Robert Covington…10 technical fouls broke out between games 3 and 4 alone.
Otherwise, the Raptors will be Miami’s team to beat. From their postseason history and similar conflict-filled matchups, the series with arguably the biggest temperature differential will be one for the ages.