I've tried to steer clear of teams that are universally viewed as favorites to make their respective conference finals, but I can't just leave the Miami Heat out of a slideshow about dangerous teams heading into the NBA playoffs.
If it weren't for my self-imposed restrictions, you'd also be seeing the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder here, but none of those squads stands out quite like the Heat.
After all, Erik Spoelstra is coaching up two of the world's top six basketball players, including the unquestioned MVP, and the results have been incredibly positive. Miami won 27 games in a row at one point and sits atop the NBA standings with a 66-16 record, putting them six games clear of the rest of the field at the end of the regular season.
The gap between the Heat and the Knicks, who finished in the Eastern Conference's No. 2 spot, is nearly as wide as the margin between New York and the Boston Celtics, who are all the way back in the No. 7 seed.
Miami enters the playoffs winning nine of its last 10 games, and that was a stretch during which LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all sat out for various games. This is a quality team with incredible star power at the top and a system to make everything work.
Spoelstra has made great strides as a coach, and the offensive system he's developed for the Miami Heat is incredible. It's a patient offense, one that constantly probes the defense for any exposed weakness. Pick-and-rolls occur often, but they're often distractions for other sets.
Coaching is even more important in the postseason, and the Heat now have one of top clipboard-holders in the league. Spoelstra has taken massive strategic strides over the last two years, fortunately for the Heat.
Add that to everything else going on in South Beach, and you can see why Miami is so dangerous going into the playoffs.
Via: [Live -] Online - TV] Arsenal de Sarandi - San Lorenzo - Argentine football
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