Miami Heat: Either Move Makes It Tougher, But Neither Spells Disaster In East
The trio of Durant, Simmons, and Irving would cause several matchup problems for the Miami Heat. That’s not even mentioning the arsenal of role players that Brooklyn has.
Durant and Irving are incredibly difficult to guard off the dribble. Imagine adding an All-Star level guard who can create open shots for them and the rest of the team, while playing elite defense on the other end.
Simmons is also a great finisher. Even with all of the great defenders on the Heat, there really isn’t anyone who matches up well with him.
At least, not when you have to worry about Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving each scoring 30 on you. The one saving grace in this situation is that Brooklyn’s drama would still exist.
Right now, Kyrie Irving is unable to play in home games. However, even if this remains the case in the playoffs, there still might be an issue for the Heat.
Since Miami is currently the first seed, if they were to face the Nets in the playoffs, the Nets would actually have more away games than the Heat in the seven-game series. So, Brooklyn would conceivably be at their strongest form in four out of seven games.
If this trade actually happens, it does not mean that the Miami Heat have no chance to make it out of the East. They are the first seed for a reason— because they are a great team, both offensively and defensively.
They have excellent leadership and a talented roster from top to bottom. However, a James Harden for Ben Simmons swap would create two powerhouses in the East that could compete with Miami this year.
It is not impossible to beat either hypothetical team, as Miami would have a good chance against either of them. It would just make their road to the Finals that much more difficult.
That’s all.