Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Well, the Warriors have come to the game that most fans dread, but at the same time have been waiting for the whole season. A game with the Miami Heat, who surprisingly have the same amount of wins as the Warriors do with 14.
On the lighter side, this is the first time in 34 years that the Warriors have started 4-0 on a roadtrip. This is a a legendary year for the Warriors, no doubt, but is their confidence high enough to get passed the Heat?
As I see it, this game could go one of two ways. The first way is that the Heat crush the Warriors by 20+ points in a devastating loss. The Warriors lose all offense and any glimpse of defense. They’re pounded on the glass, and the Warriors have no one to guard LeBron James, who destroys Harrison Barnes every time. The Heat are hitting all their shots, and the Warriors make fools of themselves.
Yes, that one is imagining the worst possible scenario. The second situation is the Warriors winning. I can’t see the Warriors losing by only ten. Yes, it’s an incredibly hard task to take out the defending champs, but I believe the Warriors have what it takes. When they play good teams like this, they’re in a special zone. Unfortunately, their hot shooting may not be enough to control a huge second half by the Heat. This is where the Warriors are weak, and the Heat are strong, which should be interesting. The way the Warriors should be looking at it is that the Heat have the same number of wins as them.
Another negative, however, is that the Heat have caught the Warriors in the dead middle of a lengthy roadtrip. The Warriors are tired and want to play in front of the home crowd. The do, however, know how happy their fans would be if they beat the Heat. Warrior fans all over the nation would get bragging rights over fans of other teams. The road-trip isn’t going to get easier, so the Warriors need to give it all they got.
Some keys to the game:
Festus Ezeli. While he does have a size advantage on Bosh, he isn’t a completely necessary part to this game. Bosh is a PF, and is undersized. If the Warriors want to go with a Lee, Landry lineup, they shouldn’t bee hurt too much on the rebounding glass. The second key is putting Klay Thompson on LeBron James. Klay’s defense has gotten the Warriors out of some sticky situations, and may come in handy against the reigning MVP.
Game Predictions:
Matchup to Watch: Klay Thompson vs Dwyane Wade
Players to Watch: LeBron James, Chris Bosh, David Lee
Leading Scorer: LeBron James 32 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists.
Winner: Heat by either a blowout or a tiny margin
Probable Lineups
Warriors
PG- Stephen Curry
SG – Klay Thompson (Needs to have big night, offensively, defensively)
SF – Harrison Barnes
PF – David Lee
C – Festus Ezeli
Heat
PG – Mario Chalmers
SG – Dwyane Wade
SF – LeBron James
PF – Udonis Haslem
C – Chris Bosh