Dipo People!
While he won’t be a free agent until after the end of next season, that doesn’t mean that the Miami Heat can’t start planting that seed now. The looks, smiles, and embraces that Victor Oladipo and Miami Heat players share after games is noticeable and something that Pat Riley should pry more into and prey upon.
You also have to include the fact that getting a first-hand look at him up close and personally, in a playoff series (the most meaningful and stressful setting), and after you would imagine he’s had a chance to get close to full strength physically, would be well worth the cost of having to pluck them in the first round. That is the second reason why we wouldn’t mind the Miami Heat facing the Pacers in round one.
The Miami Heat are a better team
The first thing you want to look at here are the records. In two games this season, the Miami Heat have won both them. Although the first one was very close in Miami, they have managed to beat them both at home and away.
While the Indiana Pacers have thrived this season, overachieving by all accounts and especially without a fully healthy Dipo, they are not as talented top to bottom as the Heat are. To be completely honest, if you lined every potential player in this series against a wall, the top two picks would both be Miami Heat guys.
I can honestly even make a case for Goran Dragic going three behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. That is the third reason though, the Heat are the better team and should win any potential series against Indy.
The season hasn’t begun again yet, but we sure hope it does soon. We also hope these projections are close to accurate, as the matchup would be explosive. These, however, were the three main reasons why we would love to see it!