How Do The Miami Heat Stack Up To The Best In The West?
By Noah Decker
Miami Heat: How They Stack Up To The Best In The West- Golden State Warriors
During the 2010’s era in which Golden State won three championships, the team’s motto was “Strength in Numbers.”
Golden State Warriors
Once again, the Warriors are stacked with talent. With the emergence of Andrew Wiggins as an All-Star caliber player, the Warriors now have four players who would be considered stars in the NBA.
The Warriors have managed to earn the second-best record in the NBA. The majority of their wins came before Klay Thompson had even returned.
Now, he is back. His jump shot is still as pure as it was before.
He is averaging about 17 points per game and mostly, all upon a minutes restriction up until now. Draymond Green has missed several games due to a back injury though.
When he is on the court, he is the glue that holds the team together. He is the best defender on that Warriors team and he is one of the biggest reasons why they have one of the best-ranked defenses in the NBA.
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The scary thing about the Warriors is that they have been successful, not only, without some of their best players but also while Stephen Curry has dealt with a rare shooting slump. This season, he is shooting his worst three-point percentage of his career.
He is still among the most dangerous offensive weapons in the NBA. When he starts hitting more shots, he will be even more dangerous, further adding to Golden State’s dominance.
That day might come soon, too. In the All-Star Game, Curry hit a record 16 three-pointers in 27 attempts.
The Warriors are one of the teams that match up well with the Miami Heat in almost every category. They both have solid depth, great coaching, and top-tier defense.
Golden State has the edge in terms of star power. So, what advantage does Miami have on Golden State?
Size. Throughout all of their seasons of dominance, the Golden State Warriors have always been an undersized team.
The Miami Heat are a bigger and stronger team. Although Bam Adebayo is small for a center, he is a strong player and a force inside.
There are several other players on the Heat like this, such as P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris. The Heat also have tall backup centers like Dewayne Dedmon and Omer Yurtseven who could provide value to the Heat by outrebounding the opponent.
An NBA Finals matchup against the Warriors would definitely be tough for the Heat, but they could win it.